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**Name of Project: "Any Door is the Right Door" -- Person of the Day**

**Name of Organization: Boulder County Aging Services -- A Division of**

**Community Services, Boulder, CO**

**Program Description:**

In 2005, after key staff attended an Alliance for Information and
Referral Systems (AIRS) Conference, Boulder County Aging Services
Division (BCASD) decided to professionalize their Information &
Assistance Program. Taking their cue from the National Association of
State Units on Aging, BCASD began a process that would increase access
to resources to older adults, caregivers, and providers. In order to
achieve this goal, BCASD began an internal process to change the
paradigm of staff "identity". The goal was to shift the thinking of a
staff member from feeling like an aging specialist only, for example a
Medicare Ombudsman, to an Information & Assistance generalist who also
had an area of expertise. This program was called Person of the Day, or
POD, and any "door" that was accessed would yield professional I & R/A
services. The training included staff at all levels, from Division
Manager, to supervisory staff, to exempt employees. Everyone is trained
and everyone takes a turn answering the calls from consumers or their
caregivers. This shift in thinking has not only allowed for more
creativity and competence in consumer interaction, it has promoted a
more unified team approach among staff members.

In 2006, as the result of a countywide collaboration of key
stakeholders, BCASD published their strategic plan, *Creating Vibrant
Communities in Which We All Age Well.* One outcome of this plan created
"quadrant" groups to examine and explore some of the key issues
presented in the plan. The four groups were: Addressing Basic Needs,
Promoting Social and Civic Engagement, Optimizing Physical and Mental
Health and Well --Being, and Maximizing In/Dependence and Supporting
Caregivers. The I & A Any Door/POD program was able to bring its
expertise to the Addressing Basic Needs group and formed a sub-committee
called "One Call Does It All". The goal of the One Call committee was to
"move from common vision to community action" around access to all
essential services through a seamless, barrier-free, affordable, and
welcoming service delivery model that used community collaboration as
its foundation. The key activities and accomplishments of the One Call
committee were established in the document, "The Framework for Success".
The Framework articulates the anticipated outcomes of the program:
Centralized Information Line and Network, Continuum of Information and
Assistance, Clearinghouse of Information, Skilled Specialized Staff,
Program Development, and Outreach, Marketing, & Community Awareness.

The expertise and results that the Any Door/POD program brought to the
One Call committee were further expanded in December 2007 when key
partners and stakeholders developed the I & A Consortium of Boulder
County. This group includes BCASD (AAA/SHIP), Adult Care Management,
Inc. (SEP), Center for People with Disabilities (ILC), and the Senior
Service agencies for the cities of Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville, and
Boulder. The I & A Consortium applied for, and was selected, as the
second Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) pilot site for
Colorado. Since Boulder County is aging faster than the rest of Colorado
(adults over 60 will comprise a projected 15.5% of the population by
2012), BCASD has taken the lead with the Any Door/POD Program to provide
state-of-the-art, professional services so that older adults and adults
with disabilities have the tools to make critical and informed decisions
about not just health care and long term care options for their future,
but to live in a vibrant community in which we all age well.

For more information about this project, contact Pat Critchfield, Client
Services Coordinator at 303-441-1979 or by email at
<pcritchfield@bouldercounty.org>