The Safety Net

There is nothing easy about taking care of a family member or friend with dementia. It can be physically demanding, emotionally exhausting and guilt-inducing.

For one day next month, these caregivers can get a free break, courtesy of 
Namasté Alzheimer Center, 2 Penrose Blvd. 

From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, those with dementia will receive free care at Namaste while caregivers meet next door at the El Pomar Foundation’s Penrose House to discuss what they go through, learn more about resources — and get a chair massage.

Chaplain Marga Callender will lead discussion groups, and a representative from the Area Agency on Aging will speak about Medicaid and the day care program voucher.

 The retreat includes lunch for both the caregiver and family member.

Space is limited. Call 776-6300 to register.

And while we’re on the subject of caregiving,  Home Instead Senior Care is offering a new multi-media support program called Caring for Your Parents: Education for the Family Caregiver. It’s designed for people who are trying to care for a family member who might be resistant to their help.

The program includes free online resources including educational videos,  workbooks and a stress meter. All are available at http://www.caregiverstress.com.

Pikes Peak Justice & Peace Commission has gotten less picky about the bikes it’s accepting for its program to provide wheels to the area’s homeless residents, but it’s not out of desperation.

A local mechanic who donates his time to fix bikes for the homeless and has been working with PPJPC said he’ll start taking less-than-perfect specimens for their parts. 

Of course, PPJPC still wants people to donate used bikes that are in good condition so they can be handed off quickly to people who rely on them to get to doctor’s appointments, therapists, the soup kitchen and other places critical to their well-being.

So if you have a used bike in great condition or one that would be better used for its parts, drop it off across the street from the Wednesday farmers market at America the Beautiful Park. The market runs from 3-7 p.m. through Oct. 13.

A request for Oreos is causing a few cases of dyspepsia in the Colorado Springs area.

Last week, I wrote about Care and Share food bank’s wish list for its campaign to end summer hunger (click here to read the story), and among the handful of targeted foods was a request for Oreos. The thinking behind the request is that kids deserve a treat, and Oreos and milk are a quintessential snack for the younger set.

But I received a few calls from outraged adults who talked about  the alarming increase in childhood obesity rates and the role of a food bank, which, they said, does not include handing out cookies to kids.

My response: “lighten up.” Care and Share is also asking for peanut butter and other healthful items in addition to Oreos, and no one is suggesting the kids down a whole bag in one sitting. But that’s just me. What’s your take on this: Yes or no to Oreos?

http://www.gazette.com/articles/canned-103251-care-summer.html

In 2005, Pikes Peak Mental Health Center and several affiliated agencies started operating as Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group. Today, you can “X’ that listing out of your address book and replace it with “AspenPointe.”

On Monday, the agency formerly known as Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group announced it will heretofore be known as “AspenPointe,” and all of its 12 agencies will have “AspenPointe” in their names.

AspenPoint “was selected following consideration of more than 200 options and after positive market testing,” its website says. “It received unanimous support from our board of directors and executive staff.”

The press release on the website goes on to say that “through greater repetition, we will strengthen our identity, while conveying our organizations’ connection and common purpose.”

President and CEO Morris L. Roth says in the release that AspenPointe will help reduce confusion in the community about the organization’s many endeavors, which go beyond traditional mental health counseling to include career development and housing. (To learn more about the reasons for the name change and other answers to FAQs, click here.)

What do you think about the name change? Ponder that while you peruse the following list of “before and after” names for AspenPointe’s operations: 

• Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group – AspenPointe Inc.
• Pikes Peak Mental Health –  AspenPointe Health Services
• Pikes Peak Foundation for Mental Health –  AspenPointe Foundation
• Pikes Peak Mental Health Medicaid LLC –  AspenPointe Medicaid LLC
• Pikes Peak Mental Health Select Services, Inc.  –  AspenPointe Properties
• Aspen Diversified Industries –  AspenPointe Employment
• Aspen Diversified Industries Services –  AspenPointe Enterprises
• Workout, Ltd. –  AspenPointe Youth Directions
• Connect Care – AspenPointe Health Network
• ProCare – AspenPointe TeleCare LLC 
• Colorado Counseling Network, Inc. – AspenPointe Management
• Coal Construction – AspenPointe Builders LLC
• Café Moreno* – AspenPointe

Pikes Peak Justice & Peace Commission has everything in place to collect used bikes that are in good condition so they can be given to the city’s homeless population.

