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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes 2007will EVANSTON COhIINiISSION ON AGING Minutes of the January 6, 2007 Mceting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins, Mary Fried], Blair Laden, Fred Rakowsky, Nancy Yalowitz, Louis Weathers, Victoria Pearlman, Frank Streitfeld, Gloria Bernard, Caryn Diane Etkin, Susan Cherco, Gloria Combs, Frances Seidman Guests: Jacqueline Cody, Sandra Smith, Anne Harris, Pam Thomas (Evanston/Skokic Valley Senior Services), Lucille Harris, Shirley Braiiy, Cook Johnson, Mary Pace, Esther Williams -Hays (Jacob Blake Manor Service Coordinator), Reverend Robert Thomas (Ebenezer Primm Tower), Katherine Milachou Staff: Nancy Flowers, Casey Solomon APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes for the December 3, 2006 meeting were approved with corrections. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Hickman thanked the staff and tenants of Jacob Blake for inviting the Commission to hold the January meeting at the building. She invited those in attendance to ask questions and speak during the citizen comment section of the meeting. C051511ITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz summarized the December meeting of the Long Term Care Committee. She told the audience that the committee is interested in long term care issues and the community's nursing homes. The committee is growing in membership and she welcomed audience members to join them. During the December meeting Ms. Flowers summarized the proposed budget reductions in the Evanston Health Department and the potential impact on clinical services, including the annual flu clinics. She also summarized the status of the Mather LifeWays development and noted that demolition of the Mather Gardens would begin in early spring 2007. It was noted that seniors are making S1,000 deposits to secure apartments in the new building. The committee also discussed the City-wide family council that the Commission's interns are organizing. The Committee plans to bcn making site visits to local nursing homes. Currently, they are planning one for the 18` at Alden Estates. The date may change as there is a conflict with an Alden corporate meeting scheduled for that day. The Committee has discussed offering a condensed version of the Long Term Care 101 seminars and a seminar on long term care insurance. Ms. Yalowitz invited people to attend the January loth Committee meeting at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center. Membership to the Long Tenn Care, Housing and Intergeneration committees is open to any interested party. Ms. Hickman informed the audience that they can call Ms. Flowers' office for more information. Alinutes submitted —approved Ms. Mullins asked whether staff being laid -off from the Health Department as part of the budget cuts were being hired by local hospitals. Ms. Flowers said that this was not the case, though it was initially hoped that some of the displaced employees might find employment through those institutions. Ms. Flowers stated that the City Council was holding a Budget Workshop this morning, as well as on future dates, to discuss the proposed 2007-2008 budget recommendations. Housing Ms. Seidman said there are some interesting things going on regarding housing in Evanston. Although many of these don't specifically apply to seniors, they do present the possibility of some new affordable housing in the community. She noted that these programs are in the initial phases but have the potential to make an impact on affordable housing in the City. Heated discussion is just starting regarding the Westside T1F and the Citizens Lighthouse Land trust. She stated that in her opinion these proposals will face up -hill battles as they have an equal amount of opposition and support. Ms. Seidman encouraged audience members to join the Housing Committee, which has not met for a few months. She is interested in arranging evening meetings at a local card or other venue and is willing to pick-up people that do not have their own transportation. Intergenerational Ms. Laden stated that she did not have much to report regarding planning for the "Stroll in the Park" event. She did express some concerns relating to the proposed lay-offs in the Health Department and the impact of the reduction in health services for under -privileged youth. There was some discussion relating to the definition of youth and the services available to them. PROPOSED 07-08 COMMISSION ON AGING BUDGET Ms. Flowers noted that Jay Terry was attending the City Council Budget Workshop. Ms. Flowers noted that on January 131h and 20"' the Civic Center will be hosting public discussions about the 2007-2008 City budget starting at 9 a.m. Ms. Flowers walked the Commission through the proposed Commission budget, the City Manager's 2007-2008 Budget Summary Letter highlighting proposed budget recommendations and reductions, and a copy of the current and proposed City Government organizational charts. Ms. Flowers offered an outline of the budget process. She noted that Division Managers work with their Department Directors to develop departmental budget recommendations, which are given to the Budget office. The budget office subsequently works with the City Manager and the department heads to resolve any gap between revenue and expenditures. The proposed budget is distributed to the members of the City Council by December 3151. The proposed budget is then discussed by the City Council at budget work shops that arc open to the public. The City Council is required to pass a budget by February 28h. Department heads attend these meetings to respond to questions that may arise about their budgets. 1) Minutes submitted —approved The Commission's budget includes one full time Ombudsman position, a part-time (grant funded) ombudsman, a secretarial position that is shared with the Mental Health Board as well as other budget elements that support division operations.. The budget reflects items that were previously listed elsewhere but are now broken down by department — pension, longevity, social security and Medicare, in order to more accurately reflect costs of providing each service. The S300,000 cost of the Subsidized Taxicab Program is somewhat offset by the anticipated S 100,000 in customer contributions. There is no proposed increase in the customer contribution in the 2007-2008 budget. Staff whose positions were proposed for elimination in the 2007-2008 budget were informed in mid -December. Mr. Terry is working with local agencies and other vendors to find providers of services for the programs proposed for elimination --immunizations; school physicals, TB, STD, HIV, family planning services and flu clinics —in an effort to assure that the services are available from an alternate source. Ms. Flowers is researching alternate providers for flu clinics for the subsidized senior housing buildings and Over the Rainbow, a housing building for persons with physical disabilities. The Health and Human Services Department will continue to provide the Children's Dental Clinic, Food and Environmental Health Services, infectious Disease Monitoring, Vital Records, Mental Health Services, Community Intervention and Aging Services. Ms. Flowers noted that there are several proposed changes to departmental structures in the 2007-2008 budget. She noted that various departments may assume programs or activities previously handled by other departments. There are a few positions being added to the City Managers Office: a full-time Emergency Preparedness Manager, Youth Division and a Sustainable Program Coordinator. There are total of 26.7 full -lime equivalent positions recommended to be eliminated and an additional 9.5 new positions. The proposed budget is a balanced budget. Ms. Pearlman asked if these changes wouldn't actually increase costs for the City. Ms. Flowers explained that the programs that are being eliminated will no longer be funded by the City. Ms. Friedf wondered if some of these services might be funded by Governor Blagojevich's new Kid Care Program. Mr. Rakowsky asked whether the City Council would accept these proposed reductions. Ms. Mullins asked about the mandated 12% increase for the fire and police service, due to the mandated increase in pension funding. THE COMMISSION ON AGING MISSION STATEMENT Ms. Flowers provided members with a copy of the Commission on Aging Mission Statement. The enabling ordinance has remained essentially unchanged since its passage in the late 1970s. Ms. Hickman wanted to address the ordinance while members are being asked to complete a survey regarding their role on the Commission. The survey is being conducted in connection with the City's Strategic Plan, Objective 9.4: Review the f action, responsibility, and stnicture of all Boards and Commissions to inarinike effee iveness. Ms. Hickman asked the members for their reaction to the ordinance. 3 Minutes submitted —approved There was discussion regarding semantics used; some Commission members thought it awkward to use the word regard in the phrase "assure that Evanston Citizens regard mature adults as productive..." Ms. Hickman felt that the Commission has not been as pro -active as it could be. She stated that she wants the Commission to start taking a more active role and she wondered if removing `regard' might make the language more active. There were concerns that opening the document for a change in verbiage might make it vulnerable to other changes that might limit the authority of the Commission and the Ombudsman Program. Ultimately, the consensus was that the word `regarded' was used because the Commission can affect the perception of people of age, but can not control the productivity level of each aging resident of Evanston. Members agreed on the value of assuming an advocacy role in assuring a positive perception of people of age. Ms. Flowers said that there were two primary things achieved by the ordinance., the establishment of the role and the responsibilities of the Commission and the establishment in local ordinance of the role and authority of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. Ms. Mullins asked a question relating to section F of the ordinance. She wondered whether the ombudsman had total access to Long Term Care facilities. Ms. Flowers stated that local, state and federal law provided the Ombudsman Program with 24-hour, seven day/week access to licensed long term care facilities. CITIZEN COMMENTS Julian Powers asked who seniors can call with specific questions about services available in the community. He mentioned the 7-page Evanston Commission on Aging Community Resource Guide. He felt that the guide alone didn't identify whether an agency provided the exact service one was seeking. He said that many of the agencies use an electronic telephone system, which isn't always easy to navigate. Ms. Hickman said that if you call the Civic Center, the switchboard should be able to connect him with the proper department. Ms. Flowers said that if he has a question regarding the right agency to call, he can call the Commission or Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services. Both agencies will attempt to connect him with the right agency or services. Ms. Seidman asked Ms. Thomas (Evanston Skokie Valley Senior Service Center) how there phone system works. Ms. Thomas briefly explained that her agency provides Community Care Assessments and Care Management services. She said that there are generally three or four people answering phones during office hours. It is rare to get the answering machine during office hours. They also try to return messages within 24-hours. Mary Pace had a question regarding the Beacon Hill project in Boston. She read an article on this program that includes the option of paying for needed services as well as subsidized programs for seniors living in the community. It serves a wide range of people, regardless of their income. She called the program to ask whether it was considered affordable housing and was told that it was not. She stated that the program started when a group of aging Bostonians decided that if they were going to stay in Boston, they would have to develop affordable programs that met the needs of aging 4 P ._ Minutes submitted —approved adults. The program has been covered in several publications including HARP and The New York Times. Ms. Pace is wondering if the Commission has considered their model in assessing the needs of Evanston's senior citizens. There website is httn://w«-%v.bcaconhiiivillacze.oru/. Ms. Hickman asked Ms. Seidman Iook into it as part of her role as Chair of the Housing Committee and to discuss it at a future meeting. Mr. Jourdain was interested in advice on assembling a tenant council at Jacob Blake Manor. Ms. Hickman said that the Commission will put it on their list for later discussion in depth. In response to a question from a tenant, tits. Flowers said that several of the subsidized senior housing buildings in Evanston have established tenant councils. She stated that while tenants can form councils that meet independent of building management, councils function most effectively when they establish a working relationship with building management. Mr. StrcitfeId mentioned that if an aging adult needs help leaming how to use a computer, they can go to seniomct.org to receive training. Mr. Weathers asked if the tenants had any problems such as security issues that they felt the Commission might be instrumental in helping with. One tenant mentioned that they recently had a presentation on safety issues that answered a lot of their safety questions at that time. They addressed safety questions relating to hall and front door monitoring, Ere alarms, proper evacuation and guests. Ms. Hickman told residents that it there ever is a situation where they feel that their concerns and complaints are not being responded to they can contact the Commission for advocacy on their behalf. However, she noted that they should always try to work through the proper channels first. Esther Williams Hays introduced herself to the Commission. She is the Social Service Coordinator for Jacob Blake Manor and an advocate for the residents. HUD created her position to serve as a liaison and advocate. She recently attended a conference in Nashville, TN where she attended a session on forming tenant councils. She has scheduled several meetings for the building for this month to discuss the role of tenant councils. Interpreters will be available to ensure that all residents understand the concept of tenant council, are equally informed and have a voice. Although tenants are not required to ask management for permission to form a tenant council Ms Flowers encouraged them to work with building management, in order to obtain assistance with resolving problems. Mr. Jourdain mentioned that there was a difference of opinion regarding fire safety after last week's safety meeting. There had been a question whether tenants should evacuate their apartments as instructed. Mr. Jourdain was told by the Fire Department that residents should stay in their rooms unless othenvise instructed. Ms. Hickman verified that information; from her CERT training she stated that smoke inhalation is the biggest risk during a fire. 5 Minutes submitted --approved CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman said that this is the first of four Commission meetings scheduled to be held in local facilities. She said that the Commission will return and that in the interim they should contact the Commission Office with any concerns or questions. Due to the time Ms. Hickman did not give a full report this meeting. STAFF REPORT Long -Term Care Ombudsmen Ms. Flowers stated that the City is hosting a city wide conference on crime February P which would be the date of the next scheduled Commission meeting. She asked whether the Commission might wish to reschedule the February Commission mcetiu to February 10`h. Ms. Yalo%vitz moved to postpone the February meeting to February 10 , and Ms. Laden seconded. Commission members voted unanimously to delay the meeting so that members could attend the crime discussion at Evanston Township High School. Ms. Flowers encouraged Commission and audience members to attend. As part of the CERT team, Ms. Hickman feels that Chicago is getting a lot of unfair bad press regarding its emergency preparedness. She doesn't feel that the City is as poorly prepared as they are being portrayed. She noted that Chicago will be receiving less emergency preparedness funding in the coming year. She mentioned the incident a few years ago, when a water mane burst and damaged gas lines in northern Evanston and mentioned how well the situation was handled. She mentioned that in the event of multiple fires, the city has partnerships with neighboring communities' fire departments. Ms. Flowers stated that she was appointed to the Department on Aging's Elder Self Neglect Steering Committee. This committee created in legislation that passed last year, amending the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act. The steering committee was created to establish consistent policies and procedures statewide for responding to cider self neglect or elders at risk. Ms. Flowers stated that she has been in contact with the Alzheimer's Association to discuss the possibility of offering training in Evanston for staff of long term care facilities. She noted that the majority of facility residents have dementia and that staff benefit from training on the specific care needs of these residents. She stated that residents who are resistant to care can prove particularly challenging to staff. She noted a recent increase in abuse allegations that appeared to be related to forced or rushed care. She discussed the process of investigating these complaints, including notification of the Evanston Police Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health. In one facility this past week Ms. Flowers provided an in-service on alternative approaches to care of persons with dementia. In the last meeting, the Commission expressed interest in providing support to the creation of Youth Services Department and Youth Commission. Ms. Flowers drafted a memo, on Ms. Hickman's behalf, using language from the last meeting. Ms. Hickman 6 Minutes submitted --approved expressed her support for the memo as written. Slie asked that Ms. Flowers add the word issues to one of the sentences —"It is the Commission's belief that the community will be well served by the availability of a commission to address the needs and ISSUES of the youth of Evanston." The memo will be submitted for inclusion in the next Human Service packet. Levy Senior Center Ms Ferraro was not present at the meeting. Ms. Seidman questioned the manner is which program schedule changes and cancellations arc communicated to members and asked for suggestions on how best to raise this concern with Center staff. Ms. Hickman stated that there is a disclaimer on the class schedule stating that a minimum number of registrations are required in order for Levy to be able to offer a class, due to expenses associated with the classes. Ms. Hickman reminded Ms .Seidman that she is the Commission liaison to the Levy Senior Center and recommended that she present this concern at the next advisory board meeting. OLD BUSINESS There were no outstanding issues. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Flowers state that the Civic Center will be the location of a Legislative Breakfast, sponsored by AgeOptions/Suburban Area Agency on Aging, on January 22'a from 9:00- 11:00 a.m. in room 2200 of the Civic Center. Ms, Laden asked what options were available to express concerns over the proposed cuts in the City's public health department. Ms. Flowers confirmed that the Budget workshops were open meetings and included the opportunity for public comment, Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 11:39 a.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 7 EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the February 10, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Susan Cherco, Gloria Combs, Caryn Diane Etkin, Mary Friedl, Carol Mullins, Victoria Pearlman, Fred Rakowsky, Frances Seidman, Frank Streitfeld, Louis Weathers, Nancy Yalowitz Guests: Pam Thomas (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services), Mary Pace, Katherine Kantner (Home Care of %Iidwcst Palliative Care), Laurie Clark (Jane Adams Senior Caucus) Staff- Jay Terry, Nancy Flowers, Casey Solomon, Amanda Jones APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes for the January 6, 2007 meeting were approved without correction. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Hickman welcomed the guests and asked them to introduce themselves. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz summarized the January 10, 2007 Long Term Care Committee meeting. She stated the Committee now has ten members. Ms. Flowers discussed the Ombudsman volunteer program at the meeting. Ms. Flowers described the role of ombudsman volunteers and the training program. During the training, volunteers learn about long term care facilities, resident care issues and resident rights, and the role of the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Ombudsman Program in complaint investigation and resolution. Committee members expressed interest in going through the training, so on January 271h Ms. Flowers provided the first of two 6-hour training sessions for 10 people. Some of the attendees were just interested in the information but several will complete the training and become certified as Ombudsman Volunteers. Ms. Yalowitz brought in an article regarding Senior Centers that are part of senior housing buildings and open to the local community. The article discussed a program in Pennsylvania but Ms. Yalowitz stated that she believes that at least one senior housing building in Chicago has a senior center operating on site. Ms. Yalowitz described a program that recycles used mobile phones, programs them to call 911 only, and distributes them to low income seniors. She had heard about a similar program that was offered in Naperville. Ms. Flowers stated that the Cook County Sheriff's office offers a similar program. Ms. Hickman stated that there is a drop-off box at the Levy Center where people leave their old cell phones. Ms. Flowers noted that SBC distributed cell phones to interested citizens when a telephone line was cut, Minutes submitted —approved disrupting service at a senior housing building and throughout several neighborhoods. . Information on the program is posted on the City website and has been featured in Highlights in the past. Ms. Yalowitz stated that five Committee members, Ms. Flowers, Ms. Lindley and the two Commission on Aging interns, made a site visit to Alden Estates of Evanston. Ms. Yalowitz said it was a very interesting and informative visit. There arc plans to have additional visits to other Evanston facilities. Project planning is underway to schedule a condensed version of Long Term Care 101 as an evening program at the Evanston Public Library. Committee members hope to attract adult children as well as seniors. Ms. Yalowitz stated that there was also discussion about the use of Civil Monetary Penalty funds, which Ms. Flowers will discuss in her report. Ms. Yalowitz noted that membership on the Long Tenn Care Committee is open to the public and people are encouraged to attend. Due to Valentines Day, the February meeting will be held on the 21', instead of the 14`h. Ms. Hickman announced that a seminar, Powerful Tools for Caregivers, is being offered for primary care givers. The seminar will offer resources and techniques to enable caregivers to tend to themselves, as well as the person they arc helping. She said that information on the seminar was included in a recent email from Ms. Flowers. Ms. Thomas of Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, the sponsor of the seminar, said that she believes the 8 week series begins March 7. The program will feature many helpful workshops. Ms. Hickman also described the Email newsletter sent by Donna Stuckert from the City. Ms. Hickman encouraged Commission members to subscribe to the newsletter as it is a good way to keep informed of the various programs being offered in the community. Housing Ms. Seidman said there are some interesting things happening regarding housing in Evanston. On February 22, at 11:30 A.M. the League of Women Voters is hosting a meeting at GIO Restaurant on Affordable Housing: an Issue for Everyone. One of the scheduled speakers is Karen Singer, the Executive Director of YWCA and a member of the Evanston Community Foundation, and Paul Celdon. Connections for the Homeless. There is a S 15 charge for the lunch meeting. The Roots to Fruit program gave a grant to the Citizens Lighthouse Community Land Trust. The Land Trust activities are not targeted specifically to seniors but Ms. Seidman believes that all will benefit if there is activity on the affordable housing front. She noted that there was an article in the Chicago Tribune on February 9`h, which mentioned an affordable housing program offered in Glencoe and Wilmette. She noted that the communities are also considering the land trust concept, which Ms. Seidman finds very exciting. Ms. Seidman stated that she is now on the board of the Citizens Lighthouse 2 Minutes submitted —approved Land Trust, which is interviewing for a part-time Executive Director, having recently received funding for that position. Ms. Seidman hopes to schedule a Housing Committee meeting in the near future. Mr. Strietfeld and Mr. Weathers expressed interest in joining the Committee. She is hopeful that other Commission members will also participate in the Committee. Ms. Seidman discussed the Beacon Hill Village community model that Mary Pace brought before the Commission at the January meeting. She said that it sounds like a wonderful community, but expressed her belief that it was not a realistic option for Evanston, at this time. She noted that Beacon Hill was able to rely on the support of Harvard University and that participants appeared to be from a fairly affluent community, Evanston is struggling to maintain a balanced budget. The programs offered through Beacon Hill require professional staff, which requires money. Ms. Seidman thought it sounded like a wonderful program and would be very interested if Northwestern University were to offer to support such a program locally. Mr. Streitfeld asked about contacting the University to see if they would be interested, and asked whom one would contact. Ms. Seidman recommended contacting the Community Liaison, Lucille Krasnow. Ms. Hickman stated that University President Bingham is scheduled to present a State of the University speech, which is open to the community, and will feature a question and answer portion. She didn't have the precise information with her, but would forward it to the group. Ms. Pearlman said that she knows that the University does have some community programs and outreach services. She doesn't know if they would be interested in such a large program, but thought they might be willing to assist with something on a smaller scale, maybe a program run by students who can earn credit hours for their services. Ms. Pace noted that a project of this scale would require the aid and financial resources of outside agencies. She noted that the informational book sold on their web site costs S300. Ms. Pace is extremely interested in the Beacon Hill program and is willing to attend its annual conference or assist in any way she can to establish a similar program in Evanston. Ms. Yaiowitz said there are already services available through local agencies to enable seniors to live at home (i.e. Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services homemaker and case management services, the Commission on Aging's Handyman and Subsidized Taxicab Program and Faith in Action's transportation program). Ms. Yalowitz thinks that this type of program might have implications for Evanston seniors, where many are real estate rich and cash poor. tits. Yalowitz stated that the program might help Evanston maintain its middle -income aging adult demographic, which has started to migrate to more affordable communities in recent years. Ms. Mullins was curious whether there are any government grants available to support the establishment of a similar program. Ms. Hickman thought that the Beacon Hill model merited further investigation and asked Ms. Seidman and members of Housing Committee to obtain additional information on the program. Ms. Friedl suggested that Ms. Pace join the Housing Committee and work on this special project, given her passion for the model. 3 Minutes submitted -'—approved lntergeuerational The members of the Intergenerational Committee were not present, so there was no discussion. PROPOSED SENIOR ONLY DEINGNATION OF HOUSING AUTHORITY OF COOK COUNTY FACILITIES Ms. Flowers summarized the history of a Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) request to HUD that the buildings they manage be designated senior only. She noted that this request was made after HACC held meetings with building tenants and discussions with community agencies, elected officials and City staff. Locally, the designation would affect Walchirk (2300 Noyes Ct.) and Perlman (1900 Sherman) Apartments. The Housing Authority of Cook County is currently considering designating some buildings all ages and others senior only. She noted that HACC has expressed a commitment to a more stringent screening process, including a criminal background check. Ms. Hickman asked whether City government might be able to provide a second tier screening process, which Mr. Terry said they cannot. Ms. Flowers stated that not all building issues are caused by tenants. She noted that younger visitors to the buildings have been identified as the cause of problems on occasion. She noted that some residents have been faced with the difficult decision of asking their adult children or grandchildren to move out of their apartment when building management receives complaints about their behavior and bans them from the building. In some cases the resident has been evicted because they were unable to make their relative leave the apartment. Mr. Terry asked Ms. Jones and Ms. Flowers, whether there is a comprehensive Iist of all incidents that happen in a building. Ms. Jones said there arc records on all police reports, though they aren't necessarily compiled by building. She said the majority of serious crime calls received by the police involve younger residents, in most cases those individuals have exhibited criminal behavior prior to admission to the building. It is very difficult to have a problem resident removed, once in a building. She thinks the best solution is for the County to improve their screening process. Mr. Terry said elected officials find themselves caught between advocates for seniors on one side, and advocates for people with disabilities on the other. He doesn't think the HUD change will occur without significant input from elected officials. Ms. Jones mentioned a case where a convicted sex offender omitted his convictions from his housing application, was taped perpetrating a criminal act, and asked to leave the building, only to be given a voucher to move to a different HACC housing building. Regardless of age or disability, Ms. Jones expressed her belief that the screening process must be improved to protect residents, Ms. Flowers underscored that not all younger residents arc problematic. Serving this array of people appropriately is very complicated. She said the residents of the local HACC buildings expressed their beliefs in several public meetings that senior only housing was the best solution. 4 1liinutes submitted —approved SITE VISIT TO JACOB BLAKE MANOR his. Hickman asked Commission members for feedback on the January meeting held at Jacob Blake Manor. She said that the Commission will be visiting other buildings in coming months and she wanted to know what people thought might be useful to improve the site visits. Ms. Cherco had hoped that the Commission would have provided more of an opportunity for building residents to express their concerns to the Commission. She stated that she didn't feel that she learned a lot about Jacob Blake Manor or the concerns of its residents. Ms. Seidman thought a tour of the building might have been helpful. She wondered whether residents were aware of the meeting being held at their facility and how informed they are about the Commission on Aging. Ms. Hickman was not sure how the meeting was presented but said that signs were posted on the bulletin board in the building. Ms. Flowers reported that she met with a number of tenants in November, when they first started discussing creating a tenant council. At that time, she had given them information about the COA and mentioned the upcoming meeting. Mr. Rakowsky asked whether it might be possible for COA members to observe their tenant council meetings. Ms. Hickman said yes, she thought it would be good for COA members to sit in on one of these meetings once they have their council in place. There were questions about the relationship of the church and the building. Ms. Jones said that the church owns the building and receives HUD funding. Reverend Thomas acts as site manager and Esther Williams -Hayes is the HUD appointed Social Worker. It was noted that Reverend Thomas had moved to a parish in Milwaukee. Mr. Terry explained that the Church doesn't actually own the building, but formed a non-profit housing corporation which oversees the buildings and staff. CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman thanked those who attended the informative February Yd Community Safety Forum. She said the Commission was well represented. Alderman Holmes coordinated the event with the support of both school districts and Northwestern. There were representatives from ever part of Evanston. She stated that some of the conclusions coming out of the meeting were the importance of creating a Youth Commission, the importance of educational goals and vocational skills for community residents and the need for overall community involvement. Guest speaker Reverend Dr. Michael P(leger from St. Sabina Church did an excellent jab presenting. Ms. Hickman particularly enjoyed the scenario he described regarding the drug dealers who were operating in the open. even during the day. He had suggested that residents make themselves available to monitor neighborhood activities and write down the license plate numbers of people buying drugs. Five residents volunteered to do so, one of which was a 72-years old. Over time, they were able to rid their neighborhood of the drug dealing. Ms. Hickman distributed copies of the Commission on Aging Pamphlet for members to share with the community. She thought that making people aware of the COA and its function might help the Commission to better assist older adults and increase public safety. 