A Passion for Seniors

Yvonne Myers (’82 HDFS) has spent the majority of her career around people in their 80s, 90s, and even a few people in their 100s. She is the health systems coordinator for Columbine Health Systems in Fort Collins and Loveland, providing a spectrum of services that include skilled nursing, independent and assisted living, rehabilitation and home care for seniors. She loves the people she works with and loves being in a position to impact their lives. “I am blessed to work with some great people,” said Yvonne recently. “The wisdom that people have is so valuable and wonderful to be around, I feel very fortunate to have found a career that affords me this opportunity and allows me to follow my passion.”

One of the most important parts of her job, says Yvonne, is to do what’s right for the people who count on her, and to help people live pain-free physically, mentally, and spiritually. Yvonne is a strong advocate for individualized care in the long-term and elder care industry and for helping people maintain their sense of dignity and self-worth. “I want to be part of the movement that makes long-term care a vital and accepted part of the life span,” says Yvonne. “I want to be a leader in how we view our elder population and in how we appreciate and value the wisdom they have to contribute.”

In her position with Columbine, Yvonne indeed has a great impact on an individual level. Through hard work and persistence she has also been able to bring about change in the industry and in how her work is perceived. People have come to expect better care for their loved ones, and as consumer needs and expectations have changed, the industry has had to re-examine its priorities and procedures. Yvonne Myers has had a significant hand in that growth, as well as in changing the culture once attributed to long-term care and assisted living.

Yvonne has been at Columbine Health Systems since July 1990, and graduated into her current position in 1997. She still laments the change on one hand, simply because she feels she does not get to interact with the residents as much as she did. However, she feels she is still a big part of what’s going on at Columbine and has an enormous impact on the lives of people around her, including her staff and interns and the families she counsels with. She feels it’s important to be a good mentor to young people getting into the profession too, and to teach them the values and lessons she has learned in her 25 years in the industry.

When Yvonne started at CSU she envisioned herself being a speech therapist. She was idealistic and passionate, and felt a great need to help people and impact the world through her work. During her first year Yvonne took the HD101 course as a requirement for her degree. It was there that she met Kevin Oltjenbruns, emeritus Associate Dean of the college, who ultimately convinced her to be one of the first students in CSU’s budding gerontology program. “After that first class with Kevin and all the learning that followed, things just started to fall into place for me and make sense,” said Yvonne. “The things I was experiencing through that program really spoke to me and to what I wanted to do.”

Since graduating from CSU in 1982, Yvonne is still very much involved with the College and university. She received the Alumni Association Honor Alumna Award for the College of Applied Human Sciences in 2005; and with Columbine Health Systems president, Bob Wilson, helps current students with scholarships in the College for both undergrads and graduate students who are enrolled in the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Studies Program. Columbine recently increased their scholarship pledge to $15,000 annually, and have broadened the scope of applicants to include students from all schools and departments within the college.

“Gerontological studies and working with the elderly can span a variety of disciplines and careers, and with these scholarships we want to reach out to people across this broad spectrum,” said Yvonne. “Whether that is a student in occupational therapy or education or even construction management, we want to be able to underscore the need we have in our industry for quality help while facilitating the process by which people identify their own passions for working in our community.”

Yvonne Meyers, ’82, is pictured above second from right with recipients of the Columbine Scholarship at the College scholarship recognition ceremony.

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Contact:  Geoff Brown
Telephone:  970.491.2797
Email:  Geoff.Brown@colostate.edu