Advocacy Alert
March was incredibly busy for advocacy around funding for Area Agencies on Aging.
The work is not done yet.
State Advocacy
On Monday, March 25, Boulder County's Aging Advisory Council sent a letter to Representatives Jennifer Parenti, Judy Amabile, Kyle Brown, Junie Joseph, and Karen McCormick to show their support for increasing state funding for Colorado's Area Agencies on Aging.
On Thursday, March 28 the House of Representatives approved an amendment to the Long Bill on second reading to increase funding for Colorado's AAAs by $6.1 million. The bill now goes to the state Senate for review and approval.
The morning of Monday, April 1, Boulder County's Aging Advisory Council sent a letter to Senators Marchman and Jaquez Lewis, as well as President of the Senate Fenberg.
This is the content of the letter to the representatives. The language was tweaked slightly for members of the Senate.
"The Aging Advisory Council (AAC) of Boulder County is comprised of 22 members that represent all areas of our community, from the mountains to the cities and the rural areas in between. We are volunteers with a diverse set of skills and experiences, and we advise and provide support to the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging (BCAAA) in responding to community needs.
According to projections from the State Demography Office, Boulder County’s total population will increase by 19%, or around 62,000 people, from 2021 to 2050. The largest growth of an age group in this three-decade period will be in our 80+ population, projected to increase by 246%.
Our community, state, and nation are facing a serious human services crisis, especially for our aging population. After the expenditure of one-time COVID and Homestead funds, funding for aging services is back to 2018 levels. Considering the growing 60+ population, inflation, and increased cost to provide services, this funding level is nowhere near enough to provide adequate support for older adults and their caregivers.
The AAC fully supports and requests your support in increasing funding for aging services when the Long Bill is considered in the House or through SB24-040, State Funding for Senior Services. Most older adults want to age in their own homes and communities. Colorado’s AAAs provide services that reduce social isolation and provide nutritious meals, door-to-door transportation, in-home care, free Medicare counseling, caregiver support, and more. Please support older adults and our broader community by increasing funding for State Funding for Senior Services."
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You, too, can tell your elected officials how you feel about increased funding for AAAs, including your AAA in Boulder County. The aging network is asking advocates to contact their elected officials in the state Senate no later than close of business on Tuesday, April 2. You can find your state Senators here.
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Federal Advocacy
The national association for Area Agencies on Aging, USAging, hosted their annual Aging Policy Briefing the week of March 11. In attendance from Colorado were:
Lindsay Neville
Aging Policy Advocate and Planner, Boulder County Area Agency on Aging
Tom McConaghy
Director, Upper Arkansas AAA
(representing Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, and Lake Counties)
Jody Barker
Director, Pikes Peak AAA
(representing El Paso, Park, and Teller Counties)
Heather Evans
Executive Director, Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments
(representing Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, and Lake Counties)
USAging released their 2024 Policy Priorities during the briefing.
Lindsay, Tom, Jody, and Heather met with legislative staff from Senators Hickenlooper and Bennett's offices and staff for Representatives Brittany Pettersen and Joe Neguse.
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The message to electeds in DC was clear – Colorado is aging and our systems are not set up to support an aging population. The team shared information on the major demographic shift happening across the state – an increase of 181% for our 80+ population compared to 29% for all ages from now through 2050. Most older adults want to age in home and community and AAAs help older adults do just that. AAAs also support family caregivers and are doing more in the advocacy space for our caregiver workforce – those providing in-home services, in long-term care facilities, and more.
It’s getting more difficult for AAAs to provide the foundational services, which are mandated through the (federal) Older Americans Act and (state) Older Coloradans Act, including nutritious meals, transportation, in-home services, and much more. We asked electeds for increased funding and flexibility to meet the need and grow services with the population. AAAs know their communities best and are skilled at finding cost-efficiency in service provision.
The reauthorization of the Older Americans Act is scheduled to occur by Sept. 30, 2024. However, the network expects a continuing resolution will push the reauthorization to 2025. The network will again ask for increased funding and flexibility actively during the reauthorization. Learn more about the reauthorization here.
