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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSenior Advisory Board - Minutes - 06/08/1994y I *T COLLINS SENIOR ADVISORY BOA Minutes Wednesday, June 8, 1994 CALL TO ORDER The regular monthly meeting of the Senior Advisory Board was called to order by Kay Rios, chair, at 2:10 P. M. in the Horsetooth Room of the Senior Center, 101 Remington Street, on Wednesday, June 8, 1994. A quorum was present. ATTENDANCE Members Present Kay Rios, chair Yvonne Myers, vice chair Stan Ulrich, secretary Wayne Moellenberg Margaret Watts Marjorie McTaggart Peggy Santich Kathleen Jones SLaff Guests Barbara Schoenberger, Representative Ankie SLroes Council Liaison: Gerry Horak Jane Goodtmlrt, Aging Strategies Bill Weddel, Seniors Airborne Excused Member Jill Taylor Members Absent Ed Johnson Larry Heglund CITIZEN PARTICIPATION No one wished to speak before the Board. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Before the minutes were approved, the word fall was stricken from the fourth line under Paint -A -Thou on Page 1. They were then approved as amended. OLD BUSINESS Paint -A -Thou Kay Rios reported that the date of the Paint -A -Thou had been changed from August 1 to August 13. The reason for the postponement is that the First National Bank would not have been able to print the brochures and get them distributed for the August 1 date. The brochures, Kay continued, were scheduled to be ready by June 8, but unfortunately, they were not printed in time for the SAB meeting. Because time is a factor in the program, Barbara called the First National Bank to get the latest information on the printing of the brochures. Barbara was told that they would be avail- able on Friday, June 10. Members of the SAB volunteered to pick up brochures from Barbara's office and distrubute them to key agencies on that date. Senior Network Luncheon Review and evaluation of the Senior Network Luncheon followed the Paint-A- Thon discussion. In response to Kay's invitation for comments, the members Page 2, SAB Minutes, J* 8, 1994 • agreed that this year's luncheon was much more successful than the one the year before. Plusses stated were the background music furnished by the violinist, ample space, quiet surroundings, excellent mixing of the repre- sented groups, good conversations and the catered luncheon added a much nicer atmosphere in general. One minus was that all senior organizations were noL represented. In planning for the luncheon next year, Yvonne Myers suggested that a different time should be considered because May is an extremely busy time for seniors. The consensus was that the next luncheon should possibly be held in January in the new senior center and the same format should be followed. Kay concluded the discussion on the luncheon by announcing that the Office on Aging had offered to help with the planning of the next one. Retirement Brochures Kay announced that she had given a list of the places to which the retire- ment brochures should be distributed to Jill Taylor, whose intern was going to make sure that they were distributed. Senior Center Update Since Ed Johnson was absent, no one reported on the progress of the new senior center, but Marjorie McTaggdrt expressed a concern about the small number of retirees on the committees that are charged with enhancing. the new senior center. She thought the size of the committees should be increased. One possible reason for the lack of involvement, Marjorie stated, is the time when the committees meet, and she suggested that the members of the sub -committees should be polled about the convenience of the time they meet. Several members also stated that they will make a more concerted effort to get qualified seniors to serve on the various committees. Another concern voiced by several members was that the diaper decks in the new senior center had been placed back in the plans and other facilities had been removed. The other members, who had not known about the change, were also extremely upset and vociferously objected to the changes. The SAB, the members agreed, had voted unanimously to eliminate the diaper decks, and the change had been made without being consulted. Kay stated that she will write a letter to the appropriate city officials to express the SAB's objection in making such a unilateral move. Barbara added that the Grand Opening Committee will meet the next morning at 10:00 A. M. to plan the opening of the new senior center. The Grand Opening Comnittee serves as an w.ibrella committee and is composed of many sub -committees that are responsible for specific areas. Many activities are planned and will need and require much preparation and cooperatioa of all the sub- commiLtees. The Grand Opening is tentatively scheduled for December 9, 10 and 11, 1994. A political caremony will be held on Friday, December 9, and one of the hiohliohLs will be the laying of the cornerstone. An elaborate flda ceremony is also planned. Barbara concluded her report by going over the timeline that the staff has established for moving into the building. A person has already been temporarily hired to develop wellness and fitness programs, and she will start work in Juue. New West Fest Kay announced Lhat the SAB has a booth reserved for the New ;Jest FesL, and she asked for ideas on the operation of the booth. Ideas su.-,nesLed were Page 3, SAB Minutes One 8, 1994 1 • balloons, pads and pencils, refrigerator ms)6nets and other name -recognition iLems that could be handed out to visitors of the booth. Yvonne Myers volunteered a night's stay at the WorL.iington as a prize for a contest or a drawiub. The topic was tabled until a later meeting with instructions fru,,i Kay to keep thinking of other ideas and suggesLious. New Members Since no new information had been received about new members, Kay passed over that item and officially thanked the out -going members for their service on the Board., All also received a certificate of parLicipatiou. Larry Hedlund, Pebgy SanLich and Kathleen Jones are the three members who will be leaving the Board in July. The other members of the Baord added their words of appreciation to the retiring members. The retiring members were invited to remain after the meeting to share refreshments in their hocior. NEW BUSINESS Service Reports 1. Seniors Airborne. For a report on Seniors