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1993 09 17 e e e CHANHASSEN SENIOR COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 17, 1993 Chairman Billison called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Bernice Billison, Mark Littfin Sr, Albin Olson, Barbara Montgomery, Sherol Howard, and Jane Kubitz MEMBERS ABSENT: Selda Heinlein ST AFF PRESENT: Sharmin AI-Jaff, Planner I; and Kitty Sitter; Senior Linkage Line Coordinator APPROV AL OF MINUTES: Olson moved, Montgomery seconded to approve the Minutes of the Senior Commission dated August 20, 1993 as presented. All voted in favor and the motion carried. DISCUSSION OF URGENT CARE FACILITY. Montgomery: Would you like me to bring up what I had discovered? I think we had talked about this in the spring or sometime earlier about the lack of an urgent care facility that is convenient for this area. And I think Sharmin you did some calling around and found that there was nothing available in this area. And I've been trying to figure out if there's any way that we could try to get somebody interested in locating something like that in this area. And just the other day I discovered that Park Nicollet Clinic has now bought the practice of Family Physicians on Eden Prairie Road and TH 5, right near the, what's the name of that station. The Super America station. And apparently they bought the building too and there is room on the second floor if they choose to do something. This I found out from a physician at Park Nicollet is very active I think in their planning. I don't have any idea whether this might be feasible or not but he did give me the name of the Director of Urgent Care for Park Nicollet and they have many other Urgent Care facilities. So I thought that it might be a good idea to contact him at least and see if by stating the fact that we're interested in having that and need it in this area, it might help them to decide to do something like that. This is just a long shot but I don't think we'll get anywhere unless we do have some indication that this area is interested in it and needs this kind of a facility. By Urgent Care it's an inbetween. It's anybody in the community may go there. You don't have to be a Park Nicollet patient and you don't need any appointment so that it's for those things that really are acute and need attention but you haven't got time to arrange a ride or to make an appointment with a physician. And I think it's a very valuable service. The closest one that I had used is over on Highway 12. Well I found out from experience that it cost $30.00 to get there by cab and back and you have to have cash. You know it's just one of these complications. I mean the cab wanted cash and I think transportation is another problem and if we were to get something inthe ChanhassenfEden Prairie area, we would be able to use 1 e e e Dial-a-Ride in order to get there which would make it much more accessible. There are other, for instance there are emergency rooms at Waconia and in Shakopee at St. Francis but that's a whole different thing and very expensive. And I don't know when, if St. Francis is building this new complex, I didn't see anything in their plans that indicated emergency or urgent care. But that's something we might want to look into too. Howard: Well these would be expensive too however wouldn't they? Montgomery: What, Urgent Care? Howard: Yes. Montgomery: Not very. Howard: They aren't on a par with emergency? Montgomery: Oh no, nothing like that at all. Howard: I know in Alaska they also have a second purpose because they're not busy with emergencies all the time. They will, if they have an affiliation with a hospital, that this one might, or perhaps more than one. They will do blood work and so on inbetween. I had a sister-in-law who had to have some and there was one 2 blocks from her house and she could go there rather than down to the hospital and have routine blood work. So they may do other things between their urgent. Montgomery: Oh yes. Howard: That'd be handy too. Montgomery: Really a convenience. But I have no idea if this would work. I think it would be helpful if we had a motion that would say that we encourage the creation of an urgent care center in the Eden Prairie-Chanhassen area. And that we would ask staff to make any contacts that would be helpful in bringing that about. But I wanted to check with all of you and see how you feel about it. What you think about it. Olson: There is not an Urgent Care facility there on Highway 7 by the Park Nicollet office over there? Montgomery: Yes but it's not really Urgent Care. They have a doctor there in the evening and weekends but there's nothing there in the daytime. And it's not on the same scale as the Urgent Care set-up. Howard: Are you speaking of the one behind the bank or Park Nicollet's? 2 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Montgomery: No, it's behind the bank. It's called Doctor's Office. Howard: This is not always satisfactory. I had occasion to use it and the doctor on staff was