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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSenior Advisory Board - Minutes - 09/11/1991The regular meeting of the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board met on Wednesday September 11, 1991 in the Horsetooth Room of the Senior Center. Those attending were: MEMBERS Marjorie McTaggart Kathleen Jones Vicki Moody Margaret Watts Larry Chaussee Yvonne Myers Pat Long Kay Rios STAFF Barbara Schoenberger ABSENT Ron Bergen Billie Higgins GUESTS Peggy Santich Jill Taylor Yetta Rollin Stephanie Besser Shelley McGraw I. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Pat Long called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. II. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: None. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes of the August meeting were approved as written. IV. OLD BUSINESS: A. Senior Resources Network -- Kay reported that the Task Force of interested agencies has not met since July. Each is apparently working on their own I&R system. Out of 320 agencies, only 60 are complete, and CHOICE is asking the Office on Aging for salary money for a fulltime staff person to handle only I&R. Discussion and suggestions followed about ways for seniors to tap into such a network. Steve Snyder will design a system that could serve its users in a variety of ways. B. Retirement brochure funding -- In spite of recent TV statements that went out statewide and nationally, the brochure is not yet funded. Kay has had phonecalls both pro and con since this publicity. One caller was concerned about the use of tax dollars to fund it. No tax dollars are involved. Kathleen moved that in view of the promotion of Fort Collins as a reti4 ent area, the Senior Advisory Board recommend that City Council reconsider the selling of South - ridge Golf Course. Pat seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The Secretary will notify our liaison council member, Bob Winokur. C• Oakbrook I Ombudsman -- Kay reported that responses to our letter were received from absentee owners and the local property manager. It appears some of the complaints were based on gossip. However, from this a new resident's board has been formed and residents now have a direct line of contact to the building manager's supervisor. Barbara suggested that workshop(s) on problem -solving and/or ways of communication might be held at various senior congregate living places. D. Board vacancy -- Pat reported that Ron Bergen will send in his letter of resignation within a week. E. New West Pest evaluation -- Discussion consensus was positive. There was more public interest this year than last, probably due to a better, more visible location of our booth. F. KCOL Talk Show -- Still in the planning stage. Bill Weddel is working on a format, and getting input from possible co -hosts. It will be a weekly half-hour show, Fridays at 9 a.m to start about mid -October. G. Junior League -- Application has been received. Recent garden tour miscommunications between the League and the Senior Center have been clarified. V. NEW BUSINESS A. Office on Aging -- The new director Shelley McGraw told the board her background in the "aging field"; and reported that she is working on the new budget which is due October 15th. She is meeting with directors of agencies, trying to avoid duplication of services, and doing,orienta- tion of an almost completely new Advisory Board on which there are 4 openings. Seniors preferred. The board meets from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. the 2nd Thursday of the month at the Department of Social Services. Goals for the OOA are difficult to define until the budget is definite. Some mentioned were: The image of OOA; seniors' access to information; technical assistance to rural elderly and rural senior centers. The OOA ombudsman, now a z time position will go to 3/4 time, the additional q to be spent on project development. B. Senior Center Council -- Vicki reported that council members have been made liaison to Center groups. The Harvest Moon Ball will be October 19th at the Lincoln Center; and there will be a Chili Cookoff at Sundance on October 13th at 12:30 p.m. She invited everyone to attend the Friends of the Center meeting on September 24th at 10 a.m. C. United Seniors Conference -- On September 14th, the board will have a information booth at the Lincoln Center site of the United Seniors state conference. Board members volunteered times they could be at the booth. Barbara will get informational materials. D. Service reports: a. Poudre Valley Hospital Senior Services -- Jill reported on a variety of screenings and tests available in the near future, and gave everyone a list of same. There is a Senior Health Nurse available now. The Health conference in conjunction with AARP will be begin October 3rd at 6 p.m. b. RSVP -- Stephanie said they still have a few smoke detectors to give to seniors, and RSVP will install them free. Training sessions for Medicare counselors and the Reminisence program will begin in October. VI. OTHER BUSINESS: A. Barbara called attention to the material included with the minutes -- information from Jean Helburg about the status of the building site selection, and the conflict of interest letter from the mayor. B. The ARA Living Centers will host a Harvest Festival at the Senior Center November 2nd or 9th. The Board agreed to have a booth at the affair. C. We have been invited to meet with the publisher of the Coloradoan to explore possibilities of more senior news coverage. Kay and Marjorie will meet with him Sept. 24th. D. Question about CSU and status of seniors being allowed to audit classes. Marjorie explained the proposal must get a final approval by the Ag Board before details are finalized. E. Question about proposed city budget and its effect on such things as the recreation fee policy where there will no longer be discounts for seniors. Barbara suggested that a staff member come to a meeting to explain it. VII. