HomeMy WebLinkAboutAging Advisory Board Minutes 111417ORANGE COUNTY
ADVISORY BOARD ON AGING
Minutes,
November 14, 2017
PRESENT: Heather Altman, Mary Altpeter, Colin Austin, Alex Castro, Peggy Cohn, Winston Liao, Lorenzo
Mejia, Donna Prather, Vibeke Tally, Dick White, Rachel Hawkins
EXCUSED: Yvonne Mendenhall
GUEST: Alicia Nelson
STAFF: Mary Fraser, Kathie Kearns, Yvette Missri, Janice Tyler
The meeting was called to order by Chair Peggy Cohn at the Seymour Center. The minutes of the
October 10 meeting were approved as distributed following the motion by Dick White and the second
by Alex Castro.
Director Report
Janice Tyler announced that the Health Department has hired its new Director, Quintana Stewart. Ms.
Stewart comes to Orange County from the Forsythe County Health Department.
The Kenan Flagler Business School’s recent conference on The Business of Healthcare: Adapting to an
Aging Economy was successful.
The architect has been chosen for the Southern Human Services Campus renovations, including
improvements to the Seymour Center. The Passmore Center renovations should begin in the near
future.
Staff will be meeting with representatives from the Asset Management Services Department to discuss
facility improvements that might be included in the FY18-19 Orange County Capital Improvement Plan.
AMS recently installed security cameras for the exits and parking lot at the Seymour Center. Panic
buttons that ring directly to the 911 Operator have also been added in three key locations.
A very successful downsizing and organizing workshop was held at Seymour in October. The follow-up
session will be held this Saturday with appraisers and a shredder truck on site.
The Ann Johnson Senior Center of the Year award was presented to Seymour Center Supervisor Cydnee
Sims at the Board of County Commissioners meeting last week.
The Advisory Board’s annual report to the BOCC is due on December 15; staff will prepare a draft for
review at the December Board meeting.
2017-22 Master Aging Plan
Mary Fraser announced that the Orange County Age-Friendly Community Designation and
Implementation Plan has been approved by AARP and the World Health Organization. Both the Towns
of Chapel Hill and Carrboro have agreed to pursue designation as Age-Friendly Communities. While
making her presentation to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen that body requested a special work session
to identify all areas of the Master Aging Plan that impact Town government. Dick White asked if the
Town of Hillsborough has also expressed interest in becoming designated an Age-Friendly Community.
Ms. Fraser asked for feedback from those Board members present at the previous Friday’s MAP Update
Steering Committee meeting at Carol Woods. Suggestions included limiting the amount of time spent
on progress reports to allow for more feedback opportunity.
Continuing Projects
Yvette Missri reported that the fourth Project EngAGE class is in its 10th week of advocacy training. One
of this semester’s enrollees is Aging Board Member Vibeke Tally. Ms. Missri stated that the PE Senior
Resource Teams recently sponsored End-Of-Life document education workshop, conducted an outreach
program for residents and families of Signature Health Care, and developed a guide for forming
neighborhood connections groups.
Mary Fraser stated that OPT is in the process of installing the 18 bus stop seats purchased with the AARP
mini-grant awarded in September.
New Business
Mary Fraser and Marie Dagger presented an overview of the OC CARES Project to date. Lorenzo Mejia
asked about the types of in-home coaching activities the project team has developed for caregivers. In
all 170 families have been served by OC CARES and 30 providers have benefited from paid caregiver
training. The largest number of Dementia Friendly Business training attendees has been from financial
services. Seventy-five different businesses have completed the training (800 individuals). Each business
must re-enroll after two years. Volunteers are being recruited to continue the training. Ms. Fraser
summarized the lessons learned through this Project as it enters its final year of grant funding.
The OC CARES Advisory Committee will be meeting soon to consider which grant activities should
continue after the federal dollars have been exhausted and how they will be funded. Peggy Cohn asked
if more local newspaper coverage of this and other worthwhile programs is possible. Janice Tyler stated
that she recently met with McClatchy Newspapers to discuss our current arrangement to print the
Senior Times and insert it in 4,000 home deliveries. Additional print coverage and other social media
options are being negotiated in addition to the current monthly column in the Chapel Hill Herald.
Committee Progress Reports
Alex Castro announced that the DCHCMPO long range plan is out for public comment. The 2045
Metropolitan Transportation Plan will list the highway, transit, passenger rail, bicycle and pedestrian projects
to be implemented in the region over the next 30 years.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Tyler, Secretary