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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-01-15 Human Relations Commission Minutes Approved 1 HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Senior Summit Thursday, January 15, 2015 Community Room Lucie Stern Community Center 1305 Middlefield Road 1:30 PM SPECIAL MEETING ROLL CALL: Commissioners Present: Bacchetti, Morin, O’Nan, Savage, Stone Absent: Alhassani, Chen, Staff: Minka van der Zwaag, Mary Constantino ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None BUSINESS 1. Chair O’Nan stated that the Senior Summit is designed to identify and address unmet needs in the senior community. Chair O’Nan explained that the HRC is an advisory body to the Council and is charged with the discretion to act on matters specified in its charge which is a broad charter but it enables the HRC to have conferences such as the Senior Summit. Chair O’Nan explained that the HRC conducted a human needs assessment in 2011-12 and a supplemental needs assessment in 2014 that revealed a growing needs for senior services, more than 17% of Palo Alto residents are seniors and seniors are living longer and face additional challenges as they age in place. A key learning from our human needs assessments is that seniors are a diverse population:  “Boomer” seniors  “Elderly” seniors (80+)  Low-income seniors  Immigrant seniors  Homeless seniors Yet across the board, seniors and their service providers struggle to meet these key challenges:  Transportation: lack of door-to-door service  Nutrition: not eating enough to maintain health  Depression, isolation, loneliness: loss of spouse, friends deceased, family far away Approved 2 Chair O’Nan stated that there is a popular myth that all Palo Alto seniors are rich but many of them are outliving their assets. Many seniors have loss of vision and there is a diabetes epidemic which impacts their independence. Another key issue is the care and maintenance of their home whether they are living in place or need assistance moving. So many seniors experience physical, verbal or financial elder abuse by relatives and other caretakers. Chair O’Nan explained that the HRC is calling upon the agencies to do the following:  Identify seniors’ most pressing unmet/chronic needs, and the barriers to addressing them.  Propose new solutions, whether through agency collaborations or new programs.  Craft and cost-estimate projects that may be eligible for City and County funding.  Advocate for senior services with our City and County leaders. Chair O’Nan introduced Paul Hebert, Case Manager and Martin Eichner, Mediator who are both from Project Sentinel and will assist with the breakout sessions. The attendees of the meeting then introduced themselves: Paul Hebert, Case Manager, Project Sentinel - Advise tenant and landlord rights Martin Eichner, Mediator, Project Sentinel – Advise tenant and landlord rights Timothy Harris, Vital Link Medical Alert Systems – Community Outreach & Client Care Specialist 70-90 clients Tom Pamilla, Executive Director, Stevenson House - Affordable housing for 140 residents Peter Cheng, PAMF physician Albert Lam, PAMF, physician - Excided with large gathering, wants to help with healthy aging. Ruchika Aggarwal, City of Palo Alto Transportation Amy Andonian, President and CEO, Avenidas – Serves 7,500 seniors Lisa Hendrickson, Avenidas – Managing Capital Project Kate Young, Director of Resident Services, Palo Alto Housing Corporation - Would like to see seniors age in place as long as possible Matt Lau, Senior Service Coordinator, Sheridan Apartments – Transportation and nutrition - Transports 150 seniors weekly Mary Ruth Batchelder, La Comida - Serves senior nutrition program with funding through the County and City of Palo Alto Christina Araiza, PAMF's Druker Center, Linkages – Impact social isolation Dona Smith-Powers, Church Senior Group – Senior Chat - Works with five different churches Paul Tatsuta, OUTREACH - Senior transportation services Georgia Bacil, Senior Adults Legal Assistance - Targets very low income seniors Kathy Shields, City of Palo Alto Library – Has a large collection of books and a homebound program Patricia Lau, Webster House - Average age is 90 with professional residents. Creates programs that meets their needs Eric Ebberley, Integra Select Care, Private Home Care Pat Markevitch, City of Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Commission – City programs, classes and parks Ray Bacchetti, City of Palo Alto Human Relations Commission – Can we get more out of collaboration? Nettie Azoulay, YMCA Senior Program Director Richard Wexler, Points of Life - Assist families plan and manage life’s challenges Pat Burt, City of Palo Alto City Council Member - Interested in hearing different perspectives Kenny Ramirez, Senior Resource Director, Episcopal Senior Communities, Santa Clara County – Address loneliness and isolation and a shared housing program. Lien Nguyen, OUTREACH - Senior transportation program Marina Benkhin, Mid-Peninsula Housing - Therapist Approved 3 Marsha Adler, Aging Services - Collaborative in Santa Clara County - An organization of nonprofits Doris Lee, Housing Administrator, Lytton Gardens - 500 residents on campus Micaela Hellman-Tincher, Policy Aide, County Supervisor Joe Simitian, District Five -Learn more about what’s going on in senior communities Rossanna Cook, Lytton Gardens - Link residents to resources and referrals Jo Jaros, Vista Center for the Blind - Low vision clinic. Provides