Resource Navigator
Our Community Living Team is hiring an hourly (30 hours/week) Resource Navigator whose primary role will be answering our ADRC Resource Line and provide over the phone information and referral. This posting will close on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Learn more about the position by following this link.
Contract National Caregiver Training Program Instructor
We are hiring an instructor for the National Caregiver Training Program! Applicants must be a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse, preferably with two years of experience in home care. Learn more about the position by following this link.
This month Area Agency on Aging staff person Kari Middleton attended a two-day, train-the-trainer event in Lakewood on reframing aging. Sponsored by NextFifty Initiative and the Rose Community Foundation, the training was a component of Change the Narrative, a Colorado campaign to combat ageism (discrimination based on age due to negative and inaccurate stereotypes).
Participants learned how to teach communications strategies that, as FrameWorks Institute research demonstrates, help foster more positive attitudes and beliefs about aging and older adults. These strategies are especially important because research shows that ageism takes a measurable toll on older community members, leading to social exclusion, poor health outcomes, and even to shorter lifespans. Our hope is to share reframing communications strategies with others, as well as to spark positive conversations in the community about age, aging, and older adults. We all benefit from a community that helps us live well as we age.
The mission of the AAA is to deliver, fund, and advocate for services that promote well-being, independence, and dignity for older adults, people with disabilities, family and informal caregivers and veterans in Boulder County. We are seeking proposals from qualified organizations interested in contracting with us to provide nutrition services to older adults age 60 and older. Funding for these services are through the Older Americans Act and State Funding for Senior Services.
Up to $284,000 will be awarded to organizations that provide the following nutrition services:
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Congregate Meals: A meal to an older adult in a congregate or group setting.
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Home Delivered Meals: A meal to an eligible homebound older adult.
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Nutrition Counseling: Advice and guidance provided by a registered dietitian.
The RFP bidding process opens on Monday, Feb. 3 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. Questions about the bidding process will need to be directed to purchasing@bouldercounty.org.
Check out our press release for more information.
Click here to learn more about AAA Nutrition Services.
Boulder County Parks & Open Space is looking for volunteers to help with events at Walker Ranch Homestead. Share the history of Boulder County at events hosted by Parks & Open Space. Visitors love to talk to volunteers and learn about what life was like on a working ranch in the late 1800s. Walker Ranch volunteers dress in period costume to demonstrate daily chores of a working western ranch for school programs and events at the homestead.
Parks & Open Space is in need of volunteers who can help during weekdays. Application deadline is March 12, 2020. Volunteers must pass a background check and will need to attend one full-day and one half-day training. For more information, contact Sheryl Kippen by email or at 303-776-8848.
A Powerful Tools for Caregivers course will begin in mid-February in Niwot. The course is for family and informal caregivers of older adults and provides them with “tools” to help ensure that they thrive, not just survive, during their caregiving.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers has been proven to help family caregivers enhance their self-care, reduce their stress levels, and feel better in general about their caregiving. The training covers topics such as communicating effectively, asking for help, making action plans for self-care, using helpful resources, and more.
What: Powerful Tools for Caregivers
When: Mondays, Feb. 17 - March 23, 1-3 p.m.
Where: Eagle Place Community Building (N. 79th Street, Niwot)
Powerful Tools for Caregivers is open to Boulder County residents providing care for a relative, partner, or friend who is age 60 or over, or of any age if the person has dementia. There is no charge for the course, but donations are appreciated. Pre-registration is required, at 303-678-6116 or InfoCaregiver@bouldercounty.org. Financial assistance for respite care (substitute elder care during class sessions) may be available to participants.
Bliss Darragh is a valued volunteer in the Respite & Companion Volunteer Program.Through two hour-weekly visits to isolated older adults, volunteers provide companionship to lonely older adults and respite to caregivers. Bliss is warm, reliable, and steadfast, and she is both courageous and compassionate in challenging situations. We are very grateful for her. Below, Bliss shares a little about her volunteer experience:
I began volunteering for the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) just shy of three years ago. I initially reached out to request participation in the program due to the loss of my own grandparents. The joy and appreciation I witnessed from them in having connection and friendship with others as they aged and lost more and more of their independence made a big impact on me.
In May of 2017, I was matched with a lovely woman who has become a dear friend. We have spent much time getting to know each other, sharing about our lives, and ultimately just enjoying each other’s company. On our outings, we have painted pottery, we have a regular booth at a favorite Chinese restaurant, we’ve spent hours in many of Boulder’s coffee shops, and we attend her coloring group. I honor her friendship and know she feels the same way. It is always rewarding to share a hug and see her smile when I drop her off after our time together.
Early on with the AAA, I also spent about a month visiting a terminally ill patient several times a week before her passing. I volunteered to take on this opportunity to provide love and comfort for someone in their final days who had very little connection elsewhere. The day before she passed, I sat beside her for a while during which time she was mostly unconscious. She awoke briefly before I left and, without opening her eyes, stated: “I had a dream my friend Bliss was here.” I held her hand and told her that it wasn’t a dream, that I was right at her side. She passed the next day. I was so grateful to have been able to provide that small bit of comfort in her last days.
Each month, we highlight events from local senior services organizations, which offer wonderful ways to create, connect, and contribute to the community.
Boulder Older Adult Services
Ride Sharing Apps
When: Monday, Feb. 24, 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Where: West Age Well Center (Boulder)
Registration: Call 303-441-3148 or register online.
Apps have changed the way many people get around. This presentation will review ride sharing apps, also known as e-hailing apps. Learn about the two most popular, Uber and Lyft, and the pros and cons of each. A device is not required to participate, and handout will be provided.
Erie Active Adults
How Does It Work
When: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 10-11:30 a.m.
Registration: Register online here by Feb. 11.
Do you have a smartphone, tablet or laptop? Do you want to discover what your device can offer? The High Plains Library District is excited to provide information and instruction in a hands-on workshop at the Erie Community Center. Bring your smartphone, tablet or laptop or use one of our devices.
Lafayette Senior Services
Valentine's Day Potluck & Party
When: Friday, Feb. 14, noon-2 p.m.
Registration: Call 303-665-9052x0 or register online. Please register by Feb. 12.
Enjoy sweet treats, friends and dancing to live entertainment of Mister Tim, crooner extraordinaire!
Longmont Senior Services
Active Minds - The Civil Rights Act
When: Friday, Feb. 14, 1-2 p.m.
Registration: Please register in advance by calling 303-651-8411. Cost is $2 for residents and $3 for non-residents
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of federal legislation that outlawed major forms of discrimination against minorities and women. Join Active Minds as we examine the act over 50 years later and evaluate its impact on civil rights in the United States today.
Louisville Senior Services
Lonetree Arts in the Afternoon: Colcannon
When: Wednesday, March 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Registration: Call 303-666-7400 or go online.
The Lonetree Arts Center is hosting an afternoon concert with the authentic and joyous Irish music group, Colcannon. The concert will include light refreshments and a chance to talk to the band and others after the concert. We will have lunch before the concert at Via Baci, a modern Italian restaurant in Lonetree. Lunch will be at your own expense. Entrée range: $11-$18.
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