October 21, 2016
Aging Well in Boulder County | Issue 13 | October 21, 2016
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Last Chance to Register!
Want to know how innovators are making aging-in-community an option for people everywhere? Join Mike Biselli of Catalyst HTI and Laurie Orlov of Aging in Place Technology Watch as they presents ideas for making aging safer, healthier, and more dignified.  Hear from local and national experts. Connect with fellow leaders and visionaries. This is an event you do not want to miss. Register today!
Volunteer -
It's Good for Your Health
Ten thousand Americans turn 65 every day, and they are redefining what it means to reach this aging milestone. Many are embracing opportunities to contribute and share their lifetime of knowledge by volunteering. Not only does this benefit society, research shows it can also pay big dividends for healthy aging. If you volunteer as little as two hours a week you may experience improved mental emotional and physical health. Volunteering can help reduce depression, lessen chronic pain and give your brain a boost. You may even live longer! Click here for the full story from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Interested in volunteer opportunities? Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Kari, to learn more about ways to get involved. 720-865-6526. Or email her. And speaking of volunteers...
Congratulations to Laura Belanger, volunteer for the Respite & Companion Volunteer Program who was recently honored as our Volunteer of the Quarter. Laura has been volunteering for the program for ten years and has gone above and beyond for the older adult with whom she is matched. Over the years, she has taken him shopping and to the bank, helped him schedule appointments, and even order a new refrigerator. When her match moved to assisted living, Laura continued with her visits. Through it all, Laura has had positive attitude and kept in touch with her match’s family. As a Respite & Companion Volunteer, Laura has truly made a very positive and very significant difference in the life of an older adult.  Learn more about our Respite and Volunteer Companion Program.
Project Visibility in the Spotlight
Project Visibility received a front page spot in the Longmont Times-Call on Sept. 15! Reporter, Carah Wertheimer, attended our lively Sept. 13 community training, led by Ash Bell (pictured above with the Rainbow Elders). Ash is training county senior care agencies on the unique strengths and needs of LGBT older adults. Check out the whole article here. Don’t miss the next general training. Click here for more information or call Ash at 303-441-4518. Independence at Home Nearly two years ago, we launched a voucher pilot program for Homemaker and Personal Care services. The goal of pilot program was to give eligible clients a choice of in-home-service providers and relieve waitlists. Choices@Home has now served 95 older adults across the county through our partnership with five contracted in-home service agencies. The heat map below shows where clients are currently being served. Call our Aging and Disability Resources for Colorado (ADRC) team at 303-441-1617 to learn more about the Choices@Home program!
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Time to Check Your Benefits
The Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Period is here! Now through December 7th , our Medicare Counselors will be meeting with Medicare enrollees, family members and caretakers to review Medicare drug and advantage plans. Drug and advantage plans are required to notify enrollees by mail of any changes in premiums, formulary, tier assignment, etc. so be sure to open and read correspondence from your plan. Only people currently enrolled in Medicare need to make changes during this open enrollment period—it is not for initial enrollment in Parts A & B, or for choosing a Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan. View the open enrollment schedule and call to make your appointment today! 303-441-1546 This Way for Veterans Services
We are excited to announce that the Veterans Services Offices for Boulder County have been moved from Workforce Boulder County to the Area Agency on Aging. We believe this will be a positive move as the nature of the work of the two veterans services officers (VSOs) aligns well with the work of the ADRC and other parts of the AAA. The VSOs help veterans sign up for and receive a number of government services to which they are entitled. Michael Holliday will remain in the veteran office on East Pearl Street in Boulder. You can reach him by email or at 303-441-3890. Karen Townsend is located at the St. Vrain Community Hub in Longmont. You can reach her by email or at 720-864-6663. Adding them to the AAA staff will increase our awareness of issues of veterans and we believe will also result in getting veterans connected to even more services. Welcome Michael and Karen! Enough to Eat?
Senior Malnutrition in our country is an epidemic hiding in plain sight. A recent article from the Administration on Aging estimates that almost 50 percent of older Americans are malnourished. Many factors can contribute to malnutrition. Some older adults may not have the stamina to cook a meal or may not want to cook because they are feeling down. Others may not eat because they do not feel well enough to eat. Contrary to popular belief, malnutrition is usually not due to a lack of funds to purchase food. Welcome Patti
Patti Murphy recently joined our staff in the role of Registered Dietician. Patti will be focusing on menus for our funded nutrition sites as well as keeping sites in compliance with day-to-day operations. She will also be responsible for nutrition education and helping with enhancing and expanding the nutrition program. Patti comes to us with experience working for Estes Park Medical Center, Boulder Community Hospital and Volunteers of America. |
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