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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 1993D$AE2Z - K= APPROVED EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR MEETING - January 9, 1993 Evanston Civic Center m H Q T R I Present: Harriet Gillette, Judith Herbert Barry Isaacson, sally Mackert, Marguerite Mose Jack Korshak, Baila Miller, Sheldon Wagner, Seven Samson, Helen Leister Presiding: sally Mackert Staff: Jay Terry, John Eckert, Audrey Trotsky [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:40 a.m. [II] APPROVAL OF MINUTES - DECEMBER NOVEMBER 5, 1992 The minutes of the November 7, 1992 meeting were called. Ms. Herbert made a motion, seconded by Mr. Korshak Jq apprue � Typographical errors and amendments were noted, after which the minutes were approved as amended. Motion married, [III] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Commission member, Grace Halperin had been hospitalized at Evanston Hospital with chest discomfort, was released and is doing well. commission member, Harry Mickelsen was treated as an outpatient at Evanston Hospital for severe arthritis. Thank you notes were received from former members, Adina Romain and Jane Punwani. Con e - An excellent professional development session will be presented in March. Commission members interested in attending should inform the R—eeutive Committee so they can check into available budget fuhds for members attendance. Information for press releases for appointments of Mr. Eckert{ Ombudsman, Mr. Samson, Mr. Wagner and Ms. Jacobs, new Commission members, are requested for publication in the newspaper. [IV] COMMITTEE REPORTS IBtergeenerational Committee - Intergenerational Forum is scheduled for Saturday February 27th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Levy Center. Helene Bock, nationally known for intergenerational proogqramming, will be the keynote speaker. Myril.Landesman from D1.strict 65, and Muriel Curry from the Presbyterian Homes, will present a joint intergenerational program. Next Committee meeting will be January 25th at 8:30 a.m. at the Civic Center. Commission members are encouraged to attend to assist in planning the Forum. The Committee is seeking financial support from foundations and others for the Forum. p2g Term Care Committee - In the absence of Chairperson COA 1/9/93 Page 1 Halperin Mr. Eckert, Ombudsman reported on the December meeting. A presentaLon was made by the Fire Department, handbooks are almost completed, and during the past month, all facilities were visited by Mr. Eckert. AdUlt pAy care ZLsX Farce - No report. Housiga Committee - No report. IV] DIRECTOR'S REPORT A. Free Income Tax Preparation - The Commission offices will again be the location for tax counseling/preparation beginning February 3th through April 7th, on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling Audrey. AARP accountants are provided for these appointments. c coupon - The Township will continue to support th s�ogram at the same level as last year $14,000. our request for an increase of $500.00 was rejected. Mr. Terry suggested Commission members attend The Township Committee of the City Council meeting Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:30 p.m. when the Taxicab Program will be discussed. M. �vaniston Sep JoK service kroviders' Exchage ESSP - The December 18, 1992 meeting was very successful. The Exchange has agreed to continue its primary function, networking. At future meetings there will be a literature table for brochure/information exchange. An effort will be made to bring the religious community into the Exchange. �� 9pricarq grogram - A new program of the Inpatient Psychiatric Department of St. Francis Hospital primarily designed for individuals found by the Police Department, Fire Department or Senior Service Agencies to be in extreme conditions of self neglect. This program provides psychiatric services and access to community services for older persons. Wayuer Health Center pedi cation - Ms. Mackert, Mr. Eckert and Mrs. Terry attended the dedication Wagner Health Center. The facility is for The Georgian, The Mather and Fairfield residents whose medical needs warrant a skilled care facility. Ft._ City of panston - There will be a big push within the City staff over the next few months in Customer Service training. During the months of February and March an intensive customer service training program will be given to all City staff. [VI] COMMISSION ORIENTATION The following materials were reviewed: i � geaulations, Adopted January 19s9 - The Commission is follow ng the Rules and Regulations as mandated. Ms. Mackert called particular attention to, "Each member shall serve on at least one committee of his/her choosing and shall so notify the Chairperson and the Director" for new members who have not affiliated with a committee. Policies Aad Procedures gl Non -Discrimination - Mr. Terry stated COA 1/9/93 Page 2 all the Policies and Procedures for Discrimination required are in Place and readily available. This is important as the Commission is a recipient of Federal funds from the Area.Agency on Aging. a. Alphabet so�� - Glossary of Acronyms and Alphabet Soup Correction noted on page 2, DAD - Department on Aging and Disability (Chicago) should be DOAD. Addition, Metropolitan Chicago Commission on Aging is now Illinois Alliance on Aging, IAA. Liatinat 2$ Nuraina Hoomg§ - To be updated/revised by Mr. Eckert. Dmta - Mr. Terry reviewed the data sheets included in the packet. The "Selected Data on older Adults in Evanston" figures show the number persons in long term care facilities as 1,384 and 4,765 persons over 75 not in long term care facilities. Evanston has several retirement homes that are not considered long term care facilities. The number of isolated elderly in the community is unknown. The Fleetwood lunch program has between 40 and 50 people who eat there on a daily basis. The number of persons receiving home delivered meals was not included with this data. The census tract information will give more recise figures and will be distributed to the Commission as soon as i is available. Milestones - City governments have been responding to older people aroximately p years. The first municipal office on aging was establppished in Chicago in 1956. A critical year was 1965 when Medicare and the Older Americans Act was passed. The older Americans Act is the national funding stream for social service programs for older adults and the law by which the hot lunch program, home delivered meals, in -home services, the ombudsman program, senior Center dollars, and all aging research are funded. The next milestone year was 1972 when most of the major OAA allocation increases took place. Most national programs began from this funding stream and the Area Agencies on Aging, a network of entities, was created. There are Area Agencies on Aging for every part of the country. All of Suburban Cook County is covered by the Suburban Area Agency on Aging, a not-far-prori.t organization, currently based in Oak Park. It is the recipient of all the Federal dollars aging which they in turn allocate throughout Suburban Cook County. Our ombudsman Program is directly funded through this agency. Programs are funded on the basis of Township. Evanston is grouped with Niles Township. Family Counseling services is the other major recipient of Federal dollars for older people within our area. The Commission on Aging was created in 1976 and Long Term Care and Housing have been the primary areas of interest through the Commission's early development. The Commission's interest in Long Term Care is attributed to the high number of facilities within the community. Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs were not put in the Older Americans Act until 1983. Evanston was working on ordinance revisions and resident handbooks as far back as 1978. The first advocate was hired in 1980. Evanston was a forerunner in the Long Term Care issue. Federal dollars for Ombudsman funding was not available until the late 180s. The Commission on Aging's legacy is the commitment to caring for older adults in Long Term Care facilities. There has been some national reassessment of attention to the needs of older adults. White House Conferences on Aging were to be held every 10 years. President Reagan held a conference in 1981 but COA 1/9/93 Page 3 President Bush did not hold a conference in 1991 as he felt it was an unnecessary expenditure of Federal funds. Advocates in the field of aging are hoping long term care will be a large part of health care reform. Lor�aly the City has gong through a reorganization last year the Commission lost its Director. There is some need for the Commission to re-establish its priorities. The Commission is not only seen as a advocate for special issues, i.e., need for senior housing, need for long term care issues, but also as a voice for the impact of on oing City issues on older persons, i.e., the City's crime rate, he roller blade issue, etc. The Commission needs to identify its priorities and move forward. Strgtegic Plan - Commission members discussed their plan. A ear's efforts were put forth into looking at issues and analyzing he Commission's capabilities. The Commission should go back to the strategic Plan to see if they still agree this is basically their priority listing and a means to achieve their goals and objectives. The Executive Committee would like to propose using the next few months to gather information from groups of seniors in the community such as Levy Center groups, long term care facility resident councils, Family Counseling.Services Advisory.Committee, and churches that have gatherings of their seniors. The aim is to gather materials for a 15 to 20 minute presentation on the Commission that everyone can become well versed with and present to these groups. This presentation should tell what the Commission is, where it came from, what it hopes to do in the future for these individuals and groups. our constituencyin the community should be aware that we are a clearing house for information and our intent is to advocate for their needs. Commission members felt these community assests should serve as much as a mechanism to learn learn about community priorities as they would promote the Commission. At this point, Ms. Mackert had to leave the meeting and Mr. Isaacson Chaired the remainder of the meeting. Mr. Isaacson summed up the discussion stating the need to develop some type of presentation to let our constituents know who the Commission is and ghat services can be provided for them and what can be done for them. The Commission should try to develop a mechanism for feedback and attempt compile a community senior list for mailing purposes. A calendar of events for meetings, programs, and various other group activities should be developed and in some way be distributed to the senior community. it was suggested to have the Evanston Senior Providers' Exchange distributehe Commission's questionnaire. It was also suggested to contact Northwestern University for their assistance with the questionnaire as they worked on the Housing Needs Assessment for the Commission. [ VI I ] ADJOUR.NM M The meeting was adjourned at 12:13 a.m. Ms. Leister made a motion, seconded by Ms. Herbert, Jo adiourq the meetinu. Unanimouslv anaroved. R pectfully�submitted, CoA\14inl-93 a y Mockert, CnaiFRrson CoA 1/9/93 Page 4 DRAFT - APPROVED EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR MEETING - February 6, 1993 Evanston Civic Center K I K 9 1 1 9 Present: Harriet Gillette, Judith Herbert, Barry Isaacson, Sally Mackert, Jack Korshak, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Grace Halperin, Ruth Jacobs, Jane Baker, Robert Fickes Presiding: Sally Mackert Staff: Jay Terry John Eckert, ombudsman; Audrey Trotsky Guest: Muriel Goodfriend, Supervisor of senior Services Program at Family Counseling Services [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:41 a.m. [II] APPROVAL OF MINUTES - JANUARY 9, 1993 The minutes of the January 9, 1993 meeting were called. Mr. Isaacson made a motion, seconded by Mr. Mickelsen tq approve the minutes. Typographical errors and amendments were noted after which the minutes were approved as amended. )lotion carriedL [III] FAMILY COUNSELING SERVICES (F'CS) PRESENTATION - MURIEL GOODFRIEND, SUPERVISOR SENIOR SERVICES PROGRAM Ms. Goodfriend presented the following FCS sponsored programs and community connections: - 12;ormatioq and Referral funded by the Area Agency on Aging through a Federal Grant. - Case Manaaement, also funded by the Area Agency on Aging. Home visits are made to assess physical or emotional health, alternatives/options for care and plans for services needed. - In Ujqme service, assessments and referrals are made to determine eligibility for home assistance and day care. Counseling for seniors and family members involved with elderly relatives. Nursing ILome Assistance, assisting with placement. Commlunity Care, a State program, for persons needing help in the home. Income and n9eds assessment and eligibility is made for homemaker and personal care services, or adult day care. CoA 2/9/93 Page 1 Low income seniors do not pay for the services, others pay according to their income. - Abuse, a state program, is their most intrusive service. F y Counseling services is the designated elder abuse agencyy in the communit . Investigates reports of abuse ( hyysical or emotional, neglect and exploitation and work w�th abuser and abuses. - Financial Counseling, assistance with retirement planning or consumer credit and debt management counseling. - outreach, have obtained a grant for an outreach worker to inform seniors about available services and resources in the community. Gatekeepers Prcgram, a program where individuals, In as utility service people, neighbors, grocers, etc.) who are n contact with older persons and see or sense something is wrong contact the Police Department, the City or Family Counseling Services to report their findings. Referrals are followed up by Family Counseling Services. Family Counseling's Senior Services Program is funded by Title III older American's Act to the Suburban Area Agency on Aging, State funds, the United way/Community services, the City of Evanston, Health Department for the Senior Health Center and Community Development CDBG. Fees are not charged for persons 60 and over, they only ask for contributions. There are 6 workers plus Ms. Goodfriend, the supervisor. There is also a volunteer who helps with Medicare forms. The services cover six communities; Evanston, Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles and Golf. Family Counseling Services also has 2 advisory groups, a Senior Advisory Group which is mandated under law, plus a Multidisciplinary Elder Abuse Team (MTeam) that meets monthly to discuss issues o concern around Elder Abuse. Programs/presentations on advocacy and education have been jointly sponsored with the Commission on Aging. FCS is open to being a part of the Multipurpose senior Center and will continue to support the Commission on Aging's efforts. They also seek the Commission's support for continued funding from the City. Commission on Aging members are invited to attend Family Counseling Service's Advisory Committee meetinggs and offer input. The next meeting will take place March 3rd at the Family Counseling Services office from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Ms. Mackert asked if at some future meeting the Commission on Aging could be included on the agenda and engage in the same sort of exchange of information that took place at this Commission meeting. Commission members were interested in the services most needed and sought after by Evanston's senior population and Ms. Goodfriend's opinion of these needs. Her response was there is difficulty in meeting basic needs, affordable housing, affordable health care, easy access to Public Aid and Public Benefits, in -home care, transportation across the boundaries of Evanston, i.e., to Doctors appointments. There should be an effort put forth for shared housing. CoA 2/9/93 Page 2 easy access to Public Aid and Public Benefits, in -home care, transportation across the boundaries of Evanston, i.e., to Doctors appointments. There should be an effort put forth for shared housing. The Commission thanked Ms. Goodfriend for her very informative and extensive presentation. [IV] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Ms. Mackert attended the January 25th Human Services Committee meeting where discussion centered on the Youth Services Bureau and their mentor program for at -risk youth. The Commission should consider becoming involved and supportive of this program. A presentation on the Intergenerational Forum and the survey response will be made to the Human services Committee after the Forum. Ms. Mackert and Ms. Mose also attended the Township Committee meeting and reported that the Taxicab Coupon Program budget was approved for $14,500 including the requested $500 increase. Jane Baker spoke with Alderman Feldman regarding professional development funds for Commission members. The Human Services Committee will be submitting an across the board concept for this budget item that will include all Boards and Commissions. The Commission will be informed of the results. Members of the Executive Committee expressed interest in members of the Commission, going to conferences. The Commission's original budget submitted and presented