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m. �1-i• k�. Marjorie McTagg -r4,, Secretary Pat Long, Chairman September 25, 1991 American Development Corporation 6 Hutton Centre Drive Suite 875 Santa Ana, CA 92707 ATTENTION: Rick Pinette Dear Mr. Pinette: With reference to our previous discussion regarding Oakbrook Senior Citizens Community, we want to thank you for taking such prompt action. We feel that both your organization and Ms. Irene Gifford took immediate and appropriate action to resolve the concerns of some of the residents. The majority of those concerns were quickly resolved: 1) Electric carts will be regarded as wheel chairs and movement will not be restricted. 2) Events will be held in the dining area rather than the hallways so that fire hazards are not present. 3) Some of the pictures and furniture have been returned to the areas where they can be enjoyed by residents. 4) Ms. Gifford has established a residents' association/ activities committee so that residents will have a direct line to her. 5) Ms. Gifford has, herself, arranged for entertainment and, residents say, she has worked hard to cement that feeling of community and "home." 6) Ms. Gifford has arranged for recycling bins to be provided for the collection of papers and other products. We can appreciate the tough job that Ms. Gifford has since she deals with several communities such as this one and we feel it is commendable that she took action so quickly. Regarding her efforts and hearing what the residents are now saying, we believe that Ms. Gifford has the senior community's best interests at heart and we hope that the new on -sight manager will share her obvious concern and caring. The residents who were previously concerned are quite happy with the resolutions as listed above and especially feel confident that, with the new association and the direct link to Ms. Gifford, that future problems can be resolved inhouse. Again, thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Kay Rios On Behalf of The Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board cc: Irene Gifford AARP United Seniors Better Business Bureau City Councilmember Bob Winokur 0 AGENDA SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1991 - 2:00 PM Senior Center, 145 E. Mountain Ave. Horsetooth Room I. Call to Order II. Citizen Participation (limited to 20 minutes) III. Approval of Minutes IV. Old Business A. Senior Resources Network - Steve & Kay B. Retirement Brochure funding - Kay C. Oakbrook I Ombudsman - Kay D. Board vacancy - Pat Long E. New West Fest evaluation F. KCOL Talk Show - Kay & Jill G. Junior League - Larry V. New Business A. Office on Aging - Shelley McGraw B. Senior Center Council - Vicki Moody C. United Seniors Conference - Kay D. Reports of service providers present 1. PVH 2. RSVP VI. Other Business V. Adjournment The regular meeting of the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board met on Wednesday, August 14, 1991 in the Horsetooth Room of the Senior Center. Those attending were: MEMBERS Vicki Moody Pat Long Kathleen Jones Kay Rios Larry Chaussee Yvonne Myers Marjorie McTaggart ABSENT Ron Bergen Margaret Watts GUESTS Ann Azari Peggy Santich Blanche Yakmas STAFF Jean Helburg Barbara Schoenberger EXCUSED ABSENCE Billie Higgins I. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Pat Long called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m. II. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: None. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the July meeting were approved as written. IV. OLD BUSINESS: A. Paint-A-Thon -- Pat reported that there were 34 applications, primarily from the newspaper notice, and 12 houses were painted. B. Senior Resources Network -- Ms. Azari was invited to the meeting in anticipation of getting an update on this project. However, Kay reported that only one board member (Marjorie) showed up for the brainstorming meeting with Steve Snyder on July 24th, and Steve was not present today. Kay asked everyone to go over the memorandum which was enclosed with the August agenda, and said members will be called to participate in a meeting on the subject before the regular September meeting. C. Retirement Area Update -- Kay reported that several city groups are now interested in the idea. She has been asked to rewrite and upscale the proposal to include 4-color quotes for the brochure, and to re -present it for funding. She distributed a handout of the proposal to board members 0 D. Communications/Coloradoan letter/Phase 2 funding -- Kay reported she sent the Coloradoan a letter reiterating the points Marjorie had made about the need for senior news. Jean explained that cutbacks in the proposed 1992 budget disallow Phase 2 funding, although Phase 1 of the subsidy (for Parks & Rec, and therefore the Senior Center) is in place through 1991. The Greening Leaf will be published every other month beginning 1992 because of budget cuts. Jean will find out whether there were separate dollars designated from the Choices 95 funds for maintenance as there is concern about having facilities without staff and/or maintenance. E. Junior League -- Larry reported that the Junior League is getting ready to do their year's planning. He recommended that applications for funding be completed and returned as soon as possible. Discussion followed of communications and coordination regarding seniors, transportation, accessibility, etc. during their recent garden tour event. V. NEW BUSINESS A. Senior Center