Help Navigating this Site

Problems or Issues with "Fly-Out" Menus/ Understanding Methods of Navigation

This site uses "Fly-out" menus to increase usability. Fly-out menus are what you see when you put your mouse over any of the categories on the left side of this or any other page. When a user puts their mouse over a category, a menu with the items contained within that category pops up onto the screen.

The use of fly-outs is not necessary to navigate our site. If you are not comfortable with using fly-outs, simply click the text links on the left-hand navigation bar or at the bottom of each page to navigate. Using this method, you should be able to navigate to any page on the site.

Some users may encounter difficulty in using fly-out menus. Menus may pop up too far away from the link you have put your mouse over to use. This is because this site was built assuming that users would have 800 X 600 screen resolution or greater. In Windows, you can check and adjust your screen resolution by going to the Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Display. In the Display Properties window, go to the Settings tab and adjust screen area. If you do not want to change your screen resolution, simply use the text links to navigate through the site, as described above.

One other possible problem you may encounter with fly-out menus is "sticking". For example, when you run your mouse down the left navigation bar to see the contents of all the menus, the fly-out for "Publications/Information" will remain open as you go down to "Contact Us", and "Home". This will not affect your ability to go to those pages, but the sticking is the result of imperfections in the HTML code. The fly-out menu is stuck because there is no fly-out menu for those next two categories- they are stand-alone pages. We have not yet identified a way to keep the menus from sticking, but will correct this when a fix is found.

Understanding the Site's Organization

Generally speaking, information on issues of concern to older Iowans that are not directly covered by the Department of Elder Affairs is located in the Questions & Answers section. Areas that are covered by the Department are located in the other categories.

Understanding the Site's Categories

An understanding of how this site is structured will help you locate more quickly the information you are seeking. The site's major categories are:

• About Us: This category gives a brief introduction of what the department does and why. Additionally, the page offers and overview of legislative priorities and information on the Commission on Elder Affairs.
• Area Agencies on Aging: This category gives a brief overview of what Area Agencies do and provides contact information for all Area Agencies in the state of Iowa.
• Employment & Volunteer: This category focuses on DEA's efforts in finding work for older persons and increasing awareness of the important role older workers play in the future of the state's workforce. Includes information on the Senior Internship Program, Mature Worker Consortium, Work Incentive Grant, and Retired Senior Volunteer Programs.
• Living, Health, & Education: This category focuses on DEA's many programs & partnerships in living, health, and education. Includes information on our Nutrition program, Case Management Program for the Frail Elderly (CMPFE), Iowa Family Caregiver Program, and much more.
• Housing & Services: This category contains information about DEA's regulatory role in senior housing & services, and discusses efforts to streamline and improve the long-term care system in the state of Iowa. Contains information on Assisted living regulation, the Senior Living program, and the Seamless Project.
• Elder Advocacy & Assistance: This category focuses on DEA's efforts in advocating for older Iowans. Includes information on legal assistance, elder abuse prevention, and efforts to reduce Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse.
• Long-Term Care Ombudsman: The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman is an advocate for residents of long-term care facilities and their families. Contact the Ombudsman's office if you have a complaint or concern about long-term care facility in the state of Iowa.
• Aging Statistics & Information: The Department of Elder Affairs maintains and provides population/demographic estimates for age 60+ for the state, its counties, and its incorporated places. Also, this section contains information on Iowa centenarians (persons 100 years of age and older).
• Questions & Answers: This section contains answers to many frequently asked questions of interest to older Iowans. Pages within this section include: Elder Rights, Accessing Services, Medicare/Medicaid, and Legal Assistance.
• Publications/Information: This section contains information on important publications found on our website, publications available for order, and an archive of information bulletins issued by DEA.