to the Human Services Committee contained $1,100 in a line item called Training and Travel. The City Manager removed it in his final draft of the budget due to an across the board policy of staff attending conferences and the assumption was the S1,100 was for staff. When the issue was pointed out to the City Manager at the budget team meetings, questions came up regarding fairness to other Boards and Commissions. The City Manager asked for Council's guidance in this equity issue and they referred the Human Services Committee to look in depth into this issue. More information/ background is needed for the Human Services Committee to decide this issue. This will not be available until late March or early April. Mr. Terry, however will look into the commission being able to attend this year's ASA conference. Mary Gibb, the first Director of the Commission on Aging, passed away last month. [V] DIRECTOR'S REPORT Public Information Efforts - Mr. Terry and Mr. Eckert have an intern working on the development of a new City services for older persons brochure. Many City services for older adults are not part of the Commission on Aging, i.e., the Senior Health Center, the Levy Center, discounts on vehicle stickers (for qualifying seniors), the funding of a Family Counseling Service case worker, etc., has never been listed or publicized in a comprehensive way. The brochure will not be available until later in the Spring. CoA Min. Feb. 9 1993 Page 3 Evanston Ugited W&y - has implemented a 5.51 cut, (for this fiscal year which will result closer to a lot cut), for all their funded agencies as the metropolitan campaign is about $10,000,00o under goal, and the local Evanston campaign has not met its goal either. Family Counseling services is the single largest cut as their allocation from the local United Way is the largest. This is another example of shrinking social services funding. Foundation - has applied for decertification of the Georgian as a long term care facility and it will become a retirement living residence. Mr. Eckert added, they will continue to have the ombudsman present after the decertification. tic agaring March Jaj - The special Committee on Boards and Commissions final recommendations will be presented March 1st. There are no proposed changes for the Commission on Aging. The Mental Health Board will remain at 9 without the presence of an Alderman. [VIl OMBUDSMAN REPORT The ombudsman Volunteer Recognition Luncheon will be held February 13th, all Commission members are invited to attend. Mr. Eckert was recently informed of his acceptance to do a presentation at the 15th Annual Workers in Aging Conference in Naperville, this April on "Obtaining Volunteers for Various Programs." Commission on Aging ombudsman training sessions for Certified Ombudsman Volunteers will be presented March 13th and 20th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at the Civic Center. Community ombudsman training, more extensive training sessions, will begin in April. Commission members are welcomed to attend, if only for informational purposes. [Vill COMMITTEE REPORTS Lg= Term Care Committee - Ms. Halperin's Committee has visited B nursing homes and will visit the last 3 in March. Reception at the nursing homes has been mixed with concern regarding who the Commission on Aging is and why they are making these visits. Last month's Long Term Care Committee meeting attendees raised questions regarding facilities; Commission responsibilities; signs of people needing assistance; independent living versus institutional care; local, state and Federal laws and requirements; and preventive care. The Long Term Care Committee's aim is to think in terms of people remaining independent as long as possible and also offer education and opportunities for the services available when needed. The Committee has a new member, Mr. Samson. Ms. Jacobs is interested in becoming a member. community ombudsmen and other community citizens are invited to attend monthly meetings. Representative from the Mather Foundation and Presbyterian regularly attend meetings. Mr. Eckert has arranged with the VNA North to have a speaker on CoA Min. Feb. 9 1993 Page 4 Hospice at the February meeting. Interge erational Qmmitteg - Ms. Mackert reported the Committee has had several planning session meetings for the February 27th Forum. Ms. Miller has prepared a grid reporting form of the results of the survey which will be available at the forum. Invitations have been mailed to the 270 persons who received the initial survey, plus several others. A contribution was received from the Murdough Foundation to cover the honorarium cost, the Levy Center's in -kind donation is space for the forum, and Ms. Romain has approached the INVEST Board for a contribution. The Evanston Children -Is Librarian has offered to gather an updated listing of children's books and sources for parents on intergenerational issues which will be available at the forum. Charlotte Wagner has recently become a member of the Committee. Housing Committee - Ms. Herbert,.Chair, and Ms. McCudden attended the Washington National John Buck Development meeting. A number of changes have taken place to this development as originally planned. The John Buck Development Company is currently looking for favorable tax increment financing arrangements. A memo was sent to the Economic Development Committee from the Chair of the Commission on Aging Housing Committee stating our support of the Housing Commission's proposal to get a contribution to the Mayor's Affordable Housing Fund. The Commission's Housing Committee would like more information regarding this fund and its affect on senior housing needs. The Committee is also interested in knowing the waiting time to get into Evanston's Subsidized Senior Housing. A decision was made for the Commission's Housing Committee to collaborate with the City's Housing Commission. The Committee has been exploring the availability of handy man programs in the Suburban Cook County area. The 1989 Housing Survey identified the need for older adults who wish to remain in their own homes•do not always have the resources to get the tasks done to help them remain in their homes. Pat Montgomery, of the Suburban Area Agency on Aging, compiled some material describing these types of programs and will continue to research this project. The Committee feels this is an unmet need in Evanston however more date needs to be gathered. Census data from the current suburban Area Agency on Aging Project Newsletter, shows the Evanston population of 55 and over is 7,731 and is estimated that over 29% of this population have mobility and self care limitations. Therefore, the Committee is looking into programs to assist this target population with home repairs and maintenance. New Housing Committee members are Mr. Rorshak and Ms. Miller. [VIII] COMMUNITY INPUT AND PRESENTATION PROCESS The Commission has 2 goals for going out into the community with a Commission on Aging presentation; 1) to give people a sense of the Commission's existence, what we do and hope to do, and 2) to open the discussion of their needs and concerns and how we may be better CoA Min. Feb. 9 1993 Page 5 able to represent and support them. A calendar will be compiled for the March Commission meeting of senior community gatherings which will need Commission members commitments to being present at these gatherings. The Executive Committee will put together a short factual informative script and survey form which will incorporate the information the Commission would like to have from the community along with suggestions how this information will be tallied and utilized. Commission members' consensus regarding this community input presentation process is needed. The Evanston Senior Providers' Exchange can be of assistance to the Commission in the distribution this survey. Ms. Mackert will be making a presentation at the next Providers' Exchange meeting, March 26th and will be asking for their input with this survey. Mr. Korshak brought up the possibility of a marketing idea to induce seniors to get on the mailing list, i.e. a discount ticket. The suggestion of marketing ideas will be taken into consideration. [XII OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Korshak raised the Social Security COLA freeze proposal issue. His suggestion was to authorize the drafting a letter to be sent to the President and the Chairmen of the two applicable Committees of the House and Senate, stating the conviction a blanket action regarding Social Security is most undesirable. The senior community that has no voice would feel the Commission is trying to speak on their behalf. Mr. Terry commented the aging network has always resisted the idea of anything dealing with Social Security being differentiated by income because if Social Security ever became a means tested program it would become one more poverty program and not have the type of political support it currently enjoys. There is a great deal of philosophical debate as to whether or not Social Security should ever be a means tested program. A suggestion was made for Mr. Korshak to draft a letter in as timely a manner as possible for distribution to Commission members. [VIll ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Jane Baker, Secretary DRAFT - Mgt Anoroved CoA Min. Feb. 9 1993 page 6 DRAFT APPROVED `EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR MEETING - March 6, 1993 Evanston Civic Center H I X 9 1 Z a Present: Harriet Gillette, Judith Herbert, Barry Isaacson, Sally Mackert, Helen Leister Harry Mickelsen, Ruth Jacobs, Jane Baker, Shefdon Wagner, Steve Samson Presiding: Sally Mackert Staff: Jay Terry John Eckert, Ombudsman Audrey Trotsky Guests: Elizabeth Capris, Presbyterian Homes Diane Ettleson, Northwestern University [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m. [II] APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 6, 1993 The minutes of the February 6, 1993 meeting were called. A motion was made and seconded by Mr. Mickelsen to a Drove tits pigutes. Typographical errors and amendments were noted after which the minutes were approved as amended. 14otion, carried. [III] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Lois Miller of the Levy Center, scheduled to be the March guest speaker, was unable to attend and asked to be included on the April agenda. Res4rnnation oI Vice Chi Robert fickes -- Mr. Fickes regretfully resigned from the Commission due to new responsibilities. The Nominating Committee, Ms. Leister, Chair, Ms. Mose and Mr. Mickelsen, nominated Ms. Halperin as Mr. Fickes' replacement as Vice Chair. A motion to potninate KgL. Hal2erio 1-u thg Commissiop on Aaina's Vice Chair wga called. Motlon unan mouely carried. Ms. Halperin wi'�li' continue to chair the Long Term Care Committee. The upcoming Mayoral election may delay the appointment of Mr. Fickes replacement on the Commission. The Executive Committee will continue to research future replacements. Meetings' Conferences. Semipa u - A program will be held in Chicago on April 2nd, entitled Elder Care and the 1,aw and sponsored by Medical Educational Services. The Governor's Conference, in association with the Illinois Alliance on Aging, is scheduled for September (further information will provided when available). The ASA Conference will be held at the end of March. There will also be CoA Min 3/6/93 Page 1 ASA sessions at the University of Chicago this summer (sessions the Commission`should become involved in). Several Commission members have been registered to attend the March ASA Conference. The cost for attending this conference has been paid for by the City Council's budget allocation for the purpose of education and training for City Boards and Commissions. Human geuices commit eg "ee�inas - Commission members continue to attend bi-monthly Human Services Committee meetings. The Intergenerationa]. Committee plans to make a presentation to the Human Services Committee at the March 22nd meeting on the results of the Survey and February 27th Forum. nM DVgnose daft t o t o o_ congress �tcial Security was discussed at great length. The Commission ad many suggestions regarding the language and content. A straw vote was taken which concluded all Commission members were in favor of sending a letter but not the originally drafted letter. It was also decided to have a Committee meet with Mr. Korshak and draft a letter to be brought to the Executive Committee meeting on March 22nd. A redrafted letter will be included in the April Commission packet for members' approval. The members of this Committee are: Mr. Mickelsen, Mr. Wagner, Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Korshak. [IV] COMMITTEE REPORTS Lon qTerm C rye Committee - Mr. Eckert reported visits are planned to Swedish Retirement Association and St. Francis Extended Care. ongoing projects include: •- preparing a new/updated listing of Long Term Care and Retirement homes in Evanston. - Elder Law at the Local, State and Federal level. At the February meeting a presentation was made by the VNA North - Hospice program; the Health Department's monthly report on the facilities presented no major concerns; the Committee is continuing to discuss future goals and concerns. A presentation will be made at the March meeting by Unlimited Home Care, a new home health agency. Intergengrat•onal Committee - Ms. Mackert reported the February 27th Intergenerational Forum held at the Levy Center, organized by Adina Romain, was a huge success. There were approximately 40 or 50 persons in attendance, including several Commission members. Three breakout sessions were concurrently presented. Ms. Mackert distributed copies of an Evaluation Summary of the Informational Survey that was distributed to Forum attendees and prepared by Commission member Baila Miller. Evaluations of the Forum graded very high. Housinq Committee - Ms. Herbert reported the Committee did not meet in March but will meet in April {meetings are held every other COA Min 3/6/93 Page 2 month). The Committee is focusing on three areas; research and exploration regarding handyman programs in Evanston; identifying and exploring unme congregate housing needs; and collaborating with the City of Evanston Housing Commission. Ms. Herbert and Mr. Isaacson attended the February 25th Housing.Commission meeting and expressed interest in collaborating on certain issues of mutual interest and concern. It was felt that such a collaboration would serve the objectives of both the City of Evanston Housing Commission and the Commission on Aging Housing Committee. To accomplish this it would be necessary for both the CoA and Housing Commission to receive each others meeting agendas and minutes beforehand to learn what issues will be of interest to either group. The City Housing Commission has not focused to any great extent on any housing issues relating to seniors. Their more pressing concerns related to families in transition and the younger segments of the population having difficulty getting housing needs met. The Housing Commission is very open to, and interested in, collaboration with the Commission on Aging Housing Committee. Ms. Herbert asked the Commission's opinion as to whether they felt this was a worth while direction for the Housing Committee to be going as there is a some duplication/overlap between the two groups. The Commission members unanimously agreed this collaboration would be beneficial to all concerned. Ms. Herbert and the Housing Committee will represent the Commission as a whole at City Housing Commission meetings. IV] DIRECTOR'S REPORT yvanston Senior Serviges Providers' Exchange - The meeting date has been moved to April 16th due to major conflicts with other programs on March 19th and March 26th. The updated Resource Directory sheets are completed and will be distributed at the April meeting. Also presentations will be made by the St. Francis Mobile Medical Unit and the Commission on Aging. C�tv Budget - Passed at the last Council meeting and began March 1st. The budget line item for Board and Commission training and education is $10{700 which will give each Board and Commission a $1,000 maximum for this expense. The Commission should be commended, as such a budget allocation of the City Council was brought about by the Commission raising this issue. Tow-nship Budget - The City bud et was balanced with a $500,000 purchase of service from Evanson Township. The Township Supervisor has taken a legal position that any cash arrangement between the City and the Township are an inherent conflict of interest which has an impact beyond the $500,000 amount. This has impact on Emergency Assistance, the Summer Youth Employment Program and the Subsidized Taxi Program as these programs are all paid by the Township for the City to run. The City s Corporation Council does not agree with the Township Supervisor thus resulting in legal discussions. This issue may not be settled until later in the year. Continuation _Qf activities - Mr. Terry noted he continues to do home visits when the Commission is alerted of certain situations by the police and fire departments. Some cases require several hours of case management as was a specific case that Mr. Terry was involved in CoA Min 3/6/93 page 3 this month. (VI] OMBUDSMAN REPORT T}g Ombudsmn Volunteer Recognition Luncheon held February 13th, was very successful. Mr. Eckert thanked Ms. Trotsky for her assistance and Mr. Samson for his excellent presentation. Trainim sessions