Forty-six-year-old Ian came down with what he thought was maybe just the flu.
After a rough night of sleep and a high fever, he went to his doctor. After a gamut of tests — strep throat, influenza A and B — his doctor did some finagling and got his hands on a coronavirus test. Read more
The Home Builders Foundation is currently seeking out applications for people needing ramps to be completed during our 2020 Blitz Build!
In 2011, the HBF organized the Inaugural Blitz Build, where seven ramps were built for seven families across the Denver metro area in just three days. The Blitz Build was a huge success for the recipients, the HBF and all of the companies involved. Since 2011, more than 150 ramps have been completed during Blitz Build weekends, mobilizing hundreds and volunteers and impacting recipients and their extended networks of care. In 2020, we plan on building on the success of the past eight years by completing at least 20 ramps (possibly more!) on August 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 2020.
Even though the HBF builds ramps year-round, during our Blitz Build event, we are able to build so many in just 3 days by mobilizing more than 200 volunteers to complete the work. We have the capacity to do 20 (possibly more!) ramps so we’re reaching out to our community partners to spread the word about referring possible ramp projects to us.
If you need a ramp, or have a client, colleague or family member who is in need of a ramp, please fill out the application for assistance. Note: Any ramp applications received from now through June 2020 will be considered for the Blitz Build. Projects need to meet the requisite qualifications and will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis of the completed application.
Please also feel free to pass along the email and application link your networks, and/or share our social media posts with this announcement (coming in the next week or so).
Dear friends of OATS and Senior Planet,
As we’re all dealing with the realities of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, we at Senior Planet and Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), the nonprofit that sponsors Senior Planet, want to affirm that the health and safety of all members, participants, trainers, staff and volunteers is of the highest importance. Right now, we’re continuing to monitor the situation, facilitate best practices, provide support, and adjust course as needed to ensure the wellbeing of our community.
All OATS and Senior Planet staff are abiding by precautionary measures as recommended by the CDC and WHO, including thorough hand-washing and remaining at home if sick; our staff is also undertaking additional cleaning and safety measures for our buildings. We recommend that older adults consult the CDC website for up-to-date guidelines on how to best care for themselves and their local Department of Health for information specific to their area.
OATS and Senior Planet staff also will abide by any additional precautions recommended by the relevant local governments, including the North Country, NY; New York City; San Antonio, TX; Montgomery County, MD; Palo Alto, CA; and Colorado. Senior Planet Centers and programs operate with the school districts in which they are located. If schools close, Centers and programs will close as well. This information will be posted on our website here, on the relevant locations pages, and conveyed via email.
We also want to take a moment to reflect on how COVID-19 may impact older adults in particular. In times of so-called “social distancing,” seniors are often left with the fewest resources. Older adults are among the most significant users of public programs and social services, including senior centers. In the event that centers are temporarily shuttered, older adults may be left without access to vital social connections and services.
OATS and Senior Planet are actively developing ways to combat the social isolation that may result from necessary COVID-19 protective measures, including offering increased online programming and resources. Senior Planet already offers blended-learning, including online modules on Senior Planet U, Zoom lectures, and videos on our YouTube channel, and we’re taking steps to shift our in-person programs to these platforms. We’ll be in touch via email when these programs are available; they’ll also be posted on the relevant locations pages on seniorplanet.org. Please stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter as well. Let’s get through this together!
As a primary measure, OATS recommends that all older adults get online as quickly as possible. This public health crisis is also an information crisis: according to the Pew Research Center, in 2019, 37% of adults over the age of 60 do not use the Internet, where the most accessible, up-to-date information on COVID-19 and local and national guidelines is kept. Older adults, who are among those most vulnerable to the virus, must have access to essential information and services. It’s important to note that there are low-cost internet service options available, including through Comcast’s Internet Essentials, which is offering 60 days of free internet for new subscribers in light of COVID-19, and Spectrum’s Internet Assist program.
We urge everyone who’s connected to an older adult who may not have Internet access to encourage or help them to take that step now, and we urge older adults without Internet to apply for low-cost Internet or purchase it outright immediately. We’re also call on government officials and policy makers to include support for Internet access in COVID-19 relief and protection measures.