5 Minutes submitted —approved Mr. Streitfeld volunteered to send letters to the editor's of the Roundtable and Review, to spread word of the Commission of Aging. Ms. Hickman told him to draft something and send it to Ms. Flowers and herself. Ms. Hickman stated that she had become aware of a local senior housing building that had experienced heating issues earlier this week. She has since learned that City staff were doing what they could to ensure the safety of the residents and that a boiler was being replaced. She recommended that members encourage seniors living in buildings with insufficient heat to seek shelter in public buildings such as Levy Senior Center or Robert Crown while their building rectifies the problem. If transportation is an issue, the senior should contact the City which can arrange transportation in an emergency. She also became aware of some issues regarding the quality of food at one of the local housing buildings. The proper authority is looking into the matter. If you know of a similar situation, please let staff know. STAFF REPORT Director of Health and Human Services Mr. Tent' was happy to be able to make the meeting and said that it was the first Saturday of the year without a Budget Meeting. He stated that the City Budget has not yet been adopted. it is on the agenda for Monday night's City Council meeting, but it is not clear whether it will be adopted at this meeting. The City must adopt a budget before March 1. He noted that there still appear to be a few issues to be discussed. Mr. Terry has been working very hard to transition health services to a variety of community agencies and institutions. Mr. Terry offered to answer any questions regarding the transition of health services. Mr. Terry stated that there was an article in the Chicago Tribune which noted that pipes had burst in many buildings throughout the area due to the extreme cold snap that occurred without much snow on the ground to provide a natural insulation. As a consequence, this week the City has been dealing with the evacuation of several restaurants, the Best Western Hotel, and the senior housing building that Ms. Hickman mentioned. Ms. Flowers and Property Standards .vere working with the staff and residents of this building all week. He stated that it has been staff's experience that in most cases, building residents are reluctant to leave their homes to go to a shelter. The City advises people to go to the Robert Crown Center because it is open the latest of all public buildings. He stated that staff try to monitor these situations very closely to determine how and when to intervene to maintain resident safety. Indirectly related to the Beacon Hill concept, fir. Terry noted that the City tries to be very sensitive to the changes in the community. One change that he recently noted relates to the Special Business Taxing District---EVN1ARK. Businesses in the district pay higher taxes, and receive snow shoveling, planters on the street, sweeping and other services beyond the norm. The district needs to be re -authorized every few years. The area now includes many condos and a number of the older adults living in that area are challenging the re -authorization. 0 h'Iinutes submitted —approved Ms. Seidman asked whether it is possible that March I` will come and that alternatives to the clinical ser,. ices currently provided by the Health Department will not be available. Mr. Terry explained that, due to state grant funding, the deadline for the transition of health care scr% ices is June 30. He thinks that by the end of June the Department will have a good transition plan for all services. Long Term Care Ombudsman Mr. Rakowsky mentioned a large building in Chicago that had been evacuated due to burst pipes. He had heard the Chicago fire department told those residents that they had to get out and didn't give them any alternatives. Ms. Flowers summarized the situation in the local senior housing building that lost heat and experienced broken water pipes. Ms Flowers was contacted by building staff on Monday when the boiler went out. She reported that building staff did door-to-door checks twice a day. Building staff offered tenants the option of relocation, which no one accepted. Building staff heated the lobby and hallways to 70-75 degrees and provided at least one space heater to each resident. Ms. Flowers and other City staff made calls and visits to tenants —the consensus was that things were tolerable and tenants didn't want to leave. Mr. Terry mentioned an incident where, due to power outages downtown, North Shore Hotel had to be evacuated twice between 1995 and 1996. He stated that the City is familiar with evacuation procedures. The declaration that a building is uninhabitable is usually made by the Community Development Department but can be made by the Fire Department, the Director of Health and Human Services, and under certain circumstances, the Police Department. Ms. Flowers stated that the Levy Center bus routinely stops a couple of times a day at each subsidized senior housing building. During the boiler problem staff offered warm beverages in the lobby area and encouraged people to go to public buildings to warm themselves. In addition to the heat loss in the subsidized senior housing building, two nursing facilities, Three Crowns and St. Francis Nursing and Rehabilitation experienced heat loss for portions of one to two days. Both worked closely with City staff and monitored residents to make certain that were comfortable. St. Francis Nursing and Rehabilitation had arranged to transfer its residents to St. Francis Hospital in the event that evacuation became necessary. She noted that Primm Tower was also briefly without heat. At least one individual was displaced from her home when her furnace went out. Ms. Flowers warned that isolated seniors are at the greatest risk during times of extreme temperatures. She noted that many of these isolated seniors are reluctant to accept assistance from others. Of en these individuals aren't identified as needing assistance until they mane contact with a neighbor who then calls the City with their concerns. She stated that currently no agency is funded or equipped to deal with the level of intervention that these individuals require. Ms. Flowers stated that she has been appointed to the Department on Aging's Eider Self Neglect Steering Committee which was established to develop policies and procedures to respond to seniors with these needs. 7 Minutes submitted —approved Ms. Flowers distributed a packet of information from a Legislative Breakfast, which was co -sponsored by the Commission and Age Options and held at the Civic Center in January. There was discussion on a number of issues at the meeting including additional funding for the Ombudsman Program and retention of the Civil Monetary Penalty Funds. She also included information on a Housing Preservation Meeting co -sponsored by the City and a number of local agencies. The events will include presentations by representatives from local banks, the Legal Assistance Foundation, Interfaith Housing Center and City staff on the Housing Rehab and Handyman Programs. Ms. Flowers discussed an upcoming forum on the use of Nurse Delegation and Medication Technicians in Illinois, which was discussed briefly last year. The forum will be held Tuesday, February 13, 2007 at UIC School of Public Health. The discussion will focus on the use of Medication Techs in the community and will include the training and assessment needed to prepare a home care provider to pass medications. Ms. Mullins mentioned that some of her clients have been placed in nursing homes solely because they are unable to keep up with their mods. The forum discussion will feature information on how others states are handling the issue and include a representative from the Illinois Nurses Association. Ms. Mullins asked, if given the need for more nurses there are any incentives being offered to grow the field. Ms. Flowers said that there is an initiative to increase the number of scholarships for nursing programs. Senior Crime Prevention Specialist Ms. Jones mentioned a new scam, where people, purporting to be with an agency that supports the Police Force, call to ask for donations. Often times they are very aggressive and become nasty when they are declined. Ms. Jones asked that people not send money but let her know if they receive these types of calls. There has been a high incidence of lock bumping recently. Lock bumping refers to a perpetrator using keys that are not designed to fit a lock, striking them with a tool and opening a lock. In general it is easy to do with cheaper model locks. The best prevention is replacing old locks with a sturdy one, such as those manufactured by Schlaeg and Medco. Ms. Jones described a recent incident in which a couple, who had been home all day, discovered a person standing in their living room. The person claimed they were looking for the name of someone who did not reside in the home and left quickly. She noted that it is very easy for someone to walk into an open house and snatch a purse, wallet or keys. She recommended that Commission members be careful when dealing with door to door sales people. Always keep doors locked, when you are home or away. to avoid intruders. Criminals are using the new carbon monoxide detector requirement as a guise to gain entry to and rob homes. Ms. Jones stated that no one should admit anyone purporting to be a handyman unless they have called them to schedule those installations. If someone shows up at a resident's door claiming to be with the City, they should be asked for their identification. If Commission members have questions on the new guidelines, call Ms. Jones at the Police Station or Bob Nelson at the Fire Dept. On a related note, smoke Minutes submitted —approved alarms for hearing impaired seniors are still available for those that meet the medical and financial guidelines. There is a trend of people going door to door claiming that they are selling magazine subscriptions as part of a fund raising campaign. She recommended that seniors be cautious when someone comes to their door trying to sell anything. She suggested that the senior ask to see vendor licenses from the City. Often times the literature they carry will list different products than they are peddling or their story does not match -up. Be careful about giving these people your money, credit card or even a check. Ms. Hickman reminded the group about the Intergenerational Dinner Dance being held at Northwestern. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Streitfeld had a couple of outstanding concerns. He asked about the Levy Center presence at Commission meetings. Ms. Hickman told him that the Manager, Ms. Ferraro, attends every other COA meeting, Ms. Seidman attends their Advisory Board Meetings and Ms. Hickman is on their Life Enrichment Board. He also asked why there was no discussion at today's meeting regarding the intergenerational walk. Ms. Hickman reminded him that Ms. Smith, Ms. Laden, nor Ms. Hadden were in attendance. He was wondering what type of involvement Commission would have with the Youth Commission. Ms. Yalowitz said that the group had expressed support for the formation of the Youth Commission but had not planned any kind of active role with the Commission's activities. NEW BUSINESS Laurie Clark of the Jane Addams Senior Caucus asked to present legislation on senior parity for the Department on Aging homemaker program. The Jane Addams Senior Caucus is an organization of older adults in the Chicago area concerned with social justice issues that affect older adults. They are working on issues such as affordable housing; how to link social services with residents of buildings; and how to create a community care program that lives out the mission of avoiding unnecessary institutionalization of seniors. ;Members are frustrated by the fact that many senior services seem to only be accessible during usual business hours during the work week, and dissatisfied that homemaker services are limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week. Additionally the program does not include personal services such as bathing. The group wants to avoid older adults leaving their home for nursing homes, simply because they need assistance with bathing and other personal services. Representative Sarah Feigenholtz is the Chief sponsor of HB 652, legislation to increase the number of hours and type of care available to seniors in the community. The Jane Addams Senior Caucus worked with the Loyola Elder Law Clinic, to develop legislation to improve the Community Care Program. The Caucus is working to ensure that seniors have access to the appropriate hours of service for their needs, services are available 24/7, Z Minutes submitted --approved the program is expanded to include personal care and to increase the service cost maximum. There is currently a large discrepancy between the maximum services available to seniors as compared to people under the age of 60 with disabilities. HB 652 will bring service cost ceilings for aging adults to the same level as those available to people with disabilities. The first hearing is scheduled for Thursday, February 161h. Ms. Clark asked that the Commission support the initiative and asked that Members contact Senator Schoenberg to ask him to support the bill. The Jane Addams Senior Caucus found that the increase in services will cost approximately S 17.5 million a year. It is anticipated that this increase «'ill be offset by the anticipated number of seniors that will be able to defer of delay nursing home placement. Ms. Hickman motioned that the Commission support HB 652. There was consensus of the Commission to support the initiative and to take necessary steps to let their legislators know that they support the legislation. ADJOURMMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:28 am. The next meeting will be held on March 10, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. The next meeting of the Long Term Care Committee will be held on March 10 at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 10 EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the March 10, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins(Vice Chair), Mary Friedl (Secretary), Fred Rakowsky, Nancy Yalowitz, Louis Weathers, Frank Streitfeld, Gloria Bernard, Susan Cherco, Frances Seidman, Gloria Combs Guests: Rita Sheinin (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services), Mary Pace, Jacqueline Cody, Deon Jones (Family Focus) Staff: Nancy Flowers, Amanda Jones, Casey Solomon, APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes for the February 10, 2007 were approved with corrections. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Hickman welcomed the guests and asked them to introduce themselves. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz discussed the February 21" Long Term Care Committee. The meeting was held a week later than usual due to Valentines Day. The March meeting will be held on schedule, on Wednesday, March 141h at 7 p.m. The committee continues planning for a condensed version of the Long Term Care 101 Seminar. In addition, Ms. Flowers discussed plans for a seminar on community resources that will be offered to long term care facility and hospital discharge planners, and is tentatively scheduled for May 2"d at the Civic Center. In addition the Committee discussed the Department on Aging budget, the proposed increase in Ombudsman funding in the State's budget, and the program's continued receipt of Civil Monetary Funds in FY 2008. Ms. Flowers summarized legislation introduced this session on aging and long term care related issues, including HB 1301 that amends the Illinois Act on Aging to allow Ombudsmen to serve persons of all ages living in long term care facilities. Ms. Yalowitz stated the Committee plans to invite a representative of Mather LifeWays to a future meeting to discuss the status of the 425 Davis building. The Committee is also discussing offering a seminar on Long Term Care Insurance. Mr. Streitfeld mentioned that AARP has a Long Term Care Insurance Program. his. Yalowitz stated that the Committee wants to find a speaker who does not sell insurance, to offer a neutral presentation on the merits of Long Term Care Insurance. Ms. Flowers is exploring speaker options with the Illinois Department on Aging and AgeOptions/Suburban Area Agency on Aging. She will also contact Consumer Reports, which had published an interesting article about LTC Insurance. Ms. Yalowitz stated that the Committee is committed to educating older adults in the community about available resources. Minutes submitted —approved Housing Ms. Seidman stated that the Committee plans to meet on March 22"d. Mr. Weathers, Mr. Rakowsky and Ms. Pace agreed to meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Civic Center on that date. Ms. Seidman said that the Committee has had a difficult time deciding where to take the issue of housing. Her term on the Commission is about to end. She is involved in several other housing related committees and will continue to work on the development of affordable housing in Evanston. She stated that the Commission will need to identify a member who can assume the role of Chair for the Housing Committee, once her term is completed. Ms. Seidman questioned whether the Long Term Care Committee might have some input regarding what the community would benefit from in terms of a housing program. Ms. Yalowitz recommended sending a representative to the Housing Commission and other meetings on housing. Ms. Seidman agreed and said the first step is to assess what direction the community wants to take senior housing: additional affordable housing, community based services Iike those provided through the Beacon Hill program in Massachusetts or congregate senior apartments. She said that she is interested in the types of affordable housing options being developed in Wilmette, Glencoe and Highland Park. Mr. Weathers said he attended an open house for Reba Condos. This not -for -profit organization is working to build affordable condos for families. These condos are designed for families of four to five, not for seniors. He also stated that there are a few non -profits working on affordable family housing but that there is not a lot being done for seniors. Mr. Rakowsky discussed the need for a definition of senior housing. Ms. Hickman stated that the needs of aging adult home owners who are experiencing difficulty physically and financially managing their homes are being overlooked. She noted that the Interfaith Housing Center has a shared -housing program that brings individuals seeking to rent a portion of their home together with individual of all ages who seek an affordable housing option. Ms. Hickman recommended that the Housing Committee be eliminated and that the Commission on Aging assign a Liaison to the Housing Commission. Ms. Frieda stated that she was reluctant to eliminate the Committee. She recommended that the Commission table this suggestion until the Housing Committee has a chance to meet and discuss a future course of action. Intergenerational There were no members of the Committee at the meeting. Mr. Dunlap, who works for Family Focus and teaches 7`h and 8th graders as part of the after school education program, presented some of his ideas regarding intergenerational activities. Mr. Dunlap discussed ways to establish relationships between the younger generation and seniors that would eliminate the strain and misunderstanding between the generations, One option included youth assisting seniors with odd jobs. He sees the potential to foster understanding by working together, as well as a possibility for the elders to share some of their wisdom and guidance. He was open to different avenues that youth could aid 2 Minutes submitted —approved seniors. Ms. Flowers told Mr. Dunlap that the Commission recruits volunteers of all ages to assist seniors with yard work including leaf raking and shoveling. She noted that students have historically played an important part in this volunteer program. Mr. Dunlap said that it is very important to him that youth get an opportunity to understand the history, knowledge and values of community seniors. He feels that modern youth are not aware of some of the things older adults have lived through both historically and personally. He is hopeful that knowledge might breed understanding, mutual respect and even have a reduction impact on crime and behavioral issues. Mr. Dunlap stated that he would contact Ms. Flowers to discuss future options for partnership. Ms. Hickman reported that she attended the 5`h annual Northwestern University Senior Gala. For the past rive years, the University has invited seniors from the community to dine, dance and socialize with students. She said that it was a very nice affair, though not as well attended as in previous years. She attributes the poor attendance to the way that the event is promoted. The event flyers invite people to the "Senior Gala," which many may infer to mean the graduating class of the University. Ms. Hickman suggested the Commission consider co-sponsor the event to make it apparent that it was for older adults. She made it clear that she did not intend that the Commission staff the event or offer financial support, only that it visibly endorses the event. Ms. Yalowitz moved, and Ms. Mullins seconded, a motion to proceed in whatever fashion necessary to express interest to the University to cosponsor the NU Senior Gala. The group adopted the suggestion to sponsor the dance and attach their name to it next year. CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman noted that Easter falls on April Wh and questioned whether Commission members wished to meet on April 7`h, the Commission's regularly scheduled meeting date or reschedule for the 15"'. The Commission decided to meet on April 7. Community Safety Initiative A few Commission Members attended the follow-up community meeting, Partnering for a Safer Evanston. Ms. Seidman gave a brief overview of the meeting. She expressed her hope that something good comes out of the discussion. Ms. Seidman stated that this meeting was not as well attended as the initial meeting but there was a decent turn out. People provided various suggestions on how to strengthen the sense of community and reduce the level of crime in Evanston. Some of the common suggestions included: become more involved in the community, start doing community work, form block clubs and neighborhood watch groups, and promote outreach to at risk individuals of all ages. The consensus was that getting back to a more tightly knit and involved community might be the best solution to decreasing came. She said it will be very interesting to see what happens. Ms. Friedl felt that there were many good points made on the day. She noted that attendees broke into sub -groups to discuss some of the ideas brainstormed earlier and developed time frames for implementing the various strategies. Discussion included possible reasons for a drop off in attendance from the First to the second 3 Minutes submitted —approved meeting. Ms. Hickman noted that a lot of the people who attended arc already working to improve the community. Ms. Flowers noted that this second meeting enabled the break out groups to brainstorm and refine the broad categories identified in January meeting. Ms. Friedl felt that there was too much focus on the Youth Commission as a solution to crime. She felt that the Youth Commission will be a valuable asset but is not necessarily going to be the solution to the crime problem. Ms. Hickman said it was important that seniors were represented in the discussion. STAFF REPORT Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers stated that she is working with subsidized senior housing buildings, the 2040 Brown building and local pharmacies to ensure that each building has a flu clinic this fall. In addition she is working with the staff of the Levy Senior Center on a community wide flu clinic. She noted that Dominic's Corporate Pharmacy has offered to provide this service in the senior housing buildings and at the Levy Senior Center, billing to Medicare for both the flu and pneumonia vaccines as in past years. Another initiative, which she has been trying to negotiate with the Department of Human Services for the past year, entails providing food vouchers for seniors and WIC recipients to be used at the Evanston Farmers Market. This program would involve a partnership with AgeOptions/Suburban Area Agency on Aging and CEDA/Neighbors at Work. She is awaiting approval from the State before the City can offer vouchers to seniors and families on the WIC program. The program provides eligible seniors with $21 in coupons; WIC recipients receive S15 in coupons. Ms. Flowers presented an overview of the Illinois Department of Aging Budget. She noted that the Department of Aging budget includes an increase of S450,000 in General Revenue Funds for the Ombudsman Program, in addition to the current S391,000 the program receives. Ombudsman program staff has been told that the program will continue to receive S750,000 in Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) Funds. She noted that the Director of the Department of Aging, several legislators and organizations within the aging network have been working closely with the Illinois Association of Long Term Care Ombudsmen to support an increase in funding for the program. Nis. Flowers discussed the rationale for the budget request for increased funding including; anticipated loss of CMP funds in future years, expansion of the program into assisted living and supportive living facilities without additional funding, and program expansion to serve residents under 60 outside of Cook County. Ms. Mullins noted that while there was an increase of S450,000, she understood that the initial request was for an increase in funding of S3.8 million. The Illinois Association of Long Term Care Ombudsmen and the University of Illinois Institute for Health and Aging will jointly sponsor an event in Springfield on March 13"' to present the results of a study on the Illinois Lang Term Care Ombudsmen program. 4 Minutes submitted —approved Ms. Flowers distributed a letter she received from Gail Scheeler, Executive Director of Interfaith Housing Center requesting that the Aging Well Conference Planning Committee, of which Ms. Flowers is a member, consider moving this year's conference to another location. In her letter Ms. Schechter expressed her belief that the King Home, the site of the conference, may be in violation of the Fair Housing Act, as it is a men only facility. Ms. Flowers described the history of the conference and of the King Home. She noted that the King Home, now a pan of the Presbyterian Homes, was established 75- years ago as a facility for men. She noted that an endowment supports a significant number of the men living in the facility, who would otherwise be unable to afford to live in this type of facility. She stated that Dave Benni, the Executive Director of the King Home and of 1020 Grove, is also responsible for the administration of the Presbyterian Homes' affordable housing programs in Chicago and Lake Forest. The King Home is part of the Presbyterian Homes; Westminster Place, Lake Forest Place, the Moorings and 1020 Grove accept female and male applicants. While the King Home limits admission to male applicants, the facility has admitted women to its health care center on a short term basis. In addition to contacting Ms. Flowers, Ms. Schechter spoke with Margaret Gergen, co-chair of the Aging Well conference about her request to move the conference. Ms. Flowers and Ms. Cherco stated that the Planning Committee will discuss this request at its March 15'h meeting. Ms. Flowers noted that the King Home receives no public funds to care for its residents. She stated that Ms. Schechter met with Mr. Benni to discuss her concerns and to express her hope that the facility would consider expanding its mission to include women. Commission members requested that Ms. Flowers and Ms. Cherco share the results of the discussion of the March 151h Aging Well Conference Planning meeting. Legislation Ms. Flowers provided information on several relevant pieces of legislation currently under consideration. House Bill 1301 would permit the Ombudsman Program to assist long term care facility residents of all ages. The legislation would also require Ombudsmen to serve residents under the age of 18, a population the program currently does not serve. The Evanston Ombudsman program, as well as the ombudsman programs for the City of Chicago and the Legal Assistance Foundation, currently serves facility residents under the age of 60. House Bill 3508 establishes a website that provides information about Illinois long term care facilities including information regarding licensure and violations. Ms. Flowers noted that this bill is supported by the Attorney General's Office. While this is perceived to be a potentially useful tool for consumers, there are concerns regarding the funding required to implement and maintain the program. Four bills have been introduced regarding the Personal Needs Allowance. Of these, Senate Bill 1497 proposes an increase to S90/month. The bill has made it through the Senate Human Services Committee. House Bill 618 proposes to use the Tobacco settlement fund and would increase the Personal Needs Allowance to S50, from the current 530. M Minutes submitted --approved House Bill 652 would pro%ide persons age 60 and over who are eligible for the Community Care Program access to the same amount of care as provided through the Department of Human Senices for persons under the age of60. This is the legislation that the Jane Addams Senior Caucus requested the Commission's support for. Ms. Flowers will bring updates on this and other legislation to future meetings. Mr. Strcitfcld asked what the term "alternative care," mentioned on page 7 of the legislative handout referred to. Ms. Flowers said that it is a new initiative through the Department on Aging that provides funding for additional community based services to support seniors who wish to remain in their homes. The Department on Aging has requested additional funds to cover the cost of items such as adaptive devices, medication reminders, after hour's services and other things that would allow a person to remain at home or return home from a facility. Under the new model, people would not be required to be recipients of the Community Care Program to obtain services. Senior Crime Prevention Specialist Ms. Jones handed out a paper that described various types of scams. She noted that scams are targeted at persons of all ages. She stated that types of scams include fraudulent dunning letters from credit card companies, or calls from companies that people use saying that they owe money when they do not. She cautioned Commission members to be aware that cell phone cameras and hand scanners can be used to acquire credit card numbers. Additionally, she encouraged members to only use credit cards on- line when the secure padlock is displayed. Ms. Hickman said that a secure site will display as https and not just http. Ms. Jones said that even when the credit card company determines that the card user is not responsible for the fraudulent charges there is much aggravation involved in resolving charges from a stolen credit card or number. Ms. Hickman stated that many retailers will print the name of the store and the check amount on your check, requiring a signature only, which reduces the time that your check's account numbers are exposed. She also suggested using our debit card as credit card and signing instead of using your PIN to reduce vulnerability. Beware of the fishing a -mails that ask for reconfirmation of information from service providers. Generally a legitimate service provider will not a -mail you regarding those issues. Ms. Friedl received high bills from a credit card that she never authorized. Ms. Jones said that there have been a lot of similar cases recently. Ms. Jones mentioned a scam perpetrated on a person with a developmental disability. A person knocked on their door in the early morning and said they were with the police and proceeded to ask for money. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Rakowsky circulated an AARP article on Beacon Hill. He expressed his belief that this type of program is the future. It is a way for people to stay and thrive in the home. 6 Aiinutes submitted ---approved Ms. Hickman asked that the Commission allow the Housing Committee to research the Beacon Hill model. Mr. Streitfeld reminded the group that in January he had volunteered to send letters to Roundtable and Evanston Review to publicize the Commission and its efforts. He plans to send those out this week. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Yalowitz received something promoting a Sunday, March 18a' program, sponsored by Interfaith Action of Evanston, on the topic of Spirituality and Aging. The program is being held at Mather Place at the Georgian and will feature panelists on Buddhism, Bahai, Christianity, Christian Science, Judaism and Islam. Mayor Morton will moderate the discussion. Ms. Hickman said that there is a new website called EVANSTON NOW (www.evanstonnow.com{. The site provides a lot of updated information on the City and events taking; place in it. It is a project of Bill Flynn of the Roundtable. ADJOURMMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:34 a.m. The next meeting will be held Saturday, April 7, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. at the Civic Center. The Long Term Care Committee will meet on Thursday, March 14, 2007 at 7 p.m. The next meeting of the Housing Committee will be held Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 4 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 7 EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the April 7. 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins(Vice Chair), Mary Friedl (Secretary), Fred Rakowsky, Nancy Yalowitz, Frank Streitfeld, Caryn Diane Etkin, Frances Seidman, Susan Cherco, Blair Laden Guests: Jack McFadden, Pam Thomas (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services), Justine Rizinger (Northwestern journalism student) Staff: Nancy Flowers, Christina Ferraro, Amanda Jones, David Braden, Casey Solomon APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes for the March 10, 2007 were approved with a minor correction. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Hickman welcomed the guests and asked them to introduce themselves. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz talked about the March 14, Long Term Care Committee meeting. She reminded the Commission that the Long Term Care Committee has an educational mission this year and is planning several seminars. The Committee continued planning for a condensed version of Long Term Care 101 which will be offered at the Evanston Public Library and at the Fleetwood Jourdain Center. The Committee is planning a Long Term Care Insurance seminar, in the fall, and is working to find a neutral party to present. Ms. Flowers discussed the status of several pieces of legislation affecting seniors and persons in long term care facilities at the meeting. Ms. Flowers discussed the status of the four bills to increase the Personal Needs Allowance for nursing home residents on Medicaid, including one proposing the use of tobacco settlement funds to fund an increase in the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) to S50/month. The Committee discussed Hospice care in assisted living; facilities. One of the main issues faced by hospice patients living in facilities is medicine distribution on a PRN or "as -needed -basis." The Committee discussed future facility site visits and a visit from staff of Mather LifeWays to discuss the status of Phase One of the Mathcr development. Ms. Seidman asked Ms. Flowers whether Mather LifeWays had started construction of the new facility. Ms. Flowers said that they had not and that it was her understanding that they had not yet reached the pre -sales required to begin construction. The next Long Term Care meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11, at 7 p.m., in mom 2402. Minutes submitted —approved Housing Ms. Seidman said that the newly expanded Housing Committee met on March 22"d. Ms. Seidman, Mr. Streitfeld, Mary Pace, Jacqueline Cody and Ms. Flowers revisited the committee's mission, and discussed possible future directions for the Committee. The Committee members discussed their focus on seniors who are experiencing difficulty affording the cost of living in Evanston, some of whom may not meet the definition of low-income. The committee discussed models of affordable senior housing with and without services including HOME, HODC and Reba Place. The Committee's next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 12, at 3 p.m. tbllowing the Public Hearing at the Jane R. Perlman Apartments, 1900 Sherman. Ms. Yalowitz asked whether the Housing Committee had designated a liaison to attend the City's Housing Commission, to keep abreast of affordable housing issues in general, and to advocate for the needs of older adults. Ms. Seidman said that Committee had not. She stated that it was her opinion that the City's Housing Commission had not really addressed the issue of affordable senior housing. Ms. Hickman stated that this was the reason to appoint an advocate to attend those meetings. Mr. Streitfeld discussed his rehabilitation medicine and disability background and expressed his recommendation that Commission members think about the disabilities that can accompany aging. He mentioned that he had discussed with Jay Terry his hope that the Commission on Aging would expand its mission to specifically deal with disability issues, in addition to aging. He said he hoped that the Commission members would consider this expansion in mission. Ms. Friedl said that she is very supportive of the COA including people with disability in its mission. She reminded the group that people with disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ms. Fricdl and Ms. Hickman discussed some of the disabilities baby boomers are starting to experience, including the need for hip and knee replacements. Mr. Rakowsky said that he hopes that the Commission includes the needs of persons with mental illness in its discussions. Ms. Mullins stated that it is extremely important that the issue of affordable housing be inclusive of middle-class individuals. Ms. Hickman said that there have been many residents from various socio-economic strata affected by the high cost of housing in the City. Intergenerational Ms. Laden joined the group belatedly, due to a Tai Chi class that she is instructing. She said that the class was rescheduled and might cause her to join future meetings late as well. Ms. Laden stated that the Committee had not met this past month. She stated she has not been in contact with the other Intergenerational Committee members regarding the Stroll in the Park and is uncertain how to proceed with planning for this event. Ms. Hickman encouraged new Commission members to join the Intergenerational Committee. Ms. 7 Minutes submitted —approved Laden stated that she would attempt to recruit additional members for the Committee, particularly persons that might be interested in helping plan the event. SUBSIDIZED TAXI PROGRAM Ms. Friedl had recently called Ms. Flowers regarding the lack of lift equipped taxicabs in Evanston. Ms. Flowers was aware of the issue and had been discussing options for encouraging the purchase of lift equipped taxicabs by local cab companies with Kevin Lookis of the City Collectors Office. She and Mr. Lookis have discussed several possible remedies, such as an incentive program, to encourage local taxi companies to purchase a vehicle that is customized with the required equipment. The Commission's graduate interns, David Braden and Charlotte Kozlowski, are working with Ms. Flowers to research options for municipality based transportation programs for seniors and people with disabilities. Ms. Flowers developed a set of questions to query transportation programs throughout the country. Additionally, Ms. Flowers is also working with one of the local cab companies to determine the company's willingness to expand its use of lift equipped vehicles to Evanston. Mr. Braden provided a tentative review of the information that he and Ms. Kozlowski had discovered to this point. Preliminary findings indicate that the City of Chicago and Village of Skokie both have partnerships with the RTA and PACE. Chicago contracts with PACE, who then contracts with a taxi company, which is the sole provider of lift equipped taxi vehicles. Skokie also has an agreement with PACE, although Mr. Braden had not been able to learn the specifics of this arrangement prior to the Commission meeting The Skokie and Chicago programs use PACE's stringent eligibility rules and require passengers to obtain a valid PACE ADA Program ID card to use the program. Several other Illinois municipalities run a subsidized senior taxi program, like Evanston's, and do not have accessible vehicles available through the cab companies. Some towns do not have taxi programs, but instead have senior transportation programs, for which they own and operate the vehicles with City staff. Specific municipal codes, in cities like Chicago, regulate the types of vehicles and services taxi companies are required to provide. In Chicago, "all taxi -cab companies operating five or more cabs, must offer not less than one vehicle capable of providing service to persons confined to wheelchairs and such vehicles must be designed so as to allow a wheelchair bound customer the ability to enter, ride in, and exit, the vehicle, without leaving the wheelchair." Preliminary findings indicate that there are multiple options the Commission can consider in expanding the service including contracting with PACE; incentivising current cab companies; and amending the City's municipal code to mandate that participating cab companies offer this type of service to meet the needs of people with mobility issues. Ms. Flowers stated that one of things the survey addressed was the funding structure for the various programs, including the total cost of the ride, the cost to the rider and the amount reimbursed to the drivers. As mentioned in previous meetings there have been 3 Minutes submitted —approved some issues relating to what drivers are reimbursed by the City. Currently the City of Evanston splits the cost of each ride, with the City paying 52.50 and riders S2,50, for a total of 55.00 per ride. Ms. Flowers noted that the amount reimbursed drivers does not always cover the total cost of the ride, although riders are not required to pay this difference. Some communities have a program that requires the rider to pay funds beyond the coupon value. Ms. Flowers said the Department is looking at the various issues involved in expanding the program. Ms. Friedl noted that some users of the accessible vehicles, who don't qualify for the taxi program, would be paying full fare for the use of those cabs. Mr. Braden mentioned that this point was brought up during the research. Spccifically, the state of South Carolina, said that though it is mandated that companies with over 5 vehicles offer the service, these companies charge more for rides in these vehicles have made a profit on these rides. Ms. Friedl described the process of using the PACE Program. She stated that customers are required to register for PACE Para -transit service. Riders must call and schedule rides at 6 a.m. on the day before they need the service. She stated that riders aren't guaranteed prompt pick-up. Commission members asked how people enroll in the existing program. Ms. Flowers explained that eligible individuals submit an application, either in the office or through the mail. Applicants need to declare their income, age, and/or disability (if under the age of 60). Program staff don't currently require people with long-term disabilities to provide proof of their disability but do require persons with short-term disabilities to provide medical proof, signed by a physician, in order to receive the time limited card. Ms. Mullins asked how most programs seemed to be funded. Skokie's program is entirely tax funded. There are a few communities that receive sizeable Federal grants to support there programs. Many of those communities receiving Federal grants don't have public transportation like that which is available in the Metropolitan Chicago area. Ms. Flowers acknowledged the great work of Mr. Braden and Ms. Kozlowski and said that this is an on -going research project. She is going to be meeting with a representative of 303 Cab, one of the programs that provides accessible cab service in Chicago. Ms. Flowers asked whether it would be helpful to discuss further findings at the May meeting. Ms. Hickman said she would like Ms. Braden and Nis. Kozlowski to come back once they have more information and recommendations and options for program expansion. CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman said she had read an article about a poll conducted of 100 people, aged 99 or better. These centurions were polled on what they felt was the secret to their longevity. A 103-year-old cross country skier reported that "staying busy, getting plenty of exercise, and not drinking too much alcohol were the keys." The Ever -Care Poll said that many of those polled listen to I -pods, watch music videos, and order at Starbucks. They found that they are engaged and staying on top of what is going on in the world. Additionally, many responded that they value their memories over physical comfort. When asked what they would like to improve most, 34% said better memory while 27% said more physical comfort. The majority said that their wedding day was their most 4 Minutes submitted —approved cherished memory. Of responding centurions: 31 % have watched reality TV Shows; 27% have watched music videos, 1 in 7 has played video games; 68% get their news from TV while 40% read newspapers. When asked who they trust, 34% choose their religious or spiritual leader. Ms. Hickman told the group how her 80-year old neighbor rides his bike everyday. She mentioned that many Universities offer non-credit course for seniors, based on peer learning models. Northwestern has offered their Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI) for twenty years. Ms. Laden mentioned the Prime Time Fitness Program offered through Northwestern University. Ms. Hickman stated that she wanted the Commission to better understand the constituency for whom they are advocating. She said that many of the elderly keep up with technology, such as computers and cell phones. She noted that there are stripped down versions for seniors who are overwhelmed by technology, such as the Jitter Bug cell phone. STAFF REPORT Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers gave members a flyer on a program on Universal Health Care taking place April 22nd. The forum will be moderated by State Representative Julie Hamos and features Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Krista Donahue, Dr. Quentin Young, and Mike O'Grady (Blue Cross), who will be discussing the Governor's Health Plan. Ms. Flowers discussed the April 2nd meeting of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program Advisory Committee of the Illinois Department on Aging. The discussion included the proposed use of the additional state funding for the Ombudsman Program included in the Governor's budget. Discussion included use of these additional funds to support Department activity as well as distribution to the 16 Regional programs. The Committee recommended that the majority of the funds be distributed to the Regional programs with a portion of the funds to cover the cost of legal services for facility residents and the cost of a full time staff member who would be based at IDOA. She noted that many of the regional programs will lose staff if they do not receive this increase in funding. Ms. Flowers provided an overview of pending state legislation. She discussed the four bills proposing; an increase in the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA), including House Bill 618, which would dram from the tobacco settlement funds to increase the Personal Needs Allowance to S50/month, from the current S30. "rhe Illinois Association of Long; Term Care Ombudsmen is proposing that a Cost of Living Assessment be attached to the PNA so the amount would increase with inflation every year. Ms. Flowers summarized HB 1301, legislation which would allow the Ombudsman Program to serve persons under the age of 60 in long term care facilities. Wendy Meltzer of Illinois Citizens for Better Care is working with the program to obtain Medicaid match for non -Federal program funds. If successful this could significantly increase program Minutes submitted —approved funding statewide and would support expansion of the program to serve long term care facility residents of all ages. Ms. Flowers talked about the Public Hearing taking place at the Perlman Apartments, 1900 Sherman Ave, from 1 — 3 p.m., on Thursday, April 12, 2007. The Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) is proposing to make the Walchirk Apartments, 2300 Noyes Ct., a senior only building. If approved, HACC would only allow income eligible seniors, aged 62 or older, to apply for the building in the future, though all current residents would be allowed to remain in the building, regardless of age. Several other buildings in the area are being considered for senior only designation. Ms. Flowers provided the group with flyers for the meeting. She summarized a three year study of a HUD building in Decatur, IL, which evaluated the issues that arose when persons with mental illness and histories of substance abuse moved into a previously all senior housing building. She will be discussing this research at the hearing. Ms. Flowers stated that many of the concerns expressed by the older adults living at 2300 Noyes Court and 1900 Sherman relate to crime and intimidation by other residents. She distributed portions of minutes from the Commission meetings held at these buildings in 2005 and 2006 that discussed resident concerns about building crime. Ms. Flowers strongly encouraged members to attend the HACC public hearings. Ms. Mullins noticed that some of the HACC facilities were listed as 100% vacant on information distributed by Ms. Flowers and wondered whether these buildings are still receiving funding. Mr. McFadden, a resident of 1900 Sherman, explained that some of these buildings arc under renovation. The residents will be brought back to the buildings once work is completed. Mr. McFadden reported that those buildings are proposed to be designated as Senior Only. Ms. Flowers explained that she and Ms. Jones, Senior Crime Prevention Specialist have received numerous complaints from building residents of crime and victimization by other building residents and outsiders over the past fcw years. Ms. Flowers summarized the Commission meetings held at the two HACC buildings and involvement in tenant councils in the past. She stated that, beginning in 2005, Alderman Wollin requested Ms. Flowers' and other City staff assistance with resident concerns, which resulted in the Commission holding several of its meetings in these buildings. Ms. Flowers stated that building tenants requested at these meetings that the buildings be designated Senior Only. She described the change in building management, and the perception by building residents that the new building manager and regional staff have been more responsive to their requests, and willing to evict problematic tenants. She noted that residents and City staff have expressed concern about the tenant screening process, noting that the screening process did not catch two younger applicants with felony convictions. Ms. Flowers stated that advocates for people with disabilities became aware that HACC was applying to HUD for Senior Only designation of some buildings. These advocates are challenging the proposed designation because of the tremendous lack of housing for 6 Minutes submitted --approved persons with disabilities. These groups have been actively lobbying HACC to continue to accept persons with disabilities of all ages in all of their buildings. Mr. McFadden, who lives at 1900 Sherman, mentioned that residents tend to view other residents as their neighbors, including younger people with disabilities. They want to help each other as much as possible. He expressed concern that some of the mentally ill tenants are living in the building without the support of social service or mental health agencies. Outside of crime the largest issue is the capability ofthe mentally ill to look after themselves. He said that one young man died this year, due to not having the type of help he needed. Mr. McFadden stated that HACC needs to make certain all residents are able to live in the buildings independently, with or without community supports. Mr. McFadden confirmed that residents under the age of 60, who don't want to stay in one of the buildings being designated Senior Only, may be eligible for Section-8 vouchers to live in the community. The City will help transport residents of Walchirk to Perlman for the hearing. Residents can call (847) 866-2919 in advance, to request a ride for the Thursday, April 12 meeting regarding the Evanston HACC buildings. Ms. Friedl asked what other low-income places there are for people with disabilities. Ms. Flowers answered that there are a few buildings in Evanston for low-income people with disabilities. She noted that there are waiting lists for every single subsidized housing building in Evanston and in the surrounding communities. In addition to 2040 Brown, there are two other buildings, in addition to the housing provided through Housing Options. Ms. Flowers noted that HACC will continue to designate some of their buildings for persons of all ages. Ms. Flowers and Ms. Friedl noted that, as happens with seniors, some people with disabilities may be forced to relocate to another community in order to obtain affordable housing. Ms. Flowers said one recommendation being made to HACC is to create more housing options for persons with disabilities. Ms. Friedl expressed her opinion that the number of buildings proposed for designation as Senior Only is a significant portion of the available housing. Ms Flowers encouraged Ms. Fried[ to express her concerns at the Public Hearings. She said that it is eery important that both sides of this argument be presented at the hearing. Levy Center Ms. Ferraro said that the Center's marketing plan is working well. She stated that the Center is running both'/, and 118`h page ads in every issue of the Roundtable to entice new members, and are including a coupon for S 10 off the program in ever} other edition. The Center has created a direct mail campaign for September, similar to tile one run in February. Additionally, the Center has been working to increase programming. The Levy Center was one of the site visits for the American Society oil Aging National Conference held last month. The City and the Center received good feedback and publicity from the visits. Levy has been working; on a pilot program to increase bus route service over the past two months, to decrease the bap in service from last year's CTA 7 Minutes submitted —approved route reduction. The official bus schedule will be available next month and is updated on- line regularly. Center staff conducted a Fitness Room satisfaction survey. They are replacing some equipment that needed to be updated. Although Fitness Center users were generally satisfied, the Center will be expanding weekend hours as a result of the survey. Senior Crime Prevention Ms. Jones discussed several instances of phony check scams. Scams involve individuals being sent what looks like a check written in their name. Sometimes it is connected to financial services or some type of promotion. When individuals deposit checks in their accounts, this allows their account information to be reported back to the issuer. People attempting to cash these checks at currency exchanges have been told that check is fraudulent. She noted that seniors who don't have family or social support are the most susceptible to these types of scams. Similar marketing gimmicks utilize the check as an agreement to purchase goods or services, and a person becomes obligated to the organization by virtue of cashing the check. Ms. Jones provided information on predatory lending. She noted that Commission and other City staff have previously addressed this issue, due to the high number of foreclosures in Evanston. The issue has been getting a lot of national publicity now that lending institutions are starting to sustain losses due to fraudulent applications. 'There is still a lot of this lending happening but the tactics have changed. The best solution to the problem is educating consumers on the signs and symptoms of predatory or sub -prime lending that could put their property at risk without discriminating against them. She stated that legislation has been proposed that would require counseling before the granting of such loans, though the issue is very controversial. Ms. Flowers stated that the materials that Ms. Jones distributed on predatory lending are excellent. She suggested that Ms. Jones might want to include information on the City's Rehab Loan Program, as well as the Commission's Handyman Programs. Ms. Hickman asked about the IRS e-mail scam. Nls. Jones said that this happens every year and she is concerned about the problem. However, she said that she is more concerned that one of the largest tax preparation companies is the country is under indictment for tax evasion. Many of the staff of store front tax agencies receive minimal training to work for a season and don't have much knowledge or understanding of tax codes. People often pay gratuitous fees to Let their refund early, which she stated is tantamount to loan sharking. People must consider that ultimately the consumer is responsible for their return, not the prcparer. Mr. Streitfeid said that his wife was recently the victim of a scam. A young woman knocked on the door, identified herself as a tenant of their apartment building, and requested money to help her pay for her car to be towed and for the cost of transportation to her car. He said that they never saw the woman again. Ms. Jones said that there are many versions of door-to-door crimes of opportunity. She asks that people call the police as soon as they close the door from one of these scams to try to catch the perpetrators. 1111NINEN0�1 xi Minutes submitted—approveA OLD BUSINESS Mr. Streitfeld asked when the Housing Commission meets. Ms. Seidman answered that the Commission usually meets the third Thursday of the month. Mr. Streitfeld described rotating cushions for car seats, which can be purchased from Walgreen's Home Medical Center, located in Skokie just west of McCormick on Dempster. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Streitfeld asked Mr. McFadden whether he would be interested in joining the housing committee. Mr. McFadden said that he would be interested in participating and gave his e-mail address. Ms. Yalowitz said that there needed to be discussion on dates for the Long Term Care seminar. She stated that the forum will need to be scheduled for June because one of the speakers has other obligations. She stated that the June 26 is a likely date for the one being offered at the Library. Ms. Flowers is working with a contact at Fleetwood Jourdain's Foster Club to coordinate the LTC session being held there. ADJOURNIMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:48 a.m. The next meeting will be held Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. The Long Term Care Committee will meet on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 7 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 9 ' it-, -^•..T ',.._,�,..�, -�- EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the May 5, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins(Viee Chair), Mary Friedl (Secretary), Fred Rakowsky, Nancy Yalowitz, Frank Streitfeld, Caryn Diane Etkin, Frances Seidman, Blair Laden, Gloria Bernard, Louis Weathers, Gloria Combs Guests: Jacqueline Cody, Bill Ogg Staff: Jay Terry, Nancy Flowers, Amanda Jones, David Braden, Casey Solomon APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes for the April 7, 2007 were approved without correction. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Hickman called the meeting to order at 9:36 a.m. She welcomed the guests and asked them to introduce themselves. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz discussed the April 11 `h meeting of the Long Term Care Committee. The Committee will present a one hour version of the Long Term Care 101 program on May 9a' at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Center for the Foster Senior Club. The Committee is sponsoring another version of this seminar on Tuesday, June 26, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Evanston Public Library. Ms. Yalowitz noted that these seminars are condensed versions of the four sessions held in October 2006 at the Levy Senior Center. At the Wednesday, May 9, 2007 meeting of Long Term Care Committee Jean Brophy, the Vice -President of Senior Living, Mather LifeWays, will talk about Mather North and Mather South, the organization's development at the site of the former Mather Gardens and the Mather Place at the Georgian. All are encouraged to attend this meeting. Ms. Yalowitz stated that Ms. Flowers presented on pending State legislation, including I-1B 1301, that would allow the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program to serge nursing home residents under the age of 60 and legislation proposing to increase the Personal Needs Allowance. The Committee continues planning for a tall seminar on long Term Care insurance. Housing Ms. Seidman had not yet joined the Commission meeting. In her absence, Mr. Rakowsky, who attended the May 2"d Housing meeting, provided a brief summary. Mr. Rakowsky and Mr. Weathers stated that the group defined the Committee's focus as promoting the development of affordable housing for seniors, although discussion also included the housing needs of persons with disabilities. Committee members discussed Minutes Approved sending a liaison to attend the City's Housing Commission meetings. It was noted that Ms. Seidman volunteered to assume that responsibility at the last Commission on Aging meeting. Nis. Seidman arrived at the meeting at this point. She noted that other communities on the North Shore, such as Highland Park, already have affordable housing policies. Committee members requested that Ms. Flowers provide committee members with information from the Consolidated Plan on affordable housing needs in Evanston and the HUD definition of affordable housing. Intcrgenerution Ms. Laden stated that she has invited a few people to join the Committee, as the other lntergeneration Committee members have been less available to work with her. She introduced Bill Ogg who was in attendance at the Commission meeting and has expressed interest in joining the Committee. Ms. Laden informed the group that she is involved in a six -week Artful Dance Program at Great Opportunities. Once a week, Its. Laden meets with the all age's group and works on helping seniors express their feelings through movement. They break into small groups to discuss personal experiences, which they then express through movement- She said this is part one of a two-part research project. SUBSIDIZED TAXI PROGRAM David Braden, a first year graduate student from the University of Chicago, School of Social Services Administration summarized the results of a survey of subsidized transportation programs serving seniors and persons with disabilities sponsored by municipalities throughout the country. Mr. Braden, Ms. Flowers, and Charlotte Kozlowski, another University of Chicago intern conducted the survey to determine the feasibility of expanding the Commission's Subsidized Taxicab Program to serve persons that use wheel chairs and scooters for mobility. Fourteen municipalities and counties have been surveyed thus fir. Multiple cities taxi programs were studied nationally. The following are a small sampling of the programs sun -eyed in the State of Illinois: Arlington 1 leig.hts: City of Chicago: Lake Forest; Evanston: Palatine: and Schaumburg. Each of the programs differs greatly. Arlington Heights provides their program to income eligible seniors and people u.ith disabilities. Arlington I leights has income guidelines ofS23.000 for a single -person- and S29,000 for a two -person Itousehold, and prm ides a 53 subsidy over the total cost of the ride. Palatine and Schaumburg likewise provide a prescribed subside offthe total ride expense. Several cities have created relationships with the RTA and PACE. Those cities defer to PACE ADA guidelines for their programs. 'rhose cities' services only operate during PACE's hours of operation. Lake Forest, City of Rockford ,end Schaumburg own and operate their own vehicles for their transportation programs. "rile city staffed programs are available for limited hours of service. E Minutes Approved The interns looked at related Codes at the Federal, State, County and ;`Municipal levels. Columbia, SC, has an interesting code (report pane 76), which mandates that any cab company operating five or more vehicles in their City, have at least one accessible cab. The Citv of Chicago's code mandates that companies affiliated with their program operate a certain number of accessible vehicles. NIr. Braden said that they have attempted but not yet spoken to the City of Chicago's program staff to learn the program's details. He noted that Chicago's program is very complex. A central dispatch relays calls to Flash Cab (303) which in turn operates the accessible taxicabs. As well as building requirements into the municipal code, Chicago encourages cab companies to make this service readily available, through medallion incentives. These medallions can be extremely expensive and are required for each vehicle. Mr. Braden hopes to provide a breakdown of how each program is operated, and review various incentive programs, in order to facilitate discussion on moving Evanston's program forward, at the next meeting. The person providing training from Flash and 303 is on the City of Evanston's Taxicab Advisory Board. Ms. Flowers spoke with him to discuss flow the program has worked in Chicago and to discuss what he feels might work in Evanston. He stated that Chicago's medallion incentivization program has been very successful, The incentive helps to alleviate some of the cost burden associated «ith the specialized vehicles. He said that in addition to the costs for transportation vehicles, these rides take two to three times longer to service (helping the passenger in and out of the vehicle, securing the wheelchair, etc). Cab companies cannot charge commensurate to the time involved as it would be viewed as discriminatory. 