far Certified Ombudsman Volunteers will begin March 13th and 20th from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at the Civic Center. udaman a new t , Tiffany Riebala, who will beeggin her internsiip tend of March. Her first and main project wi11 be the Ombudsman Program Newsletter. ff2m Area Agenr.V Grant and Buda t - Mr. Eckert is currently workingg on the new Area Agency Grant for the Ombudsman Program due April 26th. Also Mr. Terry and Mr. Eckert are working on the reconciliation of the Area Agency Budget due the middle of March. r. Eckert's presentation will take place April 26th and 27th at the Holiday Inn in Naperville at a conference entitled "Workers in Aging" and is sponsored b the Illinois Department on Aging to do training in advocacy. Additional information will be included in the April Commission packet. [VIIJ COMMUNITY INPUT AND PRESENTATION PROCESS An Older ,Adm1t Meer Jg a sto calendar was included in the March acket. SeveralCommission members committed to making presentations at various Evanston agencies and organizations listed in this calendar. Prior to making these visits Commission members will contact the agencies and/or organizations to obtain permission for their presentations. It would be ideal for 2 Commission members to go out together to support each other. Mr. Eckert should be contacted to coordinate the Long Term Care facility visits and Ms. Mackert should be contacted with all member's visit selectiona. Commission members are responsible for making the contact with agencies and/or organizations other than Long Term Care facilities. Further orientation will be scheduled during the April Commission on Aging meeting to prepare members with information and background materials to enable them to feel comfortable making their presentations. Mr. Samson added the Long Term Care Committee is proposing the expansion of their field of contacts to include not only seniors but also the caregivers who take of seniors, the sandwich generation. It was suggested to contact large corporations who have programs through their Human Resources Department that address not only the sandwich generation but also those seniors about to retire. This is an audience with needs that could be addressed by the Commission. Mr. Isaacson suggested staff services be included in the presentations, i.e., Subsidized Taxi Program, Information and Referral, Tax Assistance, etc. A list of available publications CoA Min 3/6/93 Page 4 . Z would also be helpful. The City Services handout will include many of these items. Mr. Terrryy informed the Commission that all the agencies and orqanizations listed on the calendar that were contacted for the information on the listing, were informed of the reason for the listing and of the presentations to be made by Commission members. 4felt I*>>IYI:iYS The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 a.m. DRAFT - +at Aooroved CoA\Min3-93 CoA Min 3/6/93 Respectfully submitted, Jane Haxer, secretary Page 5 DRAFT - H= APPROVED EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR METING - April 3, 1993 Evanston Civic center XIRQTEa Present: Harriet Gillette, Judith Herbert, Barry Isaacson, Sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Ruth Jacobs, Jane Baker, Sheldon Wagner, Steve Samson, Marguerite Mose, Bail& Miller, Jack Korshak, Grace Halperin Presiding: Sally Mackert staff: Jay Terry John Eckert, ombudsman Audrey Trotsky Guests: Lois Miller, Director, Levy Center Tiffany Kiebala, Intern, Commission on Aging Kathleen Gaffney, Wagner Health Center Don Berry, Former Commission on Aging Member [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:38 a.m. [II] LEVY CENTER PRESENTATION - LOIS MILLER, DIRECTOR Ms. Miller has been on staff at the Levy center for the past 8 years 2 yyears of which she has been the Director. The Levy Center originated in 1961 at 828 Davis street and was run by the Evanston Welfare Board and the United Community Chest. They were taken over by the City. Membership was very large at that time due to membership being $2.00. The present membership fee is $20.00 for Evanston residents and $30.00 for outside residents. Through the years the Levy Center has enjoyed large program attendance. Classes are held in art, ceramics, crafts, French, Humanities, TiChz, Yoga (plus other exercise classes), and numerous other physical and other classes. An encompassing program of 52 activities a week is scheduled for seniors. The staff consists of Ms. Miller, a program manager, a recreation aide, an office secretary and a part-time food helper. Most important the Levy has an extremely large group of talented and devoted volunteers who teach classes, conduct activities, do Information and Referral, Circuit Breaker Assistance, AARP Ircome Tax Assistance, Taxi Coupons and RTA Passes. They also do health screening. The Levy Center's primary focus is recreation but they are called upon for information pertaining to other senior services and programs. one of the Center s program components is special events, which they have held many hi hly successful and enjoyable programs, i.e. holiday concerts wi h the Evanston Symphony, New Year's parties, Mardi Gras parties, a spring fashion show, a May Gala in which special seniors are honored, health fairs, fall benefits, an annual bazaar, barbecues, breakfasts, brunches, etc. CoA Min 4/3193 Page 1 Two committees guide the programs, the Advisory Committee and the Life Enrichment Board. They are currently working on increasing the membership by attempting to reach many more seniors in the community. Their budget for 1993-94 is plus $100,000 in revenue and expenditures of $267 000, of which City support of $167,000 is expected. The Levy Center is run by the Evanston Recreation Department. There are four Satellite Clubs in the Community. Membership scholarships and class scholarship fees are offered. In an effort to work closely with the Commission on Aging Ms. Miller extended an invitation to all Commission for the Center's May Gala, Friday, May 14th at 1:30 p.m. (Invitations will be sent). Current demographics at the Center reflect the average age of members to be between the ages of so and 82. The Center is trying to appeal to all age groups as there are many different perceptions of aging and senior activities. On behalf of the Commission Ms. Mackert thanked Ms. Miller for her most informative presentation. The Commission and the Levy Center look forward to a collaborative relationship around common goals. [III] APPROVAL OF MINUTES - MARCH 6, 1993 The minutes of the March 6, 1993 meeting were called. A motion was made by Mr. Mickelsen and seconded by Ms. Herbert tt2 approve t1g aing -ea. Typographical errors and amendments were noted, after which the minutes were approved as amended. Lotion carried. [IV] COMMITTEE REPORTS Ad � Committge - Ms. Mackert reported a new draft of the Social Security Legislative letter was submitted to Commission members for additions and corrections. After much discussion a motion was made by Mr. Isaacson and seconded by Mr. Samson, to approve the redrafted letter, w't aa amendmq t to = first paraaraplL,elipinat�op of the entire third narauraph• deletion 21 the example _i_p_ the fifth graphP!uMnSan ame� nding t e last raaraQraah. letter it�corporatina amendments will bg prepared gs soon ag possible Wci sent #Q the anfirg Senate an zves underthe siQnatuxe of Sally Mackert., Commission Char- Motion unanimously. carried. HoUsina Committee - Ms. Herbert reported the Housing Committee met Saturday{ April 3th at 8:30 a.m. and announced, beginning May, 1993, the Housing Committee will meet every month rather than every other month as there are several targeted issues to be addressed. Ms. Herbert reporteu on the progress of the John Buck Development pro ect. The Zoning Board of Appeals only approved a building of 220 fee whereas the John Buck insisted on 225 feet. Buck wants to build a high rase that would spread out and take up part of the green. Neighborhood surveys show that they want to preserve the plot of green. The Housing Committee would like to formally suppport the City of Evanston Housingg Commission Resolution which states tiie developer should contribute to the Mayor's Affordable Housing Fund. These are funds ear marked for less affluent citizens. Some Commission members COA Min 4/3/93 page 2 4 felt they would like to have more information regarding this Resolution before making a decision. Ms. Heckert suggested that at some future date the HousingCommittee prepare a resolution for the Commission to make their decision. The Housin Committee received information ((a report submitted by Mr. Terry's in?ern, Lisa Arnold) regarding application selection policies of 1900 Sherman and 2300 Noyes Court buildings. A question had been raised as to whether applicants from other parts of Cook County or the City took priority over Evanston residents. Sioux Tournoy the source of this information felt this was not an issues of concern. There are persons from other parts of Cook County or the City who apply to live in these buildings but Evanston residents receive priiority. The Housing Committee is attempting to complete their Handyman Survey in surrounding communities. The committee is awaiting up to date data from Evanston Neighbors at Work, the community organization which provides minor repairs to low income persons. The Committee is contacting the Northwestern student Volunteer Network to see what programs are available there for handyman services also to explore a Joint program with this group A target date from Committee recommendations is sometime this fall. Intel enepational Committee - Ms. Heckert reported a presentation was made to the Human Services Committee regarding the Intergenerational Survey and recent Forum. Adina Romain did an excellent Job presenting the information to the Committee which was very receptive and supportive. The next meeting of the Intergenerational Committee will process the results of the Forum. The Executive Committee has been discussing the extension/ expansion of the Intergenerational Committee. This discussion is based on Commission members not being interested in being a part of this Committee. Current Committee members are Ms. Mackert and Ms. Mose and Adina Romain, who is not longer a member of the Commission on Aging. Intergenerational programming has grown in concept and impact and has spilled over into activities of education and advocacy. After the next Intergenerational Committee meeting and Executive Committee meeting a proposal will be submitted to the Commission concerning the future of the Intergenerational Committee and a request for involvement in this Committee. IQ= Teim Care, Committee - Ms. Halperin reported the Committee has completed their nursing home visits (11). A thank you ',tter has been drafted with the inclusion of a statement that the-%)mmi.ttee wishes to keep in touch with them. Ms. Eckert is constc.,tly visiting the homes, however the Committee wishes to work with him. The Committee is continuing to look at and study old and new Long Term Care Ordinances (including the Older American's Act). Ms. Halperin recently attending the American Society on Aging Post Conference meeting a Forum on In -Home Care. [IV] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Ms. Mackert reported Grace Halperin has been nominated and approved COA Min 4/3/93 Page 3 as the Commission on Aging's Vice Chair. The American Society on ;.ging meeting was attended by Commission members Ms. Mackert, Ms. Halperin and Mr. Wagner and Ms. Herbert and Ms. Miller in their official capacities. Ms. Mackert Pelt this conference was most informative both as a learning and networking ownerience. The May Commission meeting will include reports/ iormation that will be shared with Commission members. The Illinois Department on Aging is sponsoring a conference "Workers in Aging", April 26th and 27 h, in Naperville. Mr. Eckert will be speaking at this conference. The Evanston Senior service Providers' Exchange will be meeting April 16th at the Civic Center. Steve Sampson will make a presentation to the Exchange on Ms. Mackert's behalf. [V] DIRECTOR'S REPORT The AARP Income Tax Assistance Program is almost over. Thus far 54 persons have been served at the Civic Center. We were recently notified that at the April 13th City Council meeting{ Mayor Barr will be introducing the name of Susie Tinsley, who resides at 929 Brown, as a member of the Commission. The approval of the nomination will take glace at the April 26th City Council meeting. Ms. Tinsley should be available to attend the May Commission meeting. The Commission's City Services for Older Adults Brochure should be available by the May meeting. John Eckert recently taped Senator Berman's cable network television show on "Nursing Home Resident's Rights". [VI] OMBUDSMAN REPORT 20 persons completed The last Volunteer Training program. 15 new volunteers are currently out in the facilities. The budget reconciliation has been completed without any problems. The Ombudsman Newsletter will be in the mail by mid April. Tiffany is working on a feature on volunteerism, as Volunteer Awareness week begins April 18th. The Evanston Highlights will include some Commission on Aging and Ombudsman information. The Ombudsman Grant is due April 24th. The quarterly report sent to Springfield will be available for the May Commission meeting. The Suburban Area Agency on Aging has informed Mr. Eckert of some available funds from Title IIIG to do a symposium in August or September sponsored by the Commission. These funds are available for training and/or education by submission of a proposal. COA Min 4/3/93 Page 4 The 1993 Resource Directory changes have been completed. Mr. Eckert and Ms. Halperin made a presentation at Ring Home and Mr. Eckert and Mr. Wagner made a presentation at the Swedish Home. Copies of the survey for the presentations are available. Due to problems arising with Resident Councils, Tiffan will be working on research concerning the autonomy of Residen Councils. This is a subject that has not been addressed in Illinois and it is doubltful whether it has been addressed in other states. [VII] COMMISSION ON AGING PRESENTATIONS Suggestions for materials for presentations: 1) Selected data, 2) Brochure, 3) Milestones. Suggestion for presentation is to refer to the outline prepared by Ms. Mackert developed from the Commission on Aging Milestones and build your resentation from there. It is important to accommodate your presentation to your individual comfort level. These presentations are being made to let the community know what we do, that we exist, that we care about their concerns and we are interested in how we can be of assistance them. Thus the Survey will be very helpful to us. Mr. Eckert commented that presentations should be brief, 15 minutes or less. ,Anvoge Jptereate4 In, making presentationg Al Long Tema care fggilities shoUl cones Sohn Eckgrtt . AU 2ther DgesentAtion ranaements should be ma -de by contactinq Sally Mackert, [VIII] NEW BUSINESS guburban ridv9cacy Group for the Elderly (SAGE) - Mr. Mickelsen brought up the materMl '.included 'in the April Commission packet on SAGE and felt the Commission's support of this organization is important as regard to activities in Illinois. He offered to become a member and advocate for Commission on Aging. Ms. Mackert commented the Commission hopes to become involved with SAGE through the expansion of the Intergenerational Committee. [IX] ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m. DRAFT - NOT APPROVED CoA\Min4-93 Respectfully submitted, Jane Baxer, secretary CoA Min 4/3/93 Page 5 I EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING APPROY,�D REGULAR MEETING - May 1 1993 Evanston civic center M.1NgTA9. Present: Harriet Gillette, Judith Herbert, Sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Ruth Jacobs, Jane Baker, Sheldon Wagner, Steve Samson, Marguerite Mose, Jack Korshak, Grace Halperin, Susie Tinsley Presiding: Sally Mackert Staff: Jay Terry, Director John Eckert, Ombudsman Audrey Trotsky, Executive Secretary Guests: Kathleen Gaffney, Wagner Health Center Phyllis Greenbaum, League of Women Voters Adina Romain, Commission on Aging Intergenerational Committee [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:50 a.m. [II] INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Mackert welcomed and introduced new Commission member Susie Tinsley. Arrangements for Ms. Tinsley's Commission orientation are being made by Mr. Terry and Ms. Mackert. Ms. Mackert also welcomed and introduced Commission meeting guests. Last month, Commission member Marguerite Mose, was honored by the Sheriff's office at a luncheon with a "Sheriff's Senior Medal of Honor Award". Ms. Mose was selected for this honor by Mayor Harr. [III] APPROVAL OF MINUTES - APRIL 6, 1993 The minutes of the March 6, 1993 meeting were called. A motion was made by Mr. Mickelsen and seconded by Ms. Herbert, to approve the minutes. Motion carried, [IV] DISCUSSION OF CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE American SQciety oQ Aging 39th Annual M<eetina - March 22-30,993 Commission members who attended this conference were called upon to share their information/experiences with the other Commission members. CoA Min 5/3/93 Page 1 Ms. Halperin reported on her attendance at sessions re: 1) Assisted living - (everything after independence of a person until time of death the hottest trend in long term care; Life Care Communities). 