In recent news, The Towers at Golden West independent living community has discontinued the dining program due to financial considerations and decreased use by Towers residents. Historically, Golden West provided a meal program offering Tower’s residents one meal a day. It was a mandatory program that all residents had to pay for, whether they chose to eat or not. In 2015, in response to residents’ expectations, the meal program was no longer mandatory, and residents purchased meals as desired. After becoming a voluntary program, participation in the meal program declined, then during the pandemic declined further. We expected participation to rebound after the dining room fully reopened, but it did not. The number of residents regularly ordering a meal was not enough to support it, and we had to discontinue the program.
We are exploring options to make use of the new kitchen facilities and dining room and trying to provide limited dining services for Towers residents who desire them.
The dining room is used for activities and residents are welcome to gather there with neighbors to visit.
Flatirons Terrace, which provides independent senior living, is a close neighbor and has a good working relationship with Golden West. Starting March 20th, Towers residents will have the option to order meals for take-out from Flatirons Terrace. We’ll be sharing more details on that option soon.
We are also exploring expanding the use of the Boulder Meals-on-Wheels program, which serves some Towers residents today.
Another option that has been suggested is for the kitchen and dining room to be rented to community partners. We have been in contact with area caterers, food truck operators, and culinary/trade schools who might be interested.
Lastly, we are also reaching out to our families, local partners, friends and the business community to discuss ideas or see who might be interested in renting our kitchen and/or providing some meal services to Towers residents.
The challenge is tall, but we believe with an open mind and by exploring options, we may be able to find a creative partnership or solution. We welcome ideas from the community at large and to explore the possibilities. Share your ideas with us by emailing: druske@gwboulder.org.