Friday, October 18, 2013

Want to see the inside of a particular Senior Housing Location?

Want to see the inside of a particular senior housing location? Look them up in the Google search engine and look for their Google Street Tour on the community's Google+ page. 

The bad news ... Not many senior housing locations have added this feature yet, however we have helped a few communities in Colorado add this to their Google+ page (and we want to help more properties add this feature). We think Google Street Tours are great for seniors and their families. We are impressed with this technology for consumers being able to take a tour of a senior housing location from their own home. And you don't need special software to view a Google Street Tour.

RiverPointe Senior Community
of Littleton, Colorado
Take a Tour of RiverPointe Senior Community of Littleton, Colorado - link to Google Street Tour - Click Here

We will be featuring more Google Street Tour for senior housing as they become available and we will feature the tours in our eNewsletters - Click Here.

Are you a senior community and need to add your Google Street Tour and do you need assistance setting up your Google+ page and promoting the page? Contact Seniors Resource Guide for assistance - SeniorsResourceGuide.com. Send us an email through our Contact Us page.


 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Have to mention Senior Move Managers and Fresh Spaces of Denver

We are still on the subject of the local senior resources and we bumped into Fresh Spaces at the local Senior Resource Day put on in October by Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd and Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. Fresh Spaces is owned by Robin Korn and serves the greater Denver, Colorado area with senior move management, organizing, downsizing and decluttering services for older adults (a much needed service for many people, not just seniors!). Robin's sign at the show said, "Keep calm with a Senior Move Manager," and this is so true. 
 
Visit Robin's website and the Colorado Move Management web page to learn more about Move Management for seniors looking to downsize and how hiring a professional can help adult children. Here are the links:
If you are looking for a Move Manager outside of Denver - visit the website of The National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) of which Robin and her associates are members of - www.nasmm.org



What is the difference between 3-1-1 verses 2-1-1?

The difference between 3-1-1 and 2-1-1 may be obvious to some but just to be sure here is a quick review. 

3-1-1 and 2-1-1 are special local numbers that when dialed from your local area code they take you to a call center for that area. 
  •  3-1-1 (if available in your area) will reach a call center for local city and government services. Seniors may find this useful if they have questions about property taxes, vehicle registration and other local government services.
  • 2-1-1 which is available across the county will take you to a call center for health and human resources for your area. And here is a website link to reach your local 2-1-1 number via a website - www.211.org
  • The 2-1-1 'entry website' provides a link to a larger online 2-1-1 database that serves your area (if the database is available in your area) - www.211.org
  • Note that the 2-1-1 service can provide information on local senior resources such as energy assistance, transitional housing, food banks and much more.
  • And for more information here is an article about 3-1-1 and 2-1-1 posted on SeniorsResourceGuide.com:
    "3-1-1 compared to 2-1-1 – What is the Difference?" - Click Here 
 Also want to mention the resources for this article:
  • We had a nice visit with Denver 3-1-1 representatives at a local Senior Resource Day put on in October by Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd and Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey and other sponsors.
  • Another great online resource for researching just about anything is Wikipedia
  • They are a relatively small organization that provides a rich website framework where the content is mostly written and edited by volunteers. Check them out and donate on a regular basis. We need more websites and organizations like Wikipedia. Their domain name is www.Wikipedia.org.
  • To donate to Wikipedia visit this web page - Click Here

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Talking about Gluten-Free Meal Plans at Senior Housing Locations in Denver, Colorado

We made a previous post about how great the King Soopers Health & Wellness Event hosted in Denver was and we shared great information about gluten-free eating. In that post we touched on Gluten-Free diets for seniors living in retirement communities. 

We reached out to Gary Rasmussen of Assisted Transition of Denver and he mentioned these properties that he knows of that offer gluten-free meal plans in the Denver area - this may not be a complete list however it is a good start:
Brookdale Meridian Englewood
Brookdale Heritage Club Denver
Parker Assisted Living by Morningstar
New Dawn Memory Care
Autumn Heights Health Care Center of Denver

Keep in mind that some of these properties offer respite care, so if you are taking care of a senior at home and need respite care, and that senior needs to eat gluten-free then contact these properties.