The commission got city council to provide free storage space, and then got organizers of the Colorado Farm & Art Market to agree to a collection site at their Wednesday market, beginning this Wednesday, Aug. 18, through Oct. 13. The market is  from 3 to 7 p.m. at America the Beautiful Park, just off Colorado Avenue west of Cascade. PPJPC will have a table set up at the park entrance.

Now, back to those bikes. This is not the place to unload your junkers. PPJPC executive director Steve Saint has issued the following checklist if you do have a bike to donate:

1. Bikes in need of obvious repairs should be repaired before they are donated.

2. If the only challenge is flat tires, please inflate them to see if they hold air before donating them.

3. If you do not have a bike pump or way to inflate tires, we will have hand pumps at the Farmer’s Market. Bike tires will be inflated and the bikes taken on a test drive around the park before we accept them.

4. If you have a suitable bike but no way to transport it to the park, please contact us. At present, we have no way of transporting bikes but will keep you on a list should transportation become an option.

5. Acceptable bikes will get you a receipt for tax deduction.

For more information, contact Steve at 632-6189 or econjustice@ppjpc.org.

Did you know Colorado Springs is awash in jobs — AND affordable housing?

 We’re not saying that’s true, because, in fact, it isn’t. But enough people from other parts of the state, and even the U.S., have been hearing it. During the interviews I did today for a story on a lack of housing options for a growing number of homeless and near-homeless families, several people said they’ve encountered people who traveled to the Springs because they heard we were the land of milk and honey.

“I”m hearing people say, ‘I hear you can get my housing,’” said Bob Holmes, executive director of Homeward Pikes Peak. “I say, ‘Where are you from?’
‘I’m from Iowa. I’m from South Dakota.’” We’re drawing people here because there’s kind of false gossip going around that this is the place to get free housing.”

Paula Stock, director of transitional housing for the Salvation Army in Colorado Springs, said she had a family from Texas show up Friday morning looking for housing.

“They got in the car and drove up here, thinking it’s going to be better here,” she said. “We don’t know why they’re hearing it. I have 13 residents over here right now struggling to get a job. I have people with degrees struggling to get a job.”

Arc thrift stores in Colorado are making it very, very enticing for families needing back-to-school clothing to scratch their Saturday plans in favor of a shopping spree.

From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, Arc is selling all children’s clothing for 99 cents apiece. That’s ALL clothing, including coats, for those of you thinking ahead to the cold-weather months.

The stores have stockpiled a big inventory of clothing for this annual sale, according to a press release from the nonprofit, which advocates for and employs people with developmental disabilities.

Arc has three stores in Colorado Springs: Uintah Gardens Shopping Center, 
1830 West Uintah St.; 4402 Austin Bluffs Parkway; and the
Hancock Plaza Shopping Center; 2780 South Academy Blvd.

Colorado Springs might not be a safe place to live if you work at a convenience store, but if you’re a kid, you’ve got it made — at least as far as Men’s Health magazine is concerned.

Men’s Health announced its list of America’s “Safest Cities for Children” today, and Colorado Springs came in at No. 8 out of 100, and ended up with a B+ grade. Madison, Wis., was No. 1; Jacksonville, Fla., landed at the bottom of the list.

The magazine based its rankings on the accidental death rates for children ages 5 to 14; the number of car-seat inspection locations per child/per state; the number of sex offenders per capita; the percentage of abused children protected from further abuse; and the strength of child-restraint and bike-helmet laws.

So does Colorado Springs deserve  this ranking? Do you even think lists like this have any merit? Share you thoughts.

Here’s the full list.  

safest cbox hed 1
Here’s the full list. 

