HomeMy WebLinkAboutAging Advisory Board Minutes 121013ORANGE COUNTY
ADVISORY BOARD ON AGING
Minutes
December 10, 2013
PRESENT: Heather Altman, Virginia Brown, Alex Castro, Peggy Cohn, Ed Flowers, Dan Hatley, Lorenzo
Meija, Thelma Perkins, Donna Prather, Jeane Suddarth, Dick White,
STAFF: Mary Fraser, Lance Hendrix, Janice Tyler
EXCUSED: Leo Allison, Keith Cook
The meeting was called to order by Vice-Chair Alex Castro, until Chair, Heather Altman, arrived. The
minutes of the November 12 meeting were approved as corrected. (Peggy Cohn was shown as presnt,
but she was not there). The 2014 meeting schedule was distributed and approved.
In her Director’s Report Janice Tyler introduced Lance Hendrix, the new Orange County Aging-related
Mobility Manager, who began work about a week ago. Lance will be truly “mobile” with no permanent
office space, but reachable via email and his cell phone. The new Transportation Helpline phone
number is 919-717-1853.
Ms. Tyler announced that she has been notified by Triangle J AAA that we can expect further budget
cuts related to the Federal Government sequestration. In addition, the Orange County Financial Services
Manager has cautioned that no budget growth should be anticipated for the next fiscal year. Ms. Tyler
informed the Advisory Board that the Department on Aging has been designated as an Affordable
Health Plan application site. Beverly Shuford will head up the effort for the Department. To date,
Beverly and one volunteer have been trained and certified to counsel applicants.
Mary Fraser’s report on MAP activities began with the Project EngAGE update. She distributed the
names and townships of the 15 Orange County residents who have been selected to participate in the
inaugural 13-week senior leadership course to begin on January 13, 2014. Class sessions will be held at
the Central Orange Senior Center on Mondays from 10am through 3pm. Commissioner Barry Jacobs has
offered to give a formal welcome to the Project EngAGE class at their first class session.
The members of the Advisory Board then broke into three work groups, choosing among the topics of
Housing, Transportation, and Long-term Care. The Housing work group was led by Janice Tyler, with the
help of consultant, Cherie Rosemond. The transportation work group was led by Alex Castro, with the
help of the new Mobility Manager, Lance Hendrix. The Long-term Care work group was led by Mary
Fraser, with the help of consultant, Charlotte Terwilliger Orange County Ombudsman. Each work group
was given the list of strategies outlined in the Year 2 MAP Implementation Plan related their topic. Dr.
Fraser asked that work group members develop action steps toward implementation of these strategies,
identify who would be responsible for implementation of the action steps and to note any costs
associated with these plans.
At the end of the work group discussion, the group leaders gave a report to the full Board on each
group’s recommendations for action as follows:
Long-term Care Work Group:
Mary Fraser reported that the group recommends that the Long-term Care (LTC) Learning Collaborative
continue to be the vehicle for improvements in the county’s long-term care service network. The
Board’s LTC Sub-committee will meet in January to:
1) Make formal plans for the giving of the 2014 LTC Learning Collaborative Quality Service Awards
in May 2014. There are currently 7 LTC organizations in contention for an award. It was
recommended that the LTC Quality Service Awards will be announced at the 2014 Community
Resource Fair and gaiven out by the BOCC during their May meeting (4.2.1)
2) The work group recommended that the 2015 Quality Service Awards focus on 1) Person-
Centered Care at the clinical level and 2) Retention of quality direct care staff at the
administrative level. Mary Fraser and Charlotte Terwilliger agreed to facilitate the development
of the 2015 seminar series on these subjects and to recruit consultants to help with the
implementation of new initiatives in these areas. The work group recommended that the focus
for the 2016 Awards should be on end of life and palliative care (4.2.2)
3) The work group also recommended that the LTC Learning Collaborative establish a LTC Direct
Care Worker Recognition Program to be implemented in the spring of 2014 (7.1.2) and that the
awards be given in the following categories:
a. Outstanding nurses who have worked at the organization for at least five years (to
reward longevity).
b. Outstanding nurses’s aides who have worked at the organization for at least five years
(to reward longevity).
c. Newly hired nurses who show great promise as leaders in the field.
d. Newly hired nurses’ aides who show great promise as leaders in the field.
It was recommended that the administrators and/or owners of local LTC organizations be
invited to nominate their own employees in these categories and that the Award winners
receive a monetary prize. Although only the winners will receive a monetary prize, all those
nominated should be publically recognized.
Transportation Work Group:
Alex Castro reported that the group recommends that the two Senior Tarheel Legislators on the Board
(Jeane Suddarth and Dick White) develop a strategy to include walkability and complete street
regulations, similar to those enacted in West Virginia, in the Senior Tarheel Legislative Agenda (2.4.1,
6.2.2). The group suggests asking Brett Martin at the OC Planning Department to keep our county
population and transportation maps up to date (2.4.6), The new Mobility Manager, Lance Hendrix, will
be able to take the lead in working with the Planning Department and private transportation providers
on increasing transportation options within the county (2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3).
The work group recommended changing the wording of strategy 2.5.5 from advocating for a
“consolidated” transportation system within the county to advocating for a “coordinated”
transportation system because there does not seem to be enough political or budgetary will to
consolidate these two systems at this time.
The work group applauded the start-up of Project EngAGE and saw it as a way to encourage advocacy
among older adults in transportation planning efforts (Objective 5.2).
Housing Work Group:
Cherie Rosemond reported that the work group recommends getting the Aging Advisory Board more
involved in housing issues. Board members Heather Altman and Dick White volunteered to be called
upon as needed for leadership. They suggested that the full Board be apprised of the progress made in
the housing study that Cherie is conducting related to 2.1.1 and 2.2.3 and that all Board members be put
on the email list that is being sent to interested community members.
The work group also recommended that the OCDOA encourage and support the OC Planning
Department to follow-through with its plan to conduct a workshop for county building inspectors on
Universal Design features (2.3.1).
The work group recommended that the Board representatives to the Senior Tarheel Legislature (Jeane
Suddarth and Dick White) advocate for inclusion of broad-based universal design regulations for design
of homes, businesses, streets, etc., as well as the expansion of the Homestead Act (2.3.2, 2.8.1).
Finally, the work group recommended that a group be formed to create the “toolkit” called for in 2.2.4
to support the development of intentional communities in Orange County.
Committee Progress Reports:
• Carolina Villages will be holding its “hard launch” in January at the Seymour Center.
• Friends of Central Orange Senior Center hosted a successful Artisan Fair on November 23.
• Friends of the Seymour Center and the RSVP program raised over $10,000 at their joint Gala
event in November..
• Meals on Wheels has expanded its meal service from 1,914 meals delivered in 2010 to 2,686
delivered in 2013 (as of the end of October).
• The Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee successfully organized a holiday
donation drive for activities supplies and personal items for adults care homes in the county. It
has also appointed a sub-committee to make a plan for a the implementation of a “Songs for
Seniors” program across the county.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Tyler, Secretary