COLORADO SPRINGS — The Annual Henjum Senior Accolades Awards are a chance to recognize the hard work of those who serve Southern Colorado's seniors.
The award categories include volunteers, professionals, and businesses. The ceremony took place on Wednesday, June 23.
One of the nominees is Kent Mathews, who works with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging. Mathews helps connect caregivers with resources to help in both the present moment and the future. "Caregivers, a lot of times, know they need help, but they don't know which questions to ask or they don't know where to go. And usually, when we're having that first conversation with them, they're calling because they hit the wall," said Mathews.
Mathews called caregivers the backbone of senior care in the country. "From my perspective, in terms of talking to my family caregivers, what I learned was the pandemic gave everybody a glimpse into the frustrations that family caregivers experience daily," said Mathews.
Research from the National Alliance on Caregiving and AARP show family caregivers make up more than one in five Americans.
