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This opinion piece appeared in the Boulder Daily Camera on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 and was written by our Elder Rights Program Manager, Erica Corson.
We are always shocked by stories in the news about abuse of older adults. Whether it’s the one from last year about residents of an Arizona nursing home who were sexually abused, stories of older adults held captive or physically assaulted by relatives, or the case of Marvel Comic creator Stan Lee, whose manager was arrested for exploiting him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars (among other things).
We are always left asking, how could this happen? How can those of us who are older, including those living with significant physical or cognitive challenges, be taken advantage of to this extreme? Why are there no protections or safeguards in place to prevent this from happening?
These are not unique stories. It is widely reported that each year, 5 million adults over the age of 60 experience some form of abuse. Nor is abuse something that happens only in some other distant place. It occurs across the country, including in Boulder County.
In 2019, the Boulder Police Department received 337 requests for investigation and more than 1,500 reports were made to Adult Protective Services with concerns about at-risk adults. In Longmont, the police department received more than 300 reports for investigation in 2019 concerning at-risk adults. If the stated statistics hold true, the real incidence of elder abuse would constitute 14 times this number.
Yet when I talk with people outside of my colleagues about elder abuse, I am met with confusion. People are surprised that this a thing, something that requires response and a coordinated effort among multiple agencies. Locally, this includes the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging, Adult Protective Services, Age Well Centers, District Attorney’s Office Consumer Protection Division, law enforcement, and criminal prosecutors.
We have worked with people who have given money to strangers whom they thought cared for them, developing “friendships” that destroyed their relationship with family. We have seen older adults experience increased isolation as they lose contact with the new “friends.” We have witnessed older adults lose their financial and physical well being because of the abuse and exploitation perpetrated by people close to them.
We have struggled to explain to families why their loved ones were exposed to abuse and why it was not stopped until injuries occurred. It is all too common for those of us who work with older adults to respond to these situations, but it is still a hidden problem, with only about one in 14 cases gets reported.
Elder abuse has been compared to child abuse or domestic violence of days past. When child abuse or domestic violence is suspected, it is reported. Elder abuse remains a “silent problem” that deserves this same response.
If our community is aware of elder abuse in the same way, it can be recognized, reported and prevented. When these stories surface, the response will no longer be: “Why don’t ‘they’ do something to prevent that?” There is no “they” that can alleviate this problem of elder abuse. We are the solution. While there is legislation that specifically addresses the reporting, investigation and prosecution of elder abuse, all of us in the community are safeguards and protection.
When we recognize that elder abuse is common and often a devastating problem, and when we are aware of the risks and signs, we can intervene by reporting abuse to the authorities.
Elder abuse is happening here, in our community. We have the ability and responsibility to respond and participate in its prevention. With that, we invite you to learn about what constitutes elder abuse and what we can do to address abuse, financial exploitation, and the importance of prevention on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Join us for our Elder Abuse Awareness Day virtual town hall event with District Attorney Michael Dougherty June 15 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. online. Erica Corson is the Elder Rights Program Manager for Boulder County Community Services.
 If you or a loved one lives in an assisted living or nursing home, you know that COVID-19 has dramatically impacted these homes, the people who live there, and their loved ones. Those of us who live in long term care are much more isolated. The BCAAA Long Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) program is still active and a resource to residents and loved ones of residents in long term care. While LTCO are not physically in nursing homes and assisted livings, we are maintaining regular contact with those we serve, following all orders and regulations in place.
Know your rights - LTCO help residents resolve problems and ensure quality care and services. You can reach email us or give us a call at 303-441-1173 with any questions or concerns.
Farewell (and welcome back) to Melissa Pruitt!
On May 28, we held a wonderful virtual retirement and good-bye party for Melissa Pruitt, who has given us 10 years of great performance as the AAA Wellness Services Coordinator! We celebrated Melissa and her vast contributions to older adult wellness. Melissa will be back to help out on an hourly basis to help with our Diabetes Prevention Program, Healthier Living, and support of award-winning Falls Prevention Week.
BCAAA Wellness
We are providing workshops virtually and will continue to serve as the convener for Falls Prevention Boulder County. Patti Murphy, our Dietitian, will now be coordinating the Diabetes Prevention Program as well as continuing to provide nutrition education to county residents. Nina Christensen, our bilingual Wellness Program Outreach Assistant, will be scheduling and coordinating the virtual Healthier Living Workshops. Nina and Patti will conduct the first ever BCAAA Healthier Living Chronic Disease Self-Management workshops this month, and we will be scheduling another workshop in August, due to having a wait list of interested older adults! We will hold a virtual Diabetes Prevention Program to start in the Fall.