303's trainer said that Chicago has made it % orth their while with the medallions. He noted that Chicago has an incredibly well coordinated program with features like the central dispatch system and on-line taxi scheduling capability. Mr. Braden discussed the pros and cons of working with PACE. The registration process is viewed as cumbersome and invasive and they have stringent eligibility guidelines especially in comparison to Evanston's user friendly registration. Clients are required to make a trip to the downtown Chicago office to have their photo taken for the program I.D. PACE doesn't allow people who have other forms of transportation available to utilize the ADA program. Additionally, the limited operating hours restrict use during non -business hours. Purchasing a vehicle, staffing and insuring a driver is very costly, includes a lot of liability, and is not a likely option for the City of Evanston. Additionally, municipalities that own and operate their own transportation have not provided driver assisted entry/ exit of the vehicle, due to the burden of liability. Ms. Yalowitz recently discussed her recent experience working with a client, who was effectively home bound and wanted to re -enroll in the PACE program, after a lapse in participation. She found out that PACE no longer made home visits to take the ID picture, and the required ride to downtown Chicago made re -application impossible for the client. Evanston's Taxi Program ID does not include a picture and people may register through the mail. Ms. Flowers said there has been discussion about using a type Minutes Approved of debit card system for the Evanston program, as technology becomes more sophisticated. Evanston may eventually require persons with disabilities to provide a medical letter of proof from a physician in order to register for the program. The City currently only requires such a letter from people with short term disabilities, who receive limited term registration. Ms. Hickman discussed colleague's recent use of a cab to take her cat to the vet. The driver requested an additional coupon for the cat. NIs. Flowers stated that this was a violation of the program. She noted that drivers from certain countries consider animals unclean and have required training regarding service animals and the ADA. Ms. F'riedl spoke to the group about how difficult it is to schedule a ride through the PACE program. tits. Flowers said that many communities with accessible vehicles give first priority to people with mobility issues, which is something to consider for Evanston's program. At the outset of the research, Ms. Flowers sent out a query through the Innovations Group message board. Based on the information obtained through this query, staff and intems learned that Evanston's program was one of the few that offered the flexibility of hours at a reasonable cost to the rider. Ms. Laden asked whether most cities limited travel to within their city limits. Ms. Flowers said that many, like Evanston, only pay for travel within their boundaries. However, for example, Chicago gives a live dollar voucher, which is good for a ride up to a $13.50 meter charge. Riders are required to pay any charges over that amount. Jacqueline Cody stated that a friend of hers who lives in Chicago participates in a CBT program and only pays S 1.75 for a ride from downtown Chicago to Evanston. Mr. Rakowsky requested that the intems create a grid to summarize their findings. FOLLOW UP TO IIACC PUBLIC HEARING Tliere have been two public hearings regarding the Housing Authority of Cook County's plans to designate \Valchirk apartments a "Seniors -Only" residence. his. Seidman summarized the two meetings she attended. She expressed her beliefthat the IIACC staff was aware of the problems associated with having non -senior residents in congregate buildings. She felt the initial screening slid not sufficiently assess the needs or backgrounds of the younger applicants with disabilities. She noted that some acclimated well to the services available, while others were clearly not receiving the services they needed in these buildings. She stated that this highlighted the need for more subsidized housing and services to meet the needs of people with a broad range of disabilities. The Housing Committee had discussed tite hearings at length and plan to visit Over the Rainbow, an organization that develops and operates subsidized housing buildings for persons with disabilities, in an attempt to learn more about how the organization operates. 2 Minutes Approved 17he group also discussed asking HACC Board member Karen Chavers to attend their next meeting. The next meeting of that Committee is planned for Wednesday. May 30 at 3 p.m. Nis. Flowers summarized the HACC proposal regarding the two buildings I IACC operates in Evanston. The current HACC proposal recommends designating Walchirk Apartments (2300 Noyes Ct) senior only and leaving Perlman Apartments (1900 Sherman) open to both persons 62 R, over and younger persons with disabilities. HACC is also evaluating their screening process. If Walchirk is designated senior -only, residents under the age of 62 will be allowed to remain in the building. These residents would be given the option to move into the community \with a Section-8 voucher. Though the waiting list for Section-8 vouchers is currently closed, HACC will also offer 2,000 vouchers for persons with disabilities living in the community who are seeking affordable housing. HACC has committed to working with advocates to locate persons who could benefit from these vouchers. . Ms. Friedl said that the materials HACC made available were unreadable due to print size. Additionally, the materials were flashed very quickly on the screens during the discussion, making reading them difficult. Mr. Terry clarified that the HACC and HUD were not the same entity, though many are using them interchangeably in this discussion. The County Housing Buildings are operated by the Housing Authority of Cook County using HUD funds. These hearings arc a prelude to a proposal HACC will send to HUD in Washington. HUD will have the final say. Ms. Flowers noted that HACC had extended the comment period as requested in the first hearing. Ms. Hickman agreed with 1Xis. Friedl's comment that one cannot respond to what one can not read. She suggested that someone express the legibility concern to the Housing Authority who provided the materials. Dr. Streitfeld thought the long waiting lists for Section-8 included both Evanston residents and people from other parts of Cook County. lie asked whether fir. Jordan of HACC might be able to request that Evanston residents receive preferential placement in HACC buildings located in Evanston. ifs. Hickman responded that the question had been addressed, and the feeling, is that whoever is on the list will be placed, but that Evanston placement is not guaranteed. CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman recently visited the location that Mather established to display models of their new facility. Discussion included the costs of the units, the services that will be offered and the entrance fees for the buildings. IMs. Hickman reminded Committee members that the entrance fee covers a myriad of expenses over a senior's lifetime. Ms. Yalo%%itz reminded the group that Jean Brophy will be speaking to the Long Term Care Minutes Approved Committee about the Mather project on May 9 h at 7 p.m, and people can inquire further about costs and services at that meeting. Ms. Hickman said the Winthrop Club, currently under construction at 1567 Maple, %vill be the first "green" building in Evanston. Seniors, as well as others, suffer from environmental pollutants and she expressed her opinion that this might help alleviate some of the asthma and allergy issues for some. On a related note, Nis. Hickman discussed her attendance at a Sustainability Seminar. Presenters included a Madison, Wisconsin resident, who discussed that community's initiatives. Nis. Hickman summarized her understanding of Evanston's efforts toward the development of a sustainable infrastructure. Ms. Hickman stated that the City of Evanston recently conducted an Emergency Preparedness Drill. The exercise included training for dispensing medicine to first responders in the event of an actual Antlmrax Outbreak. Nis. I licknman expressed her belief that the drill illustrated that many drill participants were not aware of their medical histories, their medications or potential drug interactions. Ms. Hickman reminded the group that it is critical that people have and maintain a Pile of Life with all pertinent medical information, including pharmaceutical dosages and allergies, which may help save their life in an actual emergency. Copies of the rile of Life are available from Amanda Jones, Evanston Police Department. Nis. Yalowitz suggested using pencil as it is easier to update changes in dosages and medications. Ms. Hickman shared information from a Center for Disease Control (CDC) report stating that 80% of older Americans live xyith chronic diseases that can lead to premature death or contribute to disability. People can lower their risk by adopting healthy behaviors and keeping up with recommended screenings and preventive care including flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, mammography, colorectal exam and cholesterol screening. The report provided fifteen key health indicators for older adults. The health status indicators track physically unhealthy days, frequent mental stress, oral health and disability. The bad health behaviors include: physical inactivity, nutrition, obesity and smoking. Injuries to watch for include hip fractures. . The CDC said that getting older in Arnerica does not mean having to live with disease and disability. It is never too late to initiate healthy behaviors. Public I lealth has a critical role to play providing older :americans with the support needed to ensure that seniors remain healthy. Nearl• 90 of healthcare expenditures are related to treating chronic conditions; more money should be spent on preventing it. The article noted the two demographic trends of auinu baby -boomers and increasing racial and ethnic diversity amongst older adults twill add to the challenges of addressing chronic diseases. 'lime CDC called to action changes in oral health, environmental changes to facilitate physical activity, increasing use of preventative treatments, and taking measures to prevent falls, The United States has met national targets for four indicators: current smoking. mammogram, and colorectal screening and cholesterol checks. Encouraging the adoption of healthy lifestyles and engaging older adults as partners in improving health will be essential to addressing the challenges of the 2 1 " Century Population. One must actively R Minutes Approved seek preventative care and seek second opinions, if they aren't getting the attention and care they want. Ms. Mullins read a e1eit, Yorker magazine article that said there has been a significant decline in the number of geriatricians. Ms. Ftkin said that there has been a decline in the number of students enrolling in her program. Commission members speculated on what might be contributing to the decline in medical professionals specializing in geriatrics. Lower reimbursement is a likely reason. Nis Flowers said I-Iedicare has reduced reimbursement for physician visits. She noted that the Illinois delegates of the White House Conference on Aging sponsored a conference last year on this crisis, which affects every discipline serving older adults. She noted that many specialty areas and disciplines are considering ways to encourage students to specialize in aging. Ms. Laden reminded the group of the importance of mental health and said that is an issue that needs to be addressed as well as physical well being. STAFF REPORT Director of Health and Human Services The Department of Health and Human Services will serve as a medicine drop off site for the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) Prescription Drug and Sharps Disposal Program. The program ►►ill run from May Id'h through August 31". The Department will accept expired prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, needle and sharps for disposal. Drop off hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday on the ground floor of the Civic Center. Mr. Terry stated that the medications being disposed of need to be in their original pill bottles. Personal information can be blacked out but the name of the drug must be legible. He noted that there is a strict chain of custody process and all materials will be picked up daily, due to that fact that narcotics will be accepted. This is another step in the City's Green Initiative. Ms. Seidman asked about the 8:30 p.m. Monday. May 7, Human Services Committee meeting agenda. NIr. Terre said the agenda will include the Township budget, Township bills, and the lease for the Lighthouse Park District. Nis. Hickman told the group that they can request to have the Human Service Committee agenda sent to them from Audrey Trotsky, Secretary to Mr. Terry. Mr. Terry will arrange for her to begin sending that agenda to all COA members. Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers said that she has discovered. within the last month, that a number of individuals, who re -applied for Illinois Cares RX at the end of 2006, lost their coverage due to enrollment errors. The problem was discovered when clients suddenly found themselves being billed for Medicare Prescription Drug Program premiums and facing higher drug costs. The issue primarily affected those who applied for benefits in December. She has been working with the statis of the Illinois Department on Aging, Healthcare and Family Services and the two drug companies that work with the State program, to obtain coverage for the affected individuals. \9s. Flowers stated that she has Minutes Approved been successful in reinstating all of the applicants and the Department on Aging; has been willing to cover their premium costs. She stated that the Commission's outreach this Fall should include education on the importance of re -application for this program prior to December to ensure continuation of medication coverage in 2008. Ms. Flowers distributed a flyer for a citywide family council. The first meeting will be held in Room 2404 of the Civic Center at 6:30 p.m., 'Thursday, May 31; refreshments will be provided. She noted that staff plans to offer this group on a monthly basis for family or friends of residents in licensed long term care facilities. Ms. Flowers' graduate students have coordinated the outreach efforts for this program. This is a chance for people to discuss questions and concerns about long term care, get information on the availability of the Ombudsmen Program and Public Health, and teach people to be effective advocates. There will be a press release and flyers posted at all Evanston facilities and locations frequented by seniors to publicize the council. Aging Well is taking place on Friday, May I Vh. from 8:30-12:30 at the King Home, 1555 Oak. The event features a diverse breadth of topics. ,Lis. Jones will be presenting a session on scams. Other sessions include ones on hearing loss. laughing yoga, brain aerobics, and genealogy. The Film Festival featuring 51 Birch Street will be screened at Block Gallery, 7:30 on May 16ei. Both events are free. Ms. Flowers offered updates on a couple of pieces of State legislation. HB 1301 would allow the ombudsman program to serve long term care facility residents under 60. She described efforts to obtain Federal Medicaid match for the Ombudsman program, that would support the program's ability to serve a greater number of residents, including the under 60 population. Several organizations are working with the Ombudsman program to establish this fund and wort: with the Departments on Aging and I lealth Care and Family Services to obtain this match funding. This could translate into a significant increase in funding for the program at no expense to the State. There appears to be a lot of support for the bill in the legislature. The Personal Needs AIlowance bill that would increase: to S50 the monthly allowance that residents on NIcdicaid would be allowed to keep out of their social security or other income is also faring; well. Senior Crime Prevention Nis. Jones said there has been an increase in the number of vehicle burglaries. Often times the thief will break a window or pry open a door. She recommended that citizens make certain to lock their cars, remove all possessions, and keep their garages closed. Ms. Jones distributed a flier with crime prevention tips. There were several armed robberies that occurred last week in the south end of Evanston, in the late afternoon or early evening. An arrest was made a couple days ago. The suspect was 15 years old. No weapon was found. Ms. Jones reminded people to be careful when out and about in the nicer weather. She suggests keeping a small amount of Minutes Approved money to give a mugger, to minimize the loss. She recommended avoiding wearing too much jewelry. A lot of patio furniture theft is perpetrated in the summer. Chain and lock patio furniture together so that it delays the thief. An aging adult resident received a letter from a company he used to deal with regarding unclaimed stock proceeds. They offered to secure the money for a 1 5% transaction fee. He «vas entitled to the money and found another firm to help him secure it without the fee. Ms. Jones recommended that Commission members beware of fraudulent checks. She stated that by cashing those checks one unwittingly perpetrates fraud. She noted that none of the people who have cashed these types of checks locally have been prosecuted. OLD BUSINESS There was no outstanding business. NEW BUSINESS In the absence of his. Ferraro, Dr. Streitfeld announced a prototype program being hosted on May 9`s at I p.m., at the Levy Senior Center called the Life Improvement Roundtable. Dr. Streitfeld will use his experience as medical disability rehabilitation specialist, and will be joined by a career/ life counselor. The purpose of the program is to give people an opportunity to examine what path they want to follow after retiring, by guiding them through an examination of their interest and skills. Dr. Streitfeld talked about an on -going research project on the Island of Okinawa, off the coast of Japan. The island has the highest concentration of centurions. The research indicates that two factors contribute to the advanced longevity of the islanders: heredity and the whole grain and low -fat fish omega-3 concentration in their diet. Ms. Etkin announced that UIC Center on Health and aging will hold its annual Senior Health and Fitness Walk, 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 30. Seniors can participate in 1, 2 or 3 mile %valks around Soldiers Field. ADJOUR1ItiIENT The meeting adjourned at 1 l :20 a.m. The next meeting will be held Saturday, June 2, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. The Long Term Care Committee will meet on NVednesday, May 9, 2007 at 7 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the June 2, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins(Vice Chair), Mary Friedl (Secretary), Fred Rakowsky, Nancy Yalowitz, Frank Streitfeld, Caryn Diane Etkin, Blair Laden, Gloria Bernard, Susan Chcrco Guests: Pam Thomas (EVSS), Bill Ogg Staff: Jay Terry, Nancy Flowers, Christina Ferraro, David Braden, Charlotte Kozlowski, Casey Solomon APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes for the May 5, 2007 were approved with minor corrections. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Hickman asked the audience members to introduce themselves. Ms. Hiclanan requested that Commission members arrive timely to meetings. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Mr. Rakowsky reported that the Long Term Care Committee met on May 9`'. Jean Brophy, Vice President of Senior Living for Mather LifeWays, provided a very interesting report on the new building. Mather's new facility will feature seven small dining areas offering a variety of food options for residents and guests. Some Committee members questioned why so many dining options, when Mather had gone to such great lengths to avoid duplicating services that exist in the community. Ms. Friedl expressed her opinion that the dining areas are on the small side and expressed some concern about accessibility to the dining locations for residents requiring medical equipment or mobility devices. The new facility will feature 243 independent living apartments, in addition to 10 assisted living apartments, 12 memory support units and 37 skilled units. Construction is on schedule for Fall of 2007. Housing Mr. Rakowsky informed the group that Dr. Streitfeld had arranged with Over the Rainbow Director, Eric Huffman, for the Wednesday. June 61h, Housing Committee meeting to be held there. Over the Rainbow provides housing for persons with disabilities and is located at 2040 Brown, Evanston. The meeting will start at 1 p.m. and all arc encouraged to attend. Intergenerational Ms. Laden had not met with Ms. Smith and was uncertain about the status of the lntergenerational Walk. Ms. Laden and Mr. Ogg met in May to discuss possible opportunities for intergenerational events. Ms. Hickman reminded her that the Minutes submitted --approved Commission on Aging had voted to participate in the promotion of Northwestern University's 2008 intergenerational "Senior Prom." PRIMINI TOWER Ms. Flowers stated that she had been informed that a 25-year old man gave his address as Primm Towers, a senior only facility, after being arrested by the Evanston Police Department. Ms. Flowers spoke to the building management, building residents, the Evanston Police Department Crime Prevention Specialist and a social worker from Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services regarding the man's presence in the building and resident concerns related to crime. During these discussions, concerns were raised related to prostitution and drug dealing in and around the building. Ms. Flowers and Amanda Jones, Senior Crime Prevention Specialist proposed holding a forum at the building to allow residents, building management, the Police Department, and the Commission on Aging to discuss their concerns and to identify ways to make the building a safer place. The manager has been very responsive to building crime concerns and brought in church elders as well as the Police Department to work with the building tenants involved in some of these activities. Ms. Yalowitz asked about the Commission's role in this type of situation. Ms. Flowers said that ultimately the COA would be there to support the residents, facilitate a discussion about crime and safety and the importance of reporting illegal activities to the police. Building residents may not report crime for fear of retaliation from the offenders, but need to be encouraged to contact the Evanston Police Department. Mr. Rakowsky asked if Ms. Flowers was asking for a joint meeting in July. Ms. Hickman said that the Commission had already voted that it would host several meetings in senior housing buildings, and that this would be the next community based meeting. Because this would be a larger community forum at Primm and simply hosting the monthly meeting there, Ms. Flowers asked whether Commission members would be interested. The Commission thought this an important issue, threatening the welfare and comfort of residents, and agreed to schedule the July meeting at Primm. Ms. Laden asked whether prostitutes are arrested when discovered plying there trade in the building. Ms. Flowers said she knows that sonic have been in past incidents. Ms. Hickman said that as advocates for the aging, the COA needs to be aware of what is happening with seniors. She said that hopefully this will increase the visibility of the Commission so seniors will feel that they can contact mcrrtbcrs regarding these types of issues. Mr. Rakowsky asked whether these transgressions violated resident's contracts with Primm. Ms. Flowers explained that substances abuse and prostitution are illegal and both issues can lead to eviction from the building. Ms. Etkin asked whether eviction was a recourse that Primm or other facilities have pursued for those bringing prostitutes into facilities. Ms. Flowers explained that most senior housing buildings prefers to counsel tenants and allow them to remain in the building if they abide by building tenant rules. 2 i, W. r Minutes submitted —approved However, they will evict repeat tenants who violate their leases and are in the process of doing so with one gentleman. . Ms. Hickman suggested being careful in broaching these sensitive topics at the meeting. Mr. Rakowsky suggested it might be more effective to "put all the cards on the table" and face the issues head-on. Ms. Flowers suggested asking residents to identify their issues at the meeting and allow them to guide the discussion. Ms. Hickman said she wants to make certain that the residents are comfortable with the discussions. Ms. Yalowitz agreed that the Commission should allow Primm residents to direct the discussion of any concerns they might have related to crime or building safety. PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE TAXICAB ORDINANCE AND THE SUBSIDIZED TAXI PROGRAM The Commission discussed two topics regarding the taxi program. First, Commission members discussed the accessibility issue: how to amend the program to serve wheelchair bound individuals. Additionally, a few changes to the taxi ordinance were proposed at a recent Taxicab Advisory Board meeting. Mr. Braden distributed updated information to the Taxicab Program review provided at the May 2007 Commission meeting. Mr. Braden stated that staff has not yet received information on the City of Chicago's program, so that information was not included in the materials distributed at the meeting. Mr. Braden provided information on the taxicab ordinances for the cities of Chicago and Evanston, and for South Carolina. This information also included highlights from the intern's conversations with several municipalities as well as flow charts comparing and contrasting the different programs. Mr. Braden focused on seven of the taxi programs. Six of the seven programs are funded exclusively by local municipalities. The other programs utilize user fees, donations, and fund raising to sustain the programs, in addition to local municipal funds. Three programs offer a prescribed discount of the total fair. On average the discount is around S3.43. The other four programs use a subsidized coupon, and the users pay one price for a coupon. On average those program users pay S3.38 for a one way trip within their municipality. The few townships that offered programs which crossed town lines had higher costs. Based on their research of comparable programs, the SSA interns and program staff do not recommend that the City of Evanston purchase and operate a vehicle to add an accessible component to the taxicab program. Staff and interns believe that this would increase program costs and liability for the City. They do suggest that Evanston include service provisions for people with disabilities while keeping its own registration process. The City's registration is user friendly and allows people the convenient alternative of registering by mail as well as in person. They would not recommend adopting the PACE ADA registration process as it is perceived by many customers as invasive, inconvenient and time consuming. Ms. Kozlowski 3 Minutes submitted --approved accompanied a person with a disability to her PACE application appointment. This process required a trip to the Loop, took over three hours, including the wait for the vehicle. It took six weeks for the client to get her identification card. They also recommend considering the addition of a clause to the City of Evanston's Taxi Ordinance to require cab companies who operate several vehicles to provide accessible vehicles for people using wheelchairs, as has been done in Chicago and South Carolina. Many of the cities mandate specific requirements regarding the number of accessible vehicles. Ms. Etkin asked whether the size of the municipality dictated the number of accessible vehicles mandated. Mr. Braden said that City of Chicago does not mandate the exact number of accessible vehicles. He didn't have speci fics on the number of accessible vehicles in Chicago, as they have accessible taxi vans as well as cars. Chicago residents with disabilities call a central number for a ride and the dispatch coordinates the vehicles with the contractor, Flash Cab, which is afifiIiated with 303 in Evanston. Ms. Flowers said that a manager of one of the local cab companies expressed interest in the possibility of offering an incentive, such as a medallion. for purchasing and operating accessible vehicles. He suggested that providing medallions to the cab companies might help to off set some of the costs associated with adapting, maintaining and insuring the vehicles. Ms. Etkin heard on National Public Radio that a New York City medallion recently sold for S600,000. Mr. Braden said that Evanston's medallions don't sell for anywhere near that price, but was not certain of the exact amount. Ms. Mullins said she had a couple of very negative experiences with 303. She advised that the City of Evanston be very careful in creating a partnership with any one company. Ms. Flowers said that City does require cab drivers Iicensed in Evanston to participate in a several week training. She noted the staff of the Commission and the Collector's office investigates all complaints related to cab use. Dr. Streitfeld said that he had some issues of prolonged waits with Best Cab. Mr. Rakowsky asked if the interns had spoken to PACE ADA about adapting their registration practices for Evanston. Mr. Braden said he had not but that it seems unlikely that they would. Pace ADA provides transportation for the entire suburban Cook County area. They feel they need to be stringent in their requirements in order to be able to service such a large and populous area. Ms. Friedl suggested contacting Dave Hanson at the City of Chicago's Disability Office. She said she has no desire to deal with a service like PACE. Her plans don't always gel more than 24 hours in advance. Additionally, it is difficult to get through unless you call at G a.m. sharp and drivers do not always show at the requested time. Ms. Laden thanks the Mr. Braden and Ms. Kozlowski for their impressive report. Ms. Flowers asked whether the Commission had any direction on how to proceed with the recommendations. Ms. Cherco thought it was a good idea to incentivize and encourage companies to provide accessible vehicles. Ms. Fried] asked how many cabs each company operated. Ms. Flowers said she could provide those details at the next meeting. Ms. Hickman said that the medallion incentive would help cab companies to offset some 4 Allinutes submitted --approved of the increased insurance costs associated with the accessible vehicles. Ms. Friedl suggested that vehicles with a ramp might be less costly to insure than ones featuring a lift. Ms Flowers added that this is a good time to be talking about these changes as the City is looking at amending the Taxicab Ordinance. Ms. Flowers talked about the Taxicab Advisory Board meeting. The Board includes mayoral appointees, representatives of all four companies and taxi program users. The Taxicab Advisory Board is recommending an increase to the meter rate due to the high price of gas. The increase in costs may be related to increased rudeness, extortion ofmore than one coupon per ride, and refusing to transport program users. Ms. Flowers stated that she can almost track when there needs to be an increase in the reimbursement to drivers by the increased complaints from program users. She has heard numerous complaints from Levy staff and Mr. Solomon, which are currently being addressed by program staff with the cab companies and drivers. Two recommendations have been made to offset the problems. The City plans to increase the base meter rate. Additionally, City Collector staff proposed increasing the amount paid to drivers for each redeemed program coupon. There is discussion whether the increased expense should be split between the City and program users. This proposal has been sent to the Finance Director and City Manager. The City Manager asked whether the increase could be covered in the Commission of Aging budget. There has been a decrease in use of the program over the past year. The decrease in utilization may be attributed to ineligible users who were dropped from the program during the 2006 re- application process. Ms. Flowers is going to assess whether this decline in use would be enough to accommodate all or a portion of the increase. There is a chance that the City may have to increase the cost to users from S2.50 to S3.50, if so the City would continue to pay its current S2.50 contribution. Even with the increase the program would still be a value relative to most other communities in the area. FACE ADA currently charges S3 for rides that are not nearly as convenient for riders. Ms. Hickman noted that hospitals sometimes offer transportation for patients. Ms. Bernard said that is more costly than the City's taxicab program. Ms. Flowers believes that the taxi program increase would cost the program approximately S26,000 more for the remainder of FY07-08. There is still a chance the budget might be able to accommodate the increased expense. Ms. Etkin asked when the cost to users last increased. Ms. Flowers stated that the City increased the cost from S? to S2.50 and asked members to re -enroll in 2006. There had been no cost increase for many years before the 2006 increase. Mr. Braden said Chicago and other cities had mentioned that they were considering increasing the cost of their program. Ms. Flowers said that the Levy Center Bus will continue to transport seniors to and from Levy, and to take people from the subsidized housing buildings to the grocery store weekly. 