Respite & Companion Volunteers Make a Big Impact

Cat, a volunteer for the program, is pictured here with her program partner, Opal.

Social isolation in older adults has been recognized as a serious problem, linked to depression, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and early death. Boulder County’s dedicated Respite & Companion volunteers help address this problem by providing companionship to older adults who are experiencing social isolation or compromised health. Volunteers are matched one-on-one with an older adult and visit their program partner for two-hours once a week. If the older adult has a family caregiver, the volunteer’s visits also allow the caregiver to take a break.

Volunteers play games with their program partner, go out for coffee, take walks, visit local parks, or just talk. The program is growing: volunteers visited 121 older adults in 2018, making a total of 2,358 visits and recording 5,010 hours of volunteer service—an increase of 18% over 2017 volunteer hours, and of 31% over 2016 volunteer hours. The BCAAA is also piloting a program in which volunteers visit isolated older adults who live in long-term care (as opposed to independent housing)—something we simply could not do without the willingness of compassionate volunteers to share their time and themselves. Recipients of volunteers often share their gratitude. One older adult who receives a volunteer visitor said recently of her volunteer, “Oh, I just adore her.  We talk the whole time.” At the BCAAA, the staff is grateful to our volunteers, too!

Please email InfoRespite@nullbouldercounty.orgor call 720-864-6526 for information on volunteering or on receiving a volunteer.

Volunteers are currently especially needed in Longmont.

New Lecture Series in Lafayette

Lafayette Public Library and Lafayette Senior Services are pleased to co-sponsor a 2019 adult lecture series in partnership with Active Minds, a Colorado organization dedicated to creating engaging programs for adults. The first presentation in this series will be focused on Renewable Energy. It will be held on Feb. 20 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Lafayette Public Library in the Lower Level Meeting Room.

For more information, please visit the event registration page.

2020-2023 BCAAA Area Plan Presentation

On March 1, we will present our next four-year Area Plan in front of our Aging Advisory Council and the general public at the Louisville Senior Center. All are welcome to attend to learn about BCAAA’s blueprint of planned and potential program and service activities for the upcoming four-year period. Local Area Plans like BCAAA’s are also used to inform the development of the State Plan on Aging.

When: 11 a.m. – noon

Where: Louisville Senior Center, 900 Via Appia Way

Your Brain on Good Food

Join the BCAAA for a panel discussion on how your food choices affect your emotional well-being and can prevent and manage conditions from depression to dementia. Also learn about the services and resources available to Boulder County older adults and caregivers. There is no cost to attend the event and a light breakfast will be provided.

Organizations focused on nutrition, food, and related services will be on-site. Panelists include:

• Dr. Christopher Lowry and Dr. Tom LaRocca, CU Integrative Physiology
• Dr. Ilene Naomi Rusk and Dr. Pat Harper, The Brain and Behavior Clinic
• Donna Feldman, MS, RDN

Registration is required by March 4. Check out the eventbrite page for more information and to register.

Aging Mastery Program for Caregivers Offered in Louisville and Longmont

Life expectancy has increased dramatically over the past 50 years, yet societal expectations of older adults and their caregivers has changed very little. The Aging Mastery Program for Caregivers teaches about the impacts of caregiving and provides tools to stay healthier and happier throughout the caregiver journey.

This six-week program will be held at the Louisville Recreation & Senior Center starting on Thursday, Feb. 21, and the Longmont Senior Center starting on Monday, Mar. 25.

To learn more about this program and to register, please click here.

Louisville Senior Center’s Got a Brand New Look

In 2016, the Louisville community approved a bond to renovate and expand the Recreation & Senior Center. It had been over 25 years since the facility originally opened. Ground breaking on the facility occurred in Aug. 2017. Over the past 18 months users patiently endured noise, construction dust, area closures, program changes, parking lot closures, and more. The long awaited grand opening celebration was on Jan. 22 of the renovated and expanded center. New features include:

• New Indoor Turf Gym
• Expanded Aquatics Facility 
• New Weight and Cardio Area
• Expanded Senior Center
• New Group Exercise Rooms

The facility is located at 900 Via Appia Way in Louisville. Photos are from the Grand Opening Celebration.

