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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSenior Advisory Board - Minutes - 08/09/1995SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD Minutes of the August 9,•1995 Meeting CALL TO ORDER a T._ The August meeting of the Senior Advisory Board was called to order by Yvonne Myers, vice chair, at 2:03 P. M. in the Senior Center. 1200 RaintreeDrive, on Wednesday, August 9, 1995- A quorum was present - ATTENDANCE Members Present Staff Kay Rios, chair Yvonne Myers, vice chair Stan Ulrich, secretary Ed Johnson Jane Goodhart Wayne Moellenberg Mary Alice Spelts Jill Taylor Fran Ward Council Liaison Ann Azari (absent) CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Steve Budner Excused Member Marjorie McTaggart Absent Member Blanche Yakmas No one wished to speak before the Board. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Before the minutes of the July meeting were accepted, Yvonne'Myers made two corrections: (1) At the bottom of Page 3, under the topic Outreach Meeting, September should be changed to "August" on the' last line of the page and (2) on Page 4, under the topic Office on Aging, month should be changed to "year" an line 9 of that topic. Wayne Moellenberg moved that the minutes be approved as corrected. The motion was seconded and carried. - - After the minutes were approved, Kay Rios arrived with cake and ice -= cream to honor the birthdays of two of the members, and the Board went into recess for several minutes. CORRESPONDENCE After.;the Board re -convened. Kay distributed a -letter -that'the•SAB and= the Office on Aging had sent to senior providers" It told -about the Network Luncheon and some of the activities -that .are planned for.that day. Over 200 letters had been sent, [ay said, and New Mercer Commons will furnish the •4ntertainment. No other. correspondence"wds'--road. OLD BUSINESS Dial -A -Ride. [ay reported ,that Dial -A -Ride had acknowledged Marjorie's letter and promised to work on the problem of long waits. SFie added Page 2, SAB Minutes, August 9, 1995 that Transfort had just hired a person who has had experience in para- transit operations in Cheyenne, and he should make a difference. A. J. Bittman had asked to speak before the Board, Bay added, and she will - invite him to the September meeting. Negotiations with Care -A -Van had been moving along nicely, but activity has ceased since Jack Peverly had a stroke. Senior Living Options. Jane Goodhart reported that Senior Living Options has not been following through on the proposed guidelines, and she recom- mended that the SAB dissociate itself with Senior Living Options because . the organization has not carried out any of the recommendations and suggestions. Wayne moved that the SAB should withdraw membership in the Housing Counseling Community Advisory Board and that we write a letter that contains our concerns about a potential conflict of interest where- as the advisory board should be a broad -based, community -oriented function and there should be no difficulty of access and no difficulty in getting responses to inquiries. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. New West Fest. Kay reviewed the schedule of the times that the members would serve in the booth and went over the materials that will be distri- buted to the public. Housing Authority Letter. Kay reported that she had not sent a letter to the. Housing Authority as yet because she wanted the SAB to review the contents before she mailed it. After hearing the letter, the Board agreed that it should be sent as written. Paint -A -Than. Since Barbara was absent, nothing new was reported on the Paint-A-Thon. Jill did, however, pass around an article about a Paint- A-Thon in Loveland, and it included mobile homes. Senior Job Match. Kay said she had talked with Shelley McGraw, Office on Aging, a few days before, and Shelley stated that apparently Employment Training Service is very much interested in taking over the program. Details are now being worked out with the proper persons. NEW BUSINESS Outreach Meeting. Kay stated that she has still not received confirmation for the next Outreach meeting, but she should have more news for the September meeting. Linda Nielsen - Health Care Access Coalition. Since Linda was not present to present the program on health care access,- a general discussion follow- ed. Wayne expressed a concern about seniors who move to town and can't find a physician that will accept Medicare. Jill answered that Linda is working on that problem, as well as getting help for the uninsured and the underinsured. Linea hopes to open two clinics in the near future,*- Jill added. Other health problems and issues were also discussed. Column for Pathways. Kay stated that the SAB will be able to write a column in Pathways and asked :gpecific members to write a column on a rotating basis. Kay volunteered to take the September column and then Jill, Wayne and Yvonne agreed to take turns writing the next three. Charge for Walking Track Gymnasium and Pool. After a long discussion -- Page 3, SAB Minutes, August 9, 1995 about the charges for the services at the Senior Center, the concensus . was that most of the charges are reasonable. Charges for the Walking . Track, for example, are necessary because supervision is difficult after, a user gets past the information desk. Pool Temperature. Ray and Yvonne reported that the temperature of the Senior Center pool is consistent with other pools in the city. The temperature is between 84 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, which is slightly. higher than