Boulder County Agency Offers Community Services to Help People Age Well

The following is a guest blog by Teresa DeAnni, Healthy Aging Programs Manager ?for the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging.

At the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging, we offer a variety of services and education programs that address health issues faced by older adults. Our work in the health care field involves partnering and assisting older individual’s health goals. We find that bringing awareness to the array of services available in the community helps bring a sense of thriving we all want as we age.

Our agency works with physicians, nurses, care managers and physical therapists to provide a range of services and resources to help people age well. The wellness programs we offer focus on health issues faced by older individuals such as:

• Nutrition
• Falls prevention
• Chronic disease prevention and management
• Diabetes prevention

We also have programs that assist people with disabilities and provide bilingual programs to help the monolingual Spanish speaking population. All programs offered by the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging are offered on a donation basis and there is never a charge.

Because many of the health issues we support require ongoing monitoring, Boulder Community Health (BCH) clinics have found it helpful to refer their patients to our classes. We regularly send upcoming class information to the care coordinators and Diabetes Education Program Coordinator so that they can share these important programs with their patients.

We especially value our relationship with the BCH Therapy Department and the Trauma Outreach and Injury Prevention Coordinator. They are members of our Boulder County Partners for Falls Prevention and sponsor a half-day event each year as part of Falls Prevention Week. In addition, the Outreach Coordinator is a trained leader for our A Matter of Balance and Walk with Ease programs.

Our goal is to help people in Boulder County stay informed, educated and supported in their aging journey.

Aging and Disability Resources (ADRC): We inform, refer and assist older adults, caregivers and people with disabilities to services and resources in Boulder County, in partnership with local senior services. For more info on ADRC, please contact us at 303-441-1617 or www.bouldercountyhelp.org.

Veterans Services: We provide support and claims assistance for veterans.

Healthy Aging: We offer community wellness classes, such as the Diabetes Prevention Program, Chronic Disease Management Program, Matter of Balance, and Walk with Ease. We also provide community nutrition education and individual nutrition counseling services with Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. We fund and operate community lunch programs throughout the county. For more info on Healthy Aging, please contact us at 303-441-4583 or infoHealthyAging@bouldercounty.org.

Medicare Counseling: We provide monthly Medicare Basics classes education and individual guidance sessions regarding enrollment and benefits for Medicare beneficiaries of any age.

Caregiver programs: We offer a variety of services for family caregivers, which include information, training, education, special events and information. Programs are offered to caregivers of any age who assist a person age 60 or older (or of any age if the person has dementia). We publish a free Care Connections newsletter and provide access to respite assistance and volunteer support for family caregivers

Elder Rights and Long-Term Care Ombudsman: We protect the rights of elders to live safely, with dignity and to be free from abuse, neglect or financial exploitation.

LGBT Outreach and Project Visibility: We provide support and activities for LGBT older adults as well as training for professionals working with LGBT older adults with our Project Visibility training program.

Additional Resources

Boulder County Area Agency on Aging: 303-441-3570 and www.bouldercountyaging.org.

Wellness and Nutrition services information: www.healthyagingprogram.org.