5 Minutes submitted —approved ILLINOIS FARRIERS MARKET Ms. Flowers provided members with a packet of information on the Illinois Farmer's Market Nutrition Program. This jointly administered Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois Department of Aging program provides low-income seniors with vouchers to use at local farmers market. The Illinois Woman Infant and Children Department (WIC) offers a similar program for children and mothers. Mier applying for the test program a few moths ago, Evanston received notice in mid -May that its market had been approved for inclusion. The second part is getting farmers to apply and be accepted for the program. Eligible seniors will be given a coupon boot: including S21 worth of vouchers for use at participating vendors during the market season. The area agency on aging, Age Options, will likely distribute the coupon booklets locally, but that remains to be determined. If not Age Options, The City of Evanston's Commission on Aging or Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services may handle coupon distribution. To date, the State of Illinois has only provided Age Options with coupons for 1.500 individuals for participating markets within this densely populous area. The program is not in place yet though Ms. Flowers is actively working to get it running. Nis. Hickman expressed concern over the coupons visibility to the criminal element. She mentioned that the state might want to consider a debit card system similar to a link card for user safety. CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman reminded the group that the purpose of the Commission is to be an advocate for the aging and a source of information for and about the aging community. Consequently, she hopes that members share the information that they receive at the meeting with friends and acquaintances. She proceeded with a couple of announcements on local programs and events. CEDA offers a minor repairs program for income eligible seniors. Seniors who meet HUD requirements are eligible for a grant from CEDA and City of Evanston Community Development Block Grant. She asked COA members to tell any neighbors or peers that they notice need painting or small home repairs about the opportunity and to contact CEDA or Commission on Aging. Ms. Hickman reminded the group that the City tests their emergency response sirens the first Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. If you hear a siren at any other time, take shelter; it could be a tornado or other imminent threat. Chair Hickman said that everyone, especially seniors, are interested in reversing the aging process. The best way to slo%v the degeneration of muscles, keep fit and stop the bones from becoming frail is exercise. Seniors who exercise help maintain muscle strength. Healthier seniors are able to perform more rigorous forms of exercise but any senior can do simple exercises or walk to improve their body. Mr. Rakowsky said lie recently saw a table that indicated moderate exercise reduces fatality rates by 10%-30%; benefits increase with the degree of exercise. Ms. Laden said that in a very short time, students of the Senior?ai-Chi class she teaches experience a significant improvement in balance, agility, and mental attitude. She has read several reports that indicate any form of meditative exercise that features focused breathing has many mental and physical benefits. C Minutes submitted —approved STAFF REPORT Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers received a call from Age Options on Friday, June 1, informing her that the Commission will receive additional funding to be used for Circuit Breaker and Medicare D Prescription drag program outreach and assistance. Earlier Mary Fried] had asked Ms. Flowers to bring materials regarding programs available to low-income residents. Nis. Flowers broke down the available programs by income dependent and non -income dependent program on a four -page booklet she presented to the Commission. The booklet laid out non -income dependent programs; ombudsman program, in home assessment, and assistance with advance directives. Low- income programs: the handyman, income tax assistance, subsidized taxi cab. It also listed various Illinois Department of Aging and Federal Programs that have income guidelines; license plate sticker discount, circuit breaker, Medicare, and Illinois Cares RX. She noted that program staff has also started helping individuals with applications for some of the property tax programs —senior freeze and home owner exemption. She also listed programs offered through other City Dcpartments—senior crime prevention, Levy Center, and the scholarship program that Levy offers to low-income individuals. She included those agencies that provide pro-bono and reduced fee legal consultation and assistance. She had inadvertently omitted legal Assistance Foundation, and noted that they provide assistance with non -fee generating cases and can be reached at (847) 475- 3703. Dr. Streitfeld mentioned that the Center for Disability and Elder Law in Chicago will help people connect with firms that provide pro-bono attorneys for those who cannot afford private legal services. Ms. Flowers said people can also contact the Chicago Barr Association for firms providing pro-bono work. Ms. Flowers provided information on the 2007 Elder Right Conference. The conference will feature several sessions on self -neglect and hoarders. Ms. Bernard asked if there was a way one could pay a reduced fee to attend only one day, due to the high cost of the event. Ms. Flowers asked that those interested in attending let her know. Additionally, the Illinois Statewide Ombudsman Program is hosting a two-day strategic planning program in Champaign on June 7 and S. Bill Benson, a former California State Ombudsman, and national expert who helped write the re -authorization of the Older Americans Act in the 1990s will facilitate the two day meeting. Many topics will be addressed, including the very timely issue of serving under age 21 facility residents and the associated training and funding needs, and the trend of senior migration from facility based living to home/community based care. 7 Minutes submitted —approved Director of Health and Human Services Mr. Terry reminded the group that June is the final month that clinical services will be offered through the City of Evanston Health Department. Services will formally come to a close on June 301h. He noted that the department is already running on a reduced schedule for the final month. Mr. Terry reminded the group that beginning July I" the City will be implementing an Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) program. The Health and Human Service Department will be losing staff as a result of ERL The Department will start consolidating physical space beginning the first week of July. The Human Services staff will move from room 1700 to the ground floor. It is hoped that working in closer quarters will enhance program coordination and the utilization of staff. The Commission will be informed of the new office locations for Ms. Flowers and Mr. Solomon. He noted that their phone numbers and a -mails will remain the same. Ms. Flowers said that when the Commission's office moves to the lower level of the building, staff plans to sell taxi coupons through the department's cashier window, located on the ground floor, as well as the City Collectors office. Overall eighteen positions have been cut from Health and Human Services Department staff between June, 2006 and June, 2007. Mr. Terry reminded COA members that the Health and Human Service Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m., in room 2402. Ms. Yalo%%itz asked Mr. Terry where she could access a copy of the Nuisance Premises Ordinance. Mr. Terry said he would get one for her and did so upon leaving the meeting. He explained the ordinance which stipulates that if a number of offenses occur at a particular address the City has the right to declare the address a nuisance premise and impose a number of sanctions that can lead the property being taken over. Several things are considered nuisance such as prostitution, drug use and under aged drinking. Levy Center Manager Ms. Ferraro talked about the marketing strategy that Levy developed to promote new membership and participation levels. The marketing strategy has been well received and gotten national recognition. Membership has been relatively stagnant with a minor incline. However, participation for all programs has increased significantly. The Center is trying to examine trends to see whether the shift in membership may be attributed to behavioral factors relating to the newer generation of seniors. The building is well; the garden is blooming and looks beautiful. Levy staff is working on the accreditation process. The Commission members were given copies of the recent Levy Center Newsletter, which can also be read on-line. Staff is currently working to improve the design of the newsletter. Dr. Streitfeld had passed around a copy of the bulletin regarding the life improvement roundtable being held at the Levy Center, 1 p.m.. Wednesday, June 13. Dr. Streitfeld, a retired disability rehabilitation medicine consultant, and a colleague who is a career life - coach consultant, created the program. Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts, ideas, and dreams about the activities they would most like to be involved with. 8 Minutes submitted --approved The message is get off the couch and do what your heart says. Levy Center conducted a trial of the program on May 9h and the four participants engaged in spirited discussion for the full two -hours. There is no cost for the program. Ms. Laden asked Ms. Ferraro if programs were offered at a reduced rate for individuals on the Levy Scholarship Program. Ms. Ferraro replied that income eligible scholarship recipients received a 50% discount on all fees, with the exception of day trips, lunch and special events. For instance, the day trip to see the play of The Color Purple would not be included in the discount. OLD BUSINESS Ms. Yalowitz asked how the Long Term Care 101 held at Fleetwood Jourdain on May 9th went. Ms. Hickman said that it was very well attended and Ms. Flowers said that they had done a good job of condensing all of the information into a one hour format. Ms. Etkin asked how the Aging Well Conference on May 11 went. She had only been able to attend the 4lay 16 presentation of the film SI Birch St. Ms. Flowers told her Mr. Braden had compiled the report on the seminar evaluations and that he could best speak to that question. Mr. Braden said it was very well attended and overall, people enjoyed the variety and depth of the workshops. The most common suggestion was that attendees would have preferred additional time for questions after each session. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Laden told that she had recently been given a parking ticket for parking on Noyes while attending an event at the Cultural Art Center. She said she moved her car to a different spot before the two-hour limit. However, she was still ticketed. When she told the judge, he told her that you are only permitted to park on that block for two -hours, not just the one spot. Ms, Hickman suggested that people who work at Evanston establishments be given a special rate to park at the top of the public garages; it might eliminate some of the parking congestion. Mr. Braden told the group that the City Wide Family Council held May 31 at the Civic Center was successful though not well attended, even though it was well advertised and marketed. The group identified a need for facilities to provide better orientations for new residents in order to make residents and their families better informed about the day to day services and operations of the buildings. Ms. Friedl was very upset that the housing discussions have been separating the needs of the disabled from those of the aging community. She said though the issues are different there is no one to speak for people with disabilities who are searching for housing in Evanston. There are a lot of low-income individuals with disabilities. Ms. Hickman asked that the group reflect upon that fact and make suggestions at the next meeting. 9 Minutes submitted --approved ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:41 a.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 10 EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the July 7, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Carol Mullins(Vice Chair), Mary Fried] (Secretary), Fred Rakowsky, Nancy Yalowitz, Frank Streitfeld, Caryn Etkin, Frances Seidman, Blair Laden, Gloria Bernard, Susan Cherco Guests: Pam Thomas (ESVSS), Lucille Johnson, Victoria ZateIah, Anais Bulabulia, Everett Staine, Phyllis DelDotto, Thelma Washington, Elizabeth Thomas, Charlotte Davis, Janis Fielder, Dorothy Francis, Jacqueline Cody, Jeanette King, Rev. Robert Thomas Staff: Nancy Flowers, Casey Solomon, Amanda Jones APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes for the June 2, 2007 were approved with minor corrections. Ms. Seidman was not present at the June meeting. On page 9, in the first sentence the word coach should be couch. On page S, the word loosing, should be losing. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Mullins convened the meeting, in the absence of Ms. Hickman. She thanked everyone for coming and asked that everyone introduce themselves. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Cherco provided a summary of the June meeting of the Long Term Care Committee. She said that Ms. Flowers discussed a recent meeting of the Illinois Long Term Care Council. Discussion topics at the meeting included several programs (Home Again, Money Follows the Person) that will enable some nursing home residents to return to community based settings. Council members also discussed the passage of HB 1301, which will allow the statewide Long Term Care Ombudsman Program to serve nursing home residents under the age of 60, and the resources needed to fully meet this program expansion. In addition, council members discussed a pilot project of the Illinois Department of Public Health which is working with selected coroners offices to review the deaths of nursing home residents in their regions. Ms. Flowers also discussed the meeting on Family councils held in `lay. Based on the recommendations of the families present, Ombudsman program staff will begin to review resident admission and orientation policies with facility staff. The Long, Term Care Committee co -sponsored a presentation of Long Term Care 101 at the Fleetwood Jourdain Center on Nlay 9L', 35 individuals were in attendance. The Committee had planned to host a similar program during the summer, but due to scheduling/spacc limitations, the presentation will be postponed until October. The seminar will include information on Long Tetra Care Insurance. Minutes submitted —approved Ms. Flowers informed the Committee that she has a video library on older adult and long tern care facility issues. Ms. Flowers stated that are available to loan to interested Commission members. Housing Ms. Seidman informed the group that this is her last Commission meeting as a member. She stated that she is also stepping down from the Housing Committee. She said that she did not feel she had accomplished as much as she would have liked in her role as Chair of the Housing Committee, and asked that a Commission member volunteer to take on this important committee. Ms. Seidman stated that she was appointed to the Board of the Interfaith Housing Center. She described several of their programs, including their Home Sharing Program. Interfaith helps connect seniors with a room to rent, with those seeking affordable housing. Interfaith manages the interviewing and screening process. The agency is experiencing a shortage of providers (people who rent space in their homes) and are trying to inform seniors about this program. The program has the potential to enable some seniors to remain in the community or in their own home. Ms. Seidman said that interested seniors can call Jackie Grossmann at Interfaith (847) 501-5760. Ms. Seidman hopes that one of the Commission members will take the role of Chair in a defined direction. She said that she will be happy to consult with whoever takes over. Ms. Mullins thanked Ms. Seidman for all the time and energy she pored into her tern as Chair, and told her what a wonderful lob she had done. Ms. Laden echoed the sentiment. Dr. Streitfeld suggested Interfaith Housing write a letter to the editor of the Roundtable regarding the need for provider homes. He thought that might be a good way for the agency to reach out. Ms. Seidman said that they really do have a very active program but are striving to grow by spreading the word. Ms. Mullins suggested that anyone interested in steering the Housing Committee contact Ms. Flowers or Ms. Hickman. Intergenerational Ms. Laden has not had any further discussions with the former Commission members who had been involved in planning the intergencrational stroll in the park. She discussed the work she has been doing with an intergencrational modern dance group, Perceptual Motion. The group has performed 45 shows in Chicago nursing homes and has offered several school programs through the Rothschild Foundation. She said the dances have included dancers ages 2 through 102. Ms. Laden met with Mr. Ogg to discuss the Northwestern's annual dance for seniors. The dance has traditionally been held on Valentines Day but there are discussions about moving the date this year. It is a great opportunity for older adults to interact with university students. Ms. Laden plans to work to assure that marketing materials for the 1) Minutes submitted —approved event are distributed broadly to the senior community by posting it in senior housing buildings, the levy Senior Center and other places. Ms. Mullins asked that audience members think about joining the committees of the Commission on Aging. CITIZEN COMMENTS —OPEN DISCUSSION WITH PRIMht TOWERS RESIDENTS Ms. Flowers introduced the discussion by discussing recent concerns reported to City staff about crime in and around the building. She noted that those complaints included intimidation and financial exploitation of building residents by non residents, prostitution, drug use and sales around the property and the presence of younger, non-residents in the building. One resident replied that she had heard several others complain that there had been strange people wandering around the building and that some residents were frightened and hesitant to complain to management, due to fear of retaliation. One resident stated that management and residents had been working to increase safety in the building but had not gotten very far. She said residents had been told that there wasn't money to purchase adequate security materials or to staff around the clock, which she didn't think was fair. This resident stated that she had heard complaints about suspicious people walking around building at all hours. Ms. Flowers asked if she knew how those individuals got into the building. The resident replied that people do occasionally allow people in through the back door, and that non-residents have also followed residents into the building. Ms. Flowers asked whether there were security cameras at the front and back doors. Reverend Thomas said that there were. Ms. Flowers asked what types of discussions had been held regarding the dangers of allowing strangers into the building. A resident said most people don't want to speak out about the problem. Another resident described another resident's experience of being followed into the facility late at night. Although she scanned the lot and did not see anyone around her, when she opened the door a young man rushed in past her. This resident stated that the very same thing happened to the woman again, a week later. Ms. Jones said in that particular case, the first thing to do is go to the front of the building and see if anyone is in the office, enforcing the sign -in policy. She noted that when non- residents sneak in through the rear door, these individuals are trying to avoid complying with the signing in policy. Ms. Jones stated that the police should have been contacted so that they could do a walk through of the building. She noted that the intruder probably knew someone in the building, and knew where he was going. Ms. Jones distributed written information on crime prevention and reporting to the members of the Commission and the Primm Towers residents. Minutes submitted —approved Ms. Jones recommended that building management, when an intrusion is reported, review existing video tapes. She noted that the Police Department can assist in the identification process and that the intruder may be knowri by the police. She also noted that it may be a good time to assess lighting at the back of the building to see whether it is bright enough. Ms. Jones said it is very common in limited access buildings for people to sneak in when a resident enters a building. In this particular case there was no one at the front desk, as it was after hours. She stated that residents should call 911 if an intruder enters the building. She stated that residents can inform the 911 Operator that they do not wish to be identified ("citizen refused") as the caller. Commission members asked whether there was a phone in the lobby. Rev. Thomas stated that there is not. Members recommended that one be placed there for instances such as this when a building resident might be afraid to go upstairs due to an intruder. Ms. Jones recommended on site security 24 hours a day. Ms. Flowers asked whether a panic box similar to the ones on Northwestern's Campus would be useful in the lobby or near the front and back doors. GIs. Jones said whatever system was used, it should identify where the call was coming from, the nature of the problem and the type of assistance needed. Ms. Jones noted that the importance of reporting holds true for all types of crime in the building, including prostitution. Police have to actually witness some sort of transaction in order to be able to proffer charges. If someone is already inside and behind closed doors it is too late to stop them. Once inside the building, prostitutes tend to panhandle and try to get additional money. Ms. Jones recommended that if someone is seen wandering the halls, residents or management should call the police and have them removed for trespassing. If they are panhandling in the building and block entry and exit, they can be cited for aggressive panhandling. The police cannot randomly knock on doors and ask if there is anything illicit happening, they need someone to inform them of crimes. Ms. Jones said she will look into some type of phone that residents can use to call police in the event of an emergency. Dr. Streitfeld said he also thought it was highly desirable to have a lobby phone that anybody can use to call police; hopefully one that can call the police at the press of a button. Ms. Jones stated that the Police Department is also investigating obtaining a "Knox -box" so police can enter to examine common areas, without having to buzz residents to get in the building. Mr. Rakowsky asked if anyone was reviewing the building's video tapes. Ms. Jones said that the police do not handle the viewing of tapes, that that is up to building management. Mr. Rakowsky expressed his opinion that management should review tapes and report anything that seemed suspicious on the tapes. N1s. Flowers asked how often tapes are reviewed. Reverend Thomas said that tapes are only reviewed when they receive a report of suspicious activity in the building within the past 74 hours. Often complaints are not mentioned for a couple of weeks and by then the tapes have been roused. They do not have a digital recorder and do not have a place to archive the tapes, and it is therefore very difficult for them to go back and search tapes for incidents that happened in the past. Ms. Mullins asked whether it might be a good idea to spot check tapes on a weekly basis to see what it happening late at night. Mr. Rakowsky reminded Ms. Mullins that it takes staff to review the tapes. Ms. Jones said that she informs Rev. Thomas when she sees that 4 Minutes submitted —approved there have been calls to and around the building and lets him know the date and time of the call. Ms. Flowers asked whether there is a regular beat officer visiting the building. Ms. Jones replied that there are a couple officers: regular patrol beat officers are in the area all day and there are problem solving officers whose beats overlap with the Primm Towers neighborhood. Officer Spells comes to the building regularly and meets with Rev. Thomas and communicates any concerns to Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones stated that one of the hand outs she distributed, Now to Access Police Sen ices, lists ways to contact her, and to access police services regarding specific concerns. She stressed the importance of calling the police. She reminded residents that neither they nor Rev. Thomas can act, unless someone informs them. Ms. Mullins encouraged residents to contact the Commission on Aging, to identify ways that it can best support building residents, as well as to advocate with HUD about the need for funding for additional building security. Ms. Jones stressed that the more information the police have about incidents in the building, the better everyone can help residents. Ms. Laden asked what Rev. Thomas meant about not having a digital system and needing to reuse tapes. He explained that due to limited money and space they can not archive each 8-hour tape and reuse them, versus a digital system which stores images for a long time and doesn't require storage space. Ms. Fried] was interested in having Ms. Jones report incidents that occur at any Evanston senior building or facility at every Commission on Aging meeting. She stated that she did not want to let the issue drop but wanted to keep informed. Ms. Jones said she can report on some calls of interest but some calls for service are confidential. She cannot discuss on -going investigations nor divulge victim's names. She can report generally on the types of things that she is seeing and hearing. Ms. Jones said she will update the Commission about the status of the Knox Box and what feedback she receives from her Department on a phone system, at the September meeting. Dr. Elkin said she would like the Commission to take an active stance to support the residents of Primm Towers. She asked whether the Commission minutes are distributed to HUD. Ms. Flowers said that the minutes can be forwarded to HUD, but are not currently. Ms. Flowers stated that the minutes go to a wide array of people in the community, including the City's elected officials. Dr. Elkin asked whether a letter including a recommendation for increased building security should be specific to Primm Towers or could be applied to all four subsidized facilities collectively. Ms. Flowers said that the Commission could make any recommendation they see fit. Ms. Mullins said that they need to have enough information on the other buildings to make a global suggestion. Dr. Elkin asked ghat security vas like at the other facilities. his. Jones said that the security varies between the buildings. She said the ones run by the Housing Authority of Cook County are run eery differently and have a very different chain of administration. Ms. Flowers echoed this but said that they have similar issues in terms of not having 24-hour security. Dr. Elkin asked whether the HACC operated buildings arc equipped with panic buttons in common areas. Ms. Jones responded that they do not. 5 Minutes submitted —approved Rev. Thomas said that if the digital camera issue is raised enough, HUD will be more likely to fund the installation of digital cameras, which cost around 52,300. The cameras could have secondary benefits of detracting people from trespassing in the first place, as well as catch trespassers. Ms. Cherco asked residents what they think people are afraid of specifically and why they thought people were reluctant to contact police. One woman stated that while she was not afraid, a friend stated that she was afraid of what might happen if she "snitched". Another woman echoed the sentiment that residents fear backlash from the relatives of offenders who they report on. She said there had not been incidents of retaliation but that many fear it. Mr. Rakowsky moved and Ms. Friedl seconded a motion to ask HUD to consider options and take steps to improve security at all senior buildings in Evanston. The Commission carried the motion unanimously (10 ayes — 0 no's). Ms. Laden felt the motion too vague. Ms. Mullins said that the Commission cannot tell HUD what to do, but stressed the importance of advocating for something as the best move. Rev. Thomas stated that HUD is responsive to community input. Ms. Flowers asked whether he thought that it would be helpful to be more specific with Commission recommendations. Rev. Thomas stated that staff are investigating grants as sources to help fund improved security devices. Ms. Rakowsky defended his motion; he said that if it is too specific it as at greater risk of being rejected by HUD. Dr. Strcitfeld moved to amend the previous motion. He wanted to change the motion to recommend that HUD consider ways to improve building resident's ability to contact the police in the event of an incident. He said the suggestions made should be communicated to HUD. Ms. Laden seconded the amendment to the motion. Ms. Seidman said one could argue the video recorder doesn't belong amongst the suggestions, since Primm Towers could have someone review the tapes. She said it is more of a policy issue. Ms. Mullin said the Commission could recommend a change to the policy. The Commission unanimously adopted Dr. Streitfeld's suggestion. Ms. Mullin said the Commission could write a letter regarding the issues, in addition to making the suggestion in the minutes. Ms. Flowers said she would work on drafting the letter and asked Reverend Thomas to whom the Commission should forward the letter to. Rev. Thomas asked her to copy him and he would get it to the proper people. Commission members recommended that the letter encompass all subsidized housing facilities in Evanston. It was recommended that Nis. Flowers also send a copy to Lewis Jordan, the Executive Director of the Housing .authority of Cool; County. Nis. Flowers said she will bring the letter to the September meeting for review by the Commission. Ms. Mullins asked whether the audience had an)Ihing more to share. Jacqueline Cody said that she was on the Housing Committee with Ms. Seidman. She had missed a couple of meetings recently. She explained she was unable to attend the 1:00 p.m. Wednesday meeting as it conflicted with the Foster Senior Club meetings. She is the recording Secretary for that group. She thanks Ms. Seidman for all of the work she had done as 6 Minutes submitted —approved Chair for the Housing Committee. Dr. Streitfeld reminded Commission members that the Housing Committee had decided recently to meet on the first Wednesday of the month, at 1:00 p.m. in the Civic Center, and would be meeting Wednesday, July 1 Ph. Ms. Mullins said that as members or interested parties have scheduling conflicts, the group could discuss changing the scheduled day for future meetings. STAFF REPORT Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers stated that the Commission on Aging was in the process of moving its offices from room 1700 to room G600, in the lower level of the Civic Center. The Commission will have a suite of offices, which will be shared with Mental Health Services. The new offices are conveniently situated near an accessible entrance, the elevators and restrooms. Ms. Flowers discussed the memo on the Subsidized Taxicab Program included in the Commission packet. She stated that the Taxicab Advisory Board recently met and proposed a dollar increase to the coupon cost due to the high cost of fuel. Staff is in the process of evaluating whether the program's current budget could absorb half of the increase. Due to changes in program utilization, the current budget may be able to cover a portion of the increase, resulting in the cost of the coupon increasing to S3 a coupon, from 52.50. Ms. Flowers explained that historically, when cab drivers' costs rise while the program's reimbursement to the drivers remains the same, program staff receives complaints about driver rudeness and reports that drivers demand more than one coupon per ride. She stated that program users should only give drivers one coupon per ride and that tips are optional. Ms. Flowers stated that the City Council would need to approve any rate changes or changes in the cost of program coupons. Ms. Flowers presented the Commission with statistics on the Subsidized Taxicab program. There are currently 902 registered users; 753 arc 60 years of age or older and 139 are persons with disabilities, under the age of 60. The program serves residents from every ward of the City. The first ward is the most heavily served. The ward has a number of senior housing buildings and nursing homes, as well as two of the subsidized senior housing buildings. The program is slightly under projections for expenditures and over in revenues. Utilization has changed as result of several factors. Individuals who were either misusing the program or did not Financially qualify for the program were removed from the program. The registration process has been revamped to ensure that all applicants meet the guidelines. Ms. Fried] requested a breakdown by percentage of users with disabilities and users per ward. Ms. Flowers will bring this information to the September meeting. Ms. Laden asked about using taxi coupons to get to the airport. Ms. Flowers stated that the program operates within the boundaries of the City. A coupon can be used to get to the City limit, at which point the cab driver will turn on the meter for the remainder of the trip. Ms. Flowers stated that the program does not allow riders to use multiple coupons for rides outside of City limits. She stated that although the program can not be used to 7 Minutes submitted —approved get people to the airport, most companies provide flat rates for rides to O'Hare and Midway and most hotels offer shuttles, which are less expensive than a cab. Ms. Flowers distributed information from the most recent Handyman quarterly grant report. The program had 49 referrals between IMay and June. She noted that this program is also well utilized and serves all wards. Ms. Flowers described some of the types of assistance provided through the program. Ms. Flowers discussed the June statewide meeting of the Illinois Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. She noted that the program faces a number of challenges related to possible program expansions without increased funding. The group met to identify program priorities and strategics for obtaining the resources needed to serve facility residents throughout the state. Ms. Flowers discussed Mather Lifeway's Legacy Leadership Institute Program. The program trains older volunteers in fund raising then matches them with not for profits who may not have the resources to hire development staff. The eight -week training program starts in October. There is a S50 participation fee, which covers the cost of all training session included the food provided. This is an excellent opportunity for retired professionals to share their knowledge and adapt now skills, while helping non-profit organizations. Interested individuals can call the Community Resource Network at (312) 491-7800, e-mail voluntcercenterfa conimunit,�7resourcenetwork.orL,,, or let Ms. Flowers know. Ms. Flowers noted that the enrollment period for the Medicare D Prescription Drug Program is November 15-December 31 ". She noted that the next issue of Highlights will include information on agencies that can assist with enrollment in this program as well as with Social Security Extra Help, Illinois Cares RX and Circuit Breaker. Ms. Flowers encouraged eligible individuals to enroll prior to the deadlines to avoid gaps in coverage. She noted that Evanston residents can obtain information and application assistance from the staff of Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, Levy Senior Center and the Commission on Aging Offices. Ms. Flowers included demographic information from the 2000 Census, as requested at the last meeting. Residents over the age of 60 constitute 14% of the population, 10% are over 65. It is anticipated that the percentage of the population over the age of 60 will increase, due to the number of baby boomers moving into the community. Ms. Flowers will bring more of a breakdown of the figures to the September meeting. There are now four Farmers Markets running in Evanston: Maple and University, Saturdays, 7:30 am-1:00 pm; Fleetwood Jourdain, Wednesdays 3 pm -6:30 pm, Ridgeville Park, Wednesdays, 6:30 pm — 9 pm; and YMCA. Wednesday, 12 pm — 3 pm. The Farmers Market Nutrition Program that Ms. Flowers discussed at a past meeting is up and running. The Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides coupons to low income seniors as well as Women with Infants and Children. Evanston has been approved