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Minutes 03-02-09 MINUTES OF THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD ON MARCH 2, 2009, AT 3:00 P.M. AT THE SENIOR CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Denise Chamberlain, Chair Steve Lulkin, City Liaison Lillian Bruzzese Rose Love Virginia O'Connell Betty Spinelli Absent: Bernice Begleiter Elizabeth Jenkins I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 3:01 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance/Moment of Silent Reflection The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, followed by a moment of silent reflection. III. Roll Call The Recording Secretary called the roll. IV. Approval of Minutes Motion Ms. O'Connell moved to approve the minutes of the January 5, 2009 meeting. Ms. Bruzzese seconded the motion that passed unanimously. V. Approval of Agenda Motion Ms. Bruzzese moved to approve the agenda. Ms. Spinelli seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 1 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 2, 2009 VI. Chairperson's Remarks ?Membership – Need Alternates Chair Chamberlain advised Susan Collins had not resubmitted an application. Alternates were needed and Chair Chamberlain encouraged Board members to approach individuals who might be interested in serving. VII. Old Business ?"Community for a Lifetime" Committee Update Chair Chamberlain reported a core group had agreed to remain on the Committee and would be meeting the second Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. The Committee had previously met every third month at 4:00 p.m. While the Senior Advisory Board members were welcome to attend the Committee meeting, attendance had not been mandatory. While most of the Committee members were in the healthcare field, residents in other fields were sought as well. The Committee would be formulating questions for a survey to be provided to seniors to assess the City's services. The method by which the surveys would be distributed would be determined. It was anticipated the process would take several months to complete. ?Silver Alert Update Chair Chamberlain reported the Community for a Lifetime Committee was desirous of working on the Silver Alert. She noted Mary Bonds (the Committee's Recording Secretary) had commented the Silver Alert had been brought to the attention of the Legislature and Department of Elder Affairs, and it was anticipated they would be issuing a flyer for the benefit of citizens. As the Silver Alert had been used widely, it would be necessary for rules and regulations to be established. VIII. New Business ?High School Volunteers at Center – Summer and Fall Chair Chamberlain contacted Susan Pell, Volunteer Coordinator for Boynton Beach Community High School. The students were required to perform volunteer services for the community in order to graduate. At the time Chair Chamberlain contacted Ms. Pell, most of the students had already made other commitments. Chair Chamberlin and Mr. 2 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 2, 2009 Lulkin would be developing a flyer prior to the end of the school year for distribution in all of the community's high schools. Juniors would then be aware of the voluntary services available, and could opt to volunteer during the summer months or in the fall upon commencing the senior program. Many of the students would be available from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to volunteer at the Center. It was the intent for the volunteers to interact with the senior citizens, and the assignments would be determined. ?Discuss Intergenerational Programs from Area High Schools at Senior Center Chair Chamberlain had also contacted Ms. Pell regarding the Intergenerational Programs. Letters would be sent to the club advisors for the Leadership Club, Presidents' Club, Future Business Leaders, Drama and Theater etc. Presentations could be provided by the students. The intent was for the students to inter-relate with the seniors by chatting, playing cards and dancing. Mr. Lulkin noted, as part of their requirements, two nursing students from Palm Beach Community College would be visiting the Center this week to interact with the seniors. The question arose whether there were any programs at the Center for frail, elderly seniors. Chair Chamberlain responded in the negative, adding individuals were required to be self sufficient or be accompanied by an aide. An outreach program had been provided on Thursday mornings for the partially blind and had been well attended. Chair Chamberlain emphasized, in addition to the Senior Center, it was the function of the Senior Advisory Board to address all matters relating to seniors. She encouraged members to bring to meetings for discussion, articles from newspapers and magazines relating to seniors. ?Senior Center Report – Steve Lulkin th Mr. Lulkin reported the 10 Annual Senior Health Fair would be held this coming Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. To date, 42 vendors were expected to attend. To date, more than 900 seniors had been registered. This had exceeded last year's registration which totaled 12,000 for the entire year. It was questioned whether mock fire drills had been conducted at the Center, and it was noted four fire drills per year were required. A fire drill had been conducted last month. As to the grant program, the following items had been completed: ?Hurricane shutters had been installed. 3 Meeting Minutes Senior Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 2, 2009 . Awnings had been replaced in the front of the building and new awnings had been installed in the rear. . Air-conditioning on the roof had been replaced. . Automatic door openers had been installed. The only item that had not been completed was the public address system. New programs established that had not been successful would be revived. Mr. Lulkin noted Ann Forster, Recreation Specialist at the Center, had been working on two programs and would be involved in an intergenerational program engaging seniors to read to school students. Additionally, Ms. Forster would be working with a gentleman on a memory class for anyone interested in creating a memory book. The gentleman had suffered the loss of his wife and in order to cope, placed his thoughts on paper to be passed down to family members. Chair Chamberlain noted she had previously created a picture memory book of her mother's family, and it had taken more than a year to complete. High school students could participate in the program by assisting individuals who had arthritis and found it difficult to write. Other classes offered included chair exercises, the Silver Foxes, tai chi and mah jong. The lack of space at the Center made it difficult to offer bridge. Coffee had still been served at the center, but Publix had cut back on its donations of cake. IX. Future Meeting Dates: May 4, 2009 X. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 3:35 p.m. Jff^~ {)L~ Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 030609 4