1.  Madison, Wis.: A +
2.  Honolulu: A
3.  San Francisco: A
4. Virginia Beach, VA                  A-
5.  Spokane, WA                          A-
6.  Providence, RI                        A-
 7. Jersey City, NJ                       B+
 8. Colorado Springs, CO            B+     
 9. Pittsburgh, PA                         B+
10. Burlington, VT                        B+
11. St. Paul, MN                          B+
12. Portland, OR                          B+                 
13. Fort Wayne, IN                      B
14. Wilmington, DE                      B
15. Cincinnati, OH                       B
16. Denver, CO                           B        
17. Rochester, NY                       B
18. Raleigh, NC                           B
19. Milwaukee, WI                       B
20. Seattle, WA                            B-
21. Minneapolis, MN                    B-
22. Chicago, IL                            B-
23. Boise, ID                                B-
24. Tucson, AZ                            B-
25. Billings, MT                            B-
26. Kansas City, MO                   B-
27. Hartford, CT                          B-
28. San Jose, CA                        B-
29. Nashville, TN                         C+
30. Wichita, KS                            C+
31. San Diego, CA                       C+     
32. Salt Lake City, UT                 C+
33. Phoenix, AZ                           C
34. Indianapolis, IN                      C
35. Richmond, VA                       C
36. Greensboro, NC                    C
37. Yonkers NY                           C
38. Columbia, SC                                    C
39. Boston, MA                            C
40. New York, NY                       C
41. St. Petersburg, FL                 C
42. Lexington, KY                        C
43. Reno, NV                               C
44. Miami, FL                               C
45. Las Vegas, NV                       C
46. Sacramento, CA                    C
47. Los Angeles, CA                    C
48. Lubbock, TX                          C
49. Charlotte, NC                         C-
50. Durham, NC                          C-
51. Oakland, CA                          C-
52. Washington, DC                    C-
53. Charleston, WV                     C-
54. Anaheim, CA                                     C-
55. Tampa, FL                             C-
56. Atlanta, GA                            C-
57. Louisville, KY                         C-
58. Cheyenne, WV                      C-
59. Albuquerque, NM                  D+
60. Cleveland, OH                       D+
61. St. Louis, MO                         D+
61. Manchester, NH                    D+
63. Anchorage, AK                      D+
64. Sioux Falls, SD                      D+
65. Riverside, CA                        D+
66. Lincoln, NE                            D+
67. Newark, NJ                           D+
68. Montgomery, AL                    D+
69. Little Rock, AR                      D+
70. Memphis, TN                         D+
71. Birmingham, AL                     D+
72. Arlington, TX                          D
73. Houston, TX                           D
74. Fort Worth, TX                       D
75. San Antonio, TX                    D
76. Austin, TX                              D
77. Aurora, CO                            D
78. Fargo, ND                              D
79. Omaha, NE                           D
80. Orlando, FL                            D
81. Dallas, TX                              D
82. Philadelphia, PA                    D
83. El Paso, TX                            D
84. Toledo, OH                            D
85. Portland, ME                          D-
86. Columbus, OH                       D-
87. Detroit, MI                              D-
88. Des Moines, IA                      D-
89. Buffalo, NY                            D-
90. Jackson, MS  D-
91. Corpus Christi, TX                 D-
92. Oklahoma City, OK               D-
93. Fresno, CA                            D-
94. Grand Rapids, MI                  F
95. Modesto, CA                          F
96. Tulsa, OK                               F
97. Bakersfield, CA                     F
98. Baltimore, MD                       F
99. New Orleans, LA                   F
100. Jacksonville, FL                   F

What nonprofit safety net organization couldn’t use a few extra dollars in an economy where demand for their services is rising?

Kaiser Permanente is making $500,000 in grants available to Colorado safety net health clinics to help them meet the needs of a growing number of uninsured and underinsured residents.

Grants of $10,000 to $100,000 will be made to nonprofit health centers in Kaiser Permanente’s Colorado service region, which includes Colorado Springs. The nonprofits have to demonstrate need in one of four areas, which you can learn more about by e-mailing Sylvia.Kamau-Small@kp.org, or going to the Kaiser Permanente grantmaking page by clicking here.

Whether you’re looking for jewelry for a gift or trying to spice up your own collection, the beaded works available for purchase Friday and Saturday will benefit not only you, but  women and their families in Uganda.

The BeadforLife jewelry, created out of handmade paper beads by Ugandan women, will be on sale from 5-8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at abaTina, 1713 S. 8th Street.

BeadforLife provides income for the women who craft the jewelry and gives them business skills. They’ve used their income to start their own businesses and gain access to improved housing and health-care.

For more information on the program, go to www.beadforlife.com. For information about the sale, contact Tina Fredrickson at 471-2290.