WHEAT RIDGE —A successful program in Edgewater that helps seniors age in place seems to be achieving its goals as it expands in Wheat Ridge.
Rather, it’s a network that allows older adults to maintain self-sufficiency and their social networks while reducing health care costs and social isolation.
Last year, Denver-based to replicate the NORC the nonprofit had spent eight years establishing in Edgewater.
Alison Joucovsky, the Colorado senior connections program coordinator for Jewish Family Service, said more than 500 seniors were served in Edgewater. Everything from computer classes, volunteering and mentoring, case management and classes on how to navigate signing up for medical benefits were offered. The goal, she said, is to provide multiple contact points to reach seniors and get them involved in the community.
“You have to hit it from all sides, because we want these folks living healthy and getting knowledge and support for their own wellness,” Joucovsky said.
After receiving the grant money in late 2013, Jewish Family Service brought in other nonprofits from across the county to help establish the Wheat Ridge community.
“By pulling these organizations together, what you’re doing is reducing duplication of services and ensuring continuity of care,” she said.
A host of classes and groups have formed and the city has sponsored a number of programs, including the . The campaign encourages seniors to be active while exploring the community.
Last week, in a kitchen in the back of Healing Waters Family Center in Wheat Ridge, dietician Melissa Williford gave nutrition facts to a group of seven seniors participating in a healthy cooking class.
“You don’t want to exceed 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day,” Williford said as she led the students in chopping carrots and onions for a pollo guisado dish.
Minutes later, with a chicken stew simmering on the stove, Williford gave tips on sugar intake and why canned tomatoes are a better source of lycopene than their fresh counterparts.
The Simple Cooking with Heart class is one of many Williford teaches.
“It’s important because, in Wheat Ridge, we have so many seniors, and we want to keep them in their homes — it’s vital,” Williford said. “The classes focus on things like eating alone, bone density, cooking on a fixed-income and healthy eating with medical diagnoses like diabetes and high-blood pressure.”
In the first six months of what has now been a one-year program, 450 Wheat Ridge residents were served by the grant money. Joucovsky said the goal of the three-year grant is to collect data on how allowing seniors to age in place saves money and to be able to replicate the program in other cities.
“Really, it’s a matter of the city partnering with NORC as a way to not duplicate services,” said Heather Geyer, the city’s administrative services director.
At the healthy cooking class, Barb Matthews, 68, said she moved to Wheat Ridge from Lakewood five years ago after retiring from a career in the federal government. Mathews said she signed up for a handful of health and wellness classes through Jewish Family Service and began teaching horticulture classes through the nonprofit.
“Once you retire and get away from your work friends, it’s harder to meet people,” Matthews said. “This has been a good resource to socialize and get connected to Wheat Ridge.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