safety classes with daily living skills required to live and age safely in place Sharon Hudson, Vista Center - Assist with technology use (the tools of today) to live in their home as long as possible Claire May, RSVP Outreach Coordinator for senior volunteers – A senior volunteer program Greer Stone, City of Palo Alto Human Relations Commission Diane Morin City of Palo Alto Human Relations Commission Philip Dah, Senior Director of Opportunity Center – InnVision Shelter Network - Serve many homeless seniors and many going to be seniors. Provide emergency rental and utility assistance Jim Mulvaney, KARA - Provides emotional support for bereavement and end of life for families to the elderly May Ratiu, Commissioner on Aging for San Mateo County/volunteer for the Village Model Janice Svendsen, City Manager’s Office – City Manager’s Office receives many inquiries at the office. Looking for information Chair O’Nan asked the participants to share what pressing unmet needs are facing their agency and what asset they need most. Amy Andonian -Avenidas is bursting at the seams at 450 Bryant. It is difficult to find rooms for all of the groups. Avenidas strives to provide a place for a broad type of activities. The plan is to expand the space of the Bryant Street building and have a location in south Palo Alto. The desire is for wellness and fitness services for older adults modeled as a Wellness Center. In older adults it is important to have fitness activities with their peers with transportation resources to get seniors around the community. Barrier: Location is the south Palo Alto facility. Spaces have not panned out. Barrier for wellness center: Space. Transportation is not door to door. There is a need for shuttle and individual rides. Philip Dah, Opportunity Center: top needs: There are many chronically homeless on the street and many and many suffer with substance abuse. A younger person can deal with living on the streets but seniors cannot. Not enough safety needs such as resident rent or utility bill assistance. There have been times when the social security checks stop coming and seniors need assistance. Intervention with one-time financial assistance. Homeless seniors need services where someone can manage their money. Fiduciary service needs to be available for the homeless community. Housing is a big piece of the homeless problem because most of their clients are homeless. Barriers: Funding. Some of the programs do exist but they are in other communities. Eric Ebberley, Integra Select Care: How do we reach the consumer? Get information out to other agencies. The Supreme Court of California changed the regulations on paying home care providers. The new regulation requires employers to pay employees for all “hours worked.” Most wage orders define hours worked as any time the employee is subject to the employer’s control. The cost to stay at home today is $13,500 a month. Where are we going to put seniors for 24 hours a day? Cost went from $250 to $450 a day. There are two different types of agencies: independent agency and employee based. If they are employee based, seniors don’t understand that they must pay social security taxes and special insurance. How do we educate the seniors? Barrier: Lack of information and lack of awareness. Approved 4 Timothy Harris, Vital Link Medical Alert System – There is not enough space for the aging boomers. There is a need for high density housing. Some of the clients cannot afford the $29 per month service. Vital Link provides 2-3 fall prevention presentations a month. County is putting in place an exercise program but the instructors needs to be paid. Barriers: Money for instructors. Seniors need to be healthier and stronger so they don’t fall. Denial and resistance and lack of funding Tom Pamilla, Stevenson House – There are many mental health problems and there is a desire need for funding for social workers and counselors. Reach out to the very depressed. There are different cultures residing at Stevenson House. One-third of the residents are Chinese and a large percentage is Russian. Barrier: Social worker need. Cultural sensitivity. Stanford University has a Longevity Center and they are not responding to Mr. Pamilla’s inquiries. Stanford is focusing on their research. Dona Smith-Powers, Church Senior Group – Two churches provide space for groups to meet. The groups create amazing connections. Isolation is an issue. The seniors may live alone or with family. Both cases most of the senior residents do not have transportation. Many seniors feel isolated and depressed. They need to make connections with other seniors. Barrier: Dwindling physical energy. Seniors 80-90 years of age are frail but mentally sharp. Funding for staff and transportation. Georgia Bacil, Senior Adults Legal Assistance – SALA’s attorney’s, who cannot accept payment, provide a range of legal services from simple advice, referrals to comprehensive legal representation. Elder abuse is a major issue. There needs to be more education about making decisions and screening. Seniors need advice on how to protect themselves. Many seniors are not capable of handling their own finances. Finding space is a barrier. Senior clients are reluctant to see SALA, but if SALA is at Stevenson or Avenidas they feel more comfortable. SALA is looking for collaboration with another agency that is willing to host. SALA wishes to expand existing services. Barrier: Volunteer attorneys must be supervised. More facilities would allow more appointment