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Representatives from AAAs across the state and AARP sat down on Thursday, March 28 with Senator John Hickenlooper to discuss a bill he has introduced in the Senate (Retirement Savings for Americans Act) as well as needs during the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act.
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The Boulder County AAA responded to a Request for Information from the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee on Thursday, March 21. The message was grounded in the need for further funding and flexibility for Area Agencies on Aging across the United States. Read our RFI response here.
This year National Volunteer Appreciation Week falls on April 21-27. Our volunteers wear many hats within the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging. With an abundance of gratitude, the BCAAA staff thank you for your support!
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Medicare Counselors
Thank you to our amazing group of Boulder County SHIP Medicare volunteers. They are an incredibly dedicated group. They constantly train to stay current on a wide range of information that allows them to provide excellence in service to our Medicare eligible beneficiaries. We stand in awe of them every single day, and without a doubt could not serve as many people as we do without them. They are humble, caring, intelligent, and fun to work with. During the Medicare Open Enrollment season this year, they staffed multiple locations contributing 891 hours with 892 contacts over 35 business days--incredible! They are our heroes! The group was also nominated for, and selected by the committee, for the 2024 Volunteer Engagement Award. Congratulations!
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Companion Volunteer Program
Thank you, Companion Volunteers, for your ongoing commitment to connect with an older adult in our community in a meaningful way! You have no idea the difference you make just by showing up & being present. It takes a special kind of resolve to extend yourself to another on a one-to-one basis weekly, to become program partners. You may at times wonder if sharing a walk, drinking coffee or tea, playing cards, or just chatting makes a difference. It does!
Together, you share stories and favorite activities, explore old haunts, and discover some new ones. Maybe you run an errand or two. You also pay attention and notice when things change. If it appears your program partner may need additional support, you help them connect to appropriate resources. All of it matters. We sincerely appreciate each of you for your heartfelt volunteer service. We would be remiss not to acknowledge how important you are. This program could not exist without you. Thank you!
(Right: Companion Volunteers Jay Valusek & Fran Shannon prepare “Warm Hug” Gift bundles for their program partners, as well as, for others.)
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Aging Advisory Council
Thank you to the Boulder County AAA's Aging Advisory Council (AAC)! You are all fierce advocates for older adults, family/informal caregivers, and paid caregivers in our community and across the state. We are in awe of your ability to share information about aging services with folks in need, our informal ambassadors! Your zest for political advocacy, approached without fear, where you contact your elected officials, is incredible.
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LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee
The LGBTQ+ Program wants to thank our Advisory Committee Members, Sharon Keegan and Pat Thomas! We couldn’t plan the Lavender Gala without you! You enhance our events and improve our work with your community perspective.
If you are interested in joining us on the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, please contact Michael Chifalo at mchifalo@bouldercounty.gov. Also, the 2024 Lavender Gala is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 8 from 12-3 p.m. at Nissi’s in Lafayette.
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Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Thank you to our incredible Long-Term Care Ombudsman volunteers! The people in Long-Term Care often feel bound by the rules and routines that surround them. Our ombudsman provide support and advocacy for these residents as they work toward a better quality of life. Many times, the ombudsman is the only person raising the voice of residents. They are there when no one else is. As one volunteer astutely commented, “it must be incredibly lonely to feel isolated when you live among so many people.” Long-term care residents can depend on the ombudsmen to be there for them in assisted livings and nursing homes in Boulder County. A million thanks to our volunteers for their dedication and commitment to Long-Term Care residents!
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We are sponsoring a Project Visibility general training complete with a screening of the new Project Visibility documentary!
This new version of the documentary (completed in 2022, and released in 2023) features Rainbow Elders (LGBTQ+/50+) who are living and experiencing life in Boulder and surrounding counties in the state of Colorado. They share their stories, so we can make visible the differences that exist within the LGBTQ+ community. The video includes chapters about:
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Coming Out
Family
Oppression and Discrimination
History and Policy
Language and Terminology
Advice for Providers
The training follows up on the above concepts, concluding with promising practices that can be implemented in order to create more inclusive communities for LGBTQ+ older adults.
When: Tuesday, April 23, 10-11:30 a.m.
Where: Zoom
Register here.
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