February’s Featured Provider: Audio Information Network of Colorado

The Audio Information Network of Colorado is a non-profit organization serving blind/low vision and print disabled children, adults, and older adults of Colorado. Over 150 volunteers read local and otherwise inaccessible information typically available only in print format—local newspapers, magazines, educational materials, community newsletters, grocery store ads, health and wellness programs, etc. Recordings are made available for three live regional broadcasts (on television bandwidth provided by Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Service) via a special digital receiver, via a toll-free phone system, and via on-demand podcasts. Programs in English and Spanish are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. All services, including equipment and programs, are available at no cost.

The Hotspot Project

AINC, through funding from the Aging Services Foundation, will be providing ten clients of AINC with internet access and voice-activated speakers and similar technologies to enhance individuals’ access to AINC podcasts and other important web-based local information and resources. This partnership was launched in January of 2019.

The Buddy System

New listeners are being paired with a volunteer buddy to ensure ongoing dialogue about programming preferences, technical difficulties, and other related issues. The buddy calls periodically throughout the year to maintain a positive relationship. This process ensures that contact information is kept up to date for AINC’s annual survey. Volunteers who become buddies must complete a background check, which adds direct and indirect costs to manage. AINC hopes this program provides added benefits to listeners who may be isolated from their communities.

Check out AINC’s site for to participate in the Buddy System or other volunteer opportunities.

Caregivers Find Support Through BCAAA Program

BCAAA volunteer teachers share tool to help family caregivers thrive.

According to Heather, a former participant of Powerful Tools for Caregivers, this class is aptly named. As a long-distance caregiver, she appreciated the structure, the book, and the action plans. Last spring, only weeks after she lost her father following a six-month battle with cancer, her mother began showing signs of vascular dementia.  When she herself was hospitalized due to cardiomyopathy exasperated by stress, she knew she needed support. Shortly afterwards, she was excited to read about this six-week class, which, along with teaching self-care tools, connects you with other caregivers. For many participants, this new reality doesn’t end with the last session.

Some groups, like Heather’s, have continued to get together to keep supporting each other. When asked what her most important takeaways from the class were, she shared “that other people are in the same boat” and “that I really need to be with other people through this.”  They get together monthly, whether at a restaurant, in one of their homes, or (for their next meeting) at bingo. Group members range from their thirties to their seventies, but age don’t seem to matter. What does matter, is finding others who can understand where you’re coming from.

Follow this link to learn more about support for caregivers through the BCAAA.

Scams to Watch Out for in 2019

It is estimated that older adults lose billions of dollars to scammers each year. But there is good news, last year the Federal Trade Commission noted that older consumers are more likely to report they’ve been exploited financially than their younger counterparts.

Beware of Social Security Spoofing Calls

There’s been a significant uptick in fraudulent telephone calls from people claiming to represent the Social Security Administration. In them, unknown callers threaten victims that they face arrest or other legal action if they ail to call a provided phone number or press the number indicated in the message to address the issue. Sometimes the scammers switch tactics and say that they want to help an individual activate a suspended Social Security number. Social Security rarely contacts persons by phone unless you have ongoing business with them and they never make threats about arrest or legal action.

Check out this article to learn more about the “grandparent scam” and scams focused on natural disaster relief.

BCAAA Offers National Caregiver Training Program

The National Caregiver Training Program is taught by a registered nurse and includes instruction on medication management, wheelchair use, personal care assistance, and safe lifting and transferring techniques.

This program will be held on Thursdays from Feb. 21 through Mar. 28, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Home Care of the Rockies in Longmont (7105 La Vista Place, Suite 100). This course is free for family caregivers of older adults 60+, and people of any age with dementia, who live in Boulder County.

For more information, call 303-678-6116 or email InfoCaregiver@nullbouldercounty.org.

Advocacy Through Legislative Flyers

The Boulder County Area Agency on Aging works with the Colorado Association of Area Agencies on Aging (c4a) and the Colorado Senior Lobby (CSL) to produce flyers on aging during the legislative session. The flyers are delivered every other week to the Colorado General Assembly. The purpose of the flyers is to provide an overview of AAAs (Area Agencies on Aging) and information on gaps and strengths of services to older adults in Colorado.

Click here to check out some of the recent legislative flyers!

Do you want to learn more about the programs BCAAA has to offer? Do you want an opportunity to meet more of the BCAAA staff? Do you really just want to see our pets? All of this and more is possible on our Boulder County Area Agency on Aging Facebook page!