days in south Palo Alto. SALA needs more funding because they cannot charge. Translation and technology assistance Kathy Shields, City of Palo Alto Libraries - Mitchell Park has a meeting room that is free. Rinconada has two small rooms and a program room. Patricia Lau, Webster House, part of the Episcopal Senior Communities. Seniors need to have a better understanding of health insurance, Medicare and the different supplemental insurances. Webster House needs to collaborate with Avenidas with counseling on health insurance and advocacy program. Unmet need: Pedestrian safety issues. Lights do not give enough time for seniors to cross the streets. Ms. Lau is working with Officier Krat to obtain more signage. Ms. van der Zwaag suggested Patricia should meet with Ruchika Aggarwal, City of Palo Alto Transportation. Marsha Adler, Aging Service Collaboration - Care coordination - finding someone who can come into your home and take care of you while you age. Process a background check. Barrier: Seniors are hiring their own people and being preyed upon. There is not a system that certifies people who work with seniors. Need licensing program. Licensing is going into effect for private homecare but they do not have the man power to audit the system. All caregivers working with seniors will be listed on a website with a criminal background. Stephanie Beach, La Comida - Senior Nutrition. What happens if there is an earthquake or other disaster? Approved 5 How will they feed the seniors? Where will La Comida go while the construction takes place at Avenidas. Stevenson House is also under construction. Barrier: Culture is a problem. Languages can be difficult. How can we be culturally sensitive? Door to door transportation because a person using a walker is not going to walk down the street for the bus. Christina Araiza, Palo Alto Medical Foundation linkAges - Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s community-based innovative center with solutions for older adults. The program looks for meaningful connections with purpose and value and enables the seniors to be a part of something and belong to a social connection. Many of the seniors’ neighbors are moving or passing which causes loneliness and isolation. The program provides intergenerational connections because seniors appreciate to connect with younger people Nettie Azoulay, YMCA - How can we increase the quality of life? What collaborations can we garnish from this room? There is a wealth of knowledge in the room. Network and share opportunities. How can we increase the quality of life? Is there an opportunity that the YMCA can help another agency? Sharon Hudson, Vista Center for the Blind or Visually Impaired – There are many challenges in operating a low vision clinic such as having to wait months to find doctors. Insurance does not cover the medical costs and devices are not covered by insurance. Dr. Cheng, Palo Alto Medical Foundation – Providing a medical prospective. Aging is a road trip or journey. The importance of preventative health needs to be understood. Where do seniors go for services? There is a need for coordinated care and how do we make sure they get the right care? There is a need for advanced planning not reactive. Many seniors receive unwanted and unneeded medical care. Palo Alto Medication Foundation (PAMF) wants to help seniors craft their road maps with collaborative programs with agencies. Palo Alto Medication Foundation has been in the Palo Alto community for 85 years. The Foundation has grown and their hearts are still in Palo Alto. Senior care does not cover the cost; it is not a for-profit center. PAMF needs and craves collaboration. There is an urgency to find a way to work with other agencies and market the program effectively. Claire May, RSVP Outreach Coordinator - Retired volunteer organization. RSVP is one of the largest volunteer networks in the nation for people 55 and over using the skills and talents that were learned over the years. Barrier: People are working longer to 55-68 years of age which reduces the number of volunteers. There are many opportunities for intergeneration programs such as volunteering to teach someone to read. Jim Mulvaney, KARA - Over the last ten years KARA has added new services. One new service is support for end of life which is individual counseling for those who are anticipating their own death or the death of another. There is an importance to have community awareness. KARA provides counseling for caregivers and loved ones. KARA offers many services and has job training for another wanting to join KARA’s team. Barrier: Space. Would like satellite services Richard Wexler, Points of Life– Partnership of care, senior advocates. Help seniors and their families find care and services such as managing life’s challenges, such as aging, illness and caregiving. Points of Life provides collaboration and coordinator between agencies and service providers after hospitalization. Kate Young, Palo Alto Housing - Yesterday a new program was launched; collaboration between Avenidas, La Comida and Palo Alto Housing. Low income seniors were transported in a van provided by Avenidas from a Palo Alto Housing facility to attend La Comida’s lunch. Palo Alto Housing has a large concentration Approved 6 of seniors at the Sheridan Apartments off California Avenue. HSRAP is funding the pilot program and has been a great success. The importance of the friendship aspect is vital for seniors to participate. They do not want to participate