A Communal Kitchen Brings More Independence to Cortez Assisted Living Residents

A state requirement in Colorado requires assisted living facilities to have kitchens available for residents to use. In many places across the state, those kitchens are in residents’ rooms, but in smaller facilities—like most of those in Cortez—adding kitchens to individuals rooms isn’t an option. So staff at Cortez’s Madison House, where more than 50 percent of residents are on Medicare, and Senior Housing Options—a nonprofit that serves low and moderate income elderly—came up with a creative solution: Install a kitchen that will allow residents to cook and bake for themselves and their neighbors. The kitchen will also be used to conduct nutrition and cooking classes for the residents. LOR’s funding will support the purchase and installation of essential kitchen materials and equipment.