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Minutes 11-03-08 MINUTES OF THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD ON NOVEMBER 3, 2008 AT 3:00 P.M. AT THE SENIOR CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Denise Chamberlain, Chair Steve Lulkin, City Liaison Bernice Begleiter Elizabeth Jenkins Virginia O’Connell, Alternate Absent: Lillian Bruzzese Susan Collins Rose A. Love Betty Spinelli Lloyd McCoy I. Call to Order Chair Chamberlain called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. III. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll, and a quorum was present. IV. Approval of Agenda Motion Ms. O’Connell moved approval. Ms. Jenkins seconded the motion that passed unanimously. V. Approval of Minutes Motion Ms. Begleiter moved approval of the minutes of the May 5, 2008 Meeting. Ms. Jenkins seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 1 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 3, 2008 VI. Chairperson’s Remarks ?New Alternate The new alternate, Lloyd McCoy, was not present. Chair Chamberlain pointed out Mr. McCoy attended the July 31, 2008 meeting. Chair Chamberlain reminded Ms. O’Connell and Begleiter to renew their applications to serve on the Board. ?China Adventure It was noted the Norton Museum had an exhibit of Chinese paintings. Chair Chamberlain and Mr. Lulkin anticipated setting up a Travelogue in the near future, exhibiting to the Board photographs of the senior centers visited by Chair Chamberlain in China. One of the senior centers visited was located at a university campus. Chair Chamberlain was surprised to observe that most of the attendees were younger than the Board members. The age of survival for the Chinese was below 60 years, but that was changing. Working men were required to retire at age 60, and women at 55. The center incorporated all retired professors and work personnel including janitors and kitchen help, and was open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Approximately 1,000 seniors were registered at the center. Use of paper was kept to a minimum. A listing of the programs offered was posted on a large bulletin board encased in glass. If there were any changes to the programs, a small notice would be displayed. Meals were not served at the center. The first floor of the center housed a large activity room and ballroom. On the second floor, there were several individual rooms for card playing and mahjong. Visitors could partake in chess, ping pong, karaoke, knitting, ceramics, and crafts. Badminton and volleyball were played outside and walking paths had been installed. A hospital on the premises provided free health care. Tai Chi was offered at 6:00 a.m., and dance, glee club, martial arts and musical competitions and performances were held. Metal equipment similar to a treadmill had been installed outside the campus in park areas along pathways. Approximately 30 students volunteered at the center every two weeks to scrub and clean. The people at the center were very cordial, and Chair Chamberlain presented them with gifts and a plaque. She noted it was enlightening to see that these people were taking advantage of their senior centers. Cheng Tan’s climate and foliage mirrored that of the State of Florida, and orange crops were abundant. 2 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 3, 2008 Chair Chamberlain also visited a Catholic Church senior center, and taught seniors the “Macarena” and “Chicken” dances. The elderly were revered in China. Chair Chamberlain visited several homes of students. The grandparents, mostly retired doctors and professors, resided in the homes and remained socially active. The major religions of China were Hinduism and Islam. VII. Old Business ?Results of Forum, 7/31/07, on “Lifetime” Timeline Chair Chamberlain expressed her disappointment in the attendance. Approximately 150 letters had been sent to physicians, agencies, schools and superintendents. An agenda item related to the transportation issue in Florida. One possible cause for concern related to the possible loss of the Shopper Hopper in Boynton Beach. ?Development of Committee for “Lifetime” ?Results of First Meeting of “Lifetime” Committee on 10/14/08 It was recommended attendees at the forum contact Chair Chamberlain if they had an interest in participating on the Community for a Lifetime Committee. Approximately nine people had contacted Chair Chamberlain and a meeting was held on October 14, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. at the Senior Center. In addition to the seven Board members, only three of the nine people attended. Chair Chamberlain requested a vote to determine whether the Committee should continue, as it appeared there was not sufficient outside interest. Each of the three women attending indicated their interest in continuing the Committee and indicated they would bring others to the next meeting. Chair Chamberlain advised she would place a reminder telephone call to the interested parties two days prior to the next Committee meeting on January 14, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. There was a possibility members of the Chamber of Commerce would become involved in the Committee. It had been mentioned to Chair Chamberlain that the Committee meeting was held illegally as it had not been recorded. Chair Chamberlain contacted the City Clerk’s Office to determine what would be necessary for the next Committee meeting. The City Clerk was advised by the City Attorney that all members of the Senior Advisory Board could attend a Community for a Lifetime Committee meeting. A notice was required to be posted at the Senior Center 24 hours prior to the meeting. Minutes were required and would be provided to Mr. Majors and the City Clerk’s Office. ?Continued Updated