Aging Well in Boulder County | Issue 9 |June 17, 2016

On June 28, 1969, gay and transgender patrons fought back against the police brutality they had endured for decades. The riot at the Stonewall Inn in New York City marked the beginning of the modern lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement. Recent events highlight the continuing need to support all members of our community.

Join us for the annual Longmont Pride Festival, sponsored by Out Boulder County: Saturday, June 25th from 2-6 p.m., on 4th Avenue between Kimbark and Main St.

Visit our Rainbow Elders booth at the event, or our site for more information on LGBT programs and outreach.

Ash Bell just joined us as our new Project Visibility trainer and LGBT Program Specialist. A former high school teacher with experience developing curriculum, she has also worked promoting the rights and inclusivity of LGBT residents in Boulder County. Outreach efforts, grant writing, fundraising, and work with volunteers have also been central parts of her work and the skills that she will bring to this position. Her innovative spirit and energy are a great addition to our already awesome staff.

On May 19, we hosted the 11th annual Caregiving Symposium, providing education, support, and connection to Boulder County residents who care for frail or ill older loved ones. A crowd of almost 500 family caregivers, service providers, staff, and volunteers attended the popular event, which has become a yearly highlight in the aging services community. Family caregivers learned about a huge variety of helpful resources at the resource fair of 107 local agencies, and also attended one-hour educational workshops. Thanks to everyone involved for another successful event!

Check out more information about our Caregiver Initiative.

What do Betty White, Morgan Freeman and Bruce Springsteen have in common? Aside from all being over age 65…not much. Clearly, seniors are not a homogeneous group, even though we often paint them with a broad brush. This new info-graphic from the Colorado Health Institute highlights these important differences and can be used as a tool to educate service providers, city planners, housing developers and many others, in order to understand and meet the needs of all seniors.

The state’s Strategic Action Planning Group for Aging, appointed by the Colorado Legislature, is preparing a set of recommendations for the governor on how the state can meet the needs of its senior population. We will feature a presentation by this group at our Age Well Conference in October. Stay tuned for more details.

*Story courtesy of the Colorado Health Institute*

We launched a voucher pilot program for Homemaker and Personal Care services in 2014. The goal of the program is to give eligible clients a choice of providers, to relieve wait-list constraints, and to cover gaps in service when clients are applying for Medicaid services. The program now boasts county-wide coverage through our partnership with nine contracted in-home service agencies. To celebrate, we have renamed the program Choices@Home.

Check out more information about Choices@Home, or call us at 303- 441-1617.

Last week, our 22-member Aging Advisory Council (AAC) engaged in a long-distance conversation with Dawn Simonsen, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging in Minnesota. The AAC learned how Minnesota is becoming Dementia Friendly and got some ideas on how to start a similar initiative in Boulder County.

Interested in learning more or becoming part of Dementia Friendly Boulder County? Email us for more information.

• Medicare Basics | June 20 | Longmont
• Longmont Pride | June 25 | Longmont
• Medicare Basics | July 7| Boulder
• Aging Advisory Council Meeting | August 5 | Nederland
• Matter of Balance Classes - Spanish | Tuesdays August-September|Longmont
• Senior Law Day | August 6 | Longmont
• Boulder Pride | September 11 | Boulder
• Age Well Conference | October 28 | Longmont
• Matter of Balance Classes | Thursdays| Allenspark
• Be Well Classes | Ongoing | County-wide