COLORADO GIVES DAY is December 5th

and Colorado Center for Aging is participating.

Don’t Wait; You Can Donate Now!

Donate to CCA - CLICK HERE

Zoom Link is in this email

View as Webpage

www.ColoradoCenterForAging.org

November 26, 2023

Our next meeting is Monday, November 27, 2023. Our meeting is from 9:30AM to 11:00AM.

At this meeting Jeanette and Rich will review issues and bills they know about for the 2024 legislative session. Rich will give us a debrief on the Special Session and we will discuss the CCA subcommittees and advocacy training sessions.

SAVE THE DATE!

Advocacy Training at The Capitol on Dec 13th

Wednesday, December 13th Colorado Center for Aging is offering advocacy training at The Capitol. This will be a great time to see your Capitol and sharpen your advocacy skills. More details to come.

Zoom Link for Monday's Meeting

Topic: CCA: Advocacy Committee Meeting

9:30AM - 11:00AM/11:30AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8814815119?pwd=cXJGUFRVQ09kV1RzZ25QVG90RHBOQT09

Meeting ID: 881 481 5119

NEW Passcode: CCA2023#

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Meeting ID: 881 481 5119

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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbZvU5bskJ

News & Highlights from CCA & our Network

COLORADO GIVES DAY is December 5th

But Don’t Wait; You Can Donate Now

Your support for the Colorado Center for Aging is more crucial than ever. You can make a donation to CCA any time between now and December 5th. All donations made between now through December 5 qualify for prizes and incentives. Your generosity will help CCA continue to advocate statewide for the programs and services that help older adults thrive and age with dignity. CCA is the only nonpartisan, all volunteer organization working to raise the voices of older Coloradans. 

View our Colorado Gives Day Flyer - CLICK HERE

CCA Colorado Gives Day Web Page

https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/Colorado-Center-For-Aging

Dental Advisory Committee Seats Available

The Colorado Dental Health Care Program for Low-Income Seniors (Senior Dental Program) has been very successful in promoting the health and welfare of Colorado’s low-income seniors by providing access to dental care to individuals age 60 and over who are not eligible for dental services under any other dental health care program, such as Health First Colorado or the Old Age Pension Health and Medical Care Program, and does not have private dental insurance - HCPF is seeking a candidate to fill the seat of a "senior who is eligible for services under the program." If you know of an aging senior who is eligible for the Senior Dental Program and would like the opportunity to participate on the Dental Advisory Committee (DAC), please have them contact Chandra Vital at chandra.vital@state.co.us with the subject: Dental Advisory Committee Seat, or they may call 303-866-5506. READ MORE

Source https://hcpf.colorado.gov/senior-dental-advisory-committee

Leaving this in from our last newsletter ...

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance/Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program (VITA/TCE) - Join us today and help make a difference in our community!

VITA/TCE seeks volunteers to support free tax preparation, to help individuals and families in our community maximize the refunds they are eligible for. By volunteering, you’ll contribute to the financial well-being of your community. Each year, valuable VITA/TCE volunteers make a significant impact by ensuring that funds are returned to our fellow community members. Last year, our dedicated volunteers returned millions of dollars in tax credits and refunds to low and moderate-income Coloradans. Ready to volunteer? Sign up today!

Website www.getaheadcolorado.org/get-involved

Articles

What the Colorado legislature passed during the special session

and how it will affect your wallet

"In a special legislative session that concluded Monday afternoon, the Colorado General Assembly cut property taxes by $434 million and increased taxpayer refunds for most Coloradans by redistributing money that otherwise would’ve gone to higher earners. They also redirected $185 million in surplus tax collections to expand a tax break for low-income workers, approved $30 million in rental assistance and authorized a summer meals program for low-income children that will bring in up to $42 million in federal funding. It all happened in a span of four tense days as lawmakers rushed to wrap up before Thanksgiving ..." - READ MORE

Source https://coloradosun.com

How did property taxes become a political emergency in Colorado?

40 years of history and one wild market

"Pam Giordano and her husband bought their tri-level home nearly 30 years ago. The price sounds almost unbelievable today: $138,000 for a couple thousand square feet of south Denver real estate. Since then, the home’s value has nearly quadrupled, according to property tracking websites. But the property tax bill has grown much more slowly — increasing from about $1,100 in the mid-’90s to about $1,900 in the couple’s most recent tax bill. Accounting for inflation, their tax burden has actually fallen ..."