Most communication can be conducted through the Healthy Aging Program phone line (303-441-4583) and email. If you need to get in touch with individual staff, here is contact information:
For Diabetes Prevention Program and Nutrition Education, email Patti Murphy or call her at 303-441-4710.
For Bilingual Wellness and Healthier Living Chronic Disease Self-Management, email Nina Christensen or call at 303-441-3774.
For any program questions and information about nutrition services in general, email Teresa DeAnni, Healthy Aging Programs Manager, or call at 303-441-4995.
Nutrition counseling is still being offered to older adults over 60 and caregivers over the phone. Just leave your information and someone will get back to you. Consultations in English: 303-678-6115 and Spanish: 720-930-9002.
May Intergenerational Conversations
Our partnership with the HOPE Coalition led to providing a 3-part virtual workshop in May to address isolation. The workshops, Intergenerational Conversations: Supporting Each Other in Isolated Times was a resounding success with 83 participants, with 28 older adult (60+) participants. This group was represented in three separate panel presentations. Dave Pinkow, an Aging Advisory Council member; Susan Marine; and Dorothy Rupert provided a wise and diverse perspective that highlighted their life experience and resiliency. Our staff participated along with staff from Housing and Human Services, Public Health, EFAA, Longmont Senior Center, Centura Hospital, Community UCC, City of Milwaukee Health Dept, Boulder County Legal Services, Ensight Vision Service and Nederland Area Seniors. Positive feedback from attendees included, “I appreciated having the generations come together” and “learning from ‘all walks of life.”
BCAAA’s ten year collaboration with HOPE Coalition of Boulder County has provided inclusive and age-aware workshops and presentations addressing depression awareness and suicide prevention.
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Teresa Deanni, Healthy Aging Program Manager
 Boulder County Area Agency on Aging’s Medicare Counseling program is offering live virtual Medicare Basis Classes starting in June 2020. These lively and entertaining classes are designed to provide the necessary information to older adults when getting ready to apply for Medicare. Participants will learn about how and when to enroll, the different parts of Medicare, what is covered and what is not, Medicare fraud, and other information related to Medicare.
Interested participants will need internet; a computer, tablet, or phone; and the appropriate application for the class. There are three classes still open in June. Please click on any one of the classes below to register. Once registered, participants will receive instruction on how to join the class from their computer, tablet, or phone. Online courses will be using the Microsoft Teams platform.
For more information, or to set up an appointment, please call 303-441-1546.
Have a garden? Consider donating or grow an extra row for the community!
Fresh Food Connect (FFC) is an app that will connect home gardeners with volunteers for delivery. Sometimes you have extra lettuce or soon will have more than you need. Zucchini, anyone?
Both Boulder Food Rescue and Longmont Food Rescue are listed and will send a volunteer to pick up and distribute to those in need. All you need to do is get the FFC app, put your information in, and indicate when to get your garden bounty picked up!
More information about FFC is available here.
This year’s GIVE65 Event is July 15 – 17! Please consider a gift to the Aging Services Foundation (ASF) to help older adults connect to the community when facing loneliness and social isolation worsened by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Your donation to the 65-hour event presented by the Home Instead Senior Care Foundation will enable ASF to support sustaining social engagement and learning for adults 60+ through technology. We will purchase refurbished smart tablets and install apps that allow older adults to connect through video conferencing, texting, e-book reading and links to community resources. The tablets will be installed in secure kiosks in nonprofit communities serving low-income older adults as well as in senior and age well centers in Boulder County. To learn more about ASF’s plan and to make a gift of $10 or more, visit www.give65.org/asfboulder. Your neighbors thank you!
You can check out Part 1 in the June edition of Aging Well in Boulder County.
Now, more than ever, having a strong immune system is an important tactic to staying healthy. First, no one food is going to drastically improve your immunity. Having a balanced diet full of nutritious foods will always be the best way to maintain good health.
Vitamins A and D can help you maintain a strong immune system. As with all vitamins, getting the recommended amount is important, not more is not always better. More may actually be harmful depending on the type of vitamin, or if nothing else, simply a waste of money.
