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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3443 CITY OF PALO ALTO OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK January 14, 2013 The Honorable City Council Palo Alto, California Presentation From Lisa Hendrickson Regarding Avenidas Attached is information regarding the Avenidas presentation from Lisa Hendrickson. ATTACHMENTS:  History of Avenidas 2013 (DOC)  Avenidas Conference (PDF) Department Head: Donna Grider, City Clerk Page 2 A Brief History Forty-four years ago, senior services in the Palo Alto area were offered through disparate agencies at widely distant sites. For seniors, finding out information and getting referrals to those services was quite a daunting task. Today, scores of services and programs for older adults on the Mid-Peninsula, as well as referrals to and information about them, are housed under one roof---Avenidas. The story of this transformation in senior services is the story of Avenidas which celebrates over four decades of coordinating services for seniors and creating innovative new programs to meet their changing needs. Our vision: “To be a leader in the creation of a community that supports and celebrates its older adults.” Avenidas dates its birthday to 1968 when the SCC (Senior Coordinating Council of the Palo Alto Area--Avenidas’ former name) was formed. Working with the City of Palo Alto, the SCC persuaded officials to allow space in the main library for information, referral and counseling. Soon transportation and health services were added, along with directories of county-wide services and research into transportation and housing needs. In 1974, following an initial survey a decade before, the SCC sponsored a comprehensive study of seniors in the area. From this grew a city-sponsored task force, “When We Grow Older in Palo Alto.” Observers peg the 1974 study and the task force recommendations as the basis for the development of senior services in the area. “The SCC’s major contribution to the community was the tradition of surveys of senior needs every decade. These surveys showed the need both for direct services and coordination to provide and evaluate them,” said Jay Thorwaldson, former editor of the Palo Alto Weekly. Among the 1974 recommendations was a home maintenance program at below-market rates to help seniors remain in their homes. Known as the Avenidas Senior Home Repair Program, it started in 1976 and continues to operate today. In 1977, the notion of seniors volunteering their time in the community was a novel idea, but Avenidas proved to be a catalyst for popularizing and facilitating volunteering by establishing the local Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). RSVP enabled seniors to contribute their time and talents to public and non-profit institutions throughout Northern Santa Clara County and at one time had more than 500 active volunteers who contributed more than 80,000 hours of service annually to approximately 110 institutions. Twenty five years later, in 2002, volunteering was well-established and numerous places to find volunteer opportunities existed. Avenidas ended its affiliation with RSVP and today, through the Avenidas Volunteer Corps, recruits and supports over 500 volunteers for its own programs, which include the Early Literacy Program (matching older adults with young schoolchildren for reading tutoring), the Roadrunners transportation program and the Computer Learning Center (where volunteers run the entire program). Another recommendation was a Senior Day Care program, later expanded to Senior Day Health, to allow semi-dependent seniors to stay in their homes. Avenidas Senior Day Health Center (SDHC), which began operating in 1978 on East Meadow Drive in the Palo Alto Baptist Church, was the first state-licensed adult day health center in Santa Clara County. But the most ambitious recommendation was a central senior center to house mushrooming services and programs. In 1978, following a $1.2 million fundraising effort to renovate the building, that center opened in the city’s former Police and Fire Station on Bryant Street. That year also marked the beginning of the public-private partnership between Avenidas and the City of Palo Alto, which has outsourced senior services to Avenidas under contract ever since. Avenidas is proud of its history of innovation. In 1982, a task force concluded that there was a demand for reverse annuity real estate loans to enable seniors who needed cash to remain in their homes. The SCC formed the Home Equity Loan Program for Seniors, Inc. (H.E.L.P.S.), a non- profit corporation, to make what are now called reverse mortgages. The first loan was booked in 1984 and many more were booked over the next eight years until such loans became available commercially. H.E.L.P.S.’ clients received a payment every month for the remainder of their lives or until they moved. Some of the loans were on the books for years; one client lived to the age of 106, in her own home the entire time. In 1996, the SCC changed its name to Avenidas, which means “avenues” in Spanish. The change was prompted by the fact that the name was too long and no longer accurately reflected the agency’s regional service area, nor the fact that it was a direct provider of services. Finally, demonstrating thinking that was way ahead of its time, the organization wanted to omit reference to the word “senior”, believing that it was a label that was increasingly unappealing. Today, senior centers across the country are changing their names and eliminating the word “senior.” The agency’s financial resources grew substantially in the 1990’s. In 1994, the SCC received the bequest of a home on a large lot in Old Palo Alto. When the property was sold, the agency received $4,100,000 and an endowment was established. Professional investment of this gift, and a number of other contributions since then, have resulted in substantial growth of the endowment which is now valued at approximately $20,000,000. The annual payout from the endowment funds almost 30% of the agency’s operating budget. In 1996 a memorial fund was established in memory of Fran Arrillaga, a good friend and former Board President. Use of this fund is restricted