Council -- Pat acknowledged the two members of the Senior Center Council who were present. Marjorie reported that the council is in the process of filling two vacancies and electing officers. They are also working on job descriptions of volunteer leaders of groups that are sponsored by the Center, with the hope that a Coordinator of Volunteers position can be created to ease the understaffing problem. B. New West Fest -- Kay reported that our booth is #58, across from parking garage, and scheduled members to be at the booth during the Fest. C. KCOL Talk Show Offer -- Kay said she was asked by radio station KCOL if the Advisory Board would be interested in doing a weekly (Fridays) half-hour talk show for Seniors. Favorable discussion followed. The names of Richard Stevens, former CSU librarian and radio announcer at KCSU, and Bill Weddel were proposed as possible hosts. Jill suggested we tell KCOL of our interest allowing about a month to start up, to make sure of the host(s), and to give them time to work out a format. The board agreed. D. Oakbrook I Ombudsman -- Residents of Oakbrook I have requested the Senior Advisory Board to act as ombudsman in the sticky situation they are experiencing with the current manager. After discussion and clarification, Kay moved that a letter be sent to the out-of-state owners apprising them of the situation and it's affect on their image in the Fort Collins community. Motion seconded, and passed unanimously. Kay will write the letter, and a copy of the letter will go the company's local employment person, to the residence manager, and to the Better Business Bureau. E. Resignation/Board Vacancies -- Pat will call Ron Bergen to suggest he may wish to remain on an ad hoc committee, and resign from the board since he does not attend meetings. (Note: It is one of the Secretary's duties to keep attendance information. Board members should contact her when necessary. Let it ring - the answering machine is always on.) F. "Multi -generational" Center -- Pat reminded board members that the definition of "multi -generation" should be clearly understood when referring to users of the new center; that it means the several generations of seniors 50 years and older, and not all generations. G. C-SURF Letter -- Jean Helburg sent a letter to C-SURF to ask if the land offer they made some time ago is still open. She says there is no news yet, but will be setting up a meeting with them this week. VI. OTHER A. Community Pool -- Pat reported the City Council decision on August 6th, to renovate the pool at its present site. B. Friends of the Center -- Vicki invited participation in the meetings, which are held the 4th Tuesday at 10:30 a.m at the Senior Center. C. United Seniors Conference -- Marjorie reported from the minutes of the United Seniors that a conference will be held at the Lincoln Center on September 14th. D. Aspen Club Update -- Jill handed out copies of the latest Aspen Club newsletter which gives dates and subjects of seminars scheduled for Fall. Several will be held at the Senior Center, and one "Healthy Adults 2000" will be in conjunction with AARP in October. E. CHOICE's Kari Primak has received national recognition as a leader is helping elderly homeowners obtain reverse mortgages. Yvonne reported that Kari was interviewed on the Today TV Show. VII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 3:25 p.m. Mar7prie McTagg Secretary Pat Long, Chairman 11 0 August 15, 1991 American Development Corporation 6 Hutton Centre Drive Suite 875 Santa Ana, CA 92707 ATTENTION: Rick Pinette Dear Mr. Pinette: Our organization, the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board, has been appointed by City Council to address issues and concerns of senior citizens in the Fort Collins area. It is in this capacity that we write this letter to you. Over the past two months, we have received complaints from several of the residents at Oakbrook Senior Citizens Community regarding the management style of Marlene McConnell. At this point, 15 residents have brought concerns to our attention and they have asked that we approach you on their behalf. First, you should know that these seniors have, in the past, enjoyed their situation at Oakbrook I and they want to remain as residents. For them and the other residents, Oakbrook has been the symbol of community spirit and has given them the opportunity to interact with other seniors and to continue to enjoy an active, participatory life. They believe, however, that under Ms. McConnell's management, that feeling of community and friendship is threatened. As one resident wrote us, "There is no joy anywhere in the building." This seems to be a shared perception among a large number of the residents. Before we describe the concerns which have brought about this perception, we would like to provide some background. Ms. McConnell, before she was placed in her current position, was the manager at Oakbrook II. From those residents, we have heard accounts of confrontations, conflicts and derogatory statements made by Ms. McConnell regarding seniors. She is alleged to have stated on more than one occasion that, "If it were up to me, there would be no old people here." That statement, given us by several of the Oakbrook II residents seems to be representative of how they believe she views senior citizens. After months of conflict, Ms. McConnell was confronted by a group of residents and, according to their version, she burst into tears and quit her position. Oakbrook I was, at that time, managed by someone who, residents say, had senior interests at heart and enjoyed her position and those people with whom she dealt She died abruptly from a heart attack and, after some time without in-house management, Ms. McConnell was put into this vacant position. These residents claim they are seeing the same type of rude and resentful behavior as reported during her previous position. Several claim to have heard Ms. McConnell state "I hate old people." These residents believe that Ms. McConnell is destroying the community spirit and friendly atmosphere for which Oakbrook I has always been known. Their beliefs stem from some of the changes she has made and requirements imposed by her: 1) She allegedly told three separate residents who rely on electric carts for mobility that they were not allowed in the dining area because they would leave marks on "her" carpet. 