a pediatrician who was not at all familiar with what my problem was. Montgomery: I think it's aimed toward that primarily. Howard: It is. It's aimed towards children. Montgomery: So it's a whole different idea. Kubitz: When my husband cut his hand he went out to Waconia and the only one that was on duty was an obstetrician and she could sew up his hand. Montgomery: Well what do you think? Kubitz: I think it's a good idea to pursue. Montgomery: Do you think that it would be helpful if we had some indication that we're supportive of something like that? I'd be willing to make some contacts if that would be helpful to work with Sharmin. And maybe some of the rest of you have some contacts too. I don't know anybody at St. Francis. The Administrator lives in our neighborhood but I, I know his wife but I don't know him. But it's helpful sometimes if you do know somebody that you can really talk to about it. Howard: I would make a motion to that effect. That we ask the staff to look into the possibility. Billison: Is there a second to that motion? Montgomery: I would second it. Billison: Okay, a motion has been made and seconded that we will look into the possibilities of an Urgent Care facility in the Eden Prairie-Chanhassen. Kubitz: Okay, I have something to bring up in conjunction. Billison: Would you use your microphone Jane please because I can't hear you. Montgomery: Could we finish? 3 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Kubitz: Oh I'm sorry. I thought you were through. Montgomery: I mean do we need, don't we need to vote? Kubitz: I beg your pardon. Howard moved, Montgomery seconded that the Senior Commission to direct staff to look into the possibility of locating an Urgent Care facility in the Eden Prairie- Chanhassen area. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Kubitz: Okay now. In connection with that, last week, a week ago, two weeks ago we ran into a problem with one of our seniors being so sick, confused, she didn't know up from down and in arranging her to get CART to get to the hospital a couple days later but Al and Fred came through and took her to the doctor and I think we should have a list of names of people who would be able to pull off taking somebody in an emergency right in Chan. Olson: Instead of paying a $30.00 cab fee. Kubitz: Yeah. It was an emergency. She didn't know what she could do. She drives ordinarily but she was not in condition to drive or to walk there herself even though she could have. Howard: You can be picked up at your door by, is it CART? Kubitz: Yes but you have to call 2 days ahead for CART. This is something that she had the appointment in the afternoon. Olson: And she had forgot about the appointment. Kubitz: And she even had blanked out on the appointment. And if Selda hadn't called and started following it through and called the doctor's office and everything and thanks to Al and Fred, who were at the center that morning when the call came in, she wouldn't have made it. But Selda followed it through and called the doctor's office. Yes, she was due there even though she had told AI, no. She didn't have an appointment. So we need some kind of list of people we can call on to drive someone in that emergency situation. Montgomery: To sort of shepherd them where they're supposed to be? Kubitz: Yeah. And we talked too about the fact that we do need to get a list of the people who are living alone in case of such an emergency. Somebody that can check up on them 4 e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 because Selda followed this one through just because she knew Olivia wasn't well. Find out how she was and that's how she found onto it. Littfin: Well at one time George Dorsey did put together a form. Kubitz: But we haven't been able to get anybody to sign up for that. Littfin: Where it has any information or a sign up sheet. I have not seen one. Howard: On this call for the Frail Elderly? Littfin: Yeah. Howard: Well that was some time ago we had that all set up. Kubitz: And that really, this isn't a frail elderly. This is just people who are living alone. Montgomery: Well I thought we did. We did name it. We changed it to. ,e Howard: Maybe we should have some publicity on it. Littfin: Somewhere along the line I wrote down Calling Network for Seniors. Montgomery: Right. That is what we changed it to. Littfin: Okay. But what has happened to that? Howard: No one signed up. Littfin: Where was the sheet to sign up? Kubitz: Well they had it at the Senior Center. AI-Jaff: ...put an ad in the newspaper as well as the newsletter. I never ever heard anything. I mean I even thought maybe children of seniors might...but never heard anything. Montgomery: Was there ever a flyer that went out with any of the mailings? AI-Jaff: No. e 5 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Montgomery: Well maybe that would help. Littfin: I think: that gets more attention than trying to get a reaction from a notice in the newspaper. Howard: We also could post in the library and groceries and the