other pools because it is used mostly by seniors. SERVICE REPORTS RSVP. Jill reported that RSVP is three days away from hiring a new director. She added that RSVP will be coordinating Medicare Counseling Training in October. Aspen Club. Jill reported that the Aspen Club will be sponsoring tours in parts of the hospital and that budget time is here. City Council. No report. Seniors Airborne. The program is now reporting from the Senior Center on the first Friday of the month and from the Fireside Restaurant on the third Friday of the month. Concerned Seniors. No report. Senior Center Council. Mary Alice reported that the Senior Center Council had not met since the last meeting of the SAB, and therefore there was no report. She and Steve added, however, that new staff members have been added and practically all programs and membership have increased dramatically. Some "bugs" still exist, but they are rapidly being smoothed out. Friends of the Senior Center. Kay reported that she had resigned as president of the Friends of the Senior Center and that Gail Reader had taken her place. Kay added that she will still take part in the Chili Cook -Off and that the studio in the Senior Center still needs quite a -. lot of equipment. Yvonne reminded the members that the Friends will be sponsoring a celebration dinner on October 20. It will be discussed more fully at the next meeting. Office on Aging. Elizabeth Kelly, ombudsman, will be conducting aa__fs ombudsman's training class this fall, and interested volunteers are welcome. Elizabeth will also hold a Senior Law Day on October 23, .�4 and more information will be available later. The Transportation Com mittee's spokesperson, Ellen Long, reported that Dial -A -Ride had ..b;;,;;, received many complaints and that the organization is developing a comm- sumer's questionnaire for those who have problems with the aystem.r;:�;r. Shelley advised those who have problems to contact Dial -A -Ride' Advisory Council members. Shelley also mentioned that the new Senior Living ��f , Options list had been sent out and that Living Centers of America had ..;. tentatively put money in its budget to finance the program again next. year. Shelley also mentioned that the date of the Senior Network z Luncheon had been changed from September 20 to September 25 and that the direction of the meeting will be focused on networking. The Office Page 4, SAB Minutes, August 9, 1995 on Aging will be holding a joint meeting with the SAB on September 14, at 2:30 P. M. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the Network Luncheon. Shelley also reported that some discussion had taken place on merging the Office on Aging and the Department of Social Services to avoid duplication of efforts, but nothing definite has yet been worked out. She added that Centennial High School had terminated its agreement with Senior Job Match. The final segment of the meeting was a presentation by Dee Perkins and Sam Waldo on the Berthoud Golden Links Adult Day Care Program and the Golden Links Transportation Program, which was initiated to provide rides for seniors who wished to go to Longmont or Loveland instead of Fort Collins. The transportation program is working well, according to Sam Waldo, and at present it is providing about 425 rides a week to seniors. OTHER BUSINESS Under Other Business, Jane Goodhart reported that the A. L. I. S. E. Program is now providing volunteers to go into seniors' homes to review fire safety. Fran Ward suggested that the SAB should encourage the Foothills Fashion Mall officials to extend their courtesy ride service at Christmas time to an all —year service. She said the carts are fun to operate and that the rides would be a valuable service to seniors. Kay suggested that she should write a letter to express her views and other members offered encouragement to pursue her project. Steve reminded the members that the Senior Center has Suggestion Comment cards at the front desk and urged users to fill them out. If a complaint is registered, someone from the Senior Center will contact the person to resolve the problem. Stan mentioned that he has a copy of the Time—➢ollars videocassette of the Volunteer Credit Program in Boulder. Anyone who is interested in viewing it may borrow it. Yvonne announced that New Mercer Commons fast at the Marriott. More information date. She added that New Mercer is now Marjorie McTaggart suggested, in should be evaluated to determine used and where we should go from about the program and said that agenda. ADJOURNMENT will be sponsoring an October — will be released at a later going to the birds! Z_ absentia, that the Vet Pet Program a'C where we stand, how well it is being here. Kay asked the members to think she will put the topic on the next Since there was no further business to conduct, the meeting was adjourned at 3:34 P. M. Stan Ulrich, Secretary Kay Rios, Chair August 17, 1995 City of Fort Collins P. O. Box 580 Fort Collins, Colorado 80522 ATTENTION: Frank Bruno Dear Frank: I am writing this letter in support of Debra Bueno. Although I don't know Ms. Bueno personally, I have witnessed her behavior, attitude and skills in a number of situations. As chair of the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board, I have also interacted with her on several occasions. Through this experience, I've come to appreciate Debra as a competent, warm and caring individual. Her contributions to the community are numerous and, from my perspective, these contributions were never done so that she might accumulate accolades. Rather, she has simply taken on tasks that needed to be addressed