Outreach
Colorado State University Extension is a statewide network of faculty and staff that provides educational programs for all Coloradoans in their local communities. Extension takes research-based and practical information and education out to citizens to address economic, environmental, and societal issues.
Extension Family and Consumer Science educators are located in many Colorado county Extension offices. Several of these educators and campus specialists comprise the Extension Gerontology Team.
The Extension Gerontology Team has conducted classes and workshops for consumers and trainings for professionals on a variety of topics. In the past, the team also produced news articles for distribution in the community. Because more and more people use computers and the internet to access up-to-date information on aging issues and because research findings are produced at a much faster rate than in the past, we are now providing a separate Resource Page that permits visitors of this webpage to access information about a wide spectrum of topics from reliable and up-to-date sources.
An Extension educator in an office near you may be able to provide training in the following topics. To find the county office near you so that you can inquire about the availability of this information, go to www.ext.colostate.edu
Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?
- Learn about options for passing on personal possessions and tips for family communication about these sensitive decisions.
Walking in Older Moccasins
- Learn how you can be more sensitive to the physical changes that may occur with normal aging and how to improve communications when an older person’s senses are affected.
Keeping Your Home Safe
- Learn how to keep your environment from tripping you up! Stay healthy longer in a safe home.
Staying Healthy Through Good Eating and Activity
- Learn current, credible information about good nutrition and physical activity and how you can reduce health care costs through wise food choices, strength building, and food safety.
Protecting Your Financial Information
- Learn how to avoid identity theft, fraud, and protect your financial and personal resources as well as home record keeping.
Current Extension Gerontology Team members are:
Jennifer Anderson, CSU, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Janet Benavente, Adams County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Luann Boyer, Morgan County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Christine Fruhauf, CSU, Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Sheila Gains, Arapahoe County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Lois Illick, Pueblo County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Jean Justice, Otero County, Family and Consumer Sciences, Area Director
Laurel Kubin, Larimer County, Family and Consumer Sciences, County Director
Donna Liess, Weld County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Barbara Martin-Worley, Denver County, Family and Consumer Sciences, County Director
Gale Miller, Fremont and Custer Counties, Family and Consumer Sciences
Karin Niefeldt, Chaffee County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Bonnie Sherman, Phillips County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Anne Zander, Boulder County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Rocky Mountain Conference on Aging
In 2007, members of the Extension Gerontology Team in collaboration with the leadership team of the Center on Aging were successful in securing an Extension Venture Capital grant to start the Rocky Mountain Conference on Aging (RMCOA). The inaugural conference was held on October 24-25, 2007, and was titled ”Aging in the Workplace: Maximizing a Valuable Human Resource.” The second conference will take place on October 23, 2008, and is titled “The Changing Workforce: Challenges and Strategies for Success.”
The aging of the American population is affecting the workplace, health care, housing needs, and society in general. To address some of these issues, Colorado State University Extension field faculty formed a collaborative with the CSU Center on Aging and the University of Northern Colorado Gerontology program to present the Rocky Mountain Conference on Aging. The first and second conferences focus on aging in the workplace. Employers, human resource managers, and managers of volunteer programs that engage older individuals are invited to these conferences, held in northern Colorado. Future conferences may address other pertinent issues for professionals working with older individuals.
To view the conference programs and register for the conference, visit www.larimer.org/ext. Workforce Centers and Area Agencies on Aging are key sponsors of the conference. Tools and strategies for successfully addressing the issues surrounding the aging of the population are learned through these conferences.