2) ombudsman Program - watchdog agency concerned with discrimination in applyyin for a nursing home, financial discrimination, minority discrimination and neglect and abuse. Problems, legislation, resources of/for nursing home services. 3 Long term care in other countries. 4 Crisis issues forums in home care - a post -conference special session. 5) General Sessions on Health Care Reform. "Future for in -home care in America is bright"; more services becoming available - closing session. Health care is a right, as education is a right in this country. Health care and long term care will be a large part of the proposal for health care reform. There is an emphasis on having high quality jobs for high quality workers. Ms. Herbert attended sessions dealing with: 1 Families dealing with workers in the home 3 Retirement funding programs 4 Community health centers for older adults 5 safety in the home safe living environment (designing of living.quarters, apartments, packaging, etc.,.for safety and accessibility) 7) Personal emergency response systems Ms. Herbert added the new definition of Long Term Care now includes Home Care Mr. Wagner attended: Several sessions/workshops on Long Term Care Homes and their cost containment. Ms. Mackert's attendance at the conference included: I Panel discussion on long term care 2 Peer group sessions involved in some group education endeavors for discussing community issues - Ms. Mackert became involved in the 'gerontological education group" 3) Concept of "Time Dollars - Exchange of volunteers for time (banking volunteer hours) 4) Older generations building vital communities utilizing older volunteers 5) General session - featuring Ken Dxchtwald entitled "1996 When the Baby Boom Becomes an Age Wave b) Grant making sessions gqAference gJ e s in Aging co -sponsored by the Illinois g Department n i Z§th and 27th• Ms. Mackert attended this 2 day conference in Naperville, IL and shared the following information with Commission members: COA Min 5/3/93 Page 2 OEM 1) John Eckert, CoA Ombudsman made a presentation, assisted by his intern, Tiffany Kabala and Elisa Fine of the Chicago Department on Aging, on "How to attract, train, orient and retrain qualified volunteers". 2) Home Sharing - presented by Interfaith Housing re an innovative housing program which has grown rapidly locally and nationally. 3) Advocacy on a statewide level - an excellent resource for the COA. IV] COMMITTEE REPORTS L= T= Care Cgmndttee - Ms. Halperin reported the Committee continues to meet the 2nd Wednesday of each month and is in the process of compiling a new listing of retirement and nursing homes in the Evanston area. This listing will also serve as a resource for parsons looking for places to live, presently or in the future, for themselves or other family members. The Committee is currently working on a more detailed statement of Elder Law in Evanston which will include where the Long Term Care Committee and the Ombudsman services fit in with government in Evanston, to be followed --up with Elder Laws on a state and local level. Long Term Care now includes In -Home Care which means extended services for the Ombudsman program. Competed LTC facility handbooks were circulated for Commission members' perusal. Chairperson Mackert will be making a presentation about the Commission at a future Long Term Care Committee meeting for the benefit of those LTC Committee members who are not acquainted with the Commission. A suggestion was made by Ms. Jacobs for Committee members, not on the Commission, to be extended invitations to attend Commission meetings. Iptefgenerational Committee - Ms. Mackert reported, the last Committtee meeting addressed how to follow-up on the February Forum. Feedback from forum evaluations expressed desires to have more time at future forums, more hands on workshops, and more opportunities for question and answer sessions. The Committee is looking at when to hold another forum, how it would be supported, what the format would be. The Committee is also intending to publish a newsletter as a follow-up to the forum and to include intergenerational resources. A discussion regarding the expansion of the Intergenerational Committee took place which included; 1) a dwindling of committee participation over the last year; 2) the dwindling effectiveness of active involvement/motivation activities in the community. The Executive Committee has begin addressing the question of how to reactivate/refocus this Committee. CoA Min 5/3/93 Page 3 The Commission's Strategic Plan states their basic charge is to advocate for the older adult community with a committee on the local, regional and national level for advocacy. Education is also an im ortan� part of the Commission's charge. As a result the Intergenerational Committee will be expanded to include advocacy and education incorporated with intergenerational efforts. The next Intergenerational Committee meeting will be May 21st, at 8:00 a.m. Invitations will be sent to all commission members to come and observe the beginning framework for this Committee and offer input/suggestions. The Committee will be renamed at this meeting. Housing - Ms. Herbert reported the Committee will continue to meet monthly. Commission member ,Tack Korshak has joined the Committee. one of the Committee's focuses has been an attempt to determine if there is a need for handyman resources in Evanston. Programs in the area include those offered by the churches and Reba Place. The CEDA/Neighbors at Work Program is a limited program as one has to be within a certain income to be eligible for their services. More data is needed from both service providers and the unreached segment of our older population. The Committee would like to do a mailing or have an announcement in the Highlights that would be circulated among the senior population. Mr. Terry informed the Committee the Commission has an announcement in the Spring/Summer Highlights to contact the Commission office regarding senior needs. Feedback from this announcement pertaining to housing needs will be -given to the Housing Committee. 7 The Committee is interested in doing a mailing to senior households and would like to know if the Commission budget has any provision for this type of a promotion. Mr. Terry responded, it would depend upon the extent of the promotion, as the Commission's budget reflects postage and duplicating monies but cannot assume the cost of a citywide mailing. The Commission's 1989 -1990 Housing Needs Assessment is somewhat dated. This is the only current data accessible for the Housing Committee. Scott Cleaves, liaison with the City of Evanston Housing Commission, will be attending the June Housing Committee meeting and will also be a guest at the Commission on Aging meeting. Ms. Herbert was informed at the City's Housing Commission meeting that there is a new Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CRAB) report being compiled and the City's Housing Commission is looking for testimony and recommendations for this report. The information is needed by the end of June. Commission members have given testimony for prior reports. There will be some written information available concerning this report at the June meeting. City Council consideration of the John Buck Development is currently on hold. A new housing proposal for the old Nabisco Building is being CoA Min 5/3/93 Page 4 considered as a site for both elderly and developmentally disabled persons by two separate agencies; Reba Place and Niles Township Sheltered Workshop (NTSW). Mr. Terry clarified this is purely exploratory and Reba Place and NTSW are developing competing proposals for this site. [VI] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Ms. Mackert reported letters regarding the Commission's SSI position, included in the May packet, were mailed April 19th. Announcements regarding various pro gram s/worksho were circulated for Commission members to mark their calendars for attendance. Mr. Terry suggested future announcements for programs/workshops be included as a section of the packet, Conference Opportunities, be sent with the monthly Commission packet. Copies of announcements can be sent to Mr. Terry for inclusion in this packet section. Commission members are encouraged to continue to be.present at Human service Committee meetings to represent the Commission regardless of whether or not Commission issues are on the agenda. Chairperson Mackert asked Commission members to briefly describe their presentations and experiences encountered during recent community presentations. Mr. Samson commented on his experience and added that primary responses on the questionnaires indicated that most did not know about the Commission on Aging. He felt these presentations are an opportunity for the Commission tq reach out to not only long term care facilities and senior groups, but also to = businesses/companies in the area plus those out of the area servicing the Evanston area. Ms. Mackert made a presentation at the April Evanston Senior service Providers' Exchange, which was very well received. A number of attendees approached Ms. Mackert regarding collaborative projects with the Commission which Ms. Mackert will detinitely follow-up. Surveys were distributed to the attendees for their input/comments. Future presentations are scheduled for: The Golden Years Club - Ms. Herbert and Mr. Wagner; The Normandy -- Mr. Terry and Mr. Isaacson; Sherman House - Ms. Mose and Ms. Mackert. Surveys should be channeled back to the office for feedback. Ms. Mackert asked for suggestions of names of organizations, ggroups, agencies, sites, etc., Commission members feel would benefit by the presentations to be included on the list for visits. The more presentations given the better to pass the word to our constituents about what the Commission does. [VII] DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry reported that the Rules Committee of the City Council, some time ago, adopted a policy stating - if someone is appointed to a City Board or Commission filling an unexpired term, rather than just MY out the unexpired term the appointee is eligible to fill the full term and is then eligible for re -appointment for a 2nd full COA Min 5/3/93 Page 5 W, . . . I , II ... ,,aN, term. At the last City Council meeting all those sitting on all Hoards and Commissions who were filling unexpired terms were confirmed for full terms. For the Commission this means that Dr. Gillette's term has been extended to January of 1994, Ms. Halperin's term has been extended to December of 1993, Mr. Isaacson's term has been extended to November of 1994 and Ms. Mackert's term has been extended to May of 1996. Updated Resource Directory sheets were distributed to Commission members. The Commission's new City of Evanston Programs for older Adults brochure for is now available for distribution at presentations, etc. The brochure lists programs that are supported in some way by local tax dollars. City Council inauguration will take place May loth. There will not be a Human Services Committee meeting. The plan for the new City Council was to have all 9 members of City Council sit as the Administration and Public works Committee and meet every other Monday night, the same night as City Council meetings. Human Services would consist of 5 Aldermen, Planning and Development would consist of 4 Alderman, both Committees to meet on off Monday nights. According to this plan the next meeting of the Human Service Committee would be May 17th. This plan was, however, designed by the old City Council and the new City Council may wish to restructure this plan. Mr. Terry will notify the Executive Committee of the next Human Services Committee meeting. T This summer the City Council Chambers will be redesigned as there are now 9 Alderman instead of 18, also to accommodate a greater seating capacity. There will also be an upgrading of the audio and video capabilities of the Council Chambers for more effective presentations. City Staff will be working on these projects during the summer. Last fall the Commission approved the ombudsman Program funding application, an annual renewal. Every three years the Suburban Area Agency on Aging requires everyone they fund to go through a entirely new funding process. During the past few weeks Mr. Eckert has put together a new proposal for the ombudsman Program which was submitted a week ago. Mr. Eckert's title has changed from Nursing Home Ombudsman to Long Term Care ombudsman which represents the potential for him to move into non institutional settings. [VIII] OMBUDSMAN REPORT The Commission packet contained a narrative of the new funding proposal. The entire proposal is approximately a 30 page document with numerous pages of attachments that can be looked over in the Ombudsman's office. The only changes are a $500 deduction in the amount of funds available for which we had no input. The other significant changes from the Suburban Area Agency on Aging is the measure units of service included in volunteer hours and ombudsman's hours, wherein a reduction from 3600 units to 3400 units was asked for. This reflects the reduction in the number of volunteers. The CoA Min 5/3/93 Page 6 intention is to raise the units to a higher level. we are planning to increase the number of people served from 700 to 775 people. This is a misleading number as the ombudsman personally sees 2000 people per month. Funding is strictly contingent on the number of beds registered on the Illinois Department of Public Health's registry. The City of Evanston has a little over 1900 beds, which includes intermediate, skilled and sheltered care facilities. Mr. Terry added that the Area Agency may again bring up the decline of hours. A few years ago our figures were distorted due to the closing of the facility on Foster Street formerly Saratoga, formerly Kensington and a large number of hours were spent in relocating people. On behalf of the Commission Ms. Mackert thanked Mr. Eckert for the splendid effort put forth in producing the funding application. A question arose regarding the handling of Information and Referral calls coming into the Commission office. Mr. Eckert informed Commission members a listing of some of the I and R calls/inquiries addressed by Mr. Terry, Mr. Eckert and Ms. Trotsky was submitted with the packet. Mr. Eckert also submits a listing of his time schedule reflecting visits, people seen, etc. to Mr. Terry. Ms, Mackert requested, and it was agreed, that Mr. Eckert and Mr. Terry report similarly to the Commission with regularity. IIx] ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, O&AU 4940t4.z tg? an r Rex, Secretary DRAFT - NOT APPROVED CoA\Min5-93 COA Min 5/3/93 Page 7 RUFT - = APPROVED EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR FETING - Juno 5, 1993 Evanston civic Center H I H 2 X A a Present: Judith Herbert, Sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Ruth Jacobs Jane Baker, Sheldon Wagner, Steve Samson, Marguerite Hose, Jack Korshak, Baila Miller, Barry Isaacson Presiding: Sally Mackert Staff: John Eckert, ombudsman Audrey Trotsky, Executive Secretary Guests: Scott Cleave, Chair, Evanston Housing Commission Ken Watson, King Home Sheryl Jones, DePaul Graduate student/Evanston Resident [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:45 a.m. III] INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Mackert welcomed and introduced Commission meeting guests. Ms. Mackert announced that Mr. Terry was unable to attend the meeting as he is away on vacation, Ms. Tinsely is home ill, Ms. Halperin is out of town in an official capacity and Dr. Gillette has other obligations. [III] APPROVAL OF MINUTES - MAY 1, 1993 The minutes of the May 1, 1993 meeting were called. A motion was made by Mr. Mickelsen and seconded by Ms. Leister, t4 approve the minutes. Motion carried. [IV] DISCUSSION WITH SCOTT CLEAVE, CHAIR EVANSTON HOUSING COMMISSION Ms. Herbert, Chair, Commission on Aging Housing Committee introduced Scott Cleave who had also been a guest at the 8:30 a.m. Housing Commission meeting. The Commission, on Aging Housing Committee and the Evanston Housing Commission hope to work collaboratively on community housing issues as well as senior housing issues. Mr. Cleave pointed out that the responsibilities of the Housing Commission and the Commission on Aging Housing Committee are essentially alike. Some current programs of the Housing commission involve overseeing and assisting with City funded and City CoA Min 6/5/93 Page 1 administered programs such as: > The single family housing rehabilitation program where the City will loan money to various groups to have repairs/ rehabiitation done on their home. > There is also a program (the minimum age is 65), where one can obtain up to $20,000 to have repairs done, the money is given in the form of a loan or grant. > A program for apartment owners' repairs for neighborhoods where lower income people and seniors live > Community Development Block Grant funds, among other programs, the Evanston Neighbors at Work/CEDA program, which is primarily a program for needy people in the community needing some minor repairs mostly for building code violations. This is funded through the Federal Government and is income based (which means you are only eligible if you earn less than 50% than or equal to So% of the median income of the community) limiting oral program to a certain segment of the population. The Neighbors at Work program is