We want to give a special thank you to Assisted Transition - we happen to know Gary Rasmussen quite well, however there are four Assisted Transition housing placement specialists in Colorado as of October 2013:

Gary Rasmussen serving Metro Denver - Click Here
Beth Miller serving South Denver - Click Here
Patrick Parise serving North Denver - Click Here
Laura Cooley serving Colorado Springs - Click Here


And here is the main Assisted Transition Senior Living & Care Finders website - Click Here

Another Great Event in Littleton, Colorado - Pathways to Wisdom Senior Resource Day on October 11, 2013

Another great event - this one is put on by the Arapahoe County Council on Aging (ACCoA) of Arapahoe County, Colorado. This event is October 11, 2013 from 9:30AM to 2:00PM. The event is free! Seniors and their families attend this event to learn about resources related to healthy aging and they get to enjoy free food and prize drawings. Service providers, local business and organizations serving seniors will be available to share information regarding their products and services. Learn More at the ACCoA event page - Click Here

Find these local organizations there:
Arapahoe County Council on Aging
Chayet and Danzo
LifeCare Centers of America

Kaiser Permanente
50plus Marketplace

MorningStar Senior Living
Colorado Access
Innovage
and many, many more local senior service providers!


The event is held at Douglas H. Buck Community Recreation Center which is part of the South Suburban Parks and Recreation district. The Buck Center is a great recreation center (and great place to host an event). Learn more at their website - Click Here.

Their address is:
Douglas H. Buck Community Recreation Center

2004 W. Powers Ave
Littleton, Colorado

By the way find more local Denver events at Seniors Resource Guide - visit our Denver News & Events page - Click Here

 

Save the Date in Mobile, Alabama - Providence Hospital Senior Spirit Health Fair is November 1, 2013

This looks like it will be a very nice senior health and resource fair hosted by Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama - love the name SeniorSpirit. Visit our Mobile Senior News & Events and get details on this and other events in Mobile, Alabama. Here is a quick review of the fair:

Plan to attend the Providence Hospital Senior Spirit Health Fair on Friday, November 1, 2013 from 9am-12noon. Services available include oral cancer screenings, hearing and vision consults, heel scans, eye glass adjustment, insurance open enrollment, dancing, door prizes and more. 

Link to Mobile, Alabama Senior News & Events on Seniors Resource Guide and browse the local events - Click Here

Look for "Providence Hospital Senior Spirit Health Fair" on November 1, 2013!
Link to event brochure - Click Here

Seniors in Mobile - check out the benefits of joining SeniorSpirit. Membership is open to those "55 and better" and offers discounts and amenities - Learn More

And learn more about Providence Hospital located in Mobile, Alabama.
Website: www.providencehospital.org

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

We found the King Soopers Health Matters People at the Health & Wellness Event

Just want to share that we met some of the Dieticians from the new King Soopers Health Matters group. They had a booth at the King Soopers Health & Wellness Expo on October 5th. This group has their own website with information on the new King Soopers health and wellness services such as Gluten-Free Foods, the NuVal® nutrition scores, Optimum Wellness and other services found at King Soopers - and the Dieticians offer classes and personalized at certain stores. Here is the group's website:
www.kingsoopers.com/healthmatters


Here is a photograph from the show of the Health Matters Exhibit and two of the staff members:
 
I recognize Dietician Jeannie, RD from the website and from meeting her at the expo (she is shown on the right). Here is a link to her October calendar of events including Walk & Talks, Consultations and Classes and to the other Dieticians in the Denver area:
View list of Dieticians - Click Here

View Jeannie's Calendar - Click Here
This is an interesting health and wellness resource - I wonder if people will use these resources?

I was particularly impressed with the gluten-free resources on the website. Here is link to their Gluten-Free Resource web page - Click Here. Some of the topics include gluten-free recipes, gluten-free store tours, symptoms of Celiac Disease, lists of gluten-free foods and more.

Why is this important? 
Did you know that if you have a senior in your life looking to move into a senior housing and they need to eat gluten-free, you can look for senior housing locations that offer a gluten-free menu choice. Not every community will offer this option so you need to do some research. We will get back to you in another post on which of the senior housing do offer gluten-free meal plans in the Denver area.
If you know of some please comment and share. We would love to know about ones that are out of state and offer gluten-free meal plans for residents and respite care programs.