2) She reportedly removed all pictures and plants belonging to residents if they were in any "common area" such as the lounges and hallways. 3) She replaced plants at the ends of the hallways with identical blue tables and small palms, which the residents believe lend more of an institutional feel rather than a "homey" one. 4) She has, according to residents, loudly scolded residents for getting fingerprints on glass doors. 5) A get -well card was placed in the lobby for residents to sign for the maintenance man. Ms. McConnell was reported to have torn the card in two and residents were told that "he isn't that sick," and that "no one will put cards out here without my permission." 6) Residents say they were ordered to have a covered dish dinner in the hallways because Ms. McConnell didn't want anyone walking on the carpet in the dining room with food. Tables were put up in the hallway, but traffic was greatly impeded and, residents believe, a fire hazard was created. 7) Small flower beds planted and cared for by residents have been removed and replaced with grass. S) One 92-year-old woman has a balcony which overlooks a three foot square piece of dirt. Each year, friends have planted a few tomato plants for her and she watches them and tends to them several times each day during the warm weather. Since this woman is in a walker and is limited in her activities the plants have always provided her with a great deal of joy. Ms. McConnell ordered them removed and they were taken out. 9) Ms. McConnell apparently doesn't believe that it is within her duties as manager to secure the building and, residents report, on several occasions, doors and windows have been left open for long periods of time. 10) For the past three years, Oakbrook I and II have joined in a celebration and the local high school band has performed a concert for residents in conjunction with a potluck dinner. This year Ms. McConnell "said no" to the celebration, according to residents. 11) Pillows on the couch have sometimes been used by residents as cushioning on chairs. Ms. McConnell was allegedly adamant that residents were not to use the cushions at all and she apparently made the statement that her reasoning was because the residents would "wet on them." This statement, residents believe, is demeaning and indicates a negative attitude toward seniors. 12) A table in the lounge area was previously used by residents as a surface on which to work with puzzles. It has been removed. 13) Books for trade or for borrowing were placed in a bookcase on the wall of the laundry room. Ms. McConnell is reported to have removed the bookcase and thrown away all of the books. 14) Residents were saving papers for recycling (something the City of Fort Collins strongly encourages) by the Boy Scouts. The papers were kept neatly stacked and ready for collection. She apparently told the person who came for them that he couldn't come back to collect any longer. She also reportedly issued an ultimatum that papers could not longer be saved on the premises. These are only some of the complaints in a long and continuing line. The residents feel intimated by Ms. McConnell and those who have tried to speak to her say they have been rebuked. The residents are afraid that she can evict them or raise their rent and, so, most are afraid to approach her and that is why they have come to us. They feel like their "home" has been turned into an institution which does not welcome nor give comfort. Some of the direct comments give witness to this feeling: "I just get my mail and go to my room now. I don't feel welcome downstairs." "I heard good things about this place but then I moved in and it sure is different now." We realize how difficult it is to manage a property from a distance and we also realize how much you rely on local management to deal with problems which arise. However, after listening to all of the complaints and realizing the depth of anguish and concern that is building within these residents, we felt this should be brought to your attention. We ask that you review the above and investigate the appropriateness of the current management assignment of Ms. McConnell. We would appreciate a response from you as soon as possible. We believe that the stress experienced by some of the residents does not contribute to a healthy nor happy environment and would hope that some form of resolution or remedy could be exacted within a short amount of time. Sincerely, Kay Rios On Behalf of the Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board Please respond to: The Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board c/o Barbara Schoenberger Senior Center 145 East Mountain Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 cc: Marlene McConnell Irene Gifford AARP United Seniors Better Business Bureau City Councilmember Bob Winokur July 23, 1991 The Senior Advisory Board minutes are being distributed early so that they are available as resource material prior to the August 6, 1991 meeting of City Council. The August agenda will be prepared and mailed prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.