A passion for keeping healthy

Columbia retiree David R. Conway took over as volunteer president of AARP Maryland this year. Volunteering is a full-time job for Conway, a retired sales executive. “It brings me joy,” he said. Photo courtesy of AARP Maryland

Quick: What’s Maryland’s official exercise?

Columbia resident David R. Conway knows: it’s walking.

Conway, 73, is the new volunteer president of AARP Maryland, which advocates for 850,000 members and their families.

“We are very focused on walking,” he told the Beacon in a recent interview about his priorities there. And he said walking 30 minutes a day is the best way for older adults to stay healthy.

Getting older adults out and about daily has been one of Conway’s major interests since he retired in 2017.

“I’ve always been a fitness kind of guy. I was an athlete growing up and try to stay active. So, I got involved in walking and became a walking advocate,” he told Shawn Perry on “The Senior Zone” radio show in January, when he became volunteer president of AARP Maryland.

As part of the organization’s Executive Council, Conway spearheaded a program that promotes walking as perhaps the key exercise for people over 50.

He also oversaw AARP Maryland’s involvement in the state Department of Transportation’s Walktober events and Howard County’s Streets for All pedestrian safety campaign.

“When people think of Howard County, they often point to all the pretty lakes, trails and scenic rural roads,” Conway wrote in an op-ed published in the Baltimore Sun in 2019, encouraging the county at the time to pass laws to make streets accessible to walkers.

“What they don’t know is that many of our neighborhoods lack safe, accessible and easy ways to get around without a car. In many county neighborhoods, including in Elkridge, Ellicott City, Clarksville, Jessup, Savage and, yes, even Columbia, too many of our streets are not accessible or safe for walkers, bikers, bus riders or people with disabilities,” he said in the op-ed.

Conway’s advocacy worked: The county unanimously passed a Complete Streets Policy five years ago, improving street crossings and upgrading walking paths, and won a perfect score last year from the National Complete Streets Coalition.

Maryland was the first state to designate a state exercise — walking — back in 2008. According to the state’s website, “The health benefits of walking include improved cardiovascular fitness, reduced risk of developing high blood pressure, and prevention of heart attacks, colon and breast cancer, and osteoporosis.”

Volunteering as a way of life

Conway grew up in a military family, moving frequently during his childhood. He graduated from Ohio University with a degree in communications and media studies.

He went on to spend 43 years in surgical device sales, 23 of them as a senior manager.

A year after Conway retired, he started volunteering full time for AARP Maryland. “It brings me joy and keeps me engaged with my community,” he said.

The organization sponsored his fellowship at America Walks, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving walkability for all Americans.

Since 2018, Conway has stepped forward to help with many other AARP projects. In addition to co-writing an op-ed for the Sun, he has appeared several times on WBAL-TV on its behalf, speaking about the importance of voting, getting Covid vaccines, and sick leave for family caregivers.

For his dedication, the organization gave him the Communications Volunteer of the Year award in 2021.

In addition to promoting walking for health, he is keen on encouraging others to volunteer — and for the same reason. Volunteering can keep us healthy by giving us a sense of purpose, Conway said.

“A study from Carnegie Mellon showed that adults over age 50 who volunteer regularly were less likely to develop high blood pressure than non-volunteers. Another study released by John Hopkins University in 2009 revealed that volunteers actually increased their brain functioning,” he said.

In addition to his volunteer work for AARP, Conway is a caregiver for his 98-year-old mother. He also helps at his church and at the Howard County Arts Council.

Conway said he learned the importance of service from his parents.

“Both my father and my mother were active volunteers, even while in professional careers — his in the U.S. Air Force and hers as a public school teacher,” Conway said.

Key priority: prescription drug costs

Conway began his term as state president in January. AARP said in a press release that Conway “will help shape AARP’s strategic priorities, build community partnerships with key decision makers, and serve as AARP’s principal volunteer spokesperson in Maryland.”

“Over the past five years, David has been a trusted advisor and respected volunteer leader at AARP Maryland,” said Hank Greenberg, AARP Maryland state director.

Conway “brings a wealth of experience in team development that will be of great value to AARP as we strategically build out and prepare volunteers throughout the state to improve and enhance the lives of the 50-plus and their families.”

Among the concerns that AARP Maryland and Conway will be looking into are healthcare costs — particularly the high price of prescription drugs, which in Maryland and most other states are a major problem for older residents.

“The price of prescription drugs is too high because some pharmaceutical companies charge too much,” Conway said. “Many companies spend more on salaries, stock buybacks and advertising than they do on research and development.”

Conway noted that, in 2019, Maryland was the first state to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. The board’s stated goal is to help state employees, Medicaid recipients and others afford medications.

In his new position, Conway will also work to combat loneliness in older adults, which can shorten lives. One of the best ways to do this, Conway pointed out, is to get outside and take a walk with friends.

Conway shared a story about one of his friends: One October, Conway encouraged the friend to participate in Walk Maryland Day, just to get out of the house. The friend recruited 10 neighbors to join him, and they formed a walking club that continues today.

For more information, activities and volunteer opportunities with AARP Maryland, visit aarp.org/md.