funded about $175,000 a year. > The City has a paint and materials program for income eligible people, which provides up to $400 worth of paint for exterior painting which is done in connection with the minor repairs program. > There is a program for code inspection where City inspectors go out and look at rental units to make sure sanitary housing is maintained. > There is also a Family in Transition program when a family is in need due to homelessness and when there is an identifiable way for a period of 2 years that the family can make the transition to beingg stable and self sufficient. The ':ity will help fund the family's rent in connection with a spc!tyor usually a church or community organization. These families can consist of a grandmother and grandchildren. • There are various shelter programs in the community that the Housing Commission works with to certify that they are in compliance with the City's comprehensive plan for housing. These shelter programs are run primarily by ACORN and Center for Public Ministry. > The City monitors Federal Housing Programs such as Section 8 and Section 202. > The Cit has recently certified a Home Sharing Program to enable hem to can get Federal funding. This could impact the senior population. City Federally funded programs are Family Counseling Services and other counseling programs. These are a sample of the general rundown of the things the City Housing commission concerns itself with. CoA Min 6/5/93 Page 2 The City has a very strong commitment to housing in Evanston and makes a substantial investment every year. The staff is aware of what is going on from two sources, firstly at a federal level regarding where most of the funding comes from and secondarily a state level. Many of the Aldermen are very committed to housing in Evanston. A substantial amount of the Community Development Block Grant funds goes directly to housing. one of the focuses of the Housing Commission is to try to do a better job of coordinating the efforts of various groups in Evanston and at a state and federal level to bring about many of the projects by seeking out additional sources of funding. There are many different types of funding ,tor housing but no one large enough to address any given need by itself. One of the subjects discussed at the commission on Aging Housing Committee meeting involved the needs identified for funding for minor repairs for seniors and others issues affecting seniors. Mr. Cleave stated he would like to see the CoA Housing Committee and the City Housing Commission continue to work together. some discussion ensued regarding the CHAS needs assessment document; channelingg and utilization of funding for programs. related specificallyy for seniorst waiting lists, rental units and rents in subsidized housin buildings; the John Buck project proposal; and the relationship of the CoA and the Housing Commission. Ms. Mackert thanked Mr. Cleave for a very detailed and informative presentation. The City of Evanston Housing Commission meets the 4th Thursday of each month. IV] COMMITTEE REPORTS Housinq Committeg - Ms. Herbert reported the Committee continues to meet tenthly, Saturday mornings prior to the Commission meetings. Reference was made to the CHAS letter included in the June Commission packet and commented that the letter makes a statement that speaks for itself and represents the Commission on Aging. Pat Montgome , representing the Suburban Area Agee, on Aging at the Housing Committee meetings Will obtain for the Committee recent survey data from suburban Cook County clients receiving home delivered meals and copies of tools of instruments that other communities in Suburban Cook County have used to identify and document review for handyman services. The only census data available to the committee is the "Report of Findings - Housing and Needs Assessment of alder Adults in Evanston 1989". The Committee discussed the possibility of approaching the Buehler Center at Northwestern to do an update census. 10W Term Care Committee - In the absence of Ms. Halperin Ms. Baker delivered the Committee report. - The Committee continues to meet the second Wednesday evening of the month. COA Min 5/5/93 page 3 - Currently working on an updated listing of housing facilities in Evanston and the category breakdowns i.e., independent living, assisting living or sheltered living. - A committee is being formed to compile a vocabulary of terms connected with long term care. - The Committee is also working on the correlation of visiting long term care and elder law. - Guest speakers at the Long Term Care meetings continues as frequently as possible. - The Committee has been sharing the contents of the Commission on Aging meetings with Long Term Care Committee members as a number of the members are not Commission members. - Resident handbooks are all up to date and are available in Mr. Eckert's office. Ms. Mackert inquired regarding the LTC's interest in the Commission on Aging: Mr. Eckert informed the Commission that a presentation on the Commission was made at the May LTC meeting and there will be periodical updates made to keep the LTC informed of the goings on of the Commission on Aging. Ms. Mackert again extended an invitation to all LTC members to attend Commission onAging meetings to acquaint themselves with the work of the Commission. Education/Advocacy A" Intervenerati,onal Committee - Ms. Mackert reported the May meeting was well attended by persons interested in this committee. - There was a continuing discussion of a follow-up Intergenerational Forum for which a decision was made to target a date in earl November. The Levy Center ;could again be the place for the Torum. Programs will be decided at future meetings. - A decision was made, regarding the Newsletter, to wait until a closer time for the event enabling the forum to be publicized in the Newsletter. - The remainder of the meeting was devoted to a general discussion of the expansion of the committee and the area of education and advocacy. - At the next Commission on Aging meeting the Committee hopes to report on the configuration and charge o€ the committee and the direction in which they will be going forward. Adina Romain had kindly agreed to chair the committee on an interim basis. After consultation with Mr. Terry Ms. Mackert was informed it was the commission Chair's responsibility to appoint a committee chair. A decision was made to ask Steve Samson to chair the committee and he agreed to do so. CoA Min 6/5/93 Page 4 Ms. Herbert brought up the omission of the Commission's publicity in the current issue of the Highlights. Mr. Eckert explained that the omission occurred due to a lack of space. Mr. Samson interjected that publicity/outreach will be one of the primary concerns of the Education and Advocacy Committee. Further discussion ensued regarding publications and communications to seniors in the area to let them know what services are available for them. [VI] OMBUDSMAN'S REPORT In the absence of Mr. Terry, Mr. Eckert informed the Commission Mr. Terry was recently contacted by Jonathan Lavin, of the suburban Area Agency on Aging, to make arrangements for a public hearing cosponsored by the Illinois Department on Aging and the Illinois Department of Revenue on M79N�ter. nce Partnership. This public hearing will take st 27th, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in he Council Center. Approximately 150 persons are expected to attend. Mr. Eckert is currently workingwith Robin O'Neil, of Cook County Legal Assistance, on the Illinois Association of Long Term Care Ombudsmen. This Association was initiated last year and has been dormant for some time. Ms. Halperin lobbied for Mr. Eckert to get on the .Attorney General's Committee for Nursing Home Reform and as a result Mr. Eckert is currently involved on a subcommittee that works on the Nursing Home Care Act. Mr. Eckert is particularly working on trying to increase the Medicare maximum allowance spending money which is currently $30.00 a month and has not been changed since 1975. Trainingg for Certified Ombudsman Volunteers will be held Saturday, June 12th and 19th. The Long Term Care Ombudsman intern, Tiffany Kiebala, completed her internship but will be coming in some half days to help out with some pro]ects. she will continue to do volunteer work at one of the facilities. 14s. Kiebala has written a paper on "The Role of Resident Councils" which Mr. Eckert will assist her in getting published. Ms. Mackert suggested the Commission plan something for the next meeting to thank her for splendid contributions to the Ombudsman program. Mr. Eckert is attempting to certify many of the General Volunteers, (there are currently approximately 50) whose time is not included in the tabulated volunteer hours due to the Ombudsman program's involvement prior to the Federal level. [YYYj CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Ms. Mackert discussed the new Human Services Committee calendar and informed the Commission that there will be regular reports given by the various bodies reporting to them. This will be an opportunity to communicate the Commission's efforts on a continuing basis to the Human Services Committee and through them to the City Council. Ms. Mackert therefore stron 1y uggested the Commission members continue to make their commitment tosbeing present at those meetings. CoA Min 6/5/93 Page 5 a A suggestion was made to invite Jonathan Lavin, Director of the suburban Area Agency on Aging, to a Commission meeting. Commission members were asked to share their CoA presentation experiences and make comments that would be helpful to members when making future presentations. The July Commission meeting will take place on the second Saturday in July, July loth, due to the 4th of July holiday weekend. The Executive committee meetinwill take place June 28th at 8:00 a.m. in Mr. Terry's office. Alg l Committee Chairs are invited to attend. [YIII] ADJOURNMM4T The meeting was adjourned at 11:37 p.m. Respectfully submitted, "e) ane waxer, secretary DRAFT - NOT APPROVED CoA\Min6-93 CoA Min 6/5/93 Page 6 . •% DRAFT - NOT APPROVED EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR MEETING - July 10, 1993 Evanston Civic Center H J_ ]a U T E 3 Present: Judith Herbert, Sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Ruth Jacobs, Sheldon Wagner, Steve Samson, Marguerite Mose, Jack Korshak, Baila Miller, Harriet Gillette, Grace Halperin Presiding: Sally Mackert Staff: Jay Terry, Director John Eckert, Ombudsman Audrey Trotsky, Executive Secretary Guests: Barbara Wilson, CoA Student Intern [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:45 a.m. [II] INTRODUCTIONS Ms. Mackert welcomed and introduced Barbara Wilson, Commission on Aging future student intern and announced Ms. Tinsley was ill and unable to attend the meeting. Mr. Isaacson attended the Commission Housing Committee meeting but was could not remain for the Commission meeting. [III] APPROVAL OF JUNE 5, 1993 MINUTES The minutes of the June 5, 1993 meeting were called. Corrections were noted. A motion was made by Mr. Wagner and seconded by Mr. Mickelsen, to aonrove the minutes. Motion carried. [IV] TAXI PROGRAM ISSUE - MARGUERITE MOSE Ms. Mose reported on a problem she felt the Taxi Board should deal with regarding the distribution of Taxi Program Service Comment post cards. Ms. Mose said there was not enough cooperation from the offices that sell the coupons to distribute the post cards at the time of the sales. There have not been any response cards received for quite some time and Ms. Mose attributes this to the cards not being given out. Ms. Mose suggested a letter be sent to the City Collector's office, the Levy Center and the United Wax office, from the Commission on Aging, requesting their assistance in the distribution of these post cards. Ms. Mackert and Mr. Terry will have a letter sent in response to Ms. Mose's request. COA Min 7/10/93 Page 1 lu Y u � Y WI � el i � V1 i ■ �� I, i YY .,�I I�� Nl�6i [Vj PRESENTATION BY COMMISSION MEMBER BAILA MILLER Ms. Miller recently spent 3 weeks in Sweden researching services for the elderly and shared with Commission members her findings relating to senior services. Sweden is a social welfare state where 50% of one's income is paid to the State. The State therefore assumes total responsibility for older people. The difference between social and medical needs of seniors are not distinguishable. More extensive home care services are provided, i.e., 24 hour home care is provided to enable people to remain at home. There are housing complexes for the elderly that provide all necessary services. Ms. Killer's trip to Sweden was to Eel p develop plans to study elderly services. She noted these plans will not be completed for several years. Ms. Mackert thanked Ms. Miller for her very interesting and informative presentation as it dealt with issues relating to the Commission. (Ms. Mose left the Commission meeting at 10:30 a.m. to attend a Taxi Board meeting.) [VI] COMMITTEE REPORTS Housinq Committee - Ms. Herbert reported the Committee has been considering advocacy for and creation of a handyman program for seniors living independently in the community.. This program would be available to seniors owning a home or condominium. Renters would not be included as landlords are responsible for taking care of tenants' needs. Some possible models for such a program were discussed by the Committee. Models discussed were: - a direct service where the Commission on Aging would provide the intake to determine the need and then a handyman/woman would go out to perform the service (a very expensive option costing approximately S75,000/year for such a program); - a program with the direct service of Evanston Township where the Township would bear the expense; -- the service of a funded agency such as Neighbors at Work/CEDA; -� - the City doing a handyman referral program that is not providing the actual service but having a directory compiled with a disclaimer; and - a referral service funded by the Township rather than the City. Patricia Montgomery, Housing Specialist of the Suburban Area Agency on Aging has compiled a directory of recent survey data. (Ms. Mose returned to the meeting at 10:45 a.m.) Ms. Mose informed Ms. Herbert that renters should not be excluded from the handyman program as they also have a need for minor maintenance/repair jobs that are not met by the buildings the seniors live in. In a conversation that Mr. Terry had with Pat Vance, of Neighbors at Work, Ms. Vance emphasized if things are done for renters one may get into a conflict with landlords. However, if the CoA Min 7/10/93 Page 2 -.4 CoA had a referral program there would be different referrals to tenants and owners. The Committee felt there are advantages and disadvantages to the each of the models and would choose a program that would fit in with the Commission's overall goals and ob]ectives and relate to the Strategic Plan. However this may not be feasible due to the problem of raising funds. The Committee was informed by Mr. Terry that the program that appealed to the majority of Housing Committee members, a City direct service, would be the most difficult to get funding for. The type of program the Committee is interested in is a hand an referral service provided by the City. If the cost and liability su?gest that a full scale program is not advisable, a more limited op ion would involve requesting funds for a position, probably part-time, which would compile lists of available resources in the community and makes referral suggestions for older persons needing home repair services. It is clear from discussions that there are possible resources, but no one has them listed in a comprehensive manner. They include the Neighbors at Work program, the new Reba Home Repair program, intergenerational programs at Northwestern, grass cutting and snow shoveling from youth agencies, and private contractors who offer senior discounts or demonstrate other sensitivities to older persons. Neither Neighbors at Work, Family Counseling Services or the City maintain a comprehensive list. At a recent Evanston Senior Service Providers' Exchange meeting, Ellen Butkus of Reba's senior Connection program, told Mr. Terry she had an informal list of private contractors with whom she had positive experiences. She welcomed the Commission becoming involved and sharing her knowledge. The disadvantage of this option is it is not a "hard service" and therefore more difficult to sell to potential funders. It would be a valuable service and allow the Committee to be able to assess and work with the various private contractors. There could be a staff person that would make home visits afterwards to see whether the work was done properly and what follow up would be needed. Most of the Housing Committee favored this type of program. It was suggested that a referral service of this sort should be done by the Township rather than the City. Other advantages of having a referral system, whether the City's or Township's program, are getting data on peoples needs and contractor's and consumer's feedback. The Commission would not be providing the service but would play a large part in terms of education/advocacy. Advocating for the creation of the program would begin with close correlation with the Township, working with the Housing Commission, and getting the word out to insure the program was working to the expectations of the CoA's design. The Committee would not