OFFICE ON AGING ADVISORY COUNCIL

Unapproved Minutes

JANUARY 8, 2004

1:30-3:30 PM

HELD AT 1501 BLUE SPRUCE DRIVE, RM 135B

FORT COLLINS, CO  80524

                                                                                                                                                           

Members Present:	Paul Bell	Steve Budner	Carolyn Funk
	Peggy Haller	Gerry Hinks	Jo Inman
	Elnora McCloughan	Tom Nix	Barbara Nuss
	Carol Rehme	Karen Reinhardt	Mary Shultz
	Lloyd Spawn	Earl Stevens	Ken Tharp
	Stan Ulrich
Members Absent	Bill Benton	Rita Dykstra	Ray Martinez
	Hal Wilson
Staff Present:	Tina Cheatum	Ruth Coberly	Stacy Duenwald
	Margaret Long	Katy Mason	Glen Rathgeber
	Melanie Wolf
Guests Present:	Tom Bender	Dean Miller

 

 

CALL TO ORDER

Mary Shultz called the meeting to order.

 

INTRODUCTIONS

No introductions were offered.

 

OPEN DISCUSSION/COMMUNITY INPUT

No input from the community.

 

TRENDS AND ISSUES

Mary Shultz announced that she attended a centenarian presentation for Lena Gannon who is 105 years old this year. The event took place at The Courtyard in Loveland, an assisted living residence.

 

Mary also mentioned that the Senior Prom, sponsored by Elderhaus, will take place Friday, January 9th from 5-8 p.m. at the west wing of Poudre High School in Fort Collins.

 

ADJUSTMENTS, THEN MOTION TO ACCEPT MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 8, 2003

No adjustments to the minutes. Earl Stevens made a motion to accept minutes as submitted. Barbara Nuss seconded the motion. Minutes accepted.

 

CHAIR REPORT

Please refer back to TRENDS AND ISSUES.

 

BIOGRAPHY

Ruth Coberly was born the first year of the baby boom. She was the first of six siblings to be born in a hospital. Ruth was named after the doctor’s nurse who aided in her birth. She was born in Torrington, Wyoming, located near the Nebraska border. She grew up on a farm there and her entire schooling through junior college took place in Torrington. She then moved to Greeley, Colorado and attended the University of Northern Colorado and attained her degree in English and her teaching credentials.

 

Ruth then moved to Chester, California and taught for one year. She got married soon after and moved to Eureka, California, home of Humboldt State University. Due to the oversupply of teachers in the area, Ruth looked at other career fields. She began to work in the career development department at Humboldt State University and later became a career counselor. She also attained her Masters degree in Education with an emphasis in counseling.

 

In 1978, she moved to Fort Morgan, Colorado because her husband received a teaching position there. She worked at the junior college in Fort Morgan and did some substitute teaching. In 1980, Ruth applied at the social services office in Fort Morgan and began her career in adult services. She began as a Case Worker I.

 

In 1989, she moved to Fort Collins and began with the Larimer County Human Services Department She began as a supervisor and is now a division manager for the department responsible for many adult and child programs including the Office on Aging. She has worked a total of 23 years in adult services.

 

Ruth also mentioned that the pride and joy of her life are her two children. Her son is a graduate of the University of Laverne in Claremont, California. Her daughter is majoring in journalism at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California.

 

REVIEW OF WIAVER FOR DIRECT SERVICES--FAMILY CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM--

ADDENDUM TO ONE-YEAR PLAN

Margaret Long informed the council that if the Office on Aging plans to provide direct services, a waiver must be submitted to the state. The Office on Aging did not submit a waiver for direct services for this year. Although many services are contracted out, such as respite care, and caregiver consultations, direct services are also provided through the Family Caregiver Support Program.  Margaret asked the council to approve Mary Shultz signing the waiver form to be submitted to the state. Karen Reinhardt made a motion to accept the request. Tom Nix seconded the motion. Motion accepted. 

 

Margaret also mentioned the re-submission of the Part B Funds form to the state for approval. Apparently, the financial totals were off by 2/10 of a percent.

 

UPDATE ON OFFICE ON AGING

A. Update on revisions of state rules

Margaret announced that the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and the state have come to an agreement regarding Volume 10.  Margaret said that the format of the new Volume 10 is not particularly user friendly, but that consensus had been reached on major policy issues. Margaret also stated she was pleased to see a productive dialog between the state and the AAAs regarding Volume 10. She hopes that the joint efforts continue in 2004. 