by the State to be one of the communities where the program is available. Eligible seniors will i:? Minutes submitted —approved be able to obtain a coupon booklet with S21 worth of coupons. Seniors with an income below 518,889 are eligible. Individuals can apply for the program through Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services. Coupons may only be used for purchasing produce at the market but not other items. The booklet includes 7 S3 coupons which arc good through October. Participating vendors display signs to inform seniors that they accept those coupons. Ms. Flowers stated that program information books and application forms were distributed to all market vendors; at least one farmer at the market will accept the program coupons. Senior Crime Prevention Ms. Jones told the group that she is working with City staff to have a sign placed in front of Primm Towers to alert drivers to drive cautiously. National Night Out is the first Tuesday of August. Ms. Jones said she will see if a celebration can be planted for Primm Towers or Jacob Blake Manor. Ms. Jones thanked Ms. Friedl and Ms. Cody for sharing information on scams and schemes they encounter. She mentioned the collect call from jail scam. People will call claiming that they are in jail, state that they have misdialed and ask the person to make phone calls by pressing numbers on their phone. She noted that these are call forwarding schemes. Victims are surprised when their phone bill includes many expensive calls that they did not make. She encouraged seniors to mind your wallets and purses in public places. There has been a spate of pick pockets. Especially easy preys are wallets in back pockets and purses slung on back of chairs. Keep purses on laps, not on a scat next to you or on the floor. Ms. Mullins raised an issue some acquaintances had mentioned to her regarding the groups of kids loitering outside of the movie theater. Her friends have decided to boycott the theatre in response to the attacks that occurred on Church St. She asked if there has been increased security as a reaction to the incident. Ms. Jones said that in addition to the routine security of off duty police hired by the theatre, uniformed on -duty police have a continuous weekend presence. The problem is that there is a fine line between violating constitutional rights and trying to ensure everybody's safety. At one point this group was asked to move, moved down a block and when asked to move again, one individual refused and was arrested. As long as groups are not blocking entry and exit or causing a disturbance, they are within their rights to gather in public. She encourage resident to call the police if there are any problems. Ms. Seidman asked if there is any reason one should be afraid to drive on Dodge. its. Jones said she can understand people are concerned after the shooting in the alley off Dodge, however that was an isolated incident related to a conflict between a couple of groups of young men. Ms. Jones said there is no place that is safe or dangerous 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Randomness is what makes people fearful. She sees no reason people should avoid driving or shopping on Dodge Ave. 0 Minutes submitted —approved Ms. Jones said citizens should inform store managers, if they encounter problems with other customers. If there is something that is crime the business manager should call police. Police cannot patrol private businesses routinely. Ms. Laden felt this discussion highlighted the importance of the community providing safe and engaging youth activities, and possibly opening a youth center. OLD BUSINESS Ms. Friedl expressed her concern at the lack of housing for people with disabilities. She expressed interest in having a discussion with the Commission on this issue. At the ,tune meeting, it was noted that Ms. Friedl had expressed concerns that no one is speaking out for Evanston residents with disabilities and requested time for discussion on this matter at the July Commission meeting.. Ms. Friedl thought that the Commission should have an advocate that can address the needs of the disabled community. Dr. Streitfeld said that seniors commonly have impairments, or disabilities, that interfere with daily activities. He said that the concerns of the Commission's Housing Committee have been affordable senior housing. He said the committee discussed whether developers should be required to set aside a certain portion of their units for persons with disabilities. He recommended that having raised this issue, the Housing Committee should advocate for this inclusion. Dr. Streitfeld moved that the Commission establish a committee on disabilities. Ms. Mullins asked for the floor to ask Ms. Flowers a question. She said each Board, Commission and Committee has a given mission established through ordinance, by City Council. She asked whether this issue would fail within the Commission of Aging purview, given its mission. Ms. Mullins stated that if the establishment of a committee on the needs of the disabled doesn't fall within our purviety we may not have the right to make such a recommendation. Dr. Streitfeld asked whether the three committees of the Commission on Aging shared the same mission. Ms. Flowers explained that the COA has a broad mission but that it is ultimately focused on the needs of older adults. She said the only committee that is defined in the Commission's enabling ordinance is the Long Term Care Committee. Ms. Flowers stated that the Commission has established additional committees as issues have arisen. She noted that Ms. Fried) has previously proposed amending the mission of the Commission to include the needs of persons with disabilities. tits. flowers said that currently staff and the League of Woman Voters are evaluating the structure, training and orientation of current Boards and Commissions. She understands that 1Ar. Terry recommended that this group consider the need for a Commission for persons with disabilities. She stated that this group has not completed its process. Mr. Rakowsky noted that the Commission's enabling ordinance refers to the needs of older persons and does not address the needs of other populations. He believes that unless the document is modified in some way, the COA cannot make provisions to broaden its mission. Ms. Flowers said that the Commission can put forward a recommendation to the Human Service Committee and City Council to amend the 10 Minutes submitted —approved ordinance. Those two bodies would then need to vote to include this population under the Commission's mission. All agreed to discuss this issue at the September meeting. Ms. Friedl asked that it be added to the agenda. Nis. Mullins asked whether Ms. Friedl had ever gone before City Council to ask that they create a Commission for people with disabilities. Dr. Streittleld said he had discussed the issue with Mr. Terry in the recent past. Ms. Cherco said that this would represent a major change in mission. Ms. Cherco and Ms. Mullins felt that people with disability would be best served by a Commission that dealt exclusively with their specific needs. Ms. Seidman said that to put it in context the Commission has been through this before. She felt that maybe it was time to take it by the horns; she agreed heartily with Ms. Friedl that the issue be included on the September meeting agenda. Ms. Flowers said she will discuss the above recommendations with Mr. Terry and ask that he attend the September meeting. She %»ll bring any relevant documents related to past discussion about the formation of a commission for persons with disabilities to the September meeting. ADJOURNINIENT The meeting adjourned at 11:55 a.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 11 r-, EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the September 8, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins (Vice Chair), Mary Friedl (Secretary), Nancy Yalowitz, Frank- StreitfeId, Blair Laden, Gloria Bernard, Susan Cherco, Louis Weathers Guests: Fran Seidman Staff.• Jay Terry, Nancy Flowers, Amanda Jones, Christine Ferraro APPROVAL OF MINUTES The July 7, 2007 minutes were unanimously approved without correction. INTRODUCTIONS Fran Seidman, former member of the Commission on Aging, was the only guest. Ms. Hickman reminded Commission members of the importance of arriving on time for meetings. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz summarized the July 11`s Long Term Care Committee meeting. She stated that the committee discussed the planned Long Term Care I01 seminar, which was rescheduled from June to Tuesday, October 16, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Main Branch of the Evanston Public Library. At the July meeting Ms. Flowers discussed pending legislation that will allow family members to be hired as caregivers through the Community Care Program. It was announced that Ms. Flowers has been appointed to the Board of Directors of NCCNHR (National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform). Ms. Yalowitz stated that Committee members discussed programs that enhance memory. Mr. Rakowsky described a computer program that stimulates memory and learning that is now offered at the Presbyterian Home. He also gave some on-line resources on the topic including tit'«'w.desis:nsforstronentinds.com and wwwAsmexercises.com. Ms. Yalowitz said that the Committee spent some time discussing their mission and concurred that the majority of the Committee's activities have an educational focus. Committee members are discussing the possibility of presenting a forum on memory and techniques to enhance memory. Dr. StreitfeId noted that Scientific American has a quarterly publication named SCIENTIFIC MIND, which includes a lot of information about the brain. He stated that one of the recent issues featured sonic interesting information on memory. Ms. Yalowitz asked that Dr. StreitfeId share the article with Commission members. J Minutes submitted —approved Ms. Flowers discussed the move of the Commission on Aging Offices to G600, located on the garden level of the Civic Center, in July. Now, all Health and Human Services staff and programs are located on the same floor. She reported that Beth Lindley, the part-time Community Ombudsman, left the City of Evanston to take a full-time position with the Village of Skokie. Ms. Yalowitz stated that Committee members discussed the topic of resident centered care, the right to make decisions about care and protection from harm. Ms. Yalowitz described the challenge for family members and professional caregivers when someone refuses to accept care, refuses to move to a higher Ievel of care, or to move into a care facility. Committee members discussed at length the struggle to respect the wishes of the person while wanting to protect them from harm. Ms. Yalowitz stated that she found the topic of interest because she faces it quite often within her work. The Long Term Care Committee plans to resume visits to Evanston long term care facilities and will visit the facilities in alphabetical order. The Committee has discussed scheduling a visit to either Alden Estates of Evanston or at Albany Care. The Long Term Care Committee has rescheduled its September meeting from September 12`h to the 19`h, due to Rosh Hashanah. Ms. Yalowitz invited everyone to attend. Ms. Hickman asked how Long Term Care 101 was being promoted. Ms. Flowers stated that she is working with the City's Community Information Coordinator to develop and distribute publicity. Fliers will be distributed to all public buildings and will be distributed by email to the Aging list serve. In addition information on the event will be sent out in a press release to media outlets, and will be included in the City's E News and on the City's web page. Ms. Hickman suggested using phrases in the publicity that might promote a sense of urgency about the information. Ms. Flowers said she will work with Donna Stuckert about the language to be used to promote the event. Mr. Terry said he and Ms. Flowers recently attended a meeting with the City's website designer. She is trying to re -orient how all departments convey their messages. She wants to move away from the technical descriptions presented for each division. The Webmaster, Erika Storlic, stated that the average viewer gives a page about three seconds to grab their attention and then moves on. Ms. Storlic recommends that staff think about ways to restructure the website. Mr. Terry noted that there arc three web sites for City aging services: the Commission on Aging, Levy Center and the Senior Crime Prevention Specialist. He stated that staff may wish to consider integrating these services into one website to make the information more accessible. Commission staff is currently reviewing the language on the website for possible revisions. Ms. Hickman requested that she be involved in the revision of the website. tits. Flowers stated that she will present the proposed content at a future Commission meeting. Housing Ms. Hickman announced that Ms. Friedl had accepted the role of Housing Committee Chair. Ms. Seidman expressed interest in joining the Housing Committee. 1) Minutes submitted --approved Ms. Seidman stated that The Citizens' Lighthouse Community Land Trust will be showing the film "Homes and Hands," on Thursday, September 201h at 7 p.m. at the Main Library, 1703 Orrington Avenue. The film features low-income residents of three communities who own homes through the development of land trusts. Admission is free. Intergenerational Ms. Laden said that the Intergenerational Committee had not met this past month, nor have committee members been in contact to discuss future event planning. Commission members discussed the Committee's inability to function due to a lack of members and stated that the Intergenerational Stroll would not occur this year as planned. Ms. Laden discussed her involvement in planning the Northwestern University Senior Gala, an intergenerational program and dance. SUBSIDIZED SENIOR BUILDING UPDATE Status of HACC (Housing Authority of Cook County) Request to Designate 2300 Noyes Court as Senior Only Ms. Flowers stated that HUD declined the application to designate the Walchirk Apartments at 2300 Noyes Ct. as senior only. The building will continue to accept non. senior tenants with disabilities as well as seniors. Jacob Blake Manor Ms. Flowers and Ms, Hickman discussed recent staff changes at Jacob Blake Manor. Rev. Thomas will function as site manager for both buildings until a new manager for Jacob Blake is hired. Discussion of July 7, 2007 Commission on Aging Meeting at Primm Towers Ms. Flowers provided a draft of the letter she had %vritten to HUD regarding the need for increased security at all of the Subsidized Senior Housing Buildings in Evanston. Ms. Cherco expressed her opinion that the letter sufficiently expressed the Commission's support for the buildings' residents and its recommendation for sufficient funds to increase security at these buildings. Commission members recommended that the letter be sent to HUD, HACC, Congresswoman Schakowsky, the Aldermen and onsite building management. DISCUSSION OF ADVOCACY FOR PERSONS WIH DISABILITIES Ms. Friedl and Dr. Streitfeld recently met with Ms. Flowers, Mr. Terry and the City's Inclusion Specialist Brian Barnes,. The group met to discuss how best to serve and advocate for the needs of individuals with disabilities living in Evanston. Ms. Friedl and 3 Minutes submitted —approved Dr. Streitfeld recommended the establishment of a Committee that would focus on the needs of persons with disabilities. Ms. Friedl stated that there was no other venue for this discussion. Ms. Hickman expressed her opinion that it was not financially feasible to form a new Commission or Board for individuals with disabilities within the City structure. Dr. Streitfeld said cities from North Carolina to New York City have established Commissions on Aging and Disabilities. Ms. Hickman expressed her opinion that establishing a sub -committee of the Commission would be the best way to begin, with the possibility that a Commission or Board could be established in the future. Dr. Streitfeld expressed his belief that this is a commission whose time has come. He reminded the Commission that a committee of City staff and representatives of the League of Women Voters are reviewing the existing Boards and Commission and making recommendations based on their findings. He thought this was the perfect time to make the change, while Boards and Commissions are being revised or eliminated. Ms. Flowers, who has been involved with the process, provided a brief summary of the background and status of the committee's activities. Ms. Cherco felt it would greatly change the mission of the Commission to present individuals with disabilities in addition to the aging community. She thought that there might be another option that did not risk diluting the Commission's focus on seniors. Ms. Friedl did not see a discrepancy between the needs of the aging and individuals with disabilities. She said older adults often experience the same issues as those with disabilities. Seniors often develop disabilities due to health problems as the age. She stated that both groups are moving away from facility living and toward living in their own homes within the community. Ms. Mullins agreed that many of the same issues affect both populations. She expressed her support for the formation of a committee for persons with disabilities, as part of the Commission. She asked about staffing availability of such a committee. Ms. Flowers and Mr. Terry discussed the impact of additional committee responsibilities on existing staff. Ms. Flowers noted that the Long Term Care Committee is the only committee mandated in the Commission on Aging enabling ordinance. Mr. Terry explained that there are several divisions of City of Evanston Government that deal with issues affecting people with disabilities. He stated that the Commission on Aging, Mental Health Services and Human Relations all deal with issues affecting persons with disabilities. There is a possibility that the Inclusion Specialist may be involved with any committee dealing with issues related to persons with disabilities. %-Ir. Terry stated that it would be very difficult far his. Flowers to find time to staff this proposed committee, due to her other responsibilities. He stated that she is responsible for staffing the COA and the Long Term Care Committee but not necessarily any other committees. Dr. Streitfeld moved and 1+1s. Fried] seconded a motion to establish a committee on disability. The motion passed, 7 in support, 2 opposed. Ms. Hickman asked Ms. Cherco to consider chairing the committee. Ms. Cherco stated that she would consider it. 4 Minutes submitted —approved CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hick -man noted that many citizens were unprepared for the recent storms and she said some of the problems experienced could have been avoided with a little bit of emergency planning. Ms. Hickman stated that seniors should assume a more active role in disaster preparation. Ms. Hickman reported that two Commission members recently submitted their resignations and that there are now four vacancies. Ms. Hickman asked members to speak to acquaintances who might be interested in being senior advocates and to encourage them to submit applications for appointment to the Commission on Aging. STAFF REPORT Director Mr. Teary stated that staff has received an increased number of complaints regarding cab drivers unwillingness to accept subsidized taxicab program fares. He noted that there have been issues of drivers asking for more than one coupon, which is prohibited. Some drivers simply postpone picking up program users. He noted that several program users have endured extremely long waits or been spoken to rudely by cab drivers. It is anticipated that some of these issues will lessen once the City approves an increase in the cab meter rate. Mr. Terry stated that there will be transitions in City staff as a consequence of the Early Retirement incentive being offered this year. He noted that Pat Casey, the Budget Director took the ERI. As a consequence, liquor licenses are being issued under the auspices of the Health and Human Sentices Department. Mr. Terry and Brenda Herman will now provide staff support to the Liquor Commission. On a related note, Three Crowns Park has applied for a license to operate a pub at McDaniel Courts, its new building. Mr. Terry also stated that the City has established a leadership development program in which Ms. Flowers is participating. Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers reported that over 1,000 coupon booklets have been distributed for the Farmers Market Senior Nutrition Program by the staff of Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services and the Commission on aging. Ms. Flowers reported that one of the two Onbudsman grants was reduced from the previous year's grant due to reductions in the State budget and program growth in other areas of the state. This reduction was offset by an increase in Civil Monetary Penalty grant funding and in a significant increase in SHAP funding for the Commission's Prescription Drug Program outreach and enrollment efforts. Ms. Flowers announced that the part-time Community Ombudsman position has been filled. Debbie Crystal will assume the position October Wh. In addition, two first year 5 Minutes submitted --approved graduate students from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration will work with program staff this year. In response to questions from Commission members, Ms. Flowers and Mr. Terry discussed the Levy Center Scholarship program. This program reduces the annual membership fee to 515 and reduces to half price many of the activities and events sponsored by Levy Center. Ms. Flowers noted that the Levy Center uses Federal Poverty Guidelines for their Scholarship Program, so the income guidelines are lower than the guidelines for the Commission's programs. The Commission on Aging uses income guidelines that are adjusted to reflect the cost of living in this region. OLD BUSINESS There was no old business. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. ADJOUIL'VIMENT 1 The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 6 EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the October 6, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins (Vice Chair), Mary Fried[ (Secretary), Nancy Yalo,%itz. Frank Streitfeld, Gloria Bernard, Susan Cherco, Louis Weathers, Fred Rakowsky. Caryn Etkin Guests: Peggy Tarr Staff: Nancy Flowers, Amanda Jones, Casey Solomon APPROVAL OF MINUTES The September minutes were accepted with a few minor corrections. INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Tarr introduced herself. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care The Committee met on September 19. Discussion included the Lang Term Care Forum scheduled for Tuesday, October 16 at Evanston Public Library. Eric Parker will be presenting on legal issues including advance directives; Ms. Flowers «till present on the long term care continuum and choosing a long term care facility; Brian Gordon, AIAGA, will present on the subject of Long Term Care Insurance. Ms. Flowers provided a legislative update. She discussed the funding needs of the Ombudsman Program. She stated that funding for the statewide program has been flat. Some areas of the state, including Evanston, have experienced funding reductions as other regions received increased state and federal funding due to significant increases in the number of licensed facilities in their area. Evanston's funding was reduced by $5,000 from last year's budget. Fortunately. the Civil Monetary Fund grant included an additional $2,000 and additional funds were allocated to the program to provide federal and state prescription drug outreach and assistance. The Committee discussed a facility site visit schedule. They decided that their next visit will be to either Albany Care or Dobson Plaza. Ms. blowers discussed the impact of the State and City's Clean Air ordinances on nursing home residents. Ms. Yalowitz described the plan to establish a Commission on Aging Disability Committee. Flu shots will be available to all Evanston and Skokie residents between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, October 12 at the Levy Center (300 Dodge Ave). Flu shots will cost $30 and Pneumonia Vaccines $50. Medicare B %vill be accepted. Ms. Flowers informed the Committee that the new Community Ombudsman, Debra Crystal, will be starting 10/8/07. The University of Chicago SSA Intems began their internships 10/ /07. Ms. Mullins asked how the Long Term Care 101 event is being promoted. Ms. Flowers explained that fliers were created and distributed throughout the community. She noted that it was listed on the City web site, included in the City's and Commission's Email List serve announcements and was announced in the Roundtable and the Evanston Review. Housing Ms. Friedl said that the group met and discussed the various housing options available locally. Ms. Flowers introduced the interns to the Housing Committee and assigned them the responsibility of creating a database on agencies that provide home modifications. The Citizens Lighthouse Land 'crust purchased a house and is preparing it for new tenants. The Citizens Lighthouse Land 'Trust members Fran Scidman and Betty Ester were involved with the acquisition of the property at 2212 Washington. Mr. Weathers explained that the new tenants will assume the property under a restricted deed and that the mortgage will be provided through the City of Evanston. The deed requires that the new owners need to stay in the home for 20-years in order to use the grant money. If they do not stay for the full terns they will need to pay back the loan at a pro -rated rate. Once it is sold, the tenants may only retain 3% of any increase in the value of the property. Dr. Streitfeld said he had asked at the Housing Committee meeting what proportion of Evanston homes Wright be considered affordable. Ms. Flowers explained that this is one of the projects that the SSA Interns will be researching for presentation at the next committee meeting. Intergenerational Ms. Laden was not present to discuss the Intergencrational Committee. Disabilih, Committee Ms. Hickman thanked its. Cherco for taking on the Chairmanship ofthc Disability Committee. )1s. Cherco said that. prior to accepting Chairmanship of the committee she met with Ms. Flowers. Ms. Friedl and Mr. Terry to get background information on the previous Disability Committee. She has not vet met with City of Evanston Inclusion Specialist, Brian Barnes. but plans to. Ms. Clierco had sonic issues on Which she watlted the Commission's guidance. Ms. Cherco asked what types of issues the Commission envisions the Committee addressing. Ms Mullins said she thought the Committee should consider disability issues that overlap with aging -related concerns. She stated that she had voted against the formation of the Committee at the last Commission meeting because she was concerned that it might detract the Commission from its mission and might not be effective. Ms. Mullins would really like to see the Commission consider issues that might have tangible outcomes. Ms. Hickman reminded Commission members that she had previously stated that she did not see the Committee as a permanent part of the Commission but that she felt that it was necessary to launch it to address some of the issues that keep arising at Commission meetings. Ms. Cherco said that she intended to focus on identifying the mission, intent. and constituency of the Committee at the first meeting as well as identifying specific issues the Committee could address immediately. Dr. Streitfeld said that Ms. Seidman had made a good suggestion at the last meeting. when she said that the Commission on Aging Committee on Disability might create interest in the work the Commission and the Committee are doing. eventually creating the possibility of stand-alone Commission on Disabilities. lets. Cherco said that she had intended for the Committee to be inclusive of non -seniors though addressing shared issues. Ms. Cherco felt that further discussion on that issue should be reserved for the first meeting of the Committee on Disabilities. Ms. Hickman asked that any Commission members interested in joining the Committee contact Ms. Cherco. Nis. Cherco said she was still trying to get info from Mr. Barnes regarding his availability, in planning the first meeting. Ms. Hickman said that it is expected that members of the Commission %%ill participate in the Commission's various Committees. 2008-2009 PROPOSED COMMISSION ON AGING BUDGET Ms. Flowers supplied copies of the proposed Commission budget. She stated that this is the preliminary budget request that she as manager of the division had completed and which was submitted to the City Manager's Office as part of the Health and Human Services Department Budget. Departments were limited to a 1% increase in budget line items over last year. Tile proposed budget %vill be submitted to the members of the City Council by the City Manager by December 31 st; the City Council Budget Hearings will begin in January. The City Council must approve a City budget no later than February 29. The first page of the packet is an overview of the overall Commission on Aging budget. At first glance, it may appear that there will be a $10,000 increase between last year's appropriation and this year's proposed budget, in actuality this is not the case. This is the first year division budgets have reflected all health care costs in an attempt to understand all costs associated with providing City services. Commission staff is requesting S292.000 for the Subsidized "i :Zxicab Program for FY08- 09, although it is estimated that in this current fiscal year the cost will be just over $233,000. Due to rising fuel costs, staff is proposing increasing the value of the taxicab program coupon (to $6.00, from $5.00), absorbing the full cost of the increase in the existing budget and at no increase in cost to program users. She noted that program users are low income seniors and persons with disabilities, for who even a S.50 increase can be difficult. Ms. Flowers stated that program expenditures are approximately $60,000 below budget. She attributes this to the strict adherence to program income and other eligibility guidelines and removal from the program of riders that misused the program. It is the Departments recommendation that those savings be used to cover the cost of an increase in driver coupon redemption value, instead of passing the increase along to program users. Ms. Flowers noted that, as Ms. Yalowitz summarized during her review of the Long Term Care meeting, there have been some changes to the three grants that help support the Ombudsman program. The grant that supports the Regional Ombudsman program dropped from S23,000 to just over $17,000 this year. She explained that the Ombudsman programs serving Suburban Cook County experienced a reduction of $14,000 in grant funding. In order to offset the cuts, AgeOptions/Suburban Area Agency on Aging made a couple of adjustments in program funding: AgeOptions provided an additional $2,000 in Civil Monetary Penalty Funds and nearly S19,000 in SNAP funding. The Commission received a $3,000 grant to support staff involvement in the Home Again Program, a community re -integration program for nursing home residents. In total staff is anticipating $56,000 in grant funding. Subsidized Taxicab Program participant contributions are anticipated to stay relatively stable. In FY06-07 they amounted to over S100,000. Staff budgeted $92,000 this past year. Staff anticipates some growth in the next year, probably to around $93,380. Each year each division is asked to describe a particular program initiative in the Performance Report Section of the budget request. Last year staff highlighted issues related to isolated seniors and the performance report summarizes the planning and outreach work performed on that objective. This year the division proposes to evaluate the community's readiness to provide the policies, programs and services that address the needs of the increasing aging population. The Description of Major Activities section outlines descriptions of activities that staff is involved in as a division as Weil as general projections. Call volume remains high and anticipated to spike, as we enter a very busy period with Medicare D and Illinois Cares RX/Circuit Breaker re -enrollment. Staff continue to see receive a high number of requests to provide in home assessments, linkages with community services and consultations to other City departments and community agencies on complex situations. The number of long-term care facilities is projected to decrease temporarily, due to reduced licensed beds at %lather Pavilion, and the elimination of Evanston I lospital's transitional care unit. and which was licensed to provide care for 60 patients. These numbers will increase with completion of the Mather development and Three Crowns Park. The Handyman Program, funded through a Community Development Block Grant, has remained relatively stable, completing 153 jobs in FY 2006-2007. She noted that this is a very cost-effective program. Ms. Mullins asked how the Department viewed the Commission's budget in relation to the number of clients served. Ms. Flowers stated that the number of citizens served through the division's programs has increased each year, while funding has remained relatively stable. The part-time Community Ombudsman position is funded through a state grant. She stated that it is her understanding that the division is viewed as responsive, noting that a number of program initiatives were established in response to requests from City staff, elected officials and the community. Ms. Flowers asked whether there were any comments on the budget. She asked specifically for comments on the suggested increase on the taxi program. Ms. Yalowitz said that with rising gas prices it seems the logical thing to do to keep the cab drivers happy. She felt it is a very important component of the program's effectiveness. Ms. Cherco asked what the next step would be if staffs recommendation that the City absorb the increase in the value of the cab coupon was not accepted. Ms. Flowers explained that the increase could either be split between program users and the City or could be solely borne by the users. She went on to explain that increase has not yet been presented to the City Council for approval, but believes that is inevitable. DISCUSSION OF INITIATIVES TO EVALUATE COMMUNITY READINESS FOR AN AGING POPULATION Ms. Flowers provided a packet with information on