HomeMy WebLinkAboutAging Advisory Board Minutes 080817 ORANGE COUNTY
ADVISORY BOARD ON AGING
Minutes
August 8, 2017
PRESENT: Mary Altpeter, Colin Austin,Alex Castro, Keith Cook, Rachel Hawkins,Winston Liao, Lorenzo
Mejia,Yvonne Mendenhall, Donna Prather,Vibeke Talley, Dick White
EXCUSED: Heather Altman, Peggy Cohn
STAFF: Mary Fraser, Kathie Kearns,Janice Tyler
The meeting was called to order by Vice-Chair Lorenzo Mejia. The minutes of the May and June
meetings were approved as mailed following the motion made by Alex Castro and the second by Mary
Altpeter. Mr. Mejia requested discussion of the Dementia Friendly Business project be added to the
agenda.
Director's Report
Janice Tyler began by announcing three new staff members began work on July 24: Meghan Davis as
Senior Center Program Assistant Manager, Mike Liu as Peer Specialist, Mike Komives as Employment
Specialist. Additionally,three graduate school interns and three Chapel Hill Summer Youth employees
are working with the Department this summer.
Ten different entities were represented at the recent Faith Based Outreach event hosted by the
Department on Aging and UNC Hospital—Hillsborough campus.
Triangle J Council of Governments launched the Triangle Resiliency Project and Ms.Tyler has been
chosen to serve on this year-long climate related challenges planning initiative.
A Caregivers Summit will be held at the Friday Center on August 22. This is the second year in this
location and the Department on Aging is one of the event sponsors.
Old Business
The approved Orange County budget for FY17-18 includes$20,000 for the purchase of Senior Center
furnishings in addition to the funds received for assistive listening devices. Effective July 1 the Orange
County living wage is$13.75.
New Business
Janice Tyler announced that an architectural firm has been selected for the upcoming Seymour Center
renovations.The selection committee included representatives from the departments of Aging, Finance,
Health, and Social Services. The 55 new parking spaces for Seymour and new access road for the
Southern Human Services campus are first on the list of projects to be undertaken. Renovations to the
Passmore Center are scheduled to begin in September and completed by March 2018. This will include
expansion of the drop-in space and front desk reconfiguration.
MAP
Mary Fraser reported that five of the six MAP Domain Workgroups have already held their first quarterly
meeting. Each group has an Advisory Board liaison who will report.
• Outdoor Space and Buildings—Mary Altpeter: The people attending did not know one another
previously and some were not part of the MAP process. MAP Consultant Cherie Rosemond will
be meeting with each member individually to address some concerns. Discussion followed on
ways to build consensus and support from the municipalities. Ms. Altpeter agreed to represent
the Advisory Board on the Intergovernmental Parks Work group.
• Transportation—Alex Castro: There was good representation from service providers. Mobility
Management Specialist Lisa Berley informed the group about the Volunteer Driver program and
the kind of medical trips requested. Mary Fraser announced that Orange County was recently
awarded an AARP Challenge grant of approximately$10,000 to purchase bus stop seats.
• Housing—Dick White: The Towns and County planning departments were represented. Work
will include identifying one site per jurisdiction for senior housing, continuing the a
Aging in Community lecture series, and proposing changes to local ordinances to promote senior
housing options.
• Civic Participation and Employment—Colin Austin/Winston Liao: Hiring an Employment
Specialist is a great achievement. Jim Johnson and the UNC Business School is a valuable
connection. DSS has received funds to work with dislocated workers. Other public resources
such as the Economic Development Department and the Chambers of Commerce were
identified. The business community also needs to become involved in this process. The
Employment Specialist has held focus groups at each Senior Center to identify needs. A DSS
sponsored job fair is being planned for September at University Place. The Workgroup timeline
has been developed and this format should be shared with the other workgroups.
• Community and Health Services—Yvonne Mendenhall: The focus of the first meeting was to
identify tasks that could be accomplished in the first year. Current Aging Transitions and
Volunteer Connect services include Seniors and Law Enforcement Together(S.A.L.T.) home visits
and the Volunteer Driver program. UNC Hospital-Hillsborough is interested in connecting
patients and the faith community. Another focus is improving long term care by encouraging
volunteers in facilities.
• Social Participation and Inclusion—Donna Prather: This workgroup will meet in the near future.
Continuing Projects
Janice Tyler reported that there are currently 11 persons enrolled in the Project EngAGE class that will
begin September 15. One of those classmates is Advisory Board member Vibeke Talley. Alex Castro
relayed the latest service totals from S.A.L.T. and the Orange County Rural Alliance (OCRA). The need
for additional volunteers continues.
OC CARES staff was featured in a statewide and a national webinars in recent weeks. The link will be
sent to the Advisory Board members. The project will be entering its third and final year of
Administration for Community Living funding in September.
Committee Progress Reports
Dementia Friendly Business Campaign—Lorenzo Mejia has approached Suntrust Bank about training its
staff and requests that all Advisory Board members and staff who are Suntrust customers encourage
them to sign on.
Long Term Care Learning Collaborative—Yvonne Mendenhall reported that the Signature Health long
term care facility has scheduled a falls prevention workshop for its staff and residents.
Senior Tar Heel Legislature—Dick White reported that the STHL has scheduled officer elections for this
fall and he hopes the organization will develop a more focused approach to its advocacy efforts in the
future.
Adult Care Home Committee—Yvonne Mendenhall referenced the MAP workgroup's efforts to involve
volunteers in activities in the facilities.
Nursing Home Committee—Vibeke Talley reported that this committee is also considering ways to
improve the quality of life for long term care residents but no decision has been made. Signature has
been cited for deficiencies that are now being addressed.
Janice Tyler thanked Advisory Board members for their letters of support to increase the number of the
assisted living beds in Orange County and to support the addition of the beds to be located on the
adjacent property to the new Hawthorne Senior Living facility. She added there are unfilled beds in
Orange County that are located in an underutilized facility and those beds could be purchased and
transferred, if these new additional beds are not approved. She also revealed that staff has met with a
Carrboro family who has been met with many obstacles in developing a property that would include
senior housing.
Transportation—Alex Castro reported that the OPT department is funded to double its staff,vehicles,
and service in the new fiscal year.
Housing—Keith Cook reported this Board has not met in several months. He was officially appointed to
the Housing Board in June. Mary Fraser added that the Housing Department was awarded a new
position to coordinate the organizations involved in home repairs.
Friends of Passmore—Rachel Hawkins announced its upcoming board meeting and fundraising activities.
Friends of Seymour—Janice Tyler restated the need for new board members.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Tyler, Secretary