bank:...post some flyers. AI-Jaff: I did run it for a whole week in there and I never heard anything. Montgomery: Well but maybe we just haven't done enough to publicize it. Olson: Mr. Dorsey just walked in. The man that was with this. Littfin: We're talking George about the form you developed for this calling network for seniors and which seems to have. Howard: Is that the form we used Sharmin? AI-Jaff: Yes. Yes... Montgomery: Well I think it's just that people are not, they may be resistent but maybe we need to work on that too. That it's okay to be on that list. That it doesn't mean that you're falling apart. Kubitz: Well it doesn't mean that, we could have it so you don't have to be called every day but if you are sick, please call in and notify the center so we can have someone keeping tabs on you. Montgomery: Well maybe that will help. AI-Jaff: I want to relate a very quick story. It was about 3 weeks, 4 weeks ago. No, 3 weeks ago. I was, one of the ladies that lives in the apartment building I live in is 89 years old. Her name is...! don't know if anybody knows her. Theresa Miller. She goes by Toddie. Anyways, she fell and bumped her head against the pavement and she was by herself. I went out, I saw the..and that's why I started asking what happened. When I went down another senior was helping her to wash her head and they weren't going to go to the hospital. Or an emergency room. I insisted against her will she went to the hospital to the emergency room and she needed 11 stitches and the doctor told her that she would have bled to death had she not come to the hospital. But I have to check on her for a week, every single day. One thing that was extremely frustrating for me, when she kicks up her hearing aid, I could wake up the 6 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 entire building and she wouldn't know what's happening around her. I tried calling her. I can't reach her. And to me those two things are very, she gave me a key to her apartment but she changed the door lock. And it was extremely frustrating. I didn't like, I mean I didn't mind checking on her at all but the fact that I never knew whether she was okay or not while the phone would ring and no one would pick it up. And we need to figure out something. Maybe get a hold of a neighbor so that before we, the reason why I started this story is, if we were to contact people every single morning at home and make sure that they are okay, let's say they use a hearing aid and let's say at that point they don't have the hearing aid on. Kubitz: They're sleeping. They don't have them on, yeah. AI-Jaff: Exactly. If we contact them and the phone doesn't ring, do we automatically send a squad car out then? Or do we contact the neighbor or? Howard: Well the idea is they arrange a time to be called. When they sign up for this they say, I want to be called not before 9:00 for instance. So then they pick a time when they will be awake and hopefully have their hearing aid in. So they shouldn't be asleep when they're called if they set the time. Montgomery: I wonder if part of what we're dealing with here isn't the confusion that goes with the illness or the injury. AI-Jaff: Another thing I found out, how do you get them to turn the hearing aids in until she wants to watch TV or. Kubitz: Yes, I know that one. Well another thing on poor Selda when she tried to catch, check up on Olivia after the doctor appointment and so forth, the phone rang and rang and rang and rang and rang. And finally she got it but she was sleeping. She didn't have her hearing aids in so she didn't hear it. So it's a problem and seniors are, some of them can be too...independent, or try to. Montgomery: Well maybe what we're talking about is education. Maybe for the next crop we could do better. Olson: Well at that age, I have a mother-in-law that you can't, you can talk to them all day about doing something. They're not going to do it. If they set either one of their minds up that I'm not going to put in my hearing aid, no way that you're going to make them do it. If they lock their door and don't hear the phone. I just don't know what you can do and more and more of the real old people are that way. Because they are both 90 year old women that 7 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 led good lives. Kubitz: ...nursing home now. Olson: Well one's in a retirement home. One's in a nursing home. Kubitz: Yeah, but that helps. But it's these people who are living alone in regular apartments like you live in. Where they're in a residence there's more or less a check up. But in independent apartment living. AI-Jaff: I mean I was supposed to check on her and I was there every evening using a hangar trying to push the chain hoping no one would ever catch me so that they won't think that I'm breaking into her apartment. But and they keep an eye on each other. I mean everybody in the building keeps an eye on one another which is really nice but. Montgomery: It occurs to me that maybe Sally has some things to say about