Airborne, Kay called on bill Weddel, host of the show. Bill stated that he had three topics to cover: an update of the program, the change in fOr"1aL and a remuLe broadcast during the Grand Opening of the new senior center. First, Bill stated, Seniors Airborne began in January, 1991, on KCOL Radio until May 29, 1.992, when the prograw was pree,ayted by Rush "Liwburger" Limbaugh. The program was off the air until May 27, 1993, when KIIX Radio picked up its option, and it has been on the air ever since. The second topic on which Bill expounded was the change in format. At one time, he said, he was doing a lot of "calendar stuff," but that was really covered well in many other places, so he didn't want to Lake up time with that. The first Friday now includes Senior Commen- Lary, a segment in which Gifted and articulate seniors are invited to read their own writings or to speak on any subject. If the subject is controversial, Bill said he opens the phone lines and invites call -ins. The third Friday is an informational show. He will invite people to talk about housing, health care and other topics of interest, or he will spotlibhL seniors who have done some- thing worthy. Bill feels that everything is Going well on the program. The third topic that Bill covered was a possible remote broadcast of the opening of the new senior center. KIIX Radio is in favor of a remote, and Bill wondered if it were successful if more remotes couldn't be broadcast from the senior center after the grand open- ing. He feels that seniors would be more willing to talk if they were part of an audience. Before he finished his report, Bill asked the SAB members for sugges- tions on content and names of snniors who should be interviewed on the show. By the end of his presentation, he accrued enough topics and names to last long after the radio station will no longer be in existence. 2. Office oa A4ing. Ulrich reported that Elizabeth Kelly, the ombudsman, had shown a movie on abini LhaL would be available for programs by Page 4, SAB Minutes Oune 8, 1994 0 calling her. Kelly also reported that she now has one additional volunteer for a total of six. Shelley McGraw asked for volunteers to serve on a committee to plan activities for Older American Month in 1995. She felt that too little had been done this year, and she wants to have more activities scheduled for next year. Shelley also announced that she has five videotapes available for loan: one on health care reform, one on financing long term health care, one on who pays for economic reforms, one on Medicare -reform and how it will affect all of us and one on private financing of health care. Rena Mackrill talked about the strategic planning process and said that since it is a long and involved process, the department hired consultants to help with it. McGraw stated that the new reporting process in the Administration on Aging is becoming so complex that the OOA directors in Colorado asked if the new process couldn't be extended until 1996 instead of 1994, the target date for the state. Shelley also announced that the Senior Center Committee was dissolved because it was combined With the Nutrition Committee and the combined committee is now working oil improving conditions in the rural senior centers. She added thaL the TransportaLion Committee recommended that Care -A -Van should no longer be funded with OOA funds and the committee will study where the service gaps are in the county and make recommendations. Finally, Ulrich stated that Elizabeth Kelly had suggested that an advocacy, education or legislative commiLtee should be formed within the Council, but no action was taken. Aspen Club. In Jill Taylor's absence, Stan Ulrich gave the Aspen Club report. Jill had asked him to report that the Healthy Senior Expo was a success, but it did have a few drawbacks. One was that the boughs were spread out over too large an area in the Mall. Between 70 and 80 booths were set up, and some stated that activity was brisk while others said very few persons stopped at theirs. Location and the type of booth may have been factors in the amount of activi- Lies. Jill is looking forward to holding the next Expo in the new senior center where everything will be more accessible. Between 300 and 400 persuas attended the Expo, and Jill was pleased with that number. On June 14, the Aspen Club will be sponsoring a program on eating With emphasis on developing a more vegetarian lifestyle. On June 21, she will be offering a program on staying mentally fit, and on June 17 and 24, the Aspen Club will conduct classes on rheumatoid arthritis and osteuarthritis. Finally, on June 26, the Aspen Club will be sponsoring a performance at the Carousel as a fund-raising project. On that day, admission will be $27.50 per person, and part of the proceeds will be donated to the Aspen Club. Jill's last announcement, via Stan, was that she had com,ileLed her interview to serve another term on the SAB, but she hasn't heard any results of the interview. If anyone is inLeresLed in any of the activiLies sponsored by the Aspen Club, he/she should call Jill. Page 5, SAB Minutes *ne 8, 1994 • RSVP, No report was given. Senior Center Council. Peggy Santich reported that the Senior Center Council has five new members, and a special meeting will be held on June 13, to amend the bylaws. The annual membership meeting will be held on June 20, and activity reports will be given for the past year. A luncheon for the retiring and new members will be held on June 27, and the new Council members will be trained after the luncheon. Friends of the Senior Center. Ankie reported that the Friends received many, many items for the garage sale that will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11, and she has more pick ups to snake tomorrow. Amon, items donated were four dishwashers two washing machines and two exercisers by National Furniture Rental, several couches and sofas, scales, pots, gardening tools, bedding and many other items. In addition, she will pick up a sailboat tomorrow and more couches are on the way. Her biggest concern now, Ankie added, is that enough people will show up and that she will have enough volunteers to assist in the sale. Gift Catalo-. Barbara stated that Gail Reader has been doing a good job in distributing the ,ift catalogs and that she (Barbara) is extremely pleased with