If you are not a member of Colorado Center for Aging - Join Today! | |
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Colorado Center for Aging is a 501c3 non-profit organization,
born out of the roots of Colorado Senior Lobby (CSL) - LEARN MORE
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November 14, 2021
Hello Karin,
Our next CCA Advocacy Committee Meeting is on Monday, November 22nd from 9:30AM to 11:30AM. We will have Jarett Hughes, Senior Policy Advisor on Aging from the Office of Governor Jared Polis joining us. His presentation is:
Modernizing Colorado's Aging Network - Legislative Proposals for 2022
The Governor's Office and Department of Human Services are working on two legislative proposals that are fundamental steps in transforming Colorado's aging network. The first proposal discussed will be specific to a strategic investments in aging grant program and the second proposal, which will be the primary focus of the discussion, relates to modernizing the Older Coloradans Act. We hope you can join us and share your input with us! - Jarett Hughes
We will share a meeting agenda in next Sunday's newsletter.
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Questions about CCA Advocacy Planning Subgroups - Contact:
Jeanette Hensley - email - 303-249-5598
Co-Chair of CCA Advocacy Committee
Rich Mauro - email - Direct: 303-480-6778
Co-Chair of CCA Advocacy Committee and Senior Policy and Legislative Analyst Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)
List of CCA Advocacy Planning Subgroups - CLICK HERE
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Thank you again to our Voices on Aging Town Hall Sponsor!
We will share the video from the event next week!
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Advocacy Subgroup Resources | |
Below are articles and resources that are relevant to our Advocacy Subgroups' research. | |
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The Truth About Those Medicare Advantage TV Commercials
"Odds are, you've seen those Medicare Advantage TV commercials featuring the likes of William Shatner, George Foreman, Jimmie Walker and Joe Namath touting the "free" health insurance plans offering enticing benefits not available from so-called "Original Medicare" (also called "traditional Medicare"). But are they for real? ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://www.nextavenue.org/
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Colorado activates crisis standards of care for health care staffing
"Colorado has activated the portion of its crisis standards of care (CSC) plan that deals with staffing health care systems. The move allows hospitals to prioritize staff for emergencies and reduce the level of care provided for non-emergencies ..."
- READ MORE
Source: https://www.9news.com/
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Colorado loosening requirements for hospital staff as COVID continues to surge
"Colorado health officials announced Tuesday that they will give hospitals a break from normal staffing requirements and expectations, part of an effort to help hospitals better handle the personnel shortages they face as coronavirus infections continue to surge across the state. By authorizing so-called 'crisis standards of care' related to staffing, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is giving hospitals permission to reduce paperwork requirements for health care workers and to bring in workers to help out in parts of the hospital where they don’t usually work ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://coloradosun.com/
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Colorado governor eyes former youth corrections campus
for new homeless recovery center
"... Gov. Jared Polis has big plans for the place, a state-owned facility that for two decades held children and teens in the youth corrections and child welfare systems. Within a year or two, the former Ridge View Youth Services Center could house hundreds of people who are homeless and living on the streets or in shelters across the state ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://coloradosun.com/
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What’s Working: A third-quarter check on Colorado’s economy
and more on worker deaths and COVID
"Twenty months into a pandemic that changed how people work - or think about what they want out of a job - the stats around Colorado’s economy appear mixed-to-dismal if you don’t have some perspective. But more on that below ..." - READ MORE
Look for chart in the article on Colorado worker deaths linked to COVID-19.
Source: https://coloradosun.com/
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‘They Treat Me Like I’m Old and Stupid’: Seniors Decry Health Providers’ Age Bias
"Joanne Whitney, 84, a retired associate clinical professor of pharmacy at the University of California-San Francisco, often feels devalued when interacting with health care providers ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://khn.org/
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Accountable Care Collaborative Program
Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC)
The Accountable Care Collaborative Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) is made up of stakeholders who provide guidance and make recommendations to help improve health, access, cost and satisfaction of members and providers in the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC). These meetings are open to the public.
Date: Wednesday - Nov. 17, 2021 - 9:30AM - 12:15PM
More details are on the PIAC website.
https://hcpf.colorado.gov/accountable-care-collaborative-program-improvement-advisory-committee
| Broadband & Internet Technology Education | |
Colorado will get at least $100 million, possibly $1 billion, from infrastructure bill to end digital divide
"Colorado’s efforts to end its rural digital divide could finally happen with the $1 trillion U.S. infrastructure bill, currently awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature ..."
- READ MORE
Source: https://coloradosun.com/
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Resource Helps Older Adults Stay Connected and Engaged Through Technology
"Tapping into Technology" to Stay Connected and Engaged Introduction Staying connected and engaged with friends, family and community is important, not just because it adds pleasure and meaning, but because it can also improve our quality of life and support our overall physical health and mental health. Read on to discover simple tips to getting started using technology to stay connected and engaged!
View Pdf - CLICK HERE
Source: https://www.usaging.org/
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The staggering, exhausting, invisible costs of caring for America’s elderly
As millions “age in place,” millions more must figure out how to provide their loved ones with increasingly complex care.
"In 2013, Laura was several decades into a career as a marketing consultant. Her work was rewarding and challenging; she felt like she got to be creative every day and was never bored. She had gone freelance in the early 2000s and reveled in the freedom of being her own boss. Then her 78-year-old mom began experiencing severe back pain. She was scheduled for surgery, but the symptoms only worsened after the procedure. She was soon rushed back to the hospital following the collapse of her spinal cord. After emergency surgery, her pain lessened, at least somewhat, but then Laura was left to deal with her mom’s quickly accelerating dementia ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://www.vox.com/
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Congregate Care Facilities | |
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CMS: 'Visitation is now allowed for all residents'
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced changes to nursing home visitation policy stating that "Visitation is now allowed for all residents at all times."