We’ll be doing our best to continually offer opportunities for information, connection, and support via digital channels in the time ahead. Many older adults in the Senior Planet community are in a good position to take advantage of their newfound skills, their links to fellow members and participants, and their willingness to adapt to a changing world. Let’s join hands (virtually) and stay strong as we support one another.
In hope,
The OATS and Senior Planet team
You may have heard that our city has reached a “tipping point” in its non-car transportation patterns, that we’re nearing the glorious intersection of safe, accessible bike infrastructure and a lot of two-wheeled vehicles carrying folks to work, school, the doctor, the grocery store, and anywhere else you like.
As a coalition of organizations working together to reclaim Denver’s streets for people walking, biking, rolling, and using transit, and to build safe, healthy, equitable communities, the Denver Streets Partnership celebrates this cultural shift away from car-centric transportation modes.
We also believe that Denver is ready for more, and apparently you do, too.
According to a recent poll commissioned by the Denver Streets Partnership, a staggering number of Denver residents want safe, multi-modal streets.
In a survey of 500 active Denver voters, results showed:
Two out of three Denverites would use mobility options other than driving to get around the City if those options were available and convenient
Two out of three Denverites are inclined to support businesses that demonstrate a commitment to multimodal transportation solutions
79 percent support the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan and efforts to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries
80 percent support Denver’s plan to add 125 miles of bike lane
Nearly 60 percent of voters support increasing the number of dedicated bike lanes, even if it means less on-street parking in front of their home or business
The following groups support safer and easier access to alternative modes of transportation:
80 percent of total voters
More than 80 percent of African American, Hispanic and White voters
Nearly 90 percent of voters ages 18-49
70 percent of voters over the age of 50
These results confirm our governing assumption: folks all over Denver want big investments in the safety and accessibility of our streets. It’s time to see improvements in Denver that will lead to reduced traffic fatalities and increased opportunities to move around our city without using a car. This won’t happen without leadership, persistence, and a broad coalition of support.
Here at the Denver Streets Partnership, we’re working to make this vision a reality.
That means building the coalition of community organizations advocating for people-friendly streets. It means working with neighborhood organizations and community members all across Denver to amplify the voices of people who know their communities best. And it means holding our City Council members and Mayor Hancock accountable for delivering on their promise to prioritize non-car transportation modes in pursuit of a safer and more livable city.
We couldn’t do this work without you, and attending public meetings and advocating for people-friendly streets is one of the most impactful ways you can join our work.
However, as part of the ongoing effort to protect Denver residents from COVID-19, the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure has postponed several community meetings in the next few weeks.
Please monitor the events page on our website for information regarding these meetings, alternative methods for providing input, and other information as it becomes available.
2020 Census & Group Quarters
Beyond counting traditional households, the Census Bureau also counts those living or staying in group quarters.
Group Quarters include:
- Group Homes
- Nursing Facilities
- Residential Treatment Facilities
- In-patient hospice facilities
- Mental Health Hospitals
- College Campuses
- And more
How does the Census Bureau reach out to Administrators in Group Quarters?
Outreach to administrators of the facilities mention above are completed in 3 phases by the Census Bureau:
- January 2020, a letter was sent to administrators
- February 3 – March 6, 2020: Census Bureau representatives reach out to explain the process and help the administrators gather the data.
- If the administrator does not respond, then a census representative comes to the facility.
Some administrators can fill out an eResponse https://respond.census.gov/gqe/login.
What information will the administrators need to provide to complete the 2020 Census Enumeration of their facility?
- Names
- Age
- Sex
- Race
- Hispanic origin
- Other potential address (if the person has family in another household that might have counted them)
Assisted Living Residences
If you are the administrator of an Assisted Living Residence in Colorado, you will not be contacted the the Census Bureau as the other facilities listed about. Your residents will be asked to respond as the rest of the general public.
How to Respond to the Census?
Online portal and phone responses can be completed starting on March 12, 2020. Information available in 13 languages.RESPOND ONLINE
- Website: www.my2020census.gov
- Use your computer, tablet or smart phone
RESPOND BY PHONE
- 1-800-923-8282
- 1-800-877-8339 (TTY)
RESPOND BY MAIL
- Complete paper form and return by mail. (A paper form will be mailed out if you do not respond by the third invitation).
- You cannot request a paper form
Some of our listeners have asked how thoroughly public transportation in Colorado is being cleaned, and what to do if they notice a sick passenger on their ride. Read more