the results. Gail has just terminated her position with Northeast Health Care and will be able to devote more Lime to the project. Most donations that are coming in are less than $1,000 and some are between $100 and $500. She feels that the importance of individual $5.00 and $10.00 gifts has not been stressed enough, even though they are just as important as the large donations. Currently, no small donations have been received and stressing the importance of small gifts will be one of the next problems they will have to face. Yvonne remarked that individual donations will buy small items that are easily broken, and if someone buys a plate, for exdiaple, it may noL be around after a few months. She suggested that members of an organization should be approached to give individual donations that can be pooled to buy one large item. Then the individual donors will have a lasting memorial. Barbara concluded her report by saying that no time limit will be set on individual donations, but that the system will be reviewed from time to time. Akin4 SLrategies. Kay introduced Jane Goodhart, Aging Strategies, and said that Jane was there just to become acquainted with the SAB members. She will be on the agenda for the next meeting, which will be scheduled in the new senior center. OTHER BUSINESS The only Other Business to conduct was the Show and Tell item. Individual members' comments follow: Kathy Jones. Kathy mentioned that she had been traveling quite a bit and she wanted to know what the Gardening Committee had been doing. Barbara replied that some issues have not been resolved and that the commiLLee will not be able to be productive until some would-be donors have made Page 6, SAB Minutes, ee 8, 1994 . a commitment. One donor, for example, would have conditions attached to the donation and the committee would have to work around those conditions. Yvonne Myers. Yvonne had no report. Marjorie MCTaggart. Marjorie mentioned that she and Wayne had been on the television show Mosaic on Channel 10. It is being broadcast all month. Peggy Santich Peggy urged everyone to -attend the garage sale on Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11. Mar,careL Watts. Margaret had no report. Barbara Schoenberger. Barbara reminded all the members that they need to think about New West Fest activities because some items may need advance approval and funding. She also asked if any decision had been made about the retirement brochures while she was gone to call the First National Bank. They are still in her office, she said. Kay replied that she will call Jill Taylor immediately. SLan Ulrich. Stan had nothing Lo say because he wanted Lo get to the "goodies." ADJOURNMENT Since there was no further business to conduct, the ineeLing was adjourned at 3:50 P. M. Kay Rios, chair Approved Stanley Ulrich, secretary June 29, 1994 TO: Jean Helburg FROM: Kay Rios On behalf of the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board SUBJECT: Diaper Decks In a recent conversation with Steve Budner, I was very surprised, and dismayed, to find that City staff had purchased "diaper decks" for the new senior center. During one of the meetings in which we were discussing budget cuts to be presented to Council, Steve White mentioned that one of the things that had been cut was these same diaper decks. At that time, several members of the building team expressed surprise at the idea that they would ever have been included in the planning for the building. The statement from staff was that it was in case seniors wanted to bring in their grandchildren. That idea was quickly put down by seniors who felt that staff was simply preparing for some other form of programming in the building. The issue, however, seemed to be a moot one because, according to White, they had been cut. Now we find that they were not cut and that these same diaper decks have already been purchased. At our last meeting, the Senior Advisory Board voted to register their extreme unhappiness with this action. These decks were never part of the priority listing which was put together by the building team nor have they ever been part of any discussion. As a group, we are strongly opposed to the installation of any such decks and, not only do we urge that they be pulled from the plan, we would like them to be returned to the manufacturer for a refund. We firmly believe that this money can be used for other more appropriate furnishing/equipment which is badly needed in the center. We have also discussed this with other senior groups who are in agreement with these feelings. If necessary, we can get written support from them as well. We await your response. cc: Ann Azari Gerry Horak Steve White Steve Budner Ah .I L C H O I C E S For Senior Living Life presents us with Changes, Changes call for Choices. 06/22/94 To Whom It May Concern: After many, many hours of deliberation and researching possible funding sources with little success, the Board of Directors of Choices for Senior Living, Inc. has made the very difficult decision to close the doors of our agency on June 30. For more than 2 years Joan has volunteered 40 hours a week of her time to the agency to meet the needs of older adults researching their housing and related service options. I have averaged 60+ hours a week for the same time period. We have both come to the decision, that we can no longer continue to provide the amount of time and put forth the energy it takes to run a program like ours. The Board has been active in assisting with fund raising efforts and well as researching other funding possibilities to no avail. From a business standpoint, this is not a viable agency. After lengthy debate over where clients should be referred for services we came to the conclusion that the two logical places are the Office on Aging and Helpline. Yes, we certainly do realize the increase it will cause in their workload; however, there is NO other agency dealing with senior housing issues and information & referral. We regret that we are forced to take this step but see no other alternative. We want to express our gratitude for the support you have given us in the past in terms of donations and moral support when things were difficult. Sincerely, Eddy Jo Yost ✓ Executive Director ■■rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 101 N. Loomis Street, Fort Collins, CO 80521 (303) 224-4888