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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSenior Advisory Board - Minutes - 02/12/1997FORT COLLINS SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD 111NUTES Me Fort Coll iris Senior Advisory Board held a reaular meetina on Wednesday February 12,1997 at the Senior Center. nT iENDANCE. 7vonric flyers-. Chair (W)495-1000, lH lL25-31J1 rl rl , RS E J'j i-1 rl Vr I iar ii;r le r H'-Taggar t EStF�cr JCrlGger lha(1111c Keller STAFF Barbara a Schoentieraer Gwcsts Dlaria Hutcheson Jane Goodhart Stan Ulrich Fran Ward Jill Tavior Kay Rios CITY COUNCIL LIAISON Ann Azari 1 1. CALL TO ORDER. The rleetinq was called to order by the Chair at 2:01 PM 1 11. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: Nonc 1V CORRESPONDENCE. Received Senior Law Newsletter Ra, q ICee S�`ield'i S1 � I;yti� I6T1(�'. GUEST SPEAKER Diana Hutchison, CAPSinot affiliated with nati, group' Abiit_It pine year ago a group of professional started it up. Felt there was a need tG as:,ist Cniloren of aamq parents with education, findinq resources, offering �uorsort In Plav�tnev will be hosting a Resource Fair with speakers. J 1 ptiruvili of rlinutes. Itern E. under iild business, changed vote to 9-0, add Aid, Azar i as c-ity council liaisor,, rriotionpd by Jili, seconded by Fran, approved 9- i VI 1 OLD BUSINESS A, vet-Pet.Jane and Christina will work on another qrant letter. B. Senior Housinq, Kay reported that the housing survey was handed out to 1601 N. Colleae, results will be alven when done. C. Budget Committee. Ed reported that our Budget is $30-35 per rnonth. Srriior Network luncheon has never been tracked and will be now. Loveland still E E rernitve about nosting, update later D Recreation Fees. Yvonne reported that a meeting Is vet to be set. E Community Wide Positive aging. Brainstorming session with Ann Azar i netted to find entities that could work together in *unitive manner towards breal;in�l down tPre Stereo types, to meet with Youth Advisory Board, to do a Per soerctives'•. members will ponder the issue and brainstorm more next meeting. F Outreach MeetiriaS. HARP 4-1 7-97 10,OOAM Senior Center. CSU 4- 2a-97 3.00Pr1 CSU Gifford Bldo. Larimer County Long Term Care Resident Council 7-16-97 1 1.30 AM- Meeting with church group tenitive. G Saaenet, Committee will meet again to finalize mailings etc. H Transportation Fund Recommendation. A letter will be sent reconmiending the start up of a scholarship program for people using Dial -A -Ride. I Media Relations. Jill will write the next article for Pathways. A Thank you letter will be Sent out to Color adoan Life style editor , regarding arrrcies reappearing. b' 1 1, NEW BUSINESS A B!nidinCl Community Choices Prodrarn. Fax will be sent to city clerk tr'� ;irCC,urr . �Residency Request of Board Mernbers. A letter will be sent SIrOpOr'til"iir the Idea that Board's and Cornmissions members be allowed to reside in rr,e urban growtri area, I Service/Liaison Reports. Kay reported that the multicultural committee ;till has not interviewed Stan. Blanch reported that the Senior Barnes would like to work closer with trio Senior Golf Games. OOA, Stan reported that Colorado aria two other states will be offering a Pilot Program for managed care, the merger is Still in a state of flux. April 2,97 is Senior Lobby Senior Day. Barb reported that the Mardi Grab was positive and had a qood turn out. X ADJOURNMENT. The rneetinq was adjourned at 4:35 PM. Jane Goodhart, Secretary Yvonne Myers, Chair APPROVED. February 24 , 1997 Dear Ann, This letter is in follow-up to our conversation at the Senior Advisory Board meeting February 12, 1997. Our Board was given a letter written to the City Engineering office from Kay Schrepel. Her letter was written to explain the serious need for a left Turn arrow on north -bound Shields Street onto Raintree Drive. The letter was given to you at our meeting. The Senior Advisory Board unanimously voted in support of the need for a left turn indicator. We would truly appreciate your pursuit of this important safety issue. S' nc�nenre�lny, Yv nnYe yers Se for Adviso Board Chair A REVEALING QUIZ* Do You Believe in Over-50 Myth -information? What you believe about growing older can affect how you feel about it, according to sociologist Erdman Palmore, Ph.D., of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. "Misconceptions about aging can make you feel ashamed of your age and cause you to avoid planning for it," notes Palmore. "On the other hand, the more accurate your knowledge about aging, the less likely you will have such negative feelings." Test your 50-plus IQ by taking the quiz below, which was adapted from the Facts on Aging Quiz' developed by Palmore, Diana K. Harris, Ph.D., and Paul Changas, Ph.D. Read each statement, then cir- cle the answer you believe to be most accurate. The correct answers follow. 1. The proportion of people over 65 who are senile (have im- paired memory, disorientation or dementia) is a. about 1 in 100 b. about 1 in 10 c. about 1 in 2 d. the majority 2. The senses that tend to weaken in old age are a. sight and hearing b. taste and smell c. sight, hearing and touch d. all five senses 3. The majority of older couples a. have little or no interest in sex 5. The percentage of people over 65 in long -stay institutions (such as nursing homes, mental hospi- tals and homes for the aged) is about a. 5 percent b. 10 percent c. 25 percent d. 30 percent 6. The accident rate per driver over age 65 is a. higher than for those under 65 b. about the same as for those under 65 c. lower than for those under 65 d. unknown fast as younger people do d. learning speed is unrelated to age 9. Depression is more frequent among a. people over 65 b. adults under 65 c. young people d. children 10. Most older people say a. they are seldom bored b. they are sometimes bored c. they are often bored d, life is monotonous Correct Answers: 1. b; 2. d; 3. c:. 