to new ventures, making it possible for the agency to start new programs. Over the years this fund has seeded a health library, a geriatric care management service, Roadrunners (a volunteer driver program) and Avenidas Village. Health and Wellness programs continued to grow, as personal services such as massage and acupuncture were added. Camp Avenidas Summer Fitness Academy, entering its twelfth year, draws increasing fans. A partnership with El Camino Hospital brought its volunteer driver program, RoadRunners, to Palo Alto. Helping people remain independent is a priority at Avenidas; keeping them out and about in the community is key to their independence. In 2002, in recognition of our contributions to area seniors, Avenidas received accreditation from the National Association of Senior Centers---the second senior center in California to be so honored. In 2004 the loss of its lease presented a great opportunity for the Senior Day Health Center. Instead of operating in a space that converted to a Sunday school each weekend, the program would operate in a state-of-the-art facility designed specifically for frail adults. We built such a facility in Mountain View on land leased to us by the City of Mountain View, and increased our licensed capacity to 65. Now the Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center offers day care and day health care to families from East Palo Alto to Sunnyvale. Avenidas has always been consumer-oriented and responsive to our participants. In 2005 a group of Palo Alto residents wanted to start a village patterned after one in Boston and approached Avenidas for assistance. Avenidas Village was the result of this collaboration. Launched in 2007, this membership organization of people who are aging in place in their own homes provides its 375+ members with easy access to supportive services, a network of friends and a full calendar of social events. When it launched, Avenidas Village was the sixth village in the country and the first on the West Coast. Today there are over 90 operating villages and 100+ in development. Once again, Avenidas was at the forefront with an innovative program to support aging-in-place. Today, serving more than 6,000 people from southern San Mateo County to northern Santa Clara Counties, Avenidas is the place to go for information, services and activities for older adults. Our continuum of services includes classes, lectures, health screenings, social work services, information and assistance, transportation, handyman services, volunteer opportunities, adult day health and day care, and caregiver services. “Avenidas is a combination of programs and services,” said Diana Steeples, who retired from the organization in 1997 after 26 years. “People don’t come to senior centers just for services. They come for activities and a variety of things. But when they need somebody to help them at Avenidas, it’s there. It’s the synergy of the place that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts.” . Second Annual FINANCIAL CONFERENCE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • "Formulating Your Fiscally Fit Retirement" Saturday, January 26, 2013 8:30am to 2:00pm at Avenidas 450 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 Ample free parking available. Conference Information: 650-289-5435 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • To register, mail enclosed form or visit www.avenidas.org • Medicare • Socien Sect!;Jrr~y • Can I. Retire Now? ·Jhe CUrrent rinonciQI Market • Managing Hol:isenold Expenses • Long-Term Cqre]nsurance . • Estate Planning • Alternatives to CDs • Home1hstead SENIOR CARE ® ,&, CHANNING HOD SE~ ESTABLISHED 1961 NANCY GOLDCAMP RESIDENTlAL REAL ESTATE SERVICES Edward Jones Miceli Financial Partners Home Care Assistance 65().4()()'5800 Senior Seasons Stone Ortenberg Support Kelly Money Management, LLC SearchSeniorLiving.com l-A: Assembling Your Team for Long-Term Planning Crist! Denecke, Attorney at Law Barbara Krimsky Binder, CFP; Jerry Spector, CPA; Deborah G. Kramer Radin, Attorney; Joyce Lisa Tenover, MD, PhD; Paula Wolfson, LCSW Get the scoop on the various components and ideas for how to put together the team that will best meet your needs. Incapacity can happen when you least expect if, and not having a financial management plan in place can take a heavy toll on the emotional and financial health of you and your family. Learn about actions you can take today to protect everyone involved. NQw that I've savedJorYE?ars,am I ready forretirement-ond can I really afford it? loday's ideal retirement may mean simply downsizing .your career. Open¥our mind and explore the alternatives! 2-A: Help with Household Money Management Will Hoggan, Hoggan Fiduciary Services; Alison Salisbury, Fiscally Fit, Inc.; Patricia stone, MHS, MBA, stone Ortenberg Support Are you feeling overwhelmed by paperwork? Never fear; you have several options for assistance! 2-8: My CDs are Paying Next to Nothing, What Can I Do? Barbara Krimsky Binder, CFP, BKB Financial Advisors, LLC When are CDs appropriate, and when are they not? Learn about retirement income and investment options in a low interest rate environ ment. , CFP, Bedro'ck Management Married couples who both have earned Social Security benefits have choices to make. This workshop will provide strategies for maximizi those benefits. 3-A: Handling the Costs of Long-Term Care Mitch Loran, Loran Insurance Services An in-depth look at different options, including the feasibility of paying out-of-pocket or relying on public financing and government programs. We'll also explore details on LTC insurance and explain what benefits are provided through the California Partnership for Long-Term Care. Linda C. Kramer & Deborah G. Kramer Radin, Estate and Trust Attorneys With the future full of unknowns, there is one certainty: tax and estate planning must not be left to chance. Get the most current info on special considerations-and advantageous tax strategies-for passing real estate to one's heirs. 2-D: The Financial Market Outlook Alan lofron, Partner, Luminous Capital What should investors be thinking about in the coming year? Hear the market outlook of an investment advisor with over 20 years of experience advising affluent families.