have control of the program but would have a great deal of the responsibility for overseeing it. The Commission's name would be included in helping the program come about thus enabling the Commission to be seen in the community as a viable force for positive changes made in seniors lives. Ms. Herbert asked for Commission members' input regarding who the Committee should see about sponsoring this program. Mr. Terry briefly discussed some history of the Township and the types of CoA Min 7/10/93 page 3 r- programs they favor funding. Mr. Terry also reminded the Commission the Township funds the Taxicab Program and there is a precedent for the Township serving older persons. Going to the Township for funding of the Housing Committee's program will require going before the Township to present the program. Ms. Herbert commented the Committee realizes the type of program they would prefer is quite costly, thus they would start with a referral program as a first step, and if successful, at a later stage, a full handyman program could stem from that. The Committee will prepare to go before the Township with necessary data to present this program for funding A suggestion was made to also collect verbal support advocating the need for this program from community leaders, religious leaders, etc. A motion was made hy Ms. Miller for the Commission to suonort and Promote the development off.. a handyman referral service for senior citizens in the community for minor !?me repairs and maintenance tasks by going to the Township for funding and in the event the Township rejects the nroaram oin to other agencies an the C ty• Motion unanimously Passed. The subject, again, arose pertaining to availability of Senior subsidized Housing. The information obtained from the buildings are that Primm Tower still has a waiting list and Sherman House and Noyes Court have vacancies. Lonq Term Care Committee - Ms. Halperin reported on the Committee's activ1tles . - The Committee continues to meet the second Wednesday evening of the month. -- Currently working on Elder Care information on a Federal level, i.e., the Older Americans Act; at State level, i.e., the Nursing Nome Reform Act of 1989; and a City Long -Term Care Ordinance reform, for monitoring good quality of life in nursing homes. - Continuing to inform themselves on in -home care, a growing nationwide service and becoming part of general long-term care programs. The LTC Committee is having speakers come to their monthly meetings to discuss this issue. - The Lone -Term Care Insurance Partnership Forum will be held in the Civic Center Council chambers, August 27th, to be presented by the Illinois Department on Aging and the Illinois Department of Insurance. - A revised reference listing of Housing and Long --Term Care Facilities for Older Persons in Evanston was distributed. Ms. Halperin explained a new term "Life Care" facility. This is a facility that takes persons at whatever stage in life and keeps them to the end of their life. Quite a costly service. There are three groups of facilities in Evanston that offer this care, Mather Foundation, Presbyterian Home and The CoA Min 7/10/93 page 4 Swedish Retirement Association. Mr. Terry interjected a related issue regarding the Mather and Georgian decertification. Both are in the process of becoming not licensed nursing homes but senior housing buildings, a rocess that goes through the State of Illinois. Assumin they get �he designation they are seeking, Mr. Eckert wil no ionger have a statutory right to be in those buildings. However it is the Commission's desire that Mr. Eckert will still have a presence in both buildings and hope the buildings will still make him welcome. A letter has been written to the Mather Foundation towards that end in the hope of formally establishing a memorandum of understanding that will clarify his status and establish his presence in the buildings. The law will no longer require them to allow him in these facilities in any special status when they are no longer nursing homes. The determining factor of a nursing home is whether or not medical care is rovidod. The Evanston Health Department went through both bui dings and determined that none of the current residents were in need of medical care. Education/Advocacy and Intergenerational Committee - Mr. Samson reported on the newly named Committee. The Committee is divided into two sub -committees; Adina Romain will convene the Intergenerational portion. The main focus of the Intergenerational Sub -Committee is currently on the Forum that will take place in the fall. As yet no date has been set. It will be a weekday, half --day session. Program Development will be the focus on how to start an intergenerational program. Plans are to have a question/answer session and generate information on how to start and keep up Intergenerational programs. Regarding a focus for the Education/Advocacy Sub -Committee, Mr. Samson explained that, if other committees have issues for this committee to research, advocate and/or educate on, the committee would assist as necessary but not usurp others' ideas or momentum as each committee should take the lead on its relevant issues. Looking to form a procedural foundation for its future endeavors, the sub--committe is educating itself on "the mechanics" of advocacy and public relations. To this end, Ms. Mackert will coordinate advocacy efforts and will gather a list of legislators and their aides along with other agencies and organizations involved in advocacy for networking purposes. Mr. Samson will coordinate public relations efforts. A media list will be developed, including print and broadcast contacts, for use when an issue or event needs to be publicized. The committee will develop a packet for the Commiss'.on on lobbying techniques and suggested formats for letter writing and publicity ca.apsigns. Information forms, mailing lists, etc., will be included to better enable advocate issues and publicize programs and events. CaA Min 7/10/93 Page 5 i JI] OMBUDSMAN'S REPORT s. Eckert Reported he is working on the new Newsletter that should )e out within the next three weeks. Eight new people were certified with the Department on Aging as a result of a recent training. The Ombudsman Grant has been accepted without any corrections. The Ombudsman Program will be doing a Public Forum at the Levy Center on September 10th, on Long -Term Care - The Difference Between Facility and In -Home Care. Several community professionals have committed to speak at this Forum. We are looking to the Education/Advocacy and Intergenerational Committee to help in the promotion of this Forum. [VII] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Ms. Mackert suggested sending a letter to Tiffany Keibalat ombudsman intern, thanking her for the excellent services she contributed to Mr. Eckert and the Commission. Commission members were asked to notify Ms. Mackert if they were interested in attending conferences related to the Commission. The Commission will not meet in the month of August. The next meeting will be September 11th due to the Labor Day week -end. The Executive Committee will meet August 30th at 8:00 a.m. [VIII] DIRECTOR'S REPORT There has been much activity with the Housing Committee relative to the handyman project. Anyone wishing to attend the Governor's Conference on Aging should contact Mr. Eckert or Mr. Terry no later than the 1st of September due to the September meeting not taking place until the filth and in order to have the registration fees paid in time. At the next City Council meeting Mayor Morton will introduce Marguerite Mose for reappointment to the Commission. There was an Evanston Senior Service Providers' Exchange June 25th that was very well attended. Presentations were made by two service agencies that provide in -home psychiatric care, Rush Home Care Network and Dana Home Care. The Providers' Exchange continues to be a very viable networking group. The Farmer's Market is going to have a week -end, at the end of their season, in which all not--for-profit and municipal agencies in Evanston will be eligible to solicit volunteers and distribute literature. The Commission chair feels the Commission should have a table at this Farmer's Market week -end. COA Min 7/10/93 Page 6 A_4 [IX] ANNOUNCEMENTS gggggnition 91 Mr,. Supaar � CoA: on behalf of the Housing Committee, Ms. Herbert washed to publically thank Mr. Terry for the fine work he and his staff have done providing background information and helping guide the process of the handyman program. In view of the reorganization that took place a year ago and all the extra responsibilities Mr. Terry had to assume, fie has given support and guidance to the Housing committee and all Commission issues are receiving all the data/information needed in a very gracious and timely manner. His dedication to the Commission is greatly appreciated. Ms. Mackert thanked Mr. Terry on behalf of all the Commission Committees in terms of the staff support given over the past year. A great deal has been accomplished during this transition year in terms of the ground work that has been laid and the Commission looks forward to a very exciting year ahead. New Evanston Publication: The Commission's participation in the new publication "The Evanston Beacon" was discussed. It was decided that the Education/Advocacy and Intergenerational Committee take this under consideration before making any decision. Report of Taxicab Program Meetina: Ms Mose attended a meeting of the Taxicab Program and reported coupon sales from January through June, 1993 of $18,313. Mr. Terry added the number coupons sold per year range approximately 35,000. Ms. Mose offered to write a synopsis of the history of the Taxicab Program for the Commission. [X] ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:37 p.m. Recorded by Audrey Trotsky CoA Executive Secretary DRAFT - NOT APPROVED CoA\Min7-93 Respectfully submitted, a y c er , Cnair In the sence of Jane Baker, Secretary CoA Min 7/10/93 Page 7 J Vh. I 2RAFT -- I= APPROVE, EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR MEETING -- September 11, 1993 Evanston Civic Center K I N 9 1 1 9 Present: Judith Herbert, Sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Ruth Jacobs, Sheldon Wagner, Steve Samson, Marguerite Mose, Jack Korshak, Harriet Gillette, Grace Halperin, Barry Isaacson, Jane Baker Presiding: Sally Mackert staff: Jay Terry, Director John Eckert, Ombudsman Audrey Trotsky, Executive Secretary Barbara Wilson, CoA Student Intern Guest: Bonnie VanSmith, Visitor [I] CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:47 a.m. and welcomed Ms. VonSmith. An announcement was made that Ms. Miller was unable to attend due to having oral surgery and Ms. Tinsley has been quite ill over the summer. The meeting began with a video tape dealing with the subject of taxes in Evanston leading to the high cost of living for seniors in the area, put together by a Northwestern student. Segments of the video included interviews with commission members and staff; Ms. Herbert, Ms. Mose, Mr. Terry all speaking about senior problems and services in Evanston. [II] APPROVAL OF JUNE 5, 1993 MINUTES The minutes of the June 5, 1993 meeting were called. Corrections were noted. A motion was made by Mr. Mickelsen and seconded by Ms. Leister, to aDDrove the Minutes. Motion carried. [VI] COMMITTEE REPORTS Housina Committee - Ms. Herbert reported her Committee has been meeting during the past month regarding the Handyman Program. Ms. Herbert met with the Township Director and found she was very receptive to the program. They voiced their interest in doing a handyman program modeled after similar programs in other Townships. The Township asked the Commission to help them develop a survey that can be used to do a community wide mailing for input on this program. The Township will also need more hard data to take to the Trustees for approval of the program. Ms. Herbert is scheduled to again meet with Ms. Jolliff, Executive Director of Evanston Township. The Township would like to have a written proposal for the Handyman Program by November of this year in order for the program to begin COA Min 9/11/93 Page 1 . . .1N ,6 1L ., ,i, W next year. Ms. Montgomery of the Suburban Area Agency on Aging and CEDA/ Neighbors at Work were extremely helpful to Ms. Herbert and the Committee in encouraging them to go forward with the program. It is the hope of the Committee that the Township will back this most worthwhile and needed senior program. Ms. Herbert described some of the information included in the Housing Committee's September packet which included the "Geographical Distribution of older Adults in Evanston Chart" prepared for the Housing Committee by the commission's intern, Barbara Wilson. This is a list of census tract boundaries, the number of older adults in Evanston, and includes the senior housing and nursing homes and facilities within these boundaries. The Committee would like further definition/breakdown (if possible) of this information. Education/Advocacy and Intergenerational Committee - Mr. Samson reported the Intergenerational Forum will be Wednesday, November 3rd, at the Levy Center from 3:45 to 6:00 p.m. The program will be on how to get an intergenerational program started, how to keep it going, and an evaluation of the program. Ms. Mackert and Ms. Romain have been working on the newsletter which will be going out the first week of October. It will include an insert about the Forum. The week after this mailing post cards will be sent to get a feel for the registration for the Forum. The publicity, advocacy committee has made a decision to do two mini - courses for the committee, one on public relations and one on advocacy. Ms. Mackert will conduct the advocacy portion &nd Mr. Samson will do the advocacy portion. The first mini -course was presented at the last E/A and I meeting by Mr. Samson with the assistance of the Suburban Area Agency on Aging. Mr. Wagner has volunteered to do a draft press release for the upcoming Forum. The committee has come up with a list of basic techniques and places to reach out to for what is needed for the Housing Committee's endeavors. Commission on Aging presentations to the community have fallen off except for the efforts of Ms. Mose and a few other Commission members. This is an area which needs to be revitalized. Mr. Mickelsen has volunteered to tabulate the evaluation responses. Lona Term Care Committee - Ms. Baker chaired the September meeting in the absence of Ms. Halperin. There were 2 speakers from the VNA North, Chelle Sincox and Faith Reimer, Co -Directors of Rehabilitative Services. The City of Evanston Health Department Annual Long Term Care Report - 1992 w&s distributed to all committee members for discussion at the October LTC meeting. The new Nursing Home bed charge was discussed, $1.50 fee instituted this summer in lieu of the $6.00 fee which expired in June. Further information regarding this fee will be forthcoming to the Committee. The Committee is very interested in pursuing the medical alert system and Long Term Care insurance. Ms. Halperin summarized the current focus issues of the committee. - Nursing Home care - will be looking into the Health Department Annual Report. COA Min 9/11/93 Page 2 The new $1.50 nursing home bed tax - Continue efforts to understand the 4 levels of "Life Care" (continuing care) LTC option. Independent Living, assisted living, sheltered care, skilled care. Forum at Civic Center LTC arranged by State Rep. Jan Schakowky and co -hosted by the Commission on Aging, held August 27th on the proposed LTC Insurance Partnership Policy. This is a proposed law that provides for protection of a certain amount of a person's assets so everything does not go to pay for nursing home care. Legislators are interested in public opinion. There were approximately 200 persons in attendance. This was the 2nd highest attended forum in the state of Illinois and the only forum the Director of the Illinois Department on Aging attended. In -home care services, i.e., occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, services such as those provided by VNA North for people at home. Payment for this service is very expensive. The Committee is learning about the Community Care Program services for people with moderate and low incomes. A new subject for the Committee to research is special medical alert system for people at home alone who need assistance and can quickly alert some one on the outside when they are in need of help. Mr. Eckert and Ms. Halperin are looking into this service. [VII] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT Crimes Aaainst the Elderlv - A topic needing to be addressed in the Community. A report is being researched by Barbara Wilson regarding crime statistics of the elderly in the community. The Police Department is also doing an analysis of this subject. Taxi Program Packet - Marguerite Mose assembled a most informative packet for Board members on the history of the Taxi Program. Ms. Mackert thanked Ms. Mose for supplying this information. Commission Presentations - Ms. Mackert thanked Ms. Mose for responding to a request from the Leery Center to provide information about the Commission for their various satellite group meetings. Commission members are urged to continue to make community presentations. = Burden for Elderly - A very immediate issue in the Community. The Commission office has prepared an information sheet to