By the way there is a great photograph of the Registered Dieticians working with King Soopers Health & Wellness program posted on their website - Click Here. I like Jeannie tossing the orange!





Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Kudos to the Idea of "Local Senior Resource Days"

Seniors Resource Guide has had the privilege of being invited to exhibit at the NW Denver Senior Resource Day. This event celebrated it's 10th Anniversary this year on October 4, 2013. This is a small event but very significant for it's outreach to seniors and caregivers living in northwest Denver.

What is this event about? 
This is a senior resource fair and panel presentation for seniors and caregivers that live in District 1 of Denver County. The event is hosted by District 1 Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd and this year she invited Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey to co-host. Through their efforts and a group of dedicated volunteers, they organize a wonderful luncheon, panel of elected officials and a senior resource fair. The event is held at the Police Protective Association located in the District. The panel was moderated by Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd and included:
  • Brandon Rattinor from Colorado U.S. Senator Marc Udall's office
  • Diana DeGette, Congresswoman, Colorado Congressional District #1
  • Dan Pabon, Colorado State Representative CO-House District #4
  • Crisanta Duran, Colorado State Representative CO-House District #5
  • Michael Sapp, representating Hon. Michael B. Hancock, Mayor of Denver
  • Mitch Morrissey, Denver District Attorney
  • Dennis Gallagher, Denver City Auditor
  • Debra Johnson, Denver Clerk & Recorder
  • Deborah L. Ortega, Denver City Councilwoman-at-Large
  • Robin Kniech, Denver City Councilwoman-at-Large
  • Chief, Robert White, Denver Police Department
  • Cmdr. Paul Pazen, Denver District 1 Police Department
This Senior Resource Day had the typical vendors, door prizes and very nice lunch for the attendees, however the most important part was the presence of all of the elected and public officials that took time out of their schedules to appear at the event and answer questions from the audience of seniors that live in Denver's District 1. This is a great example of government at its best. Kudos to all that participated. Below are links to the websites of the panel participants or the department they represent:

Hosts:
Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd 
Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey

Panel Participants:
Brandon Rattinor from Colorado U.S. Senator Marc Udall's office
Diana DeGette, Congresswoman, Colorado Congressional District #1

Dan Pabon, Colorado State Representative CO-House District #4
Crisanta Duran, Colorado State Representative CO-House District #5
Michael Sapp, representing Hon. Michael B. Hancock, Mayor of Denver
Mitch Morrissey, Denver District Attorney
Dennis Gallagher, Denver City Auditor
Debra Johnson, Denver Clerk & Recorder
Deborah L. Ortega, Denver City Councilwoman-at-Large
Robin Kniech, Denver City Councilwoman-at-Large
Chief, Robert White, Denver Police Department
Cmdr. Paul Pazen, Denver District 1 Police Department


And here are some photos from the event:



Here is the Panel answering questions at the NW Denver Senior Resource Day.

Innovage was there - www.MyInnovAge.org
Connect for Health Colorado and Colorado SHIP was there

The Colorado Leap Program was there

And there were many other exhibitors along with hard-working volunteers - like Kathy Merchant from Floral Angel that created all of the centerpieces that were given to seniors attending the fair - Kudos!

   



And of course a big thank you has to go to Sister Georgeann, who has been the main organizer and force behind making this such a great event for 10 years. And a thank you to all of the volunteers and businesses supporting the event. By the way there were other exhibitors and in another post we will list them!

Do you host a local event for seniors or are you thinking of it? 
Make some local contacts in your area and give it a try. It is a lot of work but the benefit for seniors to make connections with their local elected and public officials is huge. Send us a press release if you hold a LOCAL senior fair with a panel of elected officials.

And seniors - ask your local elected officials for this type of event. 
Looking to contact your local elected officials? Here is a link to how to contact your State and Federal government officials. This information is posted on Seniors Resource Guide – Click Here

And once again, compliments to Councilwoman Susan K. Shepherd for continuing the Denver District 1 NW Senior Resource Day event for its 10th year. 





Monday, October 7, 2013

I went to the King Soopers City Market Health & Wellness Expo held in Denver on 10-5-13 - Wow!

