The Pagosa Springs 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.
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.
San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging: Long-Term care staffing levels
By Kay Kaylor
I advocate for residents at Pine Ridge, a 24-hour extended care home, and BeeHive, an assisted living residence, as the part-time long-term care ombudsman for Archuleta County. Federal and state laws protect residents to promote quality of care and quality of life.
Maintaining appropriate staffing levels is an ongoing issue in long-term care. For example, on July 8, The New York Times published an article stating that American nursing homes have overstated their staffing levels for years. A new reporting system based on payroll journal data shows that nursing homes had less staffing, especially on weekends, than previously reported to the government.
Inadequate staffing leads to higher health and safety violations, such as not having a registered nurse on duty (required eight hours every day in nursing homes), as well as not meeting the increasing needs of today’s residents.
Of the 43,709 residents in Colorado long-term care from July 2016 to July 2017, the top two complaints to ombudsmen were about resident care and resident rights. The fifth highest, with 301 complaints, was about level of staff training and lack of staff responsiveness.
Yet residents are entitled to the “highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being,” according to the federal Nursing Home Reform Law. Advocates have for years tried to add a staff-per-resident ratio to federal and state laws and consistently meet resistance from the long-term care industry.
For further information, you may call me at 403-2164 or send an email to ombudsman2@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.
Memberships
Senior Discount Club memberships are offered Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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, Nov. 1 — Hot turkey sandwich, coleslaw with apples, green beans with honey and garlic, milk, salad bar and snickerdoodle cookies.
Friday, Nov. 2 — Tuna casserole with noodles, broccoli with lemon butter, shredded Brussels sprouts, milk, salad bar and peach cobbler.
Monday, Nov. 5 — Shredded beef enchiladas with sides, brown rice pilaf, black bean and mango salsa, milk and salad bar.
Tuesday, Nov. 6 — Pork baked ziti, roasted cauliflower soup, glazed carrots, focaccia bread with butter, milk and salad bar.
Wednesday, Nov. 7 — Barbecued chicken, roasted asparagus with walnuts, roasted red potatoes, milk, salad bar and lime dessert.
Thursday, Nov. 8 — Teriyaki salmon with tartar sauce, roasted broccoli, whipped sweet potatoes, milk, salad bar and baked apples.
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.
