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Minutes 01-09-06 MINUTES OF THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD AT THE SENIOR CENTER, 1021 SOUTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2006 AT 3:00 P.M. Present: Denise Chamberlain, Chair Lillian Bruzzese Rose Love Betty Spinelli Christine Wilson Susan Fetner, Alternate Steve Lulkin, Recreation Supervisor Absent: Elizabeth Jenkins Leota Suah Robert L. James, Sr., Alternate Also Present: Joyce Edison and Sheila Pechman, Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) I. Call to Order Chair Chamberlain called the meeting to order at 3:06 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. III. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll and declared a quorum was present. IV. Approval of Agenda Motion Ms. Bruzzese moved to approve the agenda, seconded by Ms. Wilson, and unanimously carried. V. Approval of Minutes September 12,2005 Motion Ms. Bruzzese moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Ms. Love, and carried unanimously. Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 9, 2006 VI. Chairperson's Remarks Chair Chamberlain introduced the Board's new Alternate Member, Susan Fetner, and welcomed her. She also introduced two visitors, Sheila Pechman and Joyce Edison from Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP). Chair Chamberlain noted that she had been unable to contact Board Alternate Member Robert James, and that he had missed meetings the previous year. After missing this meeting, he would be receiving a warning letter and if he did not come to the March meeting, he would be removed from the Board and, hopefully, replaced. Chair Chamberlain noted persons whose terms were expiring in April should submit a new application to the City Clerk's office so the City Commission could consider their reappointment. She offered to bring some forms to the March meeting, but members could access the forms on line if they so desired. VII. Old Business 1. Schedule of Meeting Dates at City Hall Chair Chamberlain asked the Recording Secretary to have the City Clerk's office revise the meeting schedule for the Senior Advisory Board to reflect these dates: May, September, November, January, and March. The City Board year begins in April each year. 2. Coordination Between the Community Caring Center and RSVPjTransportation Chair Chamberlain noted they had decided it was not appropriate to work with the Community Caring Center in concert with RSVP and the Senior Advisory Board on the issue of transportation for the homebound elderly. VIII. New Business 1. We Care Program 1) At the Senior Center? 2) At a local church? 3) Run by a Condo Association? 2. Fliers to Determine Interest 3. Possible Sponsors for Project 4. Possibility of Grants Basically, Chair Chamberlain explained a We Care organization was one that matched the needs of the homebound seniors to go to and from medical appointments with volunteers to drive them. Some successful We Care organizations at present included Leisureville and Kings Point in Delray Beach. The service was meant for ambulatory 2 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 9, 2006 seniors, although they could bring a walker or wheelchair if it could be folded up and stowed away in the vehicle. A volunteer coordinator would take telephone calls from people needing rides and match them with volunteer drivers. The users of the service pay a small set fee. Initially, the office could be open for 2-3 hours, 1 or 2 days a week, and expand if the need was apparent. A discussion ensued about how to establish a We Care organization to take care of the needs of the homebound seniors in the City of Boynton Beach. The representatives from RSVP offered to facilitate this in any way they could, including coming to as many meetings as it took to get the program started. Previous discussions involved whether or not the City would provide and maintain a car for this purpose. Mr. Lulkin did not believe that would be possible. The discussion then focused on finding a place in which to operate the We Care, a place to take telephone calls from the seniors needing the services and make arrangements for volunteer drivers. Chair Chamberlain asked Ms. Bruzzese how the We Care in Leisureville obtained the money for the cost and upkeep of their telephone service. Ms. Bruzzese would look into it, but did not know the answer. Chair Chamberlain observed with the Citizens on Patrol (COP) program, the residents of her complex donated money each year for the gas. Ms. Bruzzese stated she put in "chits" for gas and was reimbursed for the COP program. It was felt $300 a year would handle having a telephone for We Care. Mr. Lulkin noted the Senior Center would provide a place to make the calls, but not a telephone. RSVP would not be supplying the telephone either. Sponsorship or grants would be necessary to pay for this. Volunteers to man the phones could be provided by RSVP. The standard charge for this service was $5, but that might need to be increased in light of the higher gas prices today. Ms. Bruzzese stated We Care organizations normally provided walkers, canes, and so forth in addition to taking people to and from medical appointments. Ms. Edison of RSVP acknowledged many We Care organizations were given donations of mobility equipment for seniors. Based on the resident's needs, the equipment could be given to the senior needing it. The idea of having a We Care at a local church was discussed. Ms. Bruzzese, Ms. Wilson and Ms. Love offered to discuss this with their church leaders. The request was basically for space to have a telephone and set up appointments. The churches could be great facilitators by bringing the service to the attention of the homebound seniors in need of it. Ms. Edison suggested starting out with one day a week for 2 to 3 hours. It was agreed some sort of survey would have to be conducted in order to determine the real need of the community for a transportation service. 