Vitamin A is important to the immune system. It is found in organ meats, green leafy vegetables, and orange and yellow vegetables (squash, kale, carrots). Fruits such as cantaloupe, apricot, and mango are good sources. Milk and many cereals are also fortified with Vitamin A. Men of all ages should get 900 micrograms per day and women should get 700 micrograms per day. Most people get enough Vitamin A through diet alone. Taking large supplemental amounts of Vitamin A can cause negative side effects such as dizziness and even coma. Amounts under 3,000 micrograms are generally safe.
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Vitamin D has been shown to increase immune response. Generally, between 5-30 minutes of sunlight between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at least twice a week to the face, arms or legs without sunscreen will help your body produce all the Vitamin D it needs. If you typically get less sun than this, a supplement may be useful. A supplement containing D3 is best absorbed by the body. Older adults up to age 70 should get 600 international units (IU’s) per day. For those over 70+, the recommended amount goes up to 800 IU’s per day. Some foods that contain Vitamin D are fatty fish such as salmon and tuna. Cow’s milk is typically fortified with Vitamin D.
For more information about this topic, or for questions related to nutrition and food, please feel free to reach out to our Dietian Patti Murphy by email or by phone at 303-441-4710.
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Patricia Murphy, BCAAA Dietitian, would like to invite you to a virtual “Lunch and Learn” on Wednesday, June 17 from 1:30-2:15 p.m. focused on Healthy Eating for Older Adults.
Follow this link on a computer, tablet, or phone to be admitted to the meeting.
Meeting ID: 813 1626 9148
Password: 2rtBWm
For questions about this event or related to nutrition, please feel free to reach out to Patti Murphy by email or phone at 303-441-4710.
Free Zoom Caregiver Self-Care Chat
Brought to you by Colorado Respite Coalition and Easter Seals
Wednesdays, June 17 and 24, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Email lori@carepartnersresource.com or call 303-903-5900 to RSVP or for questions.
Blog: "Living with Early-Stage Alzheimer's During COVID-19"
Caregiver Center: What to Expect, Get Support, Daily Care, Care Options & Planning
Both resources from the Alzheimer's Association
Family Dynamics: When is it absolutely necessary for a caregiver to place their loved one? from Wellmed Charitable Foundation
Wednesday, June 24, 9-10 a.m.
The change in how we are doing our work at the BCAAA has been dramatic, and we're not alone. This week, we're taking an opportunity to look forward to a different kind of summer, with new priorities.
Roberto, our Bilingual Resource Specialist, is looking forward to watching his baby girl flourish as she heads to college in Wisconsin in a few weeks. Roberto and his wife have worked hard to provide their daughter with the tools to navigate the world on her own. It was a tough senior year - no typical graduate ceremony, no beautiful dresses at prom, and no congratulatory hugs with classmates to celebrate all of their accomplishments, but his daughter has been rolling with the changes beautifully. Roberto is also looking forward to spending the summer closer together as a family!
Congratulations and well wishes for your future, Camila!
Patti, our Dietitian, reports that her family has recently purchased a pop-up camper and is excited to take it out to Dillon and Grand Lake in June. She reports, "It feels like quite the adventure after spending almost all of our time at home/very near home for three months."
Ashley, a Long Term Care Ombudsman, is looking forward to getting her daughter, Lorelei, swimming for the first time! She's planning on purchasing a little pool for the backyard so that they can cool off and let Lorelei take her first supervised swim. Lorelei loves kicking around during bath time, so she's basically ready for the Olympics at this point!
Karen H., our SHIP Bilingual Medicare Counselor, is excited to create a scavenger hunt and obstacle course for her son's 12th birthday. She reports that the event "is going to involve lots of pool noodles...lol." She's hoping to create a virtual gaming party to accompany the party.
Colleen, a Mountain Resource Specialist, is looking forward to every single weekend on the river, including a big trip down the Main Salmon, also known as 'The River of No Return'!
Lynette, a Mountain Resource Specialist, is excited about her new garden, reporting that "Pretty much everything has sprouted, including some seeds that over-summered inside her car door." She wasn't expecting much, but the seeds have proved their hardiness. She's also looking forward to trips to Rocky Mountain National Park!
Picture below are Lynette's radishes, affectionately known as 'The Bobs'.
Carol, our Strategic & Business Operations Manager, is looking forward to a three-day break this summer - a chance to take time for some R&R!
Kari, our Respite & Companion Volunteer Coordinator, is excited about packing in the wilderness with her family, which includes their donkeys!
Below are Kari's cat (Helen) photoshopped on Archer's head.
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