By Rose Chavez
PREVIEW Columnist
The Pagosa Senior Center is looking for volunteers to assist with our new growing dome program.
These individual(s) will be responsible for helping to coordinate volunteer opportunities at the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership Community Garden Dome on a twice-monthly basis. The program is new and will partner with other growing dome participants for group activities and opportunities.
For more information and to pick up an application, please visit the Senior Center at 451 Hot Springs Blvd.
Public meeting for Older Americans Act programs and services Feb. 7
Archuleta Seniors Inc. (ASI), also known as the Pagosa Senior Center, will be hosting a public meeting Thursday, Feb. 7, starting at 2 p.m. at 451 Hot Springs Blvd. for the Older Americans Act programs and services that are primarily funded through the San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging.
Stakeholders from the community are invited, including those 60 and above in addition to their family caregivers age 18 and older.
Planning issues that will be discussed include: Meals on Wheels, meal sites, transportation, snow shoveling, home repair, legal assistance, ombudsman support, low vision, tech classes, dental assistance, Medicare, Medicaid, counseling options, information referral assistance, fall prevention, support groups, caregiver services and community education resources. Light refreshments will be provided.
VITA tax volunteers to assist with senior tax returns Feb. 25
VITA tax volunteers will be coming to the Senior Center on Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to prepare seniors’ (age 55 or better) 2022 tax returns for free. Appointments are available, but are limited and will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.
Appointment schedule:
• 9 a.m.: seven appointments.
• 10:30 a.m. six appointments.
• Noon to 12:30 p.m.: lunch.
• 12:30 p.m.: seven appointments.
• 2 p.m.: six appointments.
Participants must have income of $60,000 or less and must bring all documents in order for us to complete the return. Participants must have ID in the form of driver’s license plus Social Security card (or copy) or a 1099 SSA form.
Please contact us at (970) 264-2167 to check availability for appointments.
Senior Conversations:
aging in place
Join us Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m. for the first in a series of Senior Conversations with local Bill Salmansohn.
He will lead the group through a mindfulness exercise and discussion of various topics pertaining to aging in place in Archuleta County. Explore and discover for yourself answers to your questions and concerns. The first group will be Feb. 27, and subsequent groups will be March 6, 13 and 20.
COVID-19 test
kits available
Stop by the Senior Center to pick up a pack of five free COVID-19 tests for your personal use. These kits are available to anyone in the public who needs affordable access for health promotion and disease prevention.
Text reservations
Text us at (970) 264-2167. Don’t forget that we also offer a convenient texting service for you to communicate with us. When texting, please include your name, phone number and the days you want a meal. If you are canceling a reservation, please include your name, phone number and the days you want to cancel.
Texting services are available for dining-in meal reservations, Grab-n-Go meals and Meals on Wheels recipients.
Mobile food pantry service available for seniors
The Senior Center would like to remind the community about our mobile food pantry services we provide in partnership with Archuleta County MET to seniors age 60 and older throughout most areas of Archuleta County.
In order to participate in this program, community members must visit with Barbara Noriega at the Senior Center, located in the Ross Aragon Community Center, to fill out an application to qualify for the mobile pantry service.
The application, called the dining assessment form, is also available on our website at the bottom of the Community Cafe page: http://www.psseniors.org/community-cafeacute.html. For more information, contact us at (970) 264-2167.
Mahjong
Mahjong is a 19th century Chinese tile-based game that is commonly played with four players. Each player receives 13 tiles with a goal to make matching sets and pairs (like poker). To win, a player must form four sets and one pair.
Come to the Senior Center to learn or play every Tuesday at 1:15 p.m.
Medicare call by
appointment
For anyone who needs help enrolling and navigating Medicare plans, we help with parts A, B and D. We can also help you with fraud concerns and troubleshooting any billing issues you may be having. By appointment only. Please call our Medicare line at (970) 264-0501, ext 4.
Bridge
The longest-played bridge game in Archuleta County takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. We have eliminated Monday bridge due to lack of consistent participation and will be replacing it with different programming.
Bridge is a four-player card game with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. It is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. Come alone or bring a partner.
Engaging pictures
Engaging pictures are needed from seniors and their families who live, work and play their best lives in Archuleta County. We are looking for pictures that convey people’s active lifestyles, families, culture and more. We would like to use these pictures in our grant applications, on social media and our website. Please email all pictures to rosa@psseniors.org or feel free to drop them off.
Community Cafe menu
Thursday, Feb. 2 — Vegetable lasagna with garlic bread, fresh berries, carrot cake, garden salad and milk.
Friday, Feb. 3 — Frito pie with cheese, coleslaw, cornbread, peach cobbler, garden salad and milk.
Monday, Feb. 6 — Chicken curry with jasmine rice, roasted cauliflower, garden salad, chai pudding and milk.
Tuesday Feb. 7 — Giant stuffed portabella mushroom with couscous, naan bread, garden salad, chocolate eclair and milk.
Wednesday, Feb. 8 — Singapore coffee-barbecue pork rib with rice, sauteed squash, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Thursday, Feb. 9 — Beef pot roast with potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, garden salad, cherry crisp and milk.
Grab-N-Go meals
Grab-N-Go meal reservations and cancellations are required. Please call or text by 9 a.m. the morning of the day you want to pick up a meal. A suggested donation of $10 helps to sustain our program. No one will be turned away for their inability to donate. For ages 59 and younger, the cost is $10.50. Please call or text us at (970) 264-2167 to make a reservation.
Meals on Wheels
We deliver fresh Meals on Wheels five days a week (and provide frozen Meals on Wheels for weekends) to homebound Archuleta County residents. Call or text us at (970) 264-2167.
Requesting donations
ASI has an immediate monetary need to support ongoing operations and programming that provide critical services to some of the most vulnerable in Archuleta County. Please consider donating.
You may mail your donation to P.O. Box 3444, Pagosa Springs CO 81147 or please visit our website: http://www.psseniors.org/. Donation checks can be written to: Archuleta Seniors Inc. We are located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd.
For more information about ASI, please visit http://www.psseniors.org/.