3 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 9, 2006 Mr. Lulkin indicated in order to have the program at the Senior Center, it would be necessary for someone to be in charge. Also, the City would want them to have insurance. RSVP believed they knew of someone who could come in and take a lead role in establishing the program in Boynton Beach. Mr. Lulkin suggested using a cell phone would be more economical and even more portable than establishing the service in a particular office. A sponsor could provide this for about $120 a year. It would also be possible to apply for a grant, especially after the Senior Center was accredited. RSVP could also apply for a grant for the purpose. This could include a request for money for gas and money to offset the cost of the ride for those who could not afford it. Others felt record keeping requirements would not work with a "portable" office. RSVP offered to help the Senior Advisory Board design a survey to determine interest in the community. They also had fliers available and a script for the telephone calls. The fliers would be posted in the Senior Center and at the churches, the library, and at local doctors and dentist offices. The fliers would also be sent to all the community homeowner associations and the members could post them on bulletin boards in their clubhouses. RSVP had a list of churches to which they would send the fliers and they offered to pay for that portion of the mailing. Chair Chamberlain reminded RSVP that the fliers should only be sent to valid, incorporated Boynton Beach addresses. There was consensus to do a limited mailing to the locations already mentioned instead of a mass mailing, until the interest in the program was made clear. Some We Cares want to set up as non-profit organizations and RSVP would help them get started on that. RSVP generally served to give advice. We Cares usually served a small segment of a community, but having one for the City of Boynton Beach would probably mean the establishment of several We Cares, ultimately. RSVP would get volunteers to tabulate the results of the survey. RSVP thought one of the survey questions should be: . How much are you willing to pay for the ride? Show three prices: $5/10/15 and ask respondent to circle correct one. . Would you be the Volunteer Coordinator for the program? . How often would you use this service? . If you cannot drive, would you be willing to man the phone? . If you are interested in volunteering as a driver or for telephone support, please provide your name, address, and telephone number. . Or, possibly include a statement: If you are interested in being a part of this program, contact (a telephone number) . Add a comment asking return of the survey by a certain date. 4 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 9, 2006 Mr. Lulkin determined the We Care organizations operated with drivers in charge of their own individual vehicles. He asked what would happen in case of accident while transporting someone to or from an appointment. Ms. Edison explained it would go through the person's own insurance first. Then, after they paid the out-of-pocket deductible, RSVP's insurance would come in. Ms. Edison offered to mail a copy of the insurance paperwork to Chair Chamberlain. The drivers were covered by RSVP for liability. People were volunteering their time to drive or make appointments. People would be asked to use their own cars, in a limited capacity, to help the people most in need of the service. Most We Cares functioned in this manner. Ms. Edison commented other We Cares would be glad to share their insurance information with the Board also. Total mileage and destinations had to be set up. Drivers had to maintain a regular driver's license. The drivers must belong to RSVP. Ms. Edison advised before the volunteers took the residents anywhere, the resident was asked to sign a waiver. The waiver said they were participating in the service with knowledge that the drivers were volunteers and the user of the service could not sue the driver. The Good Samaritan law protected the drivers. In twenty years, Ms. Edison had never heard of a lawsuit against a volunteer driver at Kings Point, for example. Chair Chamberlain hoped the surveys could be sent out following the March meeting. RSVP would draft something to discuss at the March meeting and the Board could add its input. She asked the Board members to look for sponsors for the program. Ms. Edison suggested the Senior Center tap its volunteer base to see if there were any people with grant writing skills. Ms. Edison offered to run a report to determine if they had any volunteers who could help with this. Mr. Lulkin offered to discuss this with Mrs. Debbie Majors, the City's grant writer. Ms. Bruzzese offered to gather information on the We Care at Leisureville and share it with the Board. The members were encouraged to visit other We Care facilities in the surrounding area: Kings Point, Oriole of Del ray, Lakes of Del ray, and Valencia Falls. Chair Chamberlain agreed the service was needed in areas where there were large subdivisions; however, it was the individual homeowners sprinkled throughout the City they were trying to reach and serve. Ms. Edison indicated a lot of We Care organizations were closing due to lack of demand. If the survey showed a need in Boynton Beach, Ms. Edison would ask the closing organizations if they had drivers who might wish to work in Boynton Beach. The draft survey will be reviewed at the March 6 meeting. IX. Staff Report Steve Lulkin reported the third phase of the renovation project at the Senior Center had been completed and he invited interested parties to take a look around at the new facilities. 5 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 9, 2006 The accreditation effort was in its final stages before submission. Accreditation could take place by April or possibly next year. The Senior Center had opened up again on weekends, although there would not be any food service as in the past, except coffee. Ms. Susan Fetner, Board Alternate, asked the Board members to let people know she worked for the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and Therapeutic Recreation. They had something called Second Wind Festival, a free festival for seniors with disabilities that were affiliated with any center such as an adult day health center or nursing home. It was a fun day with different activities and sporting events, somewhat similar to the Special Olympics. It was not for the well elderly. The event was to take place on March 10, 2006. Ms. Fetner also spoke of her work with VSA Arts (Very Special Arts) to provide creative visual or performing arts to children and adults with disabilities. X. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 4:20 p.m. XI. Next Meeting The next meeting will be on March 6, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. at the Senior Center. Respectfully submitted, ~~'d1t ;;;:~ .. / Susan Collins Recording Secretary (011006) 6