Below is an excerpt: CMS: Facilities must allow indoor visitation at all times and for all residents as permitted under the regulations. While previously acceptable during the PHE [Public Health Emergency], facilities can no longer limit the frequency and length of visits for residents, the number of visitors, or require advance scheduling of visits.
Click here to download a PDF of the memo or access the memo on the CMS website.
Source: https://nursinghome411.org/
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Profits and Pain: Backed by D.C. power players and private equity, a healthcare provider is under scrutiny for failing fragile seniors
"Julia Gutierrez spent her final weeks in pain. Last year, the 78-year-old Arvada, Colo., assisted-living resident suffered a serious skin breakdown. When she got to the hospital, she was found to have severe dehydration and sepsis, and a portion of her bowel had failed, says Gutierrez’s daughter Sylvia Torralba. Gutierrez was put on hospice care and died at her daughter’s home less than two weeks later ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/
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Worker Shortages in Nursing Homes Hit Pandemic Peak
as COVID-19 Deaths Continue
"Nearly a third of the nation’s 15,000 nursing homes recently reported a shortage of nurses or aides, according to a new AARP analysis of government data, raising concerns about resident care at a time when many facilities are still battling COVID-19. The numbers represent the worst staffing shortages since the government began collecting COVID-19 data from nursing homes in May 2020 ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://www.aarp.org/
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States Make it Harder to Sue Nursing Homes Over COVID-19 Related Deaths
"In June 2020, employees at Granite Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center, an Arizona nursing home, began testing positive for COVID-19. Managers required them to come to work anyway, state health inspectors would later find. By the end of the following month, 15 residents had died of the virus. Several families have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the facility - but they'll face a steep challenge ..." - READ MORE
Source: https://www.nextavenue.org/
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The CCA eNewsletters that go out on Sunday afternoons are archived on the CCA website. In particular, the September 5th CCA eNewsletter had resources for a variety of our advocacy research topics.
You can find all past newsletters at this link - CLICK HERE
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Medicare’s Open Enrollment October 15th – December 7th
You can enroll in Medicare health and drug plans from October 15th – December 7th.
Here are places and resources to get advice on Medicare:
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- Colorado Gerontological Medicare Monday's - READ MORE
- Colorado State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) - READ MORE
- State Health Insurance Assistance Program and Senior Medicare Patrol from Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) for Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson Counties - READ MORE
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Accountable Care Collaborative Program Improvement Advisory Committee
The Accountable Care Collaborative Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) is made up of stakeholders who provide guidance and make recommendations to help improve health, access, cost and satisfaction of members and providers in the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC). These meetings are open to the public.
Website: https://hcpf.colorado.gov/accountable-care-collaborative-program-improvement-advisory-committee
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Office of Community Living Stakeholder Engagement Events
The Office of Community Living (OCL) is working on a variety of policy and rule changes related to its Home and Community Based Services waivers and programs. The engagement of clients and stakeholders throughout these changes is a critical part of this process. Use this link to look for upcoming meetings - LEARN MORE
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November 4-14, 2021 Special Free Showing with Code
AARP Colorado and the Sie Film Center invite you to view
the film "A Decent Home"
"A Decent Home" addresses urgent issues of class and economic (im)mobility through the lives of mobile home park residents who can’t afford housing anywhere else. Unfolding across the distinctly American landscape of mobile home parks, "A Decent Home" focuses on the residents of Denver Meadows in Colorado, who are trying to save their low-income park from being shut down by an owner who wants to re-zone the land and sell it for millions. The film examines urgent issues of inequity and affordable housing — the growing flaws of a faltering system — through the stories of the residents of Denver Meadows as well as residents of other parks across the country. AARP members and their guests may view this film for free at any time,
November 4-14, 2021. Use the code ANDRUS1121. Please note that once you register and start to play the movie, you have 24 hours to complete viewing the film.
Register Today - CLICK HERE
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Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - 10:00AM - 11:00AM
Antidotes for Ageism: The Video Premiere
In late 2020, Changing the Narrative partnered with the Boulder County Area Agency on Aging to create a training video about ageism in healthcare. Our intent? To increase awareness among healthcare professionals, and activate consumers to advocate for themselves and for system changes. The pandemic required some pivoting on how the film got done, e.g., interviewing some people by Zoom instead of in-person.
We are thrilled to announce that now it’s ready. The video is premiering in this special event on November 17th. You'll view the 16 minute film, then hear from some of the older adults and healthcare professionals featured in the video. Then we'll have a conversation about what we can do to create a more age-friendly and age-inclusive healthcare system for us all.
Register Today - CLICK HERE
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November 17th through March 23, 2021
Buried In Treasures Workshop Series
Join us for a 16-week course to help improve your life and create more living space for you and your family. This group meets once per week for 2-hours and offers a supportive environment for people ready to make a change in their life. This group is for adults age 60+ living in the counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Gilpin, and Jefferson Counties through funding support from DRCOG and Next50 Initiative. For more information or to make a referral, please contact Jordan at 866-217-5808 or email JordanL@jcmh.org by Wednesday, November 10th.
View Event Flyer - CLICK HERE
Source: https://www.jcmh.org/
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Save the dates for our Fall CCA Advocacy Committee Meetings | |
We will meet twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month through December. Please put these dates in your calendars. We will continue to send out our eNewsletter on Sunday afternoons. | |
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Monday, November 22nd - CCA Advocacy Committee
Monday, December 13th - CCA Advocacy Committee
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