on State Grant – Steve Lulkin 3 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 3, 2008 Mr. Lulkin advised all the purchase orders had been completed and would be submitted this week. The grant items included the awnings for the front and rear of the building, replacement of louvers to hurricane standards, automatic door openers and flushers in the bathrooms, five video cameras for the surveillance system and a new air- conditioner. Mr. Lulkin would be scheduling the installation of the items. VIII. New Business A.Discussion of “Silver Alert” ?Possible Action Plan from “Lifetime” Committee The Community for a Lifetime Committee would initiate an effort to educate the public about the Silver Alert by placing information on television and the Internet, as well as sending out flyers. Chair Chamberlain read from an Article in the Sun-Sentinel which noted Florida was one of the top five states having a senior population. One out of every two people aged 85 and older would have cognitive health issues. Six out of 10 people with dementia would wander at least once, and a number of individuals aged 60 or 62 and older were believed to be suffering from a type of cognitive impairment. The criteria for which the Silver Alert would be released included confirmation that the person was missing (regardless of circumstances), determination that the person’s disappearance posed a credible threat to his or her safety and health, and authoritative determination that the individual had an impaired capacity, with documentation from a medical or mental health care professional. It was recommended a Silver Alert be requested within 72 hours of a person’s disappearance. The Alerts were broadcast through the media and posted on electronic highway signs in cases involving vehicles. Authorities could also use the system to search for people under the age of 60 who had mental impairments. The caregiver for a missing person should have available an updated photograph of the person, a physical description and a list of the medications taken. Chair Chamberlain and Mr. Lulkin would obtain pertinent information from the Police Chief for presentation to the Committee at the January 14, 2009 meeting. B.Discussion of Senior Survey The item had been discussed at the Community for a Lifetime Committee meeting. Chair Chamberlain circulated surveys from Florida Community, Communities for a Lifetime and Hollywood Elder Residents. Questions from the surveys would be culled and incorporated into one survey, and would be sent to seniors to determine what they felt was lacking in their City. The Community for a Lifetime Committee would be working on the survey. 4 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 3, 2008 C.Continued Steps to be taken on Timeline for “Community for a Lifetime” Chair Chamberlain explained the steps to be taken were no longer the Board’s responsibility and would be handled by the Community for a Lifetime Committee. The Committee would discuss timelines for distribution of flyers and other measures. While many of the Board members would be involved with the Committee, the Committee was a separate and distinct entity. It would not be mandatory for the Advisory Board members to attend the Committee meetings. However, Chair Chamberlain urged Board members attend and invite members of the community to work on the Committee. The Committee would meet every three months. Chair Chamberlain referred to a Senior Center evaluation tool kit in her possession and inquired whether the Board should look into this. Mr. Lulkin advised an evaluation would be required for national accreditation, and the kit would be included in the accreditation packet. He suggested the Board prepare an evaluation of the programs offered. This item would be discussed further at the next Board meeting. Chair Chamberlain advised Ms. Collins had resigned from the Board and a replacement would be required. D.Senior Center Report – Steve Lulkin st Mr. Lulkin pointed out the new fiscal year commenced October 1 and approximately 350 people had been registered to date. The Center celebrated its ninth anniversary, with 150 people attending the event. More than 100 people attended the Pizza Day Columbus lunch. A Halloween costume contest was held and 87 people attended. Mr. Lulkin was continuing work on the grant project and following up on the installation of the items purchased. Staff looked forward to another busy year. Classes that ceased for the summer would resume, and new classes would be added including “laughter yoga” and arts and crafts. Movies would be shown monthly, and would include “Oklahoma” and “Chorus Line.” Mr. Lulkin advised the City entered into a new cooperative agreement with the United States Census Bureau. Representatives would be coming to the City on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. for the next year and would be offering job testing for part-time or full-time computer and clerks’ positions paying $11 to $14 per hour. The Bureau would be hiring 60,000 people throughout Florida for the next major census in 2010. Chair Chamberlain advised two young second-year seminarians had been coming to the Center on Thursdays and spending an hour or two with the seniors to chat and play cards. It was suggested thought be given to having high school students volunteer at the Center for community service credits. It was noted, however, the Center’s busy 5 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 3, 2008 hours were in the mornings, and this would interfere with school hours. Weekend trips had been discontinued as a result of economic trends. IX. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 3:50 p.m.. j'~_ (_1_- .- ---/. ' - / ,---?c:"\}/L..,.<_..., .,,:. ""-~ Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 120208 6