Flu shot clinic Monday at Senior Center

Posted

There will be a flu shot clinic at the Pagosa Springs Senior Center on Monday, Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Please bring your insurance card.

Free legal documents preparation

The San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging provides legal services for seniors through the program attorney, Daniel Fiedler. Fiedler will be spending the day at the Senior Center on Jan. 25, 2019.

Following are the legal services Fiedler can assist with:

• Public benefits and utilities shut off.

• Landlord-tenant problems, such as persons being evicted.

• Simple wills, POAs, medical durable power of attorney and living wills.

• Consumer issues such as advocating for persons harassed by debt collectors.

• Emergency limited long-term care guardianship and domestic problems, such as abuse.

Please come by or call the Senior Center office to schedule an appointment. We are located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd., Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 (inside the Ross Aragon Community Center) and can be reached by calling 264-2167.

Health and wellness

The Senior Center has a pilot program expanding health and wellness services to Archuleta County seniors. The program includes wellness and blood pressure monitoring, or allows individual area seniors to discuss two subjects of their choice.

There is no charge for Medicare enrollees. Participant IDs will include Medicare card, photo ID and, if necessary, any supplemental insurances. No Medicaid is accepted at this time. Participants are encouraged to bring a list of their current medications.

Clinical assessment will be provided by Tabitha Zappone, FNP-C.

The goal of the outreach clinic is to provide care to those who are not able to travel.

The next health and wellness event date will be Nov. 14.

San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging:

Participating in your care

By Kay Kaylor

As the part-time long-term care ombudsman for Archuleta County, I advocate for residents at Pine Ridge, a 24-hour extended care home, and BeeHive, an assisted living residence. Federal and state laws protect residents to promote quality of care and quality of life.

Continuing with the “Know Your Rights” theme for National Consumer Voice’s annual Residents’ Rights Month (October), consider a right many of us take for granted.

The right to participate in your own care sometimes gets confusing when residents, caregivers, family and friends try to respect medical authority and the “need to fix” attitudes of staff, particularly when a long-term care home feels like a hospital due to the call alarms, nursing stations, wheelchairs and so forth.

The right to participate in your care has seven major aspects to it, ranging from attending and scheduling your care planning meetings to reviewing your medical records to refusing your medication and treatment. Residents of any age and physical condition have the right to refuse any medication, including chemical restraints. They also have the right to be told what pills they are taking and for what reason every time they receive them. Residents may want to refuse to eat special diets or wear diabetic boots; it is important to inform them of the risks, but they still have the legal choice to take those risks, even if their preferences change daily.

Due to the ethical dilemmas people face when a loved one refuses certain treatments, ombudsmen and others might help families and the resident create a compromise that satisfies the resident.

For further information, you may call me at 403-2164 or send an email toombudsman2@sjbaaa.org.

Medical alert system

Medical alert monitoring systems are available for seniors. We can help you get set up with a system and assist with the monthly service charges or, if you already have a system in place, we can help supplement the monthly service fees.

Menu

Everyone is welcome to join us for lunch. If you are a senior (60 years and older), for only a $4 suggested donation, you are eligible for a hot meal, drink and a salad prepared by our kitchen staff.

The guest fee for those 59 and under is $10 and children 10 years and under can eat for $8.50 each. Access to the salad bar is only $6 for those under 60.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 25 — Crunchy baked catfish with Dijon mustard and/or tartar sauce, sweet potatoes with apples, stir-fried Chinese mustard greens, milk and salad bar.

Friday, Oct. 26 — Chicken and dumplings, green beans with almonds, buttered corn, milk, salad bar and chocolate raspberry cake.

Monday, Oct. 29 — Biscuits with pork sausage patties and cream gravy, spinach soufflé, home-style potatoes, milk and salad bar.

Tuesday, Oct. 30 — Beef Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, roasted broccoli, dinner roll with butter, milk and salad bar.

Wednesday, Oct. 31 — Glazed chicken wings, roasted beets, broccoli/cheddar soup, milk, salad bar and lime dessert.

Thursday, Nov, 1 — Hot turkey sandwich, coleslaw with apples, green beans with honey and garlic, milk, salad bar and snickerdoodle cookies.

Reservations and cancellations are required. You can make a reservation at 264-2167 by 9 a.m. the morning of the day you would like to dine in the Community Cafe at the Senior Center.

For your convenience, you can make your reservations in advance or have a standing reservation on days you know you will always attend. Please cancel if you cannot attend on your standing reservation days.