4. c; 5. a; 6. c; 7. c; 8. b; 9. b; 10. a. b. are not able to have sexual 7. Adaptability to change among As the test makes clear, the truth relations people over 65 is about aging is far more optimistic c. continue to enjoy sexual a, rare than myth -information, or stere stereo - relations b. present among about half typing, would have us believe. d. think sex is only for the young c. present among most "We should look to the ways 4. Happiness among older people d. more common than among women fight sexism and minorities is younger people fight racism and apply those same a. rare 8. As for old people learning new techniques to ageism," says Pal- b. less common than among things, more. "Talk openly with friends younger people a. most are unable to learn at about aging -related feelings and c. about as common as among any speed problems. Write letters to the editor younger people b. most are able to learn, but at when you find ageism in the d. more common than among a slower speed media. Take an active role in coun- younger people c. most are able to learn just as tering negative stereotypes." " Reprinted ivith permission of EDCCA770NaL GERONTOLOGY 9 9 - B R U A R Y 1997 NEW CHOICES Library and Recreational Servi Division / Fort Collins Senior Center City of Fort Collins February 21, 1997 Diane Hogerty, Director Fort Collins Community Foundation 528 S. College Avenue Fort Collins Co 80524 Dear Ms Hogerty: Since our letter of January 13, 1997, certain incidents concerning Dial -A -Ride have come to the attention of the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board, so the Board would like to add to its recommendations. Apparently, there is no provision for a "scholarship" fund for -qualified riders who cannot afford the fare. The area Office on Aging now provides transportation funds only for medical reasons, no longer to mealsites. When the cost of a round trip ($3.60), plus Chuckwagon lunch ($1.75), which is sometimes the only meal of a day, it adds up to more than some community members can pay. Recent incidents, including an account of a woman who 'passed out' -while walking approximately 2 miles to reach a mealsite because she couldn't afford Dial -A -Ride points up the need for such a "scholarship" fund. A copy of the city's Parks and Recreation guidelines for reduced fee consideration is enclosed. We understand that since federal. income guidelines change from year to year, the Northside Aztlan Center Recreation Supervisor, Debra Bueno, keeps current information on them. The Senior Advisory Board earnestly recommends that Care -A -Van monies be used to provide such a fund based on need for transportation. Again thank you and your board for your attention to our recommedations. Sincerely, Marjo ' e McTaggart, for the Fort ollins Senior Advisory Board enc. pc: Ann Azari, City Council Liaison 1200 Raintree Drive • Fort Collins, CO 80526 • (970) 221-6644 CONCERNED: Some of the 115 residents of Oakbrook I home meet to Department of Housing and Urban Development in June 1998. Many of voice their concerns about the possibility of losing their subsidies from the them could riot afford to live anywhere else without federal assistance. Residents facing crisis as subsidies end By ROBERT BAUN The Colaadoan Esther Kneiss remembers the day she ar- rived at Oakbrook I to move into her new apartment. "I came in the first day it opened — 9 a.m., July 9, 1977." Three weeks ago Kneiss and 114 other residents of Oakbrook I — all senior citizens — received a letter announcing the date they all could have to move out. June 14, 1998. On that day Oakbrook I's contract with the federal government expires. And with- out any promise of a contract renewal, the subsidies that allow Kneiss to pay her rent at Oakbrook I could be gone. Similar contracts are due to expire next year at the DMA Plaza and Landmark Apartments, both in Fort Collins. In all, 206 low-cost apartment units in the city stand to be lost without new federal contracts. Statewide, 866 contracts for federal subsi- dies are due to expire in Colorado by the year 2000. Those contracts represent 13,204 subsidized apartment units in the state, said Lois Tressler, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban De- velopment. At Oakbrook I, where 77 percent of resi- dents are at least 71 years old, the loss of the subsidies could be a crisis. HELPFUL DELIVERY: A resident of Oakbrook I home walks to her room to receive her groceries which are delivered by Toddy's. "rm afraid for a good percentage of them it's either a nursing home or living with rel- atives," said Donna Hayes, manager of Oak - Brook I. The subsidies at Oakbrook I are provided through a program called Section 8. Under the program, residents won't pay any more than 30 percent of their income on rent. For example, the market rate for a one - bedroom unit at Oakbrook I is $537 a month. After subtracting out-of-pocket med- ical expenses, the monthly income of a resi. dent is $500. Therefore, the resident is responsible for $150 a month rent. The Section 8 funds from HUD cover the remaining $387. "We've got ppeeoople here paying anywhere from $50 to $400," Hayes said, explainiN the various income levels of the residents. "Most of these people probably pay morE on prescriptions than they do groceries. If they had to pay any market rent anywhere, they wouldn't have enough left for any Wig" Meanwhile, HUD is angling to extend the Section 8 contracts, or came up with some other means of supporting the Oakbrook I residents. "If it should happen that the contract ie not extended further, well be working witt, the public housing authority to get thesf people vouchers so they could continue ir. their homes," said Lois Tressler, spokes woman for HUD's Denver office. Meanwhile, the hopes of Oakbrook I resi. dents rest with Congress and the 1998 fed eral budget.