the assessments conducted by a number of other communities on their readiness for the anticipated increase in the senior population. Information included concerns municipalities should consider and a checklist of indicators to look at related to a community's trend toward aging in place. The area agency on aging, Age Options, is working with six communities in the Cook County area to evaluate their aging readiness and to assist these communities with planning. Evanston is not one of those communities but AgeOptions has expressed willingness to share their evaluation tools with Commission staff. Dr. Etkin said that she is working with Age Options on that project and elaborated on the topic. She explained that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is behind the initiative and has funded major Cities across the nation to start looking at the issues and to plan for the future. She noted that the Foundation is Iooking at urban as well as suburban areas, including Atlanta, Boston and Houston. In Illinois the Foundation is evaluating Du Page County and South West Cook County. The research ranges a lot across many demographics, economics and other factors. The Foundation is hoping to develop greater infrastructure and foster greater community resources and programs for older adults. Ms. Flowers explained that the local target areas are places that have experienced a lot of growth in their aging population. She said that Evanston had seen a decrease in the senior population in the last census but that it is anticipated that Evanston will sec growth in the next census. Mr. Rakowsky said Boston and Atlanta already have very successful aging in place programs. Ms. Flowers said that those are some of the models that she has been looking at. She said that before the start of the meeting she had been going the items on one checklist and realized that Evanston has a number of the recommended programs and initiatives in place. Ms. Flowers wants to examine not only what programs are available in the community but also what various City of Evanston Departments are doing to prepare. She noted that the evaluation tools recommend looking at infrastructure, police and fire departments; property standards; planning and zoning; and health and human services; as well as partnerships with community. Dr. Etkin said that there has been a lot of discussion in other areas of how best to integrate efforts of the aging network %with local municipalities. She said that much of her work has focused on social service agencies and small non -profits, examining how they interact with one another and local government. She said that the project is working with several municipalities in the regions she is working with and that there is a lot of potential for disconnect due to that fact. Ms. Flowers said she was very interested on what the Commission's thoughts were on the issue. She asked whether they saw this as an important initiative and requested recommendations related to specific areas to evaluate, key indicators they felt were critical; or any questions. Ms Hickman said she has several friends who had previously looked down on living in Evanston but who have now do►vnsized and relocated here. Ms. Yalowitz noted that many of the items on the checklist are already provided or being researched by the Commission and the City. She mentioned that the Commission currently works with volunteers to shovel snow, transportation is provided through the taxi program, affordable housing is being looked at through the Housing Committee and Housing Commission and the City is working on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. She said it seems that Evanston is already addressing many of the issues. Mr. Rakowsky said that most of what he has read indicates that the baby boomers have not been saving enough money for their retirement, which makes these issues very important and that many will not have any option other than aging in place. Dr. Etkin said providing seminars like Aging Well and Long Term Care 101 are vital to aging in place. Educating aging adults on this issue is a crucial part of helping them understand the issues they will be facing to encourage them to plan ahead. Mr. Rakowsky said these generations of seniors have to work to an older age. Ms. Yalowitz mentioned that it is often difficult for older adults to find work, due to ageism. Dr. Etkin said that employer resources are a part of the infrastructure and that there are a number of resources available to help older adults find employment. the problem is disseminating that information to them. Ntr. Rakowsky said he assumed we could anticipate a lot of support on the issue of aging in place. Ms. 13ickman echoed that sentiment. Dr. Etkin asked whether other communities did not have the ability to address the issue. Ms. Flowers said she hears that many communities «•ant to work on the issue but don't have the staff and other resources necessary to do so. She said some of the communities on the forefront are able to provide additional services because of budgetary support for these services. This noted that the City has made a commitment to serving this population by allocating staff in three departments whose sole job is to serve older persons. Ms. Hickman said Evanston has more public transportation available than other suburbs. CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman spoke about a scam that affected a friend of hers. Her friend had discovered mail coming to her house that was addressed to other people. She set the mail aside and thought nothing of it. It turns out that this man, who she did not know, had taken out a $70,000 mortgage on her house. He was able to do so largely because her house was paid for and there were no existing liens against it. In talking to others, she found another friend who may be victim to the same type of scam. She advised her friend to contact Ms. Jones in the Police Department. Ms. Hickman received mail claiming to be related to Medicare. It asked the recipient to mail back a card including her and her spouse's name, address, social security, and date - of -birth to receive information about Nedicare. The return address on the front was a processing center and not Medicare. She asked that Commission members spread the word of the dancers of sharing personal details like date of birth and social security information with unknown persons or entities. She spoke of another letter she received that said that her car warranty was about to expire, although her car is over 10-years old. She volunteers for the police and discussed this with a police department staff member. She stated that the entity requested that she supply the model and registration information of her car and hung up when she said she did not have that information. She was surprised as they knew that she had two vehicles. At the last meeting there was a reference to the Parks and Recreation Department / Levy Center Scholarship program. Nis. Hickman has been receiving complaints from people about the scholarship program guidelines. which are different from both the Subsidized Taxi Program and the Fire Departments Subsidized Smoke Detector Program. At $18,000, the Parks and Recreation Scholarship Program has much lower financial guidelines than the other two. She said that she had attended a meeting to request that that level be adjusted. She discovered that a lot of seniors are not participating in programming at the Levy Center, due to costs. It is tics. I-lickman's opinion that there would be a better balance of seniors participating in the programs, if the scholarship guidelines were raised for more seniors to receive it. It is her perception that program participation currently skews toward members under the age of 60. Nis. l lickman will attend the next Levy board meeting and Cite Council meeting. She said that she would appreciate the Commission's support and will keep them abreast of the situation. Ms. Hickman thanks his. Cherco, again, for accepting the Chairmanship of the Disability Committee. She stated that she wished Jay Terry had been at the meeting so she could express the Commission's feeling about his retirement. She said it just will not be the same without him. STAFF REPORT Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers said that included in the packet was Mr. Terry's letter advising the Commission of his retirement in January. He was unable to make this meeting but plans to attend the December meeting. She noted that there are a number of Department heads and other staff taking early retirement. The City Manager's Office will be meeting with the three Health and Human Service Department division managers to discuss plans for the future. She will keep people informed on those developments. Ms. Flowers announced that the University of Chicago SSA Graduate Interns began their internship on 1012/07. The Community Ombudsman is starting on 10/8/07. Debi Crystal had been a social worker for the King Home, and also worked for the Counsel for Jewish Elderly. Ms. Flowers discussed the Ombudsman funding and said state and federal funding has remained flat, resulted in reduced funding to a number of the regional programs. Some programs have eliminated staff or reduced staff hours, as a result of the budget. The Statewide Ombudsman Program is assessing what program changes will be necessary due to the flat funding. Fortunately, a large portion of our budget is City money so the state cut backs will not have as profound an impact on Evanston's Ombudsman Program. The Director of the Department of Aging encouraged the Illinois Association of Long Term Care Ombudsmen to meet with the Governor's Office of Management and Budget to advocate for additional funding, as well as education this office and others about the impact of the fiat funding. A Flu Clinic is being held at Levy Center this Friday, October 12 between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The clinic is being administered by Maxim Healthcare. The clinic will be open to residents of Evanston as well as surrounding communities. The flu shots cost $30 and the pneumonia vaccine S50. Maxim will accept Medicare Part B. We will also be scheduling flu snots for the four senior housing buildings but those dates are not yet solidified. The state of Illinois passed a Clean -Air Ordinance. That ordinance limits smoking to individual's rooms and not to private smoking day rooms, which violates Life Safety Code. Ms. Flowers spoke to the Illinois Department of Public Health to discuss how this department interprets the legislation and plans to enforce it. As the state law does not allow municipalities to pass ordinances that are weaker than the state law, Evanston's ordinance will include the saute language as the State. limiting facility resident smoking to private bedrooms. She noted that this is a violation of the life Safety Code. A representative of the Illinois Department of Public Health has stated that they do not plan to cite facilities for allowing residents to continue to use existing smoking rooms. The Commission is co -hosting an enrollment event, with Congresswoman Schakowsky on Monday, November 19 from I p.m. to 5 p.m. Interested persons will be able to resister for assistance with Medicare D, Illinois Cares RX, and extra help enrollment as well as hear the Congresswoman speak about recent changes to the program. Staff from the Commission on Aging, Evanston Skokie Valley, the bevy Center, AgeOptions/Area Agency on Aging, Jan Schakowsky's Office and volunteers will be assisting with those applications. Nis. Flowers will forward the flyer to the Commission when it becomes available. Senior Police Liaison Ms. Jones spoke about the victim of the mortgage scam that Ms, Hickman mentioned earlier. She said the case in question is currently under investigation. The senior came to her with the mail she received addressed to the borrower. That same day, IN Is. Jones was able to tall to people at the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, the Assessors Office as well as get police report filed to initiate the investigation. Because this is an open case, Ms. Jones was unable to share any further information. Ms. Jones provided an example of a worst case scenario on mortgage fraud. An older couple who had lived in their home for many years started getting mail for a third party. Thinking nothing more of it they set those letters aside. By the time the case the couple case manager asked about the letters and Ms. Jones was called, it was too late to reverse the mortgage fraud that had been perpetrated against their home. The couple subsequently lost their home. If mail arrives at your address and it is not addressed to you, check it out. That is the biggest defense one has. Especially watch for welcome to the neighborhood mailings sent to a third party at your address. Ms. Jones said that there are also possible errors that can occur such as data entry problems made by the county in recording deeds or mortgage brokers in entering mortgage info and payments. You can access your own records, using; the property id number provided on all properties by HUD, through the County Assessors Office 1 Recorder of Deeds on-line and see the history of your property. Ms. Jones said that when they called the Assessors Office and Recorder of Deeds people, they were very responsive and upfront. In both cases those entities proceeded with their own investigations. Within the past couple of years, the City of Chicago was able to infiltrate a large mortgage fraud ring. A large group of people were helping each other to steal people's identities and credit to get mortgages. Title insurem private lenders and phony lenders have been involved. Ms. Jones said that there are many lending; institutions that do not follow best ethical practices and secure protocol. Fake ids are easy to conic by and there have been instances of spouses performing deed transfers with the aid of an outside party presenting false identification. The rules that govern these types of issues are being; stiffened to address both preventing; future occurrences and in the ability to go after offenders. Ms. Flowers responded to a question posed by Dr. Streittield about these types of mortgage fraud. She said that depending; on where one is in the process, there are attorneys and organizations that can help and even sometimes reverse the problems of mortgage fraud. She said that it is very critical that people pursue these matters aggressively through the law to help themselves and assure that the same criminals due not perpetrate similar crimes on others. Ms. Jones said that the speed at which things happen is often an enabling factor for fraud, and that the facts the mortgages are sold between entities so often and quickly, has greatly increased the number of these types of scams. There have been a number of changes at Primm Tower. Visitors are now being asked to present ids when they enter the building. Though it may be a minor inconvenience for visitors this really is a case of the greater food for the greater number. She said the police have had to make arrests of chronic offenders allowing un-welcomed people to stay with them. Those visitors cause problems within the rest of the building. She said that residents have been trained on ways to safely and confidentially report things to the police and have been cooperating in making their home a safe place. There are people living in senior buildings that have knowingly harbored people who are dangerous to the greater good of the building. She gave an example of a man who had a sex offender living in his apartment. After a Iong legal battle they were able to evict the person from the building. She said that it is shame to see anyone lose living space but the greater good is more important than one individual. She said that most building will permit a family member to stay to look after their loved one during a Iong recovery and act as care giver but there are specific guidelines for management regarding who may stay and for how long. She said that it took over a year before the eviction was completed for the person who was harboring the sex offender. Additionally, the police have instituted a number of special watches with extra patrols and targeting the surrounding neighborhood to assure there is no drug trafficking taking place in front of the building. A lot of proactive education is being provided to people within the building and his. Jones contributes to the building newsletter to give safety tips and strategies. The Commission wrote a letter of support to HUD for increased building security. A Primm staff member has enrolled in the current class of the Evanston Citizen Police Academy. Ms. Jones provided copies of info on several scams and copies of scam letters such as the warranty letter scam mentioned by Ms. Hickman. She said that scanners had enabled people to make realistic looking counterfeit money. Uniball Company has created an ink that will not wash, and therefore disables people from running check washing scams with checks written using such a pen. Ms. Jones mentioned that anyone can purchase an ATM. These machines provide the owner with information on accounts. She said make certain that an ATM you use is attached to a reputable bank. Iiandheld scanners that read anything are available to anyone. People taking payment in retail operations and restaurants can scan your card and access your credit card accounts. Social Security numbers can also be accessed by using "preferred retail cards". If your preferred card goes missing it is probably a good idea to contact the credit bureau. Laws have been enacted to protect consumers. ID theft charges can be filed in your local jurisdiction against perpetrators using your identity falsely anywhere internationally. Mr. Rakowsky had heard that people need to re -register for the do not call list. Ms. Jones confirmed that people do need to register for that program from time to time, though they are working to make registration permanent. Dr. Etkin asked whether the instances of "«ilding", where groups of youths are accosting people, taking cell phones and personal items seemed to be targeting seniors. Ms. Jones said there doesn't seem to be a trend amongst those attacks in terms of age or gender. Police are concentrating their presence downtown to end those attacks. Ms. Tarr asked whether she makes routine visits to the building. his. Jones explained that there are a couple officers, including herself, who make regular visits to the facility. She said that there is a misconception that there will be retribution if they lodge a complaint against another resident, though they want safety. Ms. Jones said that the problem people are the only ones that will act in retribution and that it is why it is important to get the criminal element out, which is why people need to inform the police about suspicious behavior. Additionally, the police have worked very hard to make certain that reporting a crime does not mean that one will receive public exposure. She said the phone is the easiest way to report issues discretely. One does not even need to identify themselves. Ms. Tarr asked whether the City conducts background checks on new tenants. Ms. Jones said each building has its own practices regarding criminal background checks on tentative tenants and staff. She strongly suggests thorough background checks. However, she said that one should not be isolated because they have a blemish on their record from the past. She said each building has criteria for dealing with problems that appear on those reports. Ms. Flowers commented that buildings that have licensed components, those facilities are required to check on all staff. The law used to only require them to check on direct care givers, but has changed to encompass all staff. Ms. Hickman advised COA members to partake in the citizen police academy. She said it is very informative and that one can learn a great deal about hoe the City operates through the program. Anyone who lives or works in Evanston can register at no cost for the 12-week seminar; the next session begins the first Thursday in March. Call the police department to register. OLD BUSINESS Ms. Friedl asked what was happening regarding the research into the expansion of the taxi program and hopes to incentivize accessible vehicles. Ms. Flowers said that is a funding issue and the research materials are being presented to the taxi cab advisory board. She said that Chicago heavily funds their program. She asked that the issue be placed on the next Commission meetings agenda. She said that there is interest in doing it but a lot to consider. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Yalowitz was recently in Alexandria, VA. She had not gotten the opportunity she hoped to find to discuss with a couple of people at a party that were involved in a program that is being run in Holland Hills, which emulates the Beacon Hill model for aging in place. Her Brother-in-law wandered whether the community was wealthy enough to orchestrate such a program. Ms. Yalowitz said that she had received a letter from Presbyterian Homes inviting residents to share their space, in the event of another storm with power outages. Ms. Flowers said that there are plans to meet with all local facilities to brainstorm plans for dealing with future emergencies. Dr. Streitfield said that he has had a digital -tremor for several years, which has affected his signature. He was able to speak to his bank about using a specific mark, instead of his usual signature, after a couple places questions his signature. He told the COA to let loved ones facing a similar problem to know of the possibility of establishing an arrangement with their financial institution. Ms. Flowers mentioned that Ms. Janes was recently honored with an Award from the Attorney General, recognizing her as an outstanding elderly service officer. ADJOURMMENT The meeting adjourned at 1 I:45 Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the November 3, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Carol Mullins (Vice Chair), Mary Friedl (Secretary), Susan Cherco, Jacquelin Cody, Martin Egelston, Caryn Etkin, Blair Laden, Fred Rakowsky, Frank Streitfeld, Louis Weathers, Nancy Yalowitz Guests: Pam Thomas (Evanston/Skokie Vallee Senior Services), Roy Whitlik, Bob Costikyan Staff: Nancy Flowers, Amanda Jones, Casey Solomon APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the minutes was deferred to the December meeting. INTRODUCTIONS Pam Thomas is the Director of Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services. Roy Whitlik is a retired reporter representing Blue Cross Blue Shield Publications. Bob Costikyan is a senior who has lived in Evanston since 1968 and has an interest in aging issues. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz summarized the 10/10/07 meeting of the Long Term Care Committee. Discussion included final plans for the Long Term Care 101 session. The program was held at the Evanston Public Library on October 16'h and was taped by Evanston Community Media/channel 16. Three speakers presented: Nancy Flowers, Ombudsman, spoke about community resources, housing and long term care options, what to consider in selecting care options, strategies for effective advocacy and the Ombudsman Program. Brian Gordon, MAGA Long Term Care Insurance, discussed the benefits of long term care insurance policies, what they cover. the costs and what to took for in purchasing a policy. Eric Parker, an attorney with Stotis and Baird, spoke about advance directives. The Committee has begun planning for its next project. One possible topic includes memory loss and dementia. Dr. Etkin said that she works with the Rush University Medical Center Alzheimer's Disease Center and offered to assist with securing a speaker on the topic of memory loss. Ms Yalowitz said the Committee also discussed the possibility of sponsoring training on bathing issues that arise to nursing homes. She noted that nursing home residents, particularly those with dementia, may be resistant to bathing. 'Facility staff may feel compelled to bathe residents, at times against their wishes, due to state regulations. Ms. Flowers described the DVD, BATHING WITHOUT A BATTLE, which includes alternative approaches to bathing. Minutes submitted ----approved Ms. Flowers summarized the changes in state law related to the Smoke Free Illinois Act. Nothing in the law will compel facilities to allow smoking, but facilities will be able to allow residents to continue to use existing smoking areas. The members of the City Council voted to allow Evanston long term care facilities to continue to allow residents to smoke in designated areas. Ms. Flowers noted that she is working with a group of family members from the Presbyterian Homes' Foster Pavilion to establish a family council. Committee member Rita Shenin described her involvement with Linkages, a program of the Council for Jewish Elderly, which helps parents of disabled adults plan for their children's future. Ms. Flowers also advised the committee that a part-time Community Ombudsman, Debi Crystal, and two University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration interns, Lindsey Brashler and Erica Chedid, had started in the Commission on Aging offices. The next meeting of the Long Term Care Committee on is November 14a' at 7 p.m., in room 2403. Ms. Hickman said she had neglected to welcome the new Commission members and wanted to do so. She asked the new members to introduce themselves and explain their reasons for joining. Jacqueline Cody said she is a senior and a resident of Jacob Blake Manor. She expressed interest in learning more about the activities of the Commission and the City on behalf of seniors and hopes to offer possible solutions on what she sees as problem areas. Martin Egelston said he has lived in northwest Evanston since 1968. He has recently retired from a variety of business and teaching positions. He has volunteered and helped rehab homes and both he and his wife have assisted older neighbors in need of assistance. He also volunteers at Northwestern, helping athletes develop their study and writing skills. He looks forward to doing what he can with the Commission. Ms. Flowers %ill be setting up an orientation for both new members. Housing The Housing Committee is scheduled to meet 4 p.m. Thursday, November 15 in room 2402. Intergcnerational Ms. Laden visited Dance Center Evanston's open studio, as part of Evanston Arts Week. She stated that the Center's director. 13ca Rashid. discussed her interest in developing an intergencrational dance program, involving people of all ages and abilities. There will be eight rehearsals and the performance will he on Presidents' Day. interested persons can contact Dance Center Fvatfston or the Levy Center for more information. Ms. I lickman encouraged new members to join one ofthe committers of the Commission. Disability Committee Ms. Cherco said the Committee met on October 26 h. Future meetings will be scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month, at 9:30 a.m. She encouraged Commission 2 Minutes submitted —approved members to join the committee. The City's Inclusion Specialist, Brian Barnes, will provide staff support for the committee. Committee members agreed upon a mission of providing education and advocacy for disabled individuals and their families, with particular focus on areas where aging and disability community concerns overlap. Some of the major crossover concerns identified included accessibility, housing and transportation. There was also some discussion on employment. The next step is to recruit committee members. The committee wants to be inclusive and hopes to attract persons with disabilities, their families, and people who work with them, as well as seniors. Ms. Fried] is drafting something for the local papers to recruit members. Mr. Barnes provided suggestions of people to contact. Additionally, notice was included in The City of Evanston Highlights publication, on the City's web site and in the City's weekly Eblast. Ms. Cherco said that the Newman Foundation, which works with persons with developmental disabilities, in conjunction with Northeast and Northwest Senior Regional Centers, is convening a discussion on issues affecting both aging and disabled persons on November 14, from 9 a.m. to I I a.m. Dr. Streitfeld expressed his concern that the September Commission meeting minutes contained a reference stating that the Disability Committee %vas only a temporary committee. Ms. Hickman stated that while she had indicated at one point that the committee might be a temporary committee of the Commission, the temporary clause was not part of the adopted motion. CHAIR REPORT Ms Hickman spoke about a contest sponsored by the League of Women Voters entitled YOUR RIGHTS, YOUR REASONS. The League is inviting community members to participate as judges for this U.S. Constitution themed multimedia -essay contest for District 65 71h graders. The judging is scheduled to take place sometime between November 12 and 30, with awards being presented to District 65 7'h graders December 1. Ms. Hickman hopes that some Commission members will participate. Interested parties can contact the League of Women Voters with any questions. STAFF REPORT Long Term Care Ombudsman Ms. Flowers stated that January 4, 2008 will be Jay Terry's last day as Director of Health & Human Services. Community and Family Wellness Division Chief Evonda Thomas has been appointed interim Director. Ms. Flowers stated that a Flu Clinic to be held at the Levy Center on November 30`h from l 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. Flu shots will cost $25, but Medicare Part B will be accepted. Minutes submitted —approved A Medicare D prescription Drug Program enrollment event ►+ill be held on November I SP at the Levy Senior Center. Congresswoman .Ian Schakowsky and her staff will speak about the program. Eligible individuals %ill have the opportunity to change Medicare D prescription drug plans or enroll in a drug plan for the first time. In addition individuals will be able to enroll in Illinois Cares R.X and Social Security Extra Help, with the assistance of Commission on Aging, Levy Senior Center, Evanston/ Skokie Valley Senior Services and Age Options staff and volunteers. The Commission has secured the assistance of a volunteer trained by AgeOptions. the area agency on aging, who vill be available to assist with enrollment in our offices one day a week from mid -November through late December. Eligible persons are encouraged to enroll before the end of December to avoid lapses in coverage. Last year, a number of local seniors were dis- c rolled from the program as a result of late receipt of their applications. Ms. Flowers provided copies of a booklet titled FUNDING AND SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRANSiTIONING OLDER ADULTS: AN EXAMINATION OF ILLINOIS' MONEY MANAGEMENT PARTICIPANTS. This publication describes the Money Follows the Person Program that has been offered in other states and that will be offered in Illinois as well. It also describes Illinois' movement toward community reintegration of nursing home residents. Ms. Flowers stated that the Elder Self Neglect Steering Committee of the Department on Aging is in the process of developing assessment tools and protocols to respond to elder self neglect in the community. Ms. Flowers, who is on the committee, described one tool that has been modified from one used in Texas. Commission members provided feedback on several areas that the Committee might want to include in its tool. Ms. Flowers stated that program staff has recently been working with the staff of several Evanston facilities on injury prevention and abuse reporting. In addition to investigating resident injuries, program staff provided in-service training to facility staff' related to resident rights and abuse reporting and prevention. Investigations included a review of staff training and policies related to abuse reporting. Ms. Flowers described the Ombudsman program role in complaint investigations and the role of the Illinois Department of Public Health. She noted that while the City and State license Evanston nursing homes, the Illinois Department of Public Health regulates compliance with nursing home regulations. Ms. Flowers stated that an Evanston facility was recently given a conditional license and an A violation following the suicide of a resident. City staff is working with 1DPI-I to monitor facility assessment of suicide risk and resident supervision. Ms. Mullins said, regarding the self -neglect assessment tool, she felt that the clinician's ability to effectively use the tool might be directly related to the amount of experience the case worker has with such situations. Ms. Friedl requested that Ms. Flowers discuss the Subsidized Taxicab Program and options for increasing access to riders that are wheel chair dependent at the December meeting of the Commission. 4 Minutes submitted --approved Ms. Flower reminded the Commission that the December I' meeting will include the annual cookie exchange. Ms. Hickman requested that members bring enough home made or bakery made cookies to share with members and guests. Senior Prevention Specialist Ms. Jones stated that some changes have been made to legislation regarding mortgage practices. She stated that some of the previously existing laws had been discriminatory and required pre -approval of certain groups of borrowers based on the neighborhoods in which they lived. The new legislation includes counseling requirements and puts more of a burden on the lender. She stated that the lack of understanding of all costs associated with purchasing a home is believed to be one of the more significant contributing factors to the pandemic of foreclosures. Ms. Jones discussed the privacy policies available from service providers. She encouraged consumers to take the time to call and research which contact lists they can opt out of. Ms. Jones noted that responding to marketing company cards received in the mail can serve as a form of consent, allowing these companies to market their products to the consumer, even if the person is on the do -not -call- directory. Ms. Jones noted that she has received reports of private gas suppliers, not affiliated with NICOR, contacting Evanston residents, reporting that they are with "the gas company". She advised people to be careful and make an educated decision when taking advantage of deregulated providers. Ms. Hickman described a situation in which a member of the Foster Club ]tad received what appeared to be a check from Walmart. The individual took the check to the bank to deposit it. The bank recommended that she take the check to Walmart. Walmart informed her that the check was phony. Ms. Jones said that this is an example of the phone check scams she has mentioned at previous meetings. if one deposits one of those checks, which is later discovered to by fake, that person is liable for those funds they may have spent down and any relevant overdraft charges. :"additionally, the check issuer will receive the cancelled check with your account information. Mr. Egelston described a neighbor who had contacted a contractor to make some minor home repairs. He noted that the contractor's estimate was substantially higher than the cost of the needed repairs. Nlr. Egelston was able to replace existing boards with pre- treated ones and eiiminate the problem for a fraction of what the contractor planned to charge the homeowner. 