HomeMy WebLinkAboutAging Advisory Board Minutes 081418ORANGE COUNTY
ADVISORY BOARD ON AGING
Minutes
August 14, 2018
PRESENT: Mary Altpeter, Alex Castro, Dick White, Michael Zuber
EXCUSED: Colin Austin, Peggy Cohn, Alicia Nelson, Vibeke Talley, Heather Altman
STAFF: Lisa Berley, Kathie Kearns, Ryan Lavalley, Yvette Missri, Cherie Rosemond, Beverly Shuford,
Cydnee Sims, Janice Tyler
The meeting was called to order at the Passmore Senior Center by Acting Chair Alex Castro. Action on
the minutes of the June 12 meeting was postponed until September due to the lack of a quorum. Mary
Altpeter made an appeal for male volunteers for a health promotion video on walking that she is
producing.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Janice Tyler introduced Annie Deaver as the new Aging Transitions Administrator. She reported that 93rd
birthday celebration for Robert Seymour held on July 13 was well-attended. She also announced the
sudden passing of the first Director of the Department on Aging, Jerry Passmore.
This summer Ms. Tyler and Marie Dagger gave presentations at the national Healthy Aging Summit in
Washington DC. A presentation on the OC CARES Project was made at the Alzheimer’s disease
International Conference in Chicago by Ryan Lavalley.
Renovations to the Passmore Center are nearing completion and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned
for October 2 at 5:00pm. Planning for the expansion of the Seymour Center Great Hall is underway.
Kathy Porter will be retiring at the end of August after 33 years with the Department on Aging. A
reception honoring her work with volunteer programs in Orange County will be held at Seymour on the
afternoon of October 4. Ms. Tyler summarized the staff reorganization of the Volunteer Connect 55+
division.
2017-22 MASTER AGING PLAN (MAP)
MAP Leadership Team member Cheri Rosemond gave an overview of the new format for the MAP
quarterly progress reports. She acknowledged student intern Sally Aldridge for her work with
transitioning the information. Alex Castro suggested inserting a revision date for tracking purposes.
Mary Altpeter requested that an executive summary accompany the quarterly updates. Discussion
followed on the most effective way to communicate MAP activity to this advisory board, elected officials
and the general public.
Review of the MAP Housing Workgroup activity began with the announcement that the Lloyd property
senior housing project has obtained approval from the Town of Carrboro. Ms. Rosemond offered to
send the Advisory Board members the link to the site plan. Michael Zuber announced that the
groundbreaking for the Waterstone Habitat for Seniors project is scheduled for September 8. Dick
White stated that a $10 million bond for affordable housing will be on the November ballot in Chapel
Hill, and Carrboro is proposing a ½ cent tax designated for home repairs. Alex Castro inquired about the
status of adding accessory dwelling units to existing home lots in the Towns. There was also discussion
on the availability of naturally-occurring affordable housing.
Cheri Rosemond reported that the survey distributed by the Outdoor Spaces and Buildings workgroup
did not produce any new findings. Myra Austin will be assuming staff support responsibilities for this
committee.
Lisa Berley announced that the Transportation Workgroup has established a medical transportation
subcommittee. This group has already met twice and includes service providers and para-transit staff.
One focus of this group is improved coordination and marketing of the multi-provider system in Orange
County.
The Social Participation Workgroup report was presented by Cydnee Sims. One focus area is the
development of the ‘senior center without walls’ concept. She noted the outreach efforts to refugee
populations, and mental health/Healthy Ideas training being offered at the Senior Centers.
Ms. Rosemond asked Ryan Lavalley to report on his work with the Housing Preservation Committee that
is working to improve the system for cross-referrals among the participating agencies. He noted that
the OC Housing Department has established an approved vendor list that will improve the speed with
which home repair contracts can be awarded and completed. The two Orange County communities
identified as underserved are White Cross and Cedar Grove.
In the absence of a representative from the Civic Participation and Employment Workgroup Janice Tyler
reported on the success of the employment workshop held at Durham Tech’s Hillsborough campus in
early August and organized by the Department’s Employment Specialist Mike Komives.
The Community Support and Health Services update was presented by Annie Deaver and Yvette Missri.
Staffing of the Aging Transitions division brought about by the conclusion of the OC CARES grant was
outlined. All positions will be retained through an increase and reallocation of Home and Community
Care Block Grant funds. A new Volunteer Connect Senior Resource Team (SRT) pilot program will match
retired medical professionals with persons trying to navigate the health care system. Another new
program will identify volunteers who can help seniors organize their personal business records. Ms.
Missri announced that the Food Box Distribution program currently serves 200 senior households
monthly. The next End Of Life Choices community event is scheduled for October 2. Other future
projects include a pen-pal project and intergenerational dinner parties involving UNC students that
might result in Friend-To-Friend volunteers.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Tyler, Secretary