address this subject. The Education/Advocacy and Information Committee will include more information on this sheet for seniors relating to taxation. e 3 Evanston Senior Servige Providers' E�cchanae _(ESSPE) - A meeting is planned for October 1st. Presentations will be made by the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, senior Connection Program at Reba Place, and the CHAP (Caring Home Aid Program) run by BASSI. Commission members are invited to attend ESSPE meetings. SAGE {Suburban Advocacy Group foK the Elderly, - A meeting will be held in Oak Park, September 15th. They are encouraging groups representing older adults be represented. Mr. Terry added this is an organization Commission members, as opposed to staff, should get directly involved in. dentaliealth Association ot Evanston MH E Volunteer of the_, Year - Past Commission member and Education/Advocacy and Intergenerational Committee member Adina Romain, will be honored by the MHAE as volunteer of the year. North Shore Hotel Retirement Fait - The commission on Aging will be represented at this fair September 22nd. Volunteers are needed to represent the Commission. The Beacon - The Education/Advocacy and Intergenerational Committee is taking under consideration Commission participation. At next month's Commission meeting a recommendation will be made in this regard. Human v ce Committee Meetinas - Continued Commission representation at these meetings is most important. The Commission on Aging budget will be considered by the Committee at the October 4th meeting. The Commission will be reviewing the 94-95 Budget at the October meeting. Lqtter front Mayor Morton - A letter was sent to the heads of all Boards and Commissions regarding associate members. The Mayor encouraged any of the Boards or Commissions that felt the need for additional assistance or expertise in one area or another are encouraged to invite people to become associate members. The associate members cannot be voting members but can offer advise or consultation. Resignation of Commission Member, Jack Korshak - Mr. Korshak will be moving to Lincolnwood and will not officially be able to remain as a Board member. Ms. Mackert encouraged Mr. Korshak to continue to attend Commission meetings. The Commission appreciates the contributions extended on their behalf by Mr. Korshak. He will be greatly missed by the Commission on Aging. Commission on Aging Evaluation - The Executive Committee discussed having an evaluation of last year in prelude to the year ahead. In preparation of that, last year's grid of objectives and 5 different goals and time table for the completion of these, were looked into. Committees will be contacted to discuss these issues and a report will be made at the October Commission meeting. COA Min 9/11/93 Page 4 [VIII] DIRECTOR'S REPORT The Commission's budget will be a hold the line budget based on the instructions received from the City Manager. City department heads have been cautioned that is potentially subject to change. City Council will be considering a sales Tax increase. The City Manager has proposed the City Council consider a service prioritization process. Mr. Anderson made a pledge after last year's City government reorganization that he had cut out administrative overlays and services would continue. Now for the most part any further reductions would have to be service cuts. There is no longer the excessive administrative overhead in the budget there was a year ago. Property Tax will definitely not be increased. Sales Tax for some may a palatable alternative. Budget problems are not over yet and things could change over the next 6 months. The Commission will be kept abreast of the budget status. [VIII] ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jane Baker, Secretary Evanston Commission on Aging Recorded by Audrey Trotsky CoA Executive Secretary DRAFT - NOT APPROVED CoA\Min9-93 COA Min 9111193 Page 5 7 DRAFT -- NOT APPROVED EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING REGULAR MEETING - October 2, 1993 Evanston Civic Center N I N U T E S Present: Judith Herbert, Sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Ruth Jacobs, Sheldon Wagner, Steve Samson, Marguerite Mose, Harriet Gillette, Grace Halperin, Barry Isaacson, Jane Baker Presiding: Sally Mackert Staff: Jay Terry, John Eckert, Audrey Trotsky [I] CALL TO ORDER - ANNOUNCEMENTS Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:47 a.m. Announcements were made regarding Ms. Miller's absence and Ms. Tinsley's continued illness. Ms. Mackert informed Commission members there would be two videos shown at the conclusion of the regular meeting for those members wishing to remain. The videos were: 3 - A taped interview from Evanston Cable TV ETTV 2 - A health insurance advocacy piece sent to Mr. Mickelsen from Families USA. [II] APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 11, 1993 MINUTES The minutes of the September 11, 1993 meeting were called. Corrections were noted. A motion was made by Mr. Mickelsen and seconded by Ms. Herbert, to approve the minutes. Motion carried. [VI] COMMITTEE REPORTS Housing Committee -- Handyman Program: Ms. Herbert reported on the latest developments concerning the Handyman Program. As of last month the Township Director, Veranda Jolliff, and Township supervisor, Betty Payne, had requested current data to support the need for this program. Ms. Herbert and her Committee were in the process of researching and beginning to develop a survey for a community wide mailing. aowever, Ms. Herbert was recently informed of the eventual removal of Community Action Programs from the Township' office, therefore the Township felt their involvement in this program might no longer be in their interest. Eventually all Township Community Action Programs will be transferred to the City. Ms. Jolliff informed Ms. Herbert she would discuss the program with Mr. Terry. Ms. Kcrbert, Ms. Mackert and Mr. Isaacson will approach the Aldermen of the Human Services Committee with the need for this as a City program. CoA Min 10/2/93 Page 1 Ms. Herbert commented on other avenues that will be investigated to assist in the development of the handyman program, i.e., Neighbors at Work, community businesses particularly those related to this program, such as hardware stores. Mr. Terry noted he met with the manager of Sam's Club and was asked for a mailing list of not -for -profit agencies in Evanston for their community giving program. The store is scheduled to open November 1st. CHAS (Comprehensive Housina Affordabilitv Strateav) Report: This is an important and comprehensive document used to determine where and how Federal housing funds will be used in Evanston and the types of Housing programs which will be funded. The National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 has designated new housing programs and has mandated that a CHAS Report must be done for each community that receives Community Development Block Grant Funds (CDBG). The CHAS Report is quite a lengthy report which includes information on the extent and type of housing needs, including housing for special populations, analysis of the current housing market and its ability to deliver needed housing, the effect of public policies on housing availability and affordability, and recommendations for uses of Federal funds to meet housing needs. The report includes census data and public comments and testimony. Ms. Herbert summarized 3 strategic priorities in the body of the report: 1 - a fairly large percent of Evanston's older adults are paying more than 30% of their income for housing and a number of older residents are paying upwards of 50% of their income for housing. There is a definite need for more affordable housing. 2 - there is a need for a handyman program in Evanston 3 - the Housing Commission and the Commission on Aging Housing Committee want to continue to collaborate and work together on City and Community programs toward mutual goals and objectives. The CHAS Report is also a helpful document for the Commission on Aging in lobbying for issues concerning older persons. Senior Housina: Ms. Herbert will be contacting Sioux Tournoy, contact person for the Noyes Court and Sherman House Buildings, to attend a Commission meeting and address various concerns regarding Senior building waiting lists and application procedures. Nabisco Property Update: Current update on the development of Evanston Nabisco property for an integrated model for seniors by Reba Place does not look very promising. A private developer has the lead in obtaining this property. Education/Advocacy and Interaenerational Committee - Mr. Samson reported the committee has not met since the last Commission meeting but is concentrating on preparation and publicity for the Intergenerational Forum to be held Wednesday, November 3rd at CoA Min 10/2/93 Page 2 the Levy Center from 3:45 until 6:00 p.m. Ms. Mackert thanked Ms. Mose for the several community presentations she has given during the past month. Commission member presentations have fallen off of late and members are urged to continue to schedule appointments with the many groups organizations on the list that have not been contacted. There are a so a number of civic groups, organizations and other interest groups that should be informed about the Commission. Mr. Mickelsen is tabulating the survey responses from presentations made by Commission members during the past several months. A report is being prepared for distribution at the November Commission meeting. Long Term Care Committee - Ms. Halperin reported the committee has not met since the September Commission meeting. - The LTC Committee continues to focus on in -home care. Presentations made at the Evanston Senior Service Providers' Network were most informative concerning this subject. - Learning about emergency alert systems in the area is on the agenda for the next LTC meeting. -- Ms. Halperin reported on some of the information she has acquired regarding the Health Reform Program in relation to long term care. Also what the terms/conditions of long term care insurance will be. [VII) REVIEW OF PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 1994-95 - COA BUDGET Copies of the Proposed 1994-95 budget were distributed. Mr. Terry informed the Commission these were the proposed budget pages that will appear in the City Budget. These budget pages along with a cover memo prepared by Ms. Mackert will be presented to the Human Services Committee at their November 1, 1993 meeting. Commission members are encouraged to attend this budget hearing meeting. Mr. Terry reported this is a hold the line budget. The 94-95 budget is proposed at the same dollar level as the 93-94 budget, $67,000. objectives: Mr. Terry encouraged Commission members to read the performance report on the objectives. The current year's objectives were, 1) to review and implement objectives of the Strategic Plan and 2) establish .internship programs. The Strategic Plan was not directly addressed in the performance report but Commission activities in the past year are reflected. Three objectives for next year have been drafted for Commission consideration: 1 - Establishment of the Ombudsman program at Pebblewood, a facility expected to open during the 94-95 fiscal year. CoA Min 10/2/93 Page 3 2 - Establishment of a Handyman Program 3 - Working cooperatively with the Police Department and local social service agencies on crimes against the elderly. Commission member input, suggestions, additions, deletions regarding the 94-95 objectives is welcome. The new fiscal year begins March 1, 1994. Onaoina Activity Measures: Certified and non -certified volunteer hours are included in #4 visit -hours .by nursing home volunteers. Deleted Activity Measure: Clothes to LTC residents has been deleted as this program has not been utilized in several years. Medical Goods Closet: Program is being looked into and may eventually be deleted from the activity measures. This program is noted in the Commission brochure. [VIII] CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT isolated Elderlv Report - The census report prepared by Barbara Wilson indicates the available data on isolated elderly by census tract is not distributed because of confidentiality concerns. Older Women's Leaaue (OWL): Sponsoring a retreat October 30th from 9:00 a.m, until 4:00 p.m. Persons interested in the future of OWL on both the local and statewide level are encouraged to attend. Contact person is Commission member Grace Halperin, Conferences: Ms. Mackert attended the Governor's Conference and shared information on some of the sessions she attended which included; a forunt on Springfield's legislative agenda for the coming year; Health Care Reform and Long Term Care and Aging issues; Northeast Area on Aging's Adult Day Care and Child Day Care concept of Intergenerational Day Care; Fundraising, Effective Researching and Approaching Foundations. Ms. Mackert and Ms. Adina Romain, E/A & I Committee member, also attended the Generations Connect conference. Future Commission Meetina Guests: Jonathan Lavin, Director, Suburban Area Agency on Aging, was invited to attend the October Commission meeting but declined due to previous commitments. However, Mr. Lavin informed Ms. Mackert of his interest in making a presentation to the Commission at a future date. Ms. Mackert will schedule his attendance for the November or December meeting. Ms. Mackert met with Helen Heyrmann, President of the Illinois Alliance on Aging who is also interested in speaking to the Commission at a future date. Commission Membership ADUlications: Mayor Morton is currertly reviewing three applications for Commission Membership to fill Jack Korshak's vacancy. Ms. Mackert will be meeting with the Mayor regarding Commission needs. Commission members are requested to COA Min 10/2/93 Page 4 submit names of anyone they feel appropriate for Commission Committee membership to Ms. Mackert. Committee Evaluation Revorts: In relation to the benefit of an evaluation, Ms. Mackert requested each committee go over last year's Strategic Planning Process listing of objectives and at their next meeting briefly discuss where they have been as a committee over the past year, where they feel the committee to be at present, and what you set forth for the committee as a group in the way of goals for the coming year. Committee chairs are requested to submit a one page summary of their committee's evaluation to Ms. Mackert as soon as possible in order to integrate this material into the budget presentation. Executive Committee Meetinq: The November Executive Committee meeting will be Wednesday, October 13th at 8:00 a.m. at the Civic Center in Room 3650. fix) DIRECTOR'S REPORT New Evanston Community Free Newspaper: A new free newspaper "Our Times" will be distributed in the community every other Thursday beginning October 21st and will publish listings of Evanston community events and activities. The paper is published by Nancy Kranz and intends to support itself through classified ad revenues. There does not appear to be any editorial agenda. North Shore Hotel Retirement Fair: The Commission was represented at the fair by John Eckert and Audrey Trotsky. As part of the Retirement Fair 10 outstanding older adult volunteer awards were presented. Mr. Terry was asked to be one of the judges and presenters for this ceremony and commented on what a nice affair this was. Evanston Senior Service Providers' Exchange (ESSPE): A meeting was held October 1st. Presentations were made by the Caring Home and Aid Program of SASSI and the Reba Senior Connection Program. The 3rd speaker did not attend but has asked to be on the agenda for the next Providers' Exchange meeting that will take place Friday, December 10th. Commission members are invited to attend. crime Report: Barbara Wilson continues to work on this report. She has recently attended a meeting in the Circuit Court on a presentation given by Police Chiefs around the state on crimes against the elderly and decided to incorporate this information into her report. (XI MS. HALPERIN'S WASHINGTON CONFERENCE Ms. Halperin shared her experiences at the conference she recently attended in Washington, D.C. This was the First National Conference of the National Conference of Negro Women. They have an institute connected to our elder care. This conference was on older women and there were 500 attendees. There were several interesting keynote speakers and a number of workshops. Keynote speakers included a former government employee (50 years of service) who is the CoA Min 10/2/93 Page 5 coordinator of the long term care section of the mental health institute and who spoke on minority aging, prevention and wellness, and suicide, among other subjects. Other speakers included the mayor of Washington, Rev. Willie Barrow, a forceful speaker, and President Clinton's mother, Virginia Kelly. some of the workshops Ms. Halperin attended included: coalition building of aging groups; home care a double edged issue for women; sex after sixty, which included sexuality as part of human interest and development. Ms. Halperin found attending this conference a very enlightening experience. [VIII] ADJOURNMENT The meeting was acijourned at 11:35 p.m. Re ectfully submitted, ane tsaxer, secretary Evanston Commission on Aging Recorded by Audrey Trotsky CoA Executive Secretary DRAFT - NOT APPROVED CoA\Min9-93 CoA Min 10/2/93 Page 6 EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGING l'IQT APPROVED REGULAR MEETING - November 6, 1993 Evanston civic Center x I N 9 1 1 a Present: Judith Herbert Sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Susie Tinsley, Ruth Jacobs, Marguerite Hose, Grace Halperin, Barry Isaacson, Jane Baker Presiding: Sally Mackert staff; Jay Terry, Audrey Trotsky [I] CALL TO ORDER - ANNOUNCEMENTS Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:48 a.m. Announcements were made regarding the absences of Ms. Miller, Mr. Wagner and Dr. Gillette. Ms. Mackert also announced there would be a change in the sequence of the agenda for this meeting. [II] PRESENTATION: SANDI JOHNSON, DIRECTOR NORTH SHORE SENIOR CENTER The North Shore Senior Center is located in the Northfield New Trier West Center and was incorporated as a not -for -profit agency in 1956. The mission of the Senior Center is to support the independence and well being of older adults, enhance their dignity and self respect and promote their participation in all aspects or community life by providing a continuum of services. Ms. Johnson illustrated the numerous programs and services available to seniors. The Center is best know for their group activity programs and have about 60 different activities per week on site. They also offer a joint program at Northbrook Court, Learning Together, in the Lord and Taylor store which operates cultural programs 5 days a week. Some of the programs offered at the Center include many community programs such as a defensive driving class, long term care Medigap insurance, etc. They also help individuals with one to one entitlements. Counseling/case management is their largest department. The department has 12 members, of which B are social workers and 4 are case managers. This counseling program provides services not only to members but, also to others. The Center has 3,000 members and serve 18,000 individuals in the northern suburbs last year. They are the Elder Abuse Intervention agency for Main, New Trier and Northfield Townships, and are also the agent for the Community Care Case Management for these three Townships. There are 54 paid staff persons at various locations and 685 volunteers that have volunteered 37,000 hours of service. Their budget is $1.4 million. They are supported by 10 United Ways, receive government funding, have state contracts, and also receive support from local villages. At the end of her presentation Ms. Johnson answered Commission COA Min 11/6/93 Page 1 -1 IWr ILL Il vli J . I 11 I Iil 1 Iu'u11IIY' FA members' questions regarding the North Shore Senior Center's programs and activities. Ms. Mackert thanked Ms. Johnson for her most informative presentation. [III] APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 2, 1993 MIN[JTES The minutes of the September 11, 1993 meeting were called. A motion was made by Mr. Mickelsen and seconded by Ms. Baker t apRrove #� mutes gs mitten. Motion carried. [VI] COMMITTEE REPORTS egg Term Ca= Committee - Ms. Halperin reported the committee is: - Reviewing the Evanston Health Department LTC Division 1992 Annual Report. There were concerns regarding health care, food preparation and diet and employees handling of residents. - Settlement of a law suit filed in 1994 b the Illinois Citizens for Better Care (ICBC) against he Illinois Department of Public Health regarding the ICBC challenging inadequate procedures employed by Public Health surveyors when investigating complaints against nursing homes. The ICBC and Dept. of public Health have entered into a consent degree which should result in constructive changes in conducting investigations. - Working with John Eckert{ ombudsman, to learn about the Dept. of Health in --service training related to nutrition, management, rehabilitation measures and prevention of resident abuse. - John Eckert spoke to the Committee on "Assisted Living" at their October meeting. - The Committee will be reviewing their 1993 activities and outlining goals for 1994. - Continues to gather information about In -Home Care. - A new Illinois restraint legislation was signed by Governor Edgar. A Federal law passed in 1987, OBRA, part of which sought to assure restraints and psychotropic drugs be used only when necessary. Ms. Halperin left the meeting after delivering her Committee report as she had another commitment. Housing Committee - Ms. Herbert reported the Committee: - Continues to discuss the Handyman Program - Responded to the new C1W in a presentation made at the Public Hearing chaired by the Housing Commission responding to the priorities in the.new CHAS encouraging them to continue with supporting any initiatives for more affordable housing for Evanston elderly as well as to maintain housing, the handyman program, etc. COA Min 11/5/93 Page 2 At the Human services Committee Budget Hearing, Ms. Mackert made a presentation and Ms. Herbert spoke on behalf of the handyman program. The Aldermen directed the Commission to ive them more information, i.e., a formal packet containing he Commission's recommendations. With the assistance of Barbara Wilson the Committee hopes to get this packet to the Human Services Aldermen. - The Committee is considering approaching the Housing Commission Chair regarding support for the Handyman Program. The Home Depot Project at the Rustoleum sight is going ahead as planned. A precedent was set in Atlanta regarding Home Depot's contribution in funding a handyman program. Pat Montgomery will be looking into this matter for the Housing Committee. The Executive Committee made a decision for the Housing Committee to become the Housing/Transportation Committee. These are both ongoing concrete issues in the City. Education tAdvocacv And Intergenerational Committee - InterQeneratiorLaj For - Ms. Mackert reported on the November 4th Intergenerational Forum held at the Levy Center. over 40 participants attended. The participants had an opportunity to share and network among themselves in small committees, with facilitators, and deal with program planning and evaluation. Refreshments were provided by the Presbyterian Homes. People implied they wished this to be a continuing program of the Commission. The Forum was a highly successful, program. CoMigsion SMrvev Fenort: Barbara Wilson submitted a Commission Survey Wrap -Up report which affirmed the fact that people said they knew of the Commission's existence but were not sure of what the Commission did. The survey also confirms what issues the Commission is addressing and why it is important for presentations throughout the community to continue. Ms. Mackert made special mention of the Commission's appreciation of Barbara Wilson's work on numerous projects she has researched on behalf of the Commission. (Mr. Terry joined the Commission at 11:05 a.m., after the Unified Budgeting Process Allocation Meeting.) Cr�ime_s AQr ainst the Elm Report: Another project researched for the Commission by Ms. Wilson is the Crimes Against the Elderly Report. This report will be extremely helpful to the E/A & I Committee as this is one of the issues the Committee will be dealing with in the next few months. (V] CHAIR REPORT Human Services Freseptation: A presentation was made before the Human services Committee. Alderman Moran, Human Services Committee Chair, thanked the Commission for their continued presence at their meetings and was very supportive of Intergenerational programs. There was also favorable mention of the commission's continued CoA Min 11/6/93 Page 3 interest in a multi -purpose senior center. The Aldermanic response to Ms. Herbert's excellent handyman program presentation was positive. Committee Chair FyaluatjonaL Ms. Mackert requested Committee chair reports on evaluation of the past year and goals for the coming year be prepared as soon as possible as they will be addressed at the December Commission meeting. Families SA Video: For those who were unable to stay after the October Commission meeting to see the Families USA video presentation on health care reform, it will be made available for viewing to the Committees. Committee Meeting: The next Executive Committee meeting will be Monday, November 225d at 8:00 a.m. at the Civic Center in Room 3650. Cook}et Fxcbanae eet' • Reminder December Meeting is the Commission's traditional Cookie Exchange. [VI] DIRECTOR'S F!:ORT Mr. Terry reported he was not able to be present earlier at the Commission meeting as he had given a talk early in the mornin at St. Luke's Episcopal Parish on "Hunger and Homelessness" Lager in the morning he attended the Unified Budgeting Process Allocations meeting and reported the community agencies that will be given more money for new programs are HouSinq options for the Mentally Ill in Evanston (H.O.M.E.) which is receiving a significant allocation for their housing program and Center for Public Ministry which will be receiving additional money for a substance abuse counselor. Barbara Wilson is currently working on a project in relation to the deliberations of the Mental Health Board. They ggave some serious consideration to not funding the senior case ;corker at Family Counseling Services. Reasons for this partially relates to the specifics of Family Counseling Services proposal, and partially to certain Mental Health Board member's philosophical point of view of not wanting to fund mental health services for older people as age specific mental health programs were not necessary. For their benefit Barbara is researching all the other mental health boards in Illinois and the programs they fund for older people. [VIII] ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:42 p.m. ly submitted, o ;6AOAul Jane taxer, Secretary Evanston Commission on Aging Recorded by Audrey Trotsky DRAFT - NOT APPROVED CoA Executive Secretary Coa\Mir.11-93 CgA Min 11/6/93 Page 4 f EVANSTON COMMISSION ON AGINNGG MU - APPROVED REGULAR MEETING - December 4, 1993 Evanston Civic Center K I N 9 1 A a Present: Judith Herbert, sally Mackert, Helen Leister, Harry Mickelsen, Susie Tinsley, Ruth Jacobs, Marguerite Mose, Barry Isaacson, Jane Baker, Steve Samson, Sheldon Wagner, Baila Miller, Harriet Gillette Presiding: Sally Mackert Staff: Jay Terry, John Eckert, Barbara Wilson Guests: Jim Stavish, Acting Director, Niles Township Sheltered Workshop Jessie Sutton, Evanston Resident [I] CALL TO ORDER - INTRODUCTIONS Chairperson Mackert called the meeting to order at 9:40 a.m. and introduced the guests. [II] APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 6, 1993 MINUTES The minutes of the November 6, 1993 meeting were called. corrections were noted and motion was made and seconded by Ms. Leister to approve Minutes Ae corrected. Ntion carried, [III] COMMITTEE REPORTS Hous na Committee - Ms. Herbert reported that Jerry Iaccino from the Proviso Township Handyman Program gave a very useful{ informative presentation at the Housing Committee meeting. Proviso Township has a very successful program with two handymen and two vehicles. Ms. Montgomery, Housing Specialist, a member of the Housing Committee brought Mr. Iaccino to the Housing Committee meeting. Also presenting at the meeting was Jim Stavish, Acting Director, and David Futransky, Board Member of Niles Township Sheltered Workshop. They gave an update on NTSW's Elderly Housing in Evanston. Mr. Terry gave an update on New Trier Township's handyman program and said they would like to coordinate all villages in a cooperative program but are encountering some difficulty getting started. Ms. Herbert noted that other Townships, i.e., Leyden and Proviso saw the need for such programs and acted quickly to get them started. fducatioRjAdv9cacv and Interaeneratioagl Committee - Ms Mackert reported in the absence of Mr. Samson. rgpne atio Video Festival - A letter was distributed re: a_ Video Festival on intergenerational issues. The Presbyterian Home is COA Min 11/6/93 page 1 the site for the festival. special videos have been selected for previewing for next week after which a date will be set for the festival to take place some time after the first of the year. All Commission members are encouraged to attend. irs Night &gent - Mr. Terry brought up Judith Treadway's, PEER Sery ces, presentation wherein specific mention for the First Night Event was made. Volunteers are needed for this event. Mr. Waggner asked if the Commission could be officially involved. Ms. MaNert responded, no, but members would be welcomed to help out. At this point Mr. Samson joined the meeting and reported as follows: Advo - The focus of the Committee is on particular issues such as cr es against the elderly or housing. The Committee would like to develop forums for community educaIion. Medication Manaaemept - A presentation was made by Judith Treadway on medication management. Flyers re medication management workshop were distributed. In response to a question osed by Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Samson clarified this workshop was geared toward sneiors not in lone term care facilities. The Committee will aprise her of possible audiences in this regard; Samson asked Commission members if they would like to work with Ms. Treadway on medication management. Ms. Mackert inter ected that Ms. Treadway's works on her own and her presentation at �he E/A & I was merely for informational purposes. She traditionally works with youth but is looking to expand her program for seniors. 16M Terra Care Committee - Ms. Baker reported the committee is: - Working on goals for 1994. - Will make a presentation at the Human Services Committee meeting December 6, 1993. - Looking into home response systems. - Looking to develop a registry of in -home health care agencies as currently there is none. [IV] OMBUDSMAN'S REPORT Mr. Eckert gave an update on the October monitoring of the Ombudsman's program y the suburban Area Agency on Aging. Mr. Eckert found he needs to last of clients he sees and has contact with. The holiday turkey distribution to needy seniors that was done in cooperation with the Emergency Assistance Program was very successful. Ms. Mose also assisted with the distribution. Mr. Eckert announced this is his first anniversary of employment as the City of Evanston's ombudsman. Ms. Mackert spoke for the entire Commission and voiced everyone's pleasure with his performance. COA Min 11/6/93 Page 2 loll, n .1 1 Mn [V] DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Terry informed thi Commission Mr. Eckert has been appointed to Statewide Ombudsman Advocacy Committee. PPentgl Healthl �3°� . Long = Care Committee - was re-established response to community concerns about Albany House and Greenwood Care. There are neighborhood concerns about nursing home residents being disruptive within the community. The City Ordinance is more concerned with the facility, not necessarily what the residents do within the community. Ms. Baker asked if the Mental Health Board Lon Term Care Committee has been involved with the ombudsman in the pasg. Mr. Terry responded yes, and Mr. Eckert stated he plans to be involved and has spoken to Harvey Saver, Assistant Director of Mental Health Services, regarding this issue. Ms. Baker brought up the concern for the differences between nursing homes for older adults and Mentally 1ll (MI) and Developmentally Disabled (DD) persons. Albany House and Greenwood Care are approximately 50% elderly and 50% younger persons. Both facilities have MI and/or dual diagnosis residents and are beginning to see more younger clients as older persons are going to other facilities. Clients come from the community. ForUgry CommissioD &eetinc - Jonathan Lavin, Executive Director of the Suburban Area Agency on Agency, will attend the February Commission meeting. nec*.a I.D. Program o#� DisaL:)Jed Hospital Pgltients - Lorraine Moss, advocate for special I.D. program for sensory disabled individuals to be better served when they are patients in the hospital. Ms. Moss said Evanston and St. Francis Hospitals were resistant. Mr. Terry sent a letter to both hospitals on behalf of the Commission regarding this issue and both have responded positively. [VI] CHAIR REPORT Ms. Mackert received an invitation from the Center for Applied Gerontology for a conference to be held December loth. For further details contact Ms. Mackert. Illinois Home Care Council 1994 Winter Education Conference and Exhibition will be held January 27 & 28, 1994 in Chicago. Contact Ms. Mackert for further details. Commission members are continuing to be present at Human Service Committee meetings. Commission gommunity Presentatiora -Mr. Isaacson and Mr. Samson inquired regarding the increasing visibility of the Commission in the community. Mr. Mackert answered that based on Survey results there is a definite need for the continuation of Commission presentations. Updating Commission. Ma' 1.st L- and updating the commission mailing groups. Ms. Mackert said this will meeting. Mr. Samson brought up increasing list to include new community be covered at the next A/E & I CoA Min 11/6/93 Page 3 - Executive Committee meeting, December 27, 1993 at 8:00 a.m. - Evanston Senior Service Providers' Exchange, December 10, 1993 at 9:30 at the Civic Center. Volunteers - Ms. Mackert noting that she is often approached or senior volunteers, suggested that Commission members give thought to how this need might be addressed. She asked that there be further discussion at a future meeting. r vi x y ADJOURMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Jane waxer, secretary Evanston Commission on Aging DRAFT - NOT APPROVED Coa\Mi.n12-93