1 le expressed his opinion that the contractor was trying to take advantage of his senior neighbor. 1 le asked were these types of issues can be reported and how seniors can avoid being taken advantage of_ Ms. I -lowers described several programs that can assist seniors with minor home repairs, including the Commission's Handyman Program, She also said that individuals can contact Property Standards for the names of licensed contractors. If individuals have not been able to resolve their concern with the company, they can contact the Attorney General's Office. Ms. Jones said that a police report should also be filed. She said in some instances it is a matter of Minutes submitted ---approved an employee, and not the firm taking advantage of the person. Ms. Jones said that she has been posting reports on the police website to keep the community informed. The next session of the Citizen Police Academy is scheduled to begin the first Thursday in March. The Academy runs for tivelve-weeks on Thursday evenings for 2-hours each week. The training includes a police ride -along and a session in the communication center. The course is free to anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Evanston. Contact his. Jones, if interested. Ms. Hickman expressed her strong support for the program and said participants can share the knowledge gained through the program with other seniors. OLD BUSINESS Ms. Thomas said that the City is going to be doing a lot of alley paving. People residing on homes adjacent to an alley being paved have been notified of their portion of the cost of the alley repaving. fits. Flowers and Ms. Thomas noted that some of these individuals may be eligible for financial assistance through the Community Development Block Grant. ESVSS is working with City staff to reach out to affected residents. Commission members discussed the noise and potential disruption of the repaving and options for respite available to affected seniors. Ms. Yalowitz noted that hearing aids are listed as one of the medical devices not covered by Medicare. She asked whether there was any assistance available in acquiring one. Ms. Flowers stated that the Chicago Hearing Society has a program that provides refurbished, hearing aids to eligible individuals. The senior might be able to get an apparatus with no cost besides that of the cost of making the ear mold. Nis. Thomas said that ESVSS sometimes can assist with this purchase as well. through the Flexible Senior Spending program. There are no funds available at this time but the agency is expecting more. Dr. Strictleld said theatres often lend hearing devices while one is watching a film in their theater. Interested persons may need to give some type of identification card as a deposit, which will be returned when they return the device. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Hickman said she had received a call from two individuals who are interested in speaking to the Commission about the needs of middle income Evanston seniors who are not income eligible for State or local programs and do not have the resources to cover long term care costs. lets. Hickman has invited the group to speak about those issues at the December meeting. Ms. Cody briefly discussed her participation in a program at the Council for Jewish Elderly. ADJOURMMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:34 a.m. 6 Minutes submitted —approved Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 7 EVANSTON CONIMISSION ON AGING Minutes of the December 1, 2007 Meeting Members Present: Joan Hickman (Chair), Mary Friedl (Secretary), Nancy Yalowitz, Frank Streitfeld, Gloria Bernard, Susan Cherco, Louis Weathers, Fred Rakowsky, Caryn Etkin, Jacquelin Cody, Martin Egelston. Blair Laden, Members Absent: Carol Mullins (Vice Chair) Guests: Pam Thomas (Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services), Karen Braun Staff: Nancy Flowers, Jay Terry, Amanda Jones, Casey Salomon APPROVAL OF MINUTES The October and November minutes were approved without correction. COMMITTEE REPORTS Long Term Care Ms. Yalowitz stated that the Long Term Care Committee met November 14`h. Ms. Flowers was returning from an Ombudsman meeting in Springfield and unable to make the meeting. The group debriefed on the Long Term Care 101 seminar held at the Library. Committee members discussed the need to do additional outreach and promotion for future events. Committee members discussed an article that Ms. Yalowitz had brought in regarding Senior Group Homes or Congregate Living, where groups of seniors live and purchase services collectively. The article discussed homes in Massachusetts but also noted that this is a type of living arrangement that is becoming more common across the nation. The Committee brainstormed ideas for their next project. Members talked about the possibility of publishing an orientation manual for new nursing home residents. They discussed having a film festival featuring films on issues faced by aging adults. Film options discussed included: The Notehook, Two Weeks; and :livav From fifer. Other possible options included an interactive forum on memory. The committee also discussed hosting a Caregiver Forum. where family members, and nurses and nursing assistants/paid caregivers can meet and share their care giving experiences. Karen Braun spoke briefly about the League of «'oman Voters and City of Evanston Boards and Commissions review, which is being done as part of Goal 9A of the City's Strategic Plan. She said that the Commission on Aging acts as an advisory group to City staff and the City Council . She said she would like to sec the Commission become more of a united body. The Long Term Care Committee will meet Wednesday, December 12'h at 7 p.m. in room 2402. Minutes Submitted —approved Commission members discussed congregate group homes for seniors and asked if there were any in Evanston at this time. Mr. Terry and Ms. Flowers stated that there are not. Mr. Terry and Ms. Flo«•ers discussed group home registration requirements and how they differ from nursing homes. They noted that existing group homes are registered and monitored by the City's Health and Human Services Department. Ms. Cherco said that Beacon Hill type communities are developing in the Lincoln Park and Lakeview Chicago neighborhoods. She said that those groups are using the Beacon Hill manual to develop their community. Ms. Hickman said that two Evanston women, interested in developing a similar model in Evanston, were scheduled to present to the Commission today but decided to postpone their presentation until they had investigated the model more thoroughly. Disability Committee Ms. Cherco reported that the Disability Committee met on November 7'h. The Committee reconsidered their meeting schedule and decided to meet on the second Wednesday each month at I I A.M. in the Civic Center. They are in the process of recruiting new members. A request for interested parties to contact the Commission on Aging office was included in Highlights as well as in a City of Evanston Email broadcast. Ms Friedl is drafting a notice for the Roundtable and Review to solicit members. Committee members revisited the mission and decided that it should be broadened to include issues which do not overlap the aging and disability communities. Committee members felt that younger people with disabilities might not be interested in committee membership if the focus is limited to aging related issues. Dr Streitfeld stated that he planned to attend a meeting in Chicago relating to aging and disability issues. The Committee hopes to spend the next meeting discussing appropriate projects to pursue. Housing Ms. Fried] reported that the Housing Committee met on November 15'h. Committee members discussed the need to develop affordable and accessible housing for persons of all ages, and discussed current housing options available to Evanston residents. Committee members plan to review housing plans for other communities, to identify effective strategies for expanding housing options. Committee members also discussed the issue of senior debt and the impact on a senior's ability to remain in his/her home. Committee members discussed the possibility of developing a resource guide on this topic. The next meeting is scheduled for January 3 d at 4:00 p.m. Intergenerational Ms. Laden said that she had recently discovered that one of her students is a documentary filmmaker working on a project on the subject of affordable housing in the Chicago area. She plans to speak to her further and hopes to report to the Commission on the status of the film and any pertinent information the director could provide on this critical issue. Ms. Laden said she had met with Mr. Ogg. fir. Ogg had received the mock-up promotional flyer for Northwestern's Senior Prom. Both Ms. Laden and Mr. Ogg recommend that the flier to include information on the evening's attractions: music by the Minutes Submitted —approved Senior Stompers, food, a raffle and other entertainment. They also want to make it clearer that the dance is for older adults and not college seniors, to attract more senior participation. The intergenerational gala is scheduled from 2 p.m. -5 p.m. Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Lewis Room Northwestern's Norris University Center. Commission members who had attended the event in the past and said the University does a very nice job organizing the event. The IntergenerationaI Committee is promoting the event to the seniors in the community, and the University is promoting the event to students. Ms. Hickman said she hoped that all Commission Members would attend the event. She said the Commission had sponsored the event in order to assure that more seniors were aware that it was meant for them and to encourage greater attendance from aging adults. She said it is a very nice affair and that she thought it was a great opportunity for seniors to dress formally. Ms. Hickman asked that interested parties contact Ms. Laden if they would like to help promote the event to seniors in the community. SUBSIDIZED TAXI PROGRAM: ACCESSIBILITY FOR PERSONS NVITH DISABILITIES Ms. Flowers summarized the research conducted earlier this year on subsidized transportation programs throughout the region and country that use lift equipped vehicles to transport individuals that are wheel chair dependent. She stated that Evanston's Subsidized Taxi Program is available to seniors, aged 60 or better, or persons with disabilities under the age of 60, who have annual incomes of 530,000 or less. Eligible persons can enroll through the Commission offices and receive an identification card. The Subsidized Taxi Program ID card enables them to purchase cab vouchers for 52.50. Each voucher is valid for a one way cab ride within the City of Evanston. All four major cab companies accept the vouchers. Program participants are required to pay an additional dollar to take a passenger along with them. Local drivers are required to participate in training around sensitivity issues relating to seniors and people with disabilities. Due to liability issues, drivers are not permitted to physically assist passengers in and out of their vehicles. The local cab companies neither do nor operate lift -equipped vehicles in Evanston, which makes transportation difficult for residents who are wheel chair dependent. The Commission receives calls on a regular basis requesting information on transportation options for persons that are wheel chair dependent. Ms. Friedl and others have advocated for the expansion of the program to include lift equipped vehicles. In an effort to evaluate our program and to assess what other communities are doing to address this need, Ms. Flowers and her 2006-7 graduate students reviewed cab programs across the nation. They reported how various communities are addressing the needs of affordable and accessible transportation of seniors and people with disabilities. They found that Evanston's program is one of the most responsive programs, in terms of both cost and the fact that it is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some communities, such as Chicago, mandate that cab companies Iicensed by the City operate lift equipped taxicabs. Chicago operates their program through Flash Cab, which is owned by the same company that operates 303 and Magic Cabs. Chicago mandates a certain ratio of 3 Minutes Subrni"ed —approved accessible vehicles to regular fleet, as do some other communities. Chicago has one central dispatch that serves all of the cab companies participating in the program. The results of the study were shared with the Commission as well as with Mr. Terry and Kevin Lookis, staff to the Taxi Cab Advisory Board. Ms. Flowers asked what direction the Commission on Aging would like to take on the accessible vehicle issue. Ms. Hickman suggested that the Disabilities Committee discuss the issue at their next meeting and then report back to the Commission. Ms. Friedl spoke of her personal transportation experiences. She said that, when the lift on her van broke down, she was almost totally homebound due to the lack of effective transportation alternatives available. She discussed her experience using the Pace ADA Program. Registration is a lengthy process and requires the applicant to travel to PACE's Chicago offices for an interview. She expressed her opinion that the program is less than responsive. Users are required to call more than 24-hours in advance to arrange for a ride; often users are required to call as early as 5 A.M. the day prior to their appointment to reserve a ride. Even when a user calls at 5 a.m. the day before, there is no guarantee they will arrive in time for their appointment. Ms. Hickman agreed that it seems like the supply does not meet the demand for the PACE ADA Program. Some individuals use Medicars to get to their medical appointments or dialysis treatments, but those vehicles are far from economical and not useful for individuals who have no income besides their Social Security Disability Income. Ms. Cherco stated that the accessible vehicle concern might be a good issue for the Committee on Disabilities to consider. Dr. Streitfeld thought it would be commendable for Evanston to have several accessible cabs. He felt that the City should develop some type of guidelines subject to the need. He said that it may be a good idea to note how often these types of calls come into the Commission on Aging offices. Mr. Rakowsky asked whether the City had spoken to the cab companies about the issue and if Evanston has any authority to make companies provide accessible vehicles. Mr. Terry said he has argued that the City has had some exposure to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He said that the City uses tax dollars to support the taxi program, and that persons confined to a wheel chair who are othenvise eligible are not able to make use of this program. He expressed his opinion that this may be a violation of the ADA. Mr. Terry stated that not everyone sees it that way but this is something to keep in mind in the future. He recommended that the Commission partner with the Taxicab Advisory Board on this issue. There is a prevailing notion that each municipality has cab companies and issues medallions locally. He said that there are a handful of large companies who run most of the cab companies in northern Cook County, and that the City needs to look at who they are regulating when mandating provisions. Often time cab companies run a small office with a telephone that is being fon-varded to a central switch board somewhere else. He noted that Evanston does not have the same leverage with cab companies as the City of Chicago. Ms. Hickman said that she thought the insurance costs associated with operating accessible vehicles might be one of the factors deterring cab companies from purchasing them. Ms. Flowers said that this is one of the reasons she is talking with the City Collector's Office about ways to encourage through incentives the 4 Minutes Submitted —approved purchase of accessible vehicles, something other communities have implemented. Ms. Flowers noted that these rides take longer to service as drivers need to allow longer time for passengers to enter and exit the vehicle. which also means longer wait times for other individuals who require those cars. All of these factors mean higher operating costs for cab companies though they may not charge any more for those rides. Ms. Hickman recommended that the conversation should be continued at the next Disabilities Committee meeting, with follow-up conversation at a future Commission meeting. CHAIR REPORT Ms. Hickman said that former Commission member Fran Seidman had served as the liaison to the Levy Center Advisory Board. She asked whether anyone would be interested in acting as the liaison to that board, which would require attending their meetings at 9 A.M. the first Monday of each month. Ms. Cody said that she would be willing to take on that role. Ms. Hickman spoke about Northwestern's Senior from. She said that this year's theme is F1y Me to the Aloon. She said that one of bene[its of partnering is to increase the Community's awareness of the Commission on Aging. She asked members to state what they do to actively promote the Commission. Ms. Laden said she tells her students that she is on the Commission and to let her know if they have any ideas or concerns regarding aging adults in Evanston. She said this is how she learned about the documentary her student is making about the issue of affordable housing. She also includes her membership on her resume. Nis. Yalowitz said that her employer, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, had included her membership information in their employee newsletter. She said that whenever a relevant issue arises, she refers people to the Commission. Ms. Bernard said she talks about the COA with her church group and is always trying to recruit individuals who might be interested in attending meetings or joining the Commission as a member. Dr. Streitfeld said that he is a member of several groups and updates members on the Commission and includes the membership on his resume. Mr. Egelston offered to write a piece for Blue Cross/ Blue Shield (BC/BS) of Illinois' Newsletter to promote the Commission. Ms. Hickman told Mr. Egelston that a reporter from BC/BS had attended the October meeting with the intent of writing an article on the COA. Mr. Terry recalled the days when members were issued name tags that were to be worn whenever they attended a City Counsel or other board and commission meetings, so that other people knew that the represented the Commission. Ms. Cody said she always shares info on the Commission with her community and encourages others to attend Commission meetings. Most Smoke Detectors emit a noise that is out of range for those suffering from some form of hearing loss. Ms. Hickman reminded that Smoke Detectors are available free of charge to members of the community, who are hard of hearing and meet income guidelines. The guidelines are that one must have an income below S41,000. Interested individuals can contact Bob Nelson at the Evanston Fire Department. Ms. Jones said the applications are also available through the City website, from Chris Ferraro at Levy 5 Minutes Submitted —approved Center, the Commission Offices or through her. Any of those parties can help with the completion of that application. Ms. Hickman is very interested in raising awareness of the COA in the community. Dr. Elkin asked how information gets into Highlights. Ms. Flowers explained that City Staff are responsible for information included in Highlights as well as the City of Evanston website. She stated she submitted five submissions on Commission on Aging programs for the Winter Edition that was recently mailed to the Evanston community. The Chair said her last and most important item was the recognition of Mr. Terry, who is attending his last meeting; as Director of Health and Human Services. She said that his exit will directly impact the Commission on Aging. The COA has been very fortunate to have him as its Director. He has always been very responsive and proven himself extremely knowledgeable. He has been very forthcoming with ideas and suggestions, She expressed her opinion that Mr. Terry is not replaceable. She has known Mr. Terry for many years, but it was working with him through the Commission that she really learned to appreciate him. On behalf of the Commission, she thanked Mr. Terry for being its Director and wished him the best in his future activities. Mr. Terry replied that it really was a labor of love. His tenure has been a time of incredible change for the City. When he started there was a full-time Executive Director of the Commission on Aging and a part-time Ombudsman. He noted that the Commission has come a long; way and developed a lot of new programs. The very idea that the COA has a liaison to the Levy Center would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. His first day with the City he took calls from the press asking his opinion on the new senior center. The COA, the Recreation Board, and Levy Advisory Committee were involved with an incredible passionate fight over what the new center would look like, what type of social services Levy would provide, and where it would be located. There had been discussion about Levy being on the grounds of the Civic Center. Those plans called for a two-part building, with one side being recreation and the other adult day care center. City -based senior services have come: a long; way and Levy does provide some Social Service Programs as well as recreational ones. He said that he has had the opportunity to work with nearly a dozen Commission Chairs, over 75 Commission Members and has been blessed with incredible staff, tics. Flowers is out of this world. When colleagues have discussed his attending a Saturday morning meeting, he has told them how it is the best meeting of his month. He thanked everyone. STAFF REPORT Director Mr. Terry reported that there is a lot of organizational change in the City, which he believes will continue well into 2003, as the early retirement programs kicks in and a lot of other changes are made. He had told the COA in the fall that Liquor Licenses had become the responsibility of the Health and Human Services Department. Literally, as of today, Human Relations, and the staff responsible for landlord -tenant relations, fair 0 Minutes Submitted —approved housing and Summer Youth Employment are now all part of the Department of Health and Human Services and the staff will be moving into offices on the garden level. Evonda Thomas, Family and Community Wellness Division Chief, has been named by the City Manager as the interim Department Head. The position was advertised and posted in November and the City Manager expects to select a permanent replacement sometime soon. The City is in the middle of preparing the Fiscal 2008-2009 Budget. He noted that there is a lot of financial concern about the City, including concerns around Police and Fire Pension fund obligations. Mr. Terry said he is kind of leading the way in 2008, as there is an average of a Department Head a month leaving the City through June 30, when the Early Retirement window closes. This is certain to be a time of evaluating what the City does and who does it. Long Term Care Ombudsman The Commission, along with Evanston/Skokie Valley Senior Services, Levy Senior Center and AgeOptions held a Medicare D and Illinois Cares RX enrollment event at the Levy Center. Congresswoman Schakowsky and her staff talked about some changes to the programs and the interface between State and Federal Prescription Drug Programs. Turn out was about 60 and 3540 of individuals took advantage of the enrollment assistance provided by the sponsoring agencies. Ms. Flowers stated that she is struck by the fact that, going into the third year of the program there are still many people who have not enrolled. Many arc hesitant to enroll, or confused by the program and overwhelmed by all the mailings they are receiving from all the companies. Until the end of the month the Commission of ices, ESVSS, and Levy Center will continue to help people to apply for Medicare D, Medicare Extra Help, and Illinois Cares RX/Circuit Breaker. People may change plans during this period, even those how only recently selected a program. A volunteer is working with Commission staff to assist people with enrollment for Medicare D and Circuit Breaker. Ms. Yalowitz said that she recently learned that one really needs to make certain that their current plan still carries their drugs and is still the right plan. Ms. Flowers has been encouraging, even those who are satisfied with their current program, to conic in and evaluate their options, to find the plan that is best suited for them. Ms. Flowers shared a list from a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Publication that lists the Nation's Poorest Performing Nursing Homes. She noted that individuals can also go to the CMS %vebsite for that information. Illinois only has one Home listed on the sheet, and it is not located in Evanston. Interested parties can also pull up all of the Evanston facilities and compare them against each other across various criteria. Ms. Flowers has done that in the past for the Long Term Care Committee and will do so again. Individuals can also log onto the Public Health wehsite and htttr/hvww.idnh.state.i1.us/ and pull up citations and other information on facilities. There is more interest in Congress in looking at care, staffing ratios and mandating higher quality of care than ever before. At its national conference, NCCNHR, the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform celebrated the 20`h anniversary of OBRA, 7 Minutes Submitted —approved which were comprehensive expansions and changes to the existing Nursing Home regulations. Ms. Hickman asked how these evaluations are made. Ms. Flowers explained that every state evaluates any organization that it receiving Federal money, either Medicare or Medicaid, or that is licensed by the state. In Evanston each facility is licensed by the City and the state. The State Department of Public Health has been trained by the Federal Government to conduct two con -current surveys: Federal and State. Findings are forwarded to CMS, where the information in tabulated. Mr. Rakowsky said he had looked at a copy of the Presbyterian Homes Survey, which had a few citations relating to the physical plant. Ms. Flowers noted that this is not uncommon as we have a lot of older nursing homes in Evanston. There are two evaluations being done, one looks at care and the other the physical plant. Ms. Flowers meets with the surveyors during their annual visit. The surveyors may provide her with a list of any issues they want Ms. Flowers to monitor on subsequent visits. Some institutions have to seek variances from the state on physical plant issues (i.e. many rooms are smaller than required and need variances granted). Ms. Flowers said the facilities on the list are the most egregious offenders. Ms. Hickman said that if you visit a Nursing Home regularly you really need to monitor what is happening with the person you visit. Ms. Flowers said, related to long -term -care as some may have noticed in the media, Manor Care, a large national nursing home chain, is being purchased by Carlyle Group. This is the fist time that organization has owned or operated nursing homes. Advocacy groups are monitoring this purchase and are encouraging some oversight to assure that the quality of care does not deteriorate. There is particular concern that costs may rise or that staffing might change as a consequence. In Illinois advocacy groups are advocating with public health and the governor's office to hold public hearings and talk about the process to assure that certain standards are maintained. One hearing is scheduled for December I Ph at the Cultural Arts Center. Dr. Etkin said that the concern stems from the fact that Carlyle is a group of investors, who do not have any experience running facilities and Manor Care is such a very sizeabte chain, running many facilities. While there are no Manor Care facilities in Evanston, both hospitals heavily use the Wilmette and Skokie Manor Care facilities for rehab. Vehicle Sticker sales are still being conducted, staff is continuing to have a lot of calls and visits from seniors regarding the Senior Discount Cards. Seniors must meet the criteria of being 65 or better and having an income under S30,000 for an individual or S50,000 for a couple, in order to receive the 509110 discount. Staff will be available on site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 8 and Saturday, January 5, for seniors who can not make it in to get their Senior Discount 1D cards during the week. The Health and Human Services Department is working in conjunction with Evanston Northwestern Health Care and the American Cancer Society to coordinate a Cancer Survivor Day of Beauty. We have coordinating with local spas and salons to provide free services for local cancer survivors. So far over 50 people have signed up to receive free manicures, pedicures, make-up consultation and massages. There are still appointments 8 Minutes Submitted —approved available. In response to a question, Ms. Flowers said the program is not limited to Evanston residents. Senior Police Liaison Ms. Jones passed around reports for Commission members to read at their convenience. She reported that there have been a number of crime patterns arising. One of her handouts focused on strategies that one can undertake to avoid falling victim to these trends. There has been a spike in vehicle burglary on both the north and south end of the City. In one of the areas, the vast majorities of automobiles were not locked and often contained valuable items. Please do not leave valuable items in the vehicle and secure your vehicle even when it is in your garage. Please lock garage service doors. When shopping at multiple retailers, store things in the trunk, not the car where people can see them. With the accelerated consumerism, holiday time is a hot time for pickpockets. Ms. Jones listed the hot spots where one is most likely to fall victim to this type of theft. Ms. Jones received a call from her college student son early this morning. Apparently, he had been at a club and lost his wallet and was in a panic. Ms. Jones said the best way to prepare is by only limiting the items one carries in the wallet, to those they plan to use in a given trip. Additionally, keep copies of all credit card numbers in your home, so that you can easily call and cancel them. When your multi -unit building or facility hosts an event for everyone, please make certain to secure their doors. It is helpful for staff to greet outsiders and ask if they can assist them. One can be friendly to a stranger while making them aware that someone is paying attention. Illinois Public Health regulations now demand that police be notified when people with criminal history take up residence in a long term care facility. Ms. Jones said this is a good thing, particularly as it relates to violent and sex offenders, but it is also important for those considered low -risk with a history of theft or burglary convictions. She asked that the Commission to take an interest in that issue to ensure the safety of the possession of vulnerable facility residents. She does not want to exclude anyone from taking up residence, but she does want to keep an eye on things especially for those who cannot communicate or are not fully conscience much of the time. Ms. Hickman added a reminder for everyone, regardless of age, to put on all locks and turn on their alarms when they are in the home. Home invasions are on rise. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Rakowsky reminded people that Presbyterian Homes is offering a brain fitness program, which is supposed to help people enhance their memory. On the same theme, PBS is airing a program on memory enhancement on December 2 and again December 7. 9 Minutes Submitted --approved NEW BUSINESS Ms. Thomas said that ESVSS recently started a support group for spouses who are caregivers. The group meets the first Wednesday afternoon of each month. It is a very nice group and can help people in that situation learn ways to deal with the stress associated. She said that Sandi Johnson, Executive Director of North Shore Senior Center, parent organization of ESVSS, is also retiring after 30 years. They have started a search for a replacement as well. Mr. Rakowsky said that there has been a lot of press regarding penicillin resistant infectious diseases. He circulated a hand out which summarized the situation for MERSA and other resistant diseases. He said though this is a problem, it is not as severe as some of the media is portraying. However, if you do get it, you have a problem. The article advises that people do not use antibacterial agents because it kills the bugs that compete with the bad infections. Ms. Bernard said that MERSA is not confined to LTC facilities but there have been instances in hospitals as well. Mr. Terry said part of the frustration of working in public health field in recent years is combating these media scares. He reiterated something that Ms. Jones had said, there is a fine line between informing and enlightening and scaring the public. He said the media has to find controversy to draw people. it creates and expectation and responses that Public Health does not recommend like schools fumigating locker rooms. No one in public health would advise those actions. They do it because they feel it is what the parents and general public expect. It is symbolic and superficial and would not kill the germs that cause these infections. He said use common sense and to recognize that you should wash your hands with soap and water. ADJOURAIAIENT The meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m. Respectfully submitted by Casey Solomon 10