I went to the King Soopers City Market Health & Wellness Expo held on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at the Denver Convention Center - and wow! This event focused on natural and organic products and gluten free products that King Soopers City Market are offering or will soon be offering. The expo was impressive for the variety. 

I walked the aisles sampling products and was given many great coupons and product samples. I watched the time so I could take advantage of the many presentations. Two of biggest presenters were Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Travis Stork, along with Melissa d'Arabian, Sportacus & Stephanie, Dr. David Katz and Dr. James Rouse. Along with these presenters there were smaller presentations and cooking demonstrations on the other stages. Below are some photos and comments.

When you first entered the expo you were greeted by what looked like a fresh fruit and vegetable market with some of the most beautiful fruit I have ever seen. As you walked in your were handed an apple and in a few more feet, a generous cup of large, sweet red grapes - they were delicious. And check out the large pumpkin - this was an impressive display!

 

Then you started walking down the aisles and having conversations about different products with the exhibitors, tasting their samples and often being given coupons and sample products. Toward the center of the organic section was the Simple Truth booth which showed the huge variety of organics that King Soopers City Market is committed to.
 

If you want to see a partial list of the companies that exhibited, here is a link to the event website. I hope they keep this website up for awhile and note that this is not everyone that was there. We will make some more posts about the exhibitors but for now check out the event website - www.KingSoopersHealthExpo.com.
Here is a direct link to some of the exhibitors - Click Here
(The logos on this page link to that companies website)

And what does this have to do with seniors? 
Eating healthy food and making good food choices is important to all ages - seniors included. And sharing a meal with friends and family is an important connection in all of our lives.

And to King Soopers City Market - thank you for a great event! I learned about a lot of products that I never knew about or considered before this event.
 

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Sharing another event - King Soopers Health & Wellness Event in Denver on 10-5-13

I am sharing another event. This one is in Denver and is the King Soopers Health & Wellness Event happening on Saturday, October 5, 2013. I actually learned about the event at the Amazing Aging Denver Show last Saturday. I stopped at the King Soopers booth at that show and talked to their nutrition consultants about their upcoming fair. The event sounds interesting because I have to say that I have noticed the new line of organics at King Soopers called "simple truth organic" - I have been purchasing some of these products and find them priced lower than some of the other organics I have been purchasing. Also King Soopers now has a health and wellness resource website - www.kingsoopers.com/healthmatters. I checked it out and it has some interesting resources.

So a thank you to the very nice King Soopers representatives that answered my questions and gave me new resources to check out. One of the representatives was a Registered Dietitian and King Soopers is now offering some free nutrition related services - interesting! 

By the way the King Soopers Health & Wellness Event has two big keynote speakers. Visit the event website to learn more about that. Also tickets are needed and they are expecting quite a crowd so if you want to see the speakers and have a seat they are alerting people to arrive early.
Website: www.KingSoopersHealthExpo.com

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Went to the Amazing Aging Expo and saw Bentley Baths There

Yes, I went to the Amazing Aging Expo and saw Bentley Baths at the show. It is always quite amazing to go around the corner in an exhibition hall and see a walk-in bathtub sitting right there on the showroom - impressive! George Bentley was also a speaker at the event with a talk entitled, “Thrive now: How to Die Young ... at an Old Age.” George is an excellent speaker and if you have a chance to hear him speak - do so. Visit the Bentley Bath website to learn more about the company and George's background - www.bentleybaths.com

Also wanted to share a photo of the Bentley Bath exhibit -this shows a rubber duck in a cutaway tub. And you may ask why is the duck blurry? 

Well, it was bouncing around from the water jets in the cutaway display. This caught my eye! Who doesn't love yellow rubber ducks of all sizes! Which takes me to artist Florentijn Hofman - check out photographs of when his rubber duck artwork visited Pittsburgh, PA recently - Click Here

In the artist's words the Rubber Duck does not discriminate, does not represent any political party, it is friendly and it can relieve tensions world wide. I don't know about you but I am smiling right now. Here is a link to the artist's website - http://florentijnhofman.nl/dev/. And kudos to Bentley Baths for their Rubber Duck display. I think we need more Rubber Ducks in the world and right at home.