LFS Receives $200,000 Grant to Provide Advance Care Planning

[Denver, CO] Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains (LFS) is thrilled to announce that their Older Adult & Caregiver Services (OACS) program has been selected as a grant recipient from the Colorado Health Foundation for a 2-year, $200,000 initiative to provide Advance Care Planning. Advance Care Planning (ACP) is the process of making decisions about the healthcare that might be needed if you were unable to speak for yourself. These decisions are based on personal values, preferences, and discussions with loved ones. OACS will be educating local professionals and adults in the Denver metropolitan area and Northern Colorado on how best to navigate the complicated decisions of ACP.

Launching on May 1, OACS will offer no cost presentations to local church groups and community groups who are interested in learning more about ACP. OACS will focus on Advance Directives, the legal documents involved in outlining decisions about end-of-life care. Additionally, OACS will be offering ACP training to interested professionals who will be able to use their knowledge to guide others through ACP. Through this grant, LFS hopes to equip older adults and family caregivers with the tools and support necessary to make decisions about future medical care to better help in times of trial. The OACS team on this grant is project lead Natalie DeVille, Care Manager, and Carri Ratazzi, Program Director.  In order to reach a wider network of individuals in Larimer County, OACS will be coordinating ACP efforts with the Health District of Northern Larimer County, who is also a grantee of the Colorado Health Foundation.

To learn more or to schedule an event or training, please call 303-217-5864 or 970-232-1180.

Lutheran Family Services has been serving in the Rocky Mountain region since 1948. We believe that all people, from the newborn to the most elderly, are valued members of our community. Every day we provide help and support to children and families, because everyone deserves HOPE during the most challenging times of their lives.

The Colorao Health Foundation works to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation by ensuring that all Colorado kids are fit and healthy and that all Coloradoans achieve stable, adorable, and adequate health coverage to improve their health with support from a network of primary health care and community services. To advance our mission, the Foundation engages the community through grant making, public policy and advocacy, private sector engagement, strategic communications, evaluation for learning and assessment and by operating primary care residency training programs. For more information, please visit www.ColoradoHealth.org.