alone. Ruchika Aggarwal, City of Palo Alto Transportation –The shuttle is a free program. The shuttle has a fixed route and fixed shuttle and only is available on weekdays. A collaborative has been created with East Palo Alto. The third route to East Palo Alto is funded by East Palo Alto but the contract is managed under by the City of Palo Alto. The City is implementing a new route connecting South Palo Alto to Stanford Shopping Center, and Palo Alto Medical Foundation. The City has never looked for private organizations to help fund the shuttle and the City’s shuttle does not qualify for federal grants but they are trying to reach out with private partners. The attendees were asked to put adhesive “dots” on what they felt were the top three needs facing seniors today. Brainstorming: Paul Hebert Score Need 8 Facilities: need more space. e.g. Avenidas, limited potential spaces to expand 10 Transportation: Resources to move around community e.g. door to door and shuttle, e.g. PAMF 0 Cost for private duty homecare has increased - benefits are complex for HO – there is a lack of education 0 Library has space 1 Update street crossing controls to allow more time 1 La Comida also needs space for emergency and during Avenidas’ construction 4 Wellness and Fitness Services with elder peers. Need more space 1 Homeless folks becoming seniors. Lack of services. Bridge loans/one time money/fiduciary services/mental health/housing with mental health services/need funding increase 1 Getting word to those in need. Educate seniors about services, about their own needs, fall prevention/balance 8 Transportation to and from social events/communities. Funding for staff 1 Elders taking on boarders for rent or help in house. Abuse 2 Marketing/Funding for development for senior services 2 Care coordinator and planning with or without healthcare 1 RSVP needs more volunteers 0 Resistance to education is a barrier 2 Increase community awareness of services, e.g. end of life and localized space to provide these services 1 Access to the internet as an alternative for communication. Increase education for seniors to overcome digital divide. 1 Counseling and education on benefits such as health insurance. Avenidas does provide a program which is an example of the need for collaboration 10 Care coordination between service providers 2 Screening providers for quality and background. Need system to certify them and educating seniors about these issues. Conflict at state level over licensing and scope. 1 Compensation to pay service providers such as exercise class. Have instructors instead of volunteers. 2 Overcome cultural barriers. Find a way to get through without message. Increasing as diversity Approved 7 increases. Need staff with appropriate skills. Technical resources and volunteers. 0 Need funding for services that will match population growth. Increase capacity. e.g. payee support/translation. Increase collaboration. 9 Meaningful connections providing meaning/engagement. Feel useful. 1 Inter-generational connections 2 Low vision clinic needs to have more sessions. Need volunteers and money. When devices are needed, they are not covered by insurance. Poor vision exacerbates other issues. 4 Collaborate to offer better quality of life. Agencies sharing information. e.g. website. Will need funding to do so and to maintain current programs 3 Increase transportation services 1 Preventative healthcare and individualized care plans. Cost of senior medical care is not fully covered. Need collaboration on services and resources. 1 Looking ahead. Boomers aging will overwhelm existing health services 10 Housing 0 Collaboration/awareness of senior programs 1 Mental health issues more pressing than physical. Need funding for staff. The “dots” were then added up, with the three top identified needs being housing, collaboration and transportation. The assembled group then broke up into three sub-groups to brainstorm ideas and collaborations to address these needs (see below.) Housing: 1. Homeshare idea or partnering in an existing agency. Like HIP Housing but in Santa Clara County. 2. Advocacy in community. Create more marketing for information about the need 3. Senior housing and transit village 4. Creating support for people who are in low income or affordable housing Collaboration: 1. To have a quarterly meeting like today to share information and work on needs 2. Virtual rolodex that everyone that is providing this type of service can access 3. List serve and share suggestions. Have local high school, college or local high tech companies create 4. Some source of senior resource guide for the community. The Palo Alto Weekly’s guide can be a starting point. Transportation: 1. Educated outreach from agencies 2. Transportation - there is assumption made that resources does not exist. Who is not being served? 3. Have a better platform for knowledge. Ways how they can search for the information. County funding has been given to door to door agencies. Chair O’Nan reported on the next steps. All of the suggestions and information provided will be gathered. A well thought out proposal must be created. Partner with us to get the information. Staff will be following up with a survey and let us know what we can do better. Should we have a meeting yearly or an ongoing meeting a few times a year? Ms. van der Zwaag will also send you the notes. In closing Chair O’Nan welcomed Council Member Karen Holman as the City’s new mayor. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.