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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAging Board minutes 121008 1 ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARD ON AGING Minutes December 10, 2008 PRESENT: Leo Allison, Peggy Cohn, Steve Lackey, Thelma Perkins, Fred Schroeder STAFF: Alvonia Baldwin, Bob Jones, Kathie Kearns, Jerry Passmore GUESTS: Heather Altman, Haryo Marsosudiro EXCUSED: Alice Gordon, Diane Henderson, Jerry Kruter, Ellen Ozier The meeting was called to order by Chair Steve Lackey at the Seymour Center. Following introductions the Chair announced that the meeting would conclude prior to the 4:00 ceremony for the unveiling of the portrait of Robert and Pearl Seymour. Jerry Passmore informed the Advisory Board that the first meeting of the Food Service Innovations Committee has been scheduled for December 17, 2:00-4:00 p.m. He reviewed the sequence of staff meetings held prior to this citizen group gathering. A second meeting is scheduled for late January. Mr. Passmore reviewed the list of those invited. Heather Altman summarized the transitional care community forum held on November 13-14 that was sponsored by the Community Connections grant from The Duke Endowment and facilitated by UNC CARES. She reported that 88 individuals attended and identified four top priorities for action: patient advocacy in the community, marketing and communication outreach, transportation, and cross-training and education. Attendees were encouraged to sign up for performance teams to work on the identified areas. Haryo Marsosudiro, Leo Allison, and Alvonia Baldwin shared their impressions of the forum. The Chair asked that the Advisory Board be kept informed of the activity of the performance teams. Jerry Passmore reported that a new fee structure for seniors who join the Sportsplex through the Central Orange Senior Center has been approved and is listed in the current edition of the Senior Times. This includes a waiver of the initiation fee. The minutes of the November 12 meeting were approved upon the motion offered by Fred Schroeder and the second by Leo Allison. Bob Jones distributed a board meeting schedule for 2009. Friends of the Seymour Center representative Thelma Perkins reported that the Sunday concert series had a performance last weekend and the Prime Time Players will perform this weekend. She added that the Friends organization is sponsoring today’s reception for the portrait unveiling. The Friends continue to search for free ways to publicize the cultural events held at the Seymour Center. 2 Jerry Passmore shared a letter that the RSVP program has received from the Town of Chapel Hill stating that its request for continued annual support must first be reviewed by the Human Services Advisory Committee. This is a change in procedure from years past and may also impact the funding requests for the Senior Citizens Program Coordinator position and the Friends funding. Leo Allison reported that the Friends of the Central Orange Senior Center will be holding their annual Las Vegas Night fundraiser on February 13 at the new COSC location. The Friends are co-sponsoring the Open House for Central Orange on January 29 and have purchased a pool table and a piano for the new facility. Members of the Friends organization will be volunteering from the first day of operation through the Open House. Mr. Passmore suggested that Las Vegas Night table sponsors may be asked to become annual sponsors of the Friends instead of being approached for each fundraising event. Discussion returned to the reduced Sportsplex fees for seniors who have been screened through the Wellness Program. Alvonia Baldwin distributed a timeline for the Central Orange Adult Day Health Program’s move to its new location at the senior center and a list of items wanted for the new space. This move will occur one week later than the Senior Center’s. The Day Health Program will only be closed to participants for three working days. Jerry Passmore added that the first day of operations for the new Central Orange Senior Center is planned for January 5. Heather Altman reported that the Triangle J Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council is scheduled to meet with State Representative Joe Hackney on January 14. She added that the Advisory Council has adopted the Senior Tar Heel Legislature list of legislative priorities. She asked about this Advisory Board’s plans for legislative advocacy and was told that a forum with local legislators has been scheduled the afternoon of February 23 at the Seymour Center. Peggy Cohn informed the Advisory Board that the Adult Care Homes Community Advisory Committee is invited to a person-centered care training seminar on February 26 and 27 for facility and community-based setting staff. Jerry Passmore began review of the Master Aging Plan Annual Report by noting that the new priorities for FY 2008-09 are listed on the last page of the document. Issues noted during the review of these new initiatives included: using the AARP model for developing an aging-friendly community assessment tool with the help of UNC students; improving food service; consolidating services into one senior center in northern Orange County and combating the image that this facility is only focused on recreation activities; increasing the focus on geriatric mental health care support groups for dementia; implementing the Community Resources Connections project. The Chair asked who will be involved in the implementation of these new efforts. Mr. Passmore responded that it will involve staff, advisory board members, students and volunteers. The Chair stated that consideration of this document will be postponed until the January 2009 3 meeting. If approved, the report will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration. Jerry Passmore announced that Diane Henderson has submitted her resignation from this Advisory Board. Bob Jones added that this resignation brings the total of Advisory Board vacancies to three. In his report Mr. Passmore asked for volunteers to join Ann Johnson and others on an Orange County Aging Legislation workgroup. Thelma Perkins offered to assist. He noted that the new County Commissioners have been sworn into office, raising the number of members on that Board from five to seven. He also reported that the County Manager is urging all department heads to review their programs and services in order to identify the core services that should be maintained during the impending budget cutbacks. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Jerry M. Passmore Secretary