- READ MORE

Source https://www.cpr.org

Colorado legislature approves $30 million for emergency rental assistance

as eviction filings reach record highs

"Colorado lawmakers approved $30 million in rental assistance on Monday during a special legislative session in an effort keep more people in their homes as eviction filings in parts of Colorado hit record high numbers. As of Monday, there had been 34,757 eviction filings this year across Colorado, up 9% from the 31,920 filings in the same period in 2022. Recent data from Denver County Court shows the city has logged a record 10,849 evictions, surpassing the 10,241 reported in 2010 in the depths of the Great Recession ..." - READ MORE

Source https://coloradosun.com/

Extra Fees Drive Assisted Living Profits

"Assisted living centers have become an appealing retirement option for hundreds of thousands of boomers who can no longer live independently, promising a cheerful alternative to the institutional feel of a nursing home. But their cost is so crushingly high that most Americans can’t afford them. These highly profitable facilities often charge $5,000 a month or more and then layer on fees at every step. Residents’ bills and price lists from a dozen facilities offer a glimpse of the charges: $12 for a blood pressure check; $50 per injection (more for insulin); $93 a month to order medications from a pharmacy not used by the facility; $315 a month for daily help with an inhaler ..."

- READ MORE

Source https://kffhealthnews.org

How Medicare’s New Drug Price Negotiation Program Could

Expand Access to Selected Drugs

"Medicare recently announced the first 10 Part D drugs selected for negotiation under Medicare’s new drug price negotiation program. These drugs were identified as the 10 top spending drugs covered under Medicare Part D without generic or biosimilar equivalents that have been on the market for at least seven years and also meet other selection criteria. The 10 drugs selected for the first round of negotiations include treatments for several medical conditions, including diabetes (Farxiga, Fiasp/NovoLog, Januvia, Jardiance), blood clots (Eliquis, Xarelto), heart failure (Entresto, Farxiga), psoriasis (Stelara, Enbrel), rheumatoid arthritis (Enbrel), Crohn’s disease (Stelara), and blood cancers (Imbruvica) (Appendix Table 1). Between June 2022 and May 2023, 8.3 million Medicare Part D enrollees used one or more of these medications. Negotiated prices for these 10 drugs will be available on January 1, 2026 ..." - READ MORE

Source https://www.kff.org

Why Long-Term Care Insurance Falls Short for So Many

"For 35 years, Angela Jemmott and her five brothers paid premiums on a long-term care insurance policy for their 91-year-old mother. But the policy does not cover home health aides whose assistance allows her to stay in her Sacramento, California, bungalow, near the friends and neighbors she loves. Her family pays $4,000 a month for that. “We want her to stay in her house,” Jemmott said. “That’s what’s probably keeping her alive, because she’s in her element, not in a strange place.” The private insurance market has proved wildly inadequate in providing financial security for most of the millions of older Americans who might need home health aides, assisted living, or other types of assistance with daily living ..." - READ MORE

Source https://kffhealthnews.org

Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care

"... Millions of families are facing such daunting life choices and potential financial ruin — as the escalating costs of in-home care, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes devour the savings and incomes of older Americans and their relatives. "People are exposed to the possibility of depleting almost all their wealth," said Richard Johnson, director of the program on retirement policy at the Urban Institute. The prospect of dying broke looms as an imminent threat for the boomer generation, which vastly expanded the middle class and looked hopefully toward a comfortable retirement on the backbone of 401(k)s and pensions. Roughly 10,000 of them will turn 65 every day until 2030, expecting to live into their 80s and 90s as the price tag for long-term care explodes, outpacing inflation and reaching a half-trillion dollars a year, according to federal researchers ..." - READ MORE

Source https://kffhealthnews.org

Tech Resources

Cyber-Seniors provides FREE technology support and training for senior citizens

Founded in 2015 by the creators of the award-winning documentary film CYBER-SENIORS, this non-profit organization provides senior citizens with tech-training using an intergenerational, volunteer model.

Website https://cyberseniors.org/

CU Anschutz COAST-IT Program

The Multidisciplinary Center on Aging at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is actively reaching out to more older adults in the community for the COAST-IT (Connecting Older Adults and Students Through Inter-professional Telecare) program. Older adults will have the opportunity to engage with a student from either the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, College of Nursing, or School of Dental Medicine programs to mentor the future generation of healthcare clinicians.

Contact Joanna Fitzgibbons at joanna.fitzgibbons@cuanschutz.edu for more information

Denver Public Library Technology Classes & Workshops

From computer basics to digital privacy to applying for benefits online, Denver Public Library offers a variety of technology classes and workshops.

Website https://www.denverlibrary.org/techclasses

Senior Planet

If you’re a senior aged 60 and older, these live online classes are designed just for you! Learn about finance, wellness, fitness, computers and technology, and so much more. You will also find a real community of fellow life-long learners.

Website https://seniorplanet.org/classes/

Library Services through Strong Library

Thanks to Denver voters, Freegal Music+, an ad-free, unlimited streaming platform, and Statista, an easy-to-use portal for integrating statistics and reports, are available to anybody with a DPL library card. These new services are made possible because of #StrongLibraryStrongDenver, supported by the DPL Fund. Learn more here:

https://www.denverlibrary.org/stronglibrary_strongdenver

If you are not a member of Colorado Center for Aging - Join Today!

Not sure if you are a member? Send us an email - CLICK HERE

Colorado Center for Aging is a 501c3 non-profit organization,

born out of the roots of Colorado Senior Lobby (CSL) - LEARN MORE