 

B. Update on RFP’s for 2004

RFP’s for 2004 have been submitted. Almost all of the proposals submitted have received the requested funds. Only the Larimer Center for Mental Health did not receive the requested funds. This was because the proposal they submitted did not match the type of service requested. By the end of January, all contracts will be completed.

 

Margaret informed the council of the contractual meetings with service providers that will take place over the next couple of weeks. These meetings were very productive last year and she hopes the same for this year. The anticipated $50,000 reduction in funding for 2005 will also be discussed with the service providers. Margaret added that there is only one contract per provider instead of two as has been the case in past years. State and Title III funds are now blended into one contract. There are 15 of these contracts for 2004.

 

Margaret briefly mentioned the need for refining the decision making tool used to decide who gets contracts and the amount of each contract. Margaret plans to work with the committees to work on improved decision making tools over the next few months.

 

C. Update on statewide needs assessment

No new information was provided regarding the assessment except that the final planning details are being completed. More information will be provided in February.

 

D. OOA Strategic Planning

Margaret distributed the draft of the Office on Aging 2004 plan, which includes the 2003 accomplishments list, the 2004 proposed new activities list, the projects list, the 2004 challenges for the upcoming year, and the OOA Group/Coalitions participation list.

 

E. OAP-C----reduction of medical services----LCOOA proposal to assist in medical transportation

Margaret passed out an article pertaining to the cuts in OAP-C medical benefits. Larimer County has approximately 30-50 clients who will be affected by the cuts. The Denver Metro area is being hit hardest by the cuts. Senior legal immigrants will be the majority of those impacted by the cuts.

 

Margaret stated that Ginny Riley, the Director of Human Services, was contacted by the Medicaid transportation broker in Arapahoe County to see if the Larimer County Office on Aging would be able to aid Larimer County clients in receiving medical transportation. The OOA has approximately $4000 that could be spent towards these efforts. Glen added that the OAP-C clients will no longer receive aid for in-hospital stays and only 50% of the Medicaid rate will be paid for doctor visits, medical transportation, etc. Glen suggested that the transportation providers would need to be paid in full. Thus, aiding in medical transportation for these clients seems to be the best option. Discussion ensued.

 

Margaret requested approval from the council to disburse the funds to the Medicaid transportation broker as soon as they send us a written request. Earl Stevens made a motion to approve the request. Karen Reinhardt seconded the motion. Motion approved.

 

F. Cash advance acceptance

Margaret asked the council for approval to request a 10% cash advance from the state. In past years, the state has automatically been forwarding a cash advance to AAA’s based on the amount requested. Due to the state budget crisis, the state is unable to provide the cash advance upfront this year. Request from AAAs must be made and approved by the state.

 

Earl made a motion to accept the request. Carolyn Funk seconded the motion. Motion accepted.

 

COMMITTEE & STAFF REPORTS

Education Committee

Steve Budner reminded the council of the upcoming Job Fair committee meeting to be held Thursday, January 15th beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Fort Collins Senior Center. The committee will discuss the distribution of fliers to advertise the Job Fair. Steve also requested that the Office on Aging help distribute the fliers if possible.

 

Executive Committee

Mary Shultz announced that the committee did not meet in December. In November, the committee discussed the RFP process and bylaws updates.

 

Mary also announced the upcoming Job Fair to be held Wednesday, April 7th from 12-5:30 p.m. at the Fort Collins Senior Center. She requested that any council members who would like to participate are more than welcome to attend.

 

Health Committee

Gerry Hinks reported that there was no meeting in December. The committee will discuss caregiver training at their next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 27th from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Alzheimer’s Association.

 

Membership Committee

Stan Ulrich remarked that there had been no new activity for the committee. An OOAAC attendance sheet was requested.

 

Nutrition Committee

Margaret Long reported that Hal Wilson is on vacation for the next few months. The Nutrition Coalition plans to meet on January 22nd at 2 p.m. at the Harmony Library Community Meeting Room.