and she has worked out solutions which are beneficial to those involved. In every case, her intentions appear to be what is best for our community and those around her rather than what is best for her. She has always acted in a professional manner but her passion for her work has also been evident. That brings me to the current matter. While I realize that nothing formal has taken place, there are rumors to the effect that the City might not be planning to support Debra and retain her in her current position. No one can deny the tragedy of the situation but Debra is not the perpetrator of the "crime." That person has confessed and is being dealt with through the legal system. Debra should not be on trial, neither publicly nor behind closed doors in a personnel hearing. The City's liability in this case is not lessened by removing her from her position or refusing to give her the support she deserves. It would only be a political move and, I believe, one which would draw far more negative response than anything. If there is any change to be made, it should be in the form of instituting a policy on the handling of volunteers and/or staff members who have backgrounds that might present such a situation. My understanding is that there is currently no such policy in place particularly with regard to volunteers. I urge the City to support Debra Bueno and retain her in her current position. She is a valuable asset to our community and also to the City organization. We can't afford to lose her. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Kay Rios 160 Circle Drive Fort Collins, CO 80524 (303) 482-0753 cc: Diane Jones Ann Azari Members of the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board Catholic Community Services Northern I City Manager August 31 1995 Ms. Kay Rios 160 Circle Drive Fort Collins, CO 80524 Dear Ms. Rios: I recently received a letter from you regarding your support for Debra Bueno. On behalf of the City employees and City officials who received your letter, I would like to thank you for writing to us and providing the information contained in your correspondence. I trust you will understand that the City is unable to comment on any current, pending or potential personnel matters as such actions are not public information. Be that as it may, please be certain that your correspondence is important to us and that we have noted your perspectives. I appreciate the support evident in your correspondence and the time you've taken to write to us. I am forwarding a copy of this reply to the Senior Advisory Board members. However, since I am not certain who from the Catholic Community Services Northern received a copy of your letter, please forward my reply on to the appropriate individual(s) from that organization. Thank you in advance for this assistance. Sin-c�rely, Frank Bruno Interim Deputy City Manager CC: Ann Azari, Mayor City Council Members Diane Jones, Interim City Manager Members of the Senior Advisory Board Jaime Mares, Human Resources Director 300 LaPorte Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (303) 221-6505 Volunteer for the Paint-A-Thon Would you like to make a difference for a low-income senior or family? Then sign up today to volunteer on Saturday, Aug. 19, at the 17th annual Norwest Paint - A -non, a program of Brothers Redevelopment. The event is being coordinated by Brothers Redevelopment, Inc., a Denver - based nonprofit organization specializing in housing and housing -related services for low-income elderly and families. In addition to Norwest, sponsors include Public Service Co.. Diamond Vogel Paints, State Farm Insurance Companies, the Colorado Division of Housing, and the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. This year's goal is to paint more than 500 eligible homes throughout Colorado. Eligible homeowners in the five -county Denver metro area must be at least 60 years old and on a fixed income. Outside Denver, low-income seniors or families can apply. Eligible homes must be no more than one - and -a -half stories tall. If you would like to volunteer, please call Brothers Redevelopment no later than July 28, at (303) 202-6..W or outside of Denver at 1-800-258-1274. You may also call these numbers for more information or if you'd like to contribute time, money or materials. New Directory Lists Housing Options for Seniors Are you a senior, or do you have an aging parent or relative who needs assis- tance finding a new place to live? If so, there's a new directory to help you. The "Locator," published by Community Housing Services, Inc., provides informa- tion and listings on different housing options in Denver and throughout the Front Range, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, retirement living facilities and independent living facilities. To receive your copy, mail a check or money order for S5 (to cover printing and Postage costs) to: Community Housing Services, Inc., 1905 Sherman St., Suite 920, Denver, CO 80203. Booklets will be mailed 3 in mid-Augus[. Community Housing Services is able to offer the booklet at a reduced price because of financial support from Public Service Co. Community Housing Services, Inc. is a Denver -based referral organization that spe- cializes in helping people — primarily low income, minorities and the elderly — make informed decisions concerning safe, stable and affordable housing. The organization also provides information about community resources and the rights available to these groups of people. If you have questions about the "Locator' or services offered by Community Housing Services, please call (303) 831-4046.