 

Margaret also announced that the recent direct mailing efforts by Volunteers of America and Fort Collins Meals on Wheels programs have netted $12,000 with more funds coming in via mail. The funds will be split between the two organizations. Margaret was excited that the joint fund raising efforts have turned into a real success for the organizations. Margaret pointed out that Loveland Meals on Wheels did not want to join the collaborative efforts between VOA and FCMOW at this time.

 

Senior Attainable Housing Committee

Peggy Haller reported that Chadwick Martinez from CARE Housing discussed the senior housing development, Wind Trail, at the December meeting. He mentioned the success of the senior community with intergenerational activities and community support being offered. No meeting took place in January due to the holiday. Peggy announced that Candice Mayo from Habitat for Humanity will be at the Friday, February 6th meeting scheduled from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Fort Collins Senior Center. The new Habitat for Humanity project includes senior home ownership. Less than half of the houses will be ADA approved. All council members and other interested parties are invited to attend.

 

Transportation Committee

Margaret Long reported that she anticipates a drop in LCOOA transportation funding for 2005. Margaret emphasized the importance of the Transportation Committee’s work in the upcoming months.  The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 16th from 8-9 a.m. at the Fort Collins Senior Center.

 

OOA Staff

Katy Mason announced the upcoming Senior Tax Work Off Program for 2004. She distributed historical information regarding the program and a flier to be distributed. The program is funded through the county. She explained that the program is a great way for seniors 60 and over to work off up to $350 of their county tax dollars. Applicants are hired as county employees and matched to a position that is suitable for them.

 

She added that this year’s budget is approximately $3000 less than last year. Also, the loss of the Homestead Exemption will affect the demand for the program and the number of applicants. The lowest income applicants are accepted first into the program.

 

Stacy Duenwald announced the recent articles in the Coloradoan and the North Forty News highlighting the Office on Aging.

 

Tina Cheatum announced that she is now working 30 hours weekly instead of 20 hours. She stated that the extra 10 hours will be allocated to volunteer recruitment for the Ombudsman program. 

 

BYLAWS

Margaret Long emphasized the one change in the bylaws located on Page 2, Section 3. The change is in regards to term limits. OOAAC term is limited to 3 years and members may only serve a maximum of two full terms. The LCOOAAC will need to vote on the revised bylaws at the February meeting.

 

LIASON REPORTS

Fort Collins Senior Advisory Board Report

Dean mentioned that Representative Angie Paccione plans to submit a bill that will exempt providers with the 2-1-1 program from liability. Margaret said she would get more information about this bill from Mary Robertson, director of First Call, 2-1-1, regarding the bill.

 

Dean also was wondering if guardianships are an on-going problem for Larimer County. Peggy Haller, a council member and professional guardian, stated she would provide Dean with any information requested. Also, Ruth Coberly said she would be more than happy to discuss guardianships with Dean. She explained that the Adult Protection Unit, which is part of her division, is involved in a number of guardianship cases.

 

Loveland Senior Advisory Board Report and Chilson Senior Center report

Earl Stevens reported that McKee Medical Center is loaning out various medical equipment for free.

 

He also stated that the 2003 survey will be submitted to the Loveland City Council for review on February 3rd. Assuming there are no problems with the survey, copies will be made for the council.

 

Due to final exams at Thompson Valley High School, there are no computer classes scheduled. The Caring Conversations seminar is scheduled for October 30th. The first committee meeting will take place Thursday, March 25th at 1:30 at the Chilson Senior Center. Earl will be serving as the chair for the committee.

 

Earl also announced that An Evening in Italy will take place on Saturday, February 28th at 5:30 p.m. at the Chilson Senior Center.

 

The Senior Prom will be held on Monday April 26th at the Chilson Senior Center. It will be sponsored by the Thompson Valley High School Honor Society.

 

TRIAD for senior safety will be holding a conference on Tuesday, April 27th in Loveland. More information will be provided closer to the date.

 

Foundation on Aging Report

Mary Shultz reported that the Foundation on Aging did not meet in December. No report was given.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ken Tharp praised the Office on Aging for their hard work and dedication last year.

 

Tom Bender mentioned that he would be meeting with Marilyn Musgrave to discuss repealing the 1993 tax on social security. He asked the council if this repeal would affect people in the community. Some council members stated that the tax would not benefit lower income people since they are not taxed.

 

ADJOURNMENT

Mary Shultz adjourned the council meeting.