this. AI-Jaff: Sally, do you have any suggestions at all? What we did was create a line where if anybody wanted to be checked up on, they would give us their name and we would call them every day like at 10:00 in the morning. Volunteers at the senior center do that. We haven't had any people register in the program so we're thinking it's lack of publicity. Sally Hebson: Probably that and then all the other things I think that people touched on. Concern about being identified. Somebody who had... Howard: I also think the audience we should try to reach are the children of these people. That's...places where the children would see it and they would tell their parents, now look. You sign up for this. Olson: That is my concern. Are we assuming a responsibility here that is not our's. You live in an apartment building. Somebody else lives in an apartment building. Can somebody in that apartment building form an organization within themselves there to check on one another? Why does the city have to check on all the seniors in our community? That's a big responsibility. AI-Jaff: Which it is and I think even within the building, I think that the seniors check up on one another as a neighbor. Olson: That's fine but like Sherol says, get the families involved with their senior mothers and fathers. 8 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Howard: Only to have them sign up. I still think we should do it. Olson: Oh yes, but have these forms been distributed anywhere? AI-Jaff: No. We're waiting for somebody to ask to be registered. Kubitz: There's a catch in that one because a lot of these seniors, the last people in the world they want to know there's anything wrong with them is their family. Olson: Well we can't help those then at all. I mean why have seniors looking after seniors? It's the blind leading the blind. We're all infirmed in someway or another. Kubitz: Barbara's right, we need education. AI-Jaff: And I truly noticed that last...3 weeks ago when the one senior was telling the other senior, oh these kids make a big deal out of everything. It's only a cut. Don't worry about it. And here I am thinking, she fell. She had a big fall which could be concussion. There could be anything and at 89, I mean I just would feel more comfortable, the doctor said yes. She's fine. She's okay. But anyway, another problem that I found. This lady, all her kids are out of state. One's in Florida. The other one's in Carolina and there is no one to check on her regularly. And how many other situations like this do we have? Montgomery: A lot. AI-Jaff: I mean this was a blow to me. There is this lady who's lived next to me for 3 years... Howard: Maybe she can be our first customer. Montgomery: Why don't we try sending out more literature and then maybe thinking about, how about thinking about some kind of education something. Either at the center or the paper or I don't know what. George Dorsey: Remember we were talking about this before. We were wondering why nobody called up and of course the last ones to call up are the ones that the plan was designed for because they did not feel they...so we thought the marketing would be to the family or to other people. Family that lived...other people to be aware of a problem. I think she touches upon a problem that I'd like to talk about a little bit later. I think that, we've got to bear in mind what the life line was set up to do and if we want to change what it was to do, then change it. Otherwise you're going to be very frustrated because pretty soon 9 e 'e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 everybody's going to be running around in circles and we may have 15 agencies all frustrated and part of what it is, I'm more and more aware of is that...these organizations customer oriented. They're customer oriented. If we were to start up a business, Life Line, it would fail. It would fail. We've got no plan. We've got no marketing kind of thing. We're sitting here with everything all set up and wondering why nothing takes off. It's like starting a store and having no customers and wondering how come. Some guy comes in and says, geez we didn't even know you were there. Oh. Now I can understand it. If we need to market, we need to have the agencies, whatever. Agencies, groups, be accountable for whatever it is they're supposed to be doing. If they have no goals, if they don't have a mission, of course they've accomplished it They didn't know what they were going to do in the first place. If they do have a mission, well then we should know. We, us. We should know what it is because maybe it doesn't make any sense. If it doesn't make any sense, then what good is it? If we get telephone lines everywhere and we can't get somebody to lift up the telephone because they don't put hearing aids in. It's not the Life Line. We've identified a problem which probably can be resolved if we figure out what it is instead of having her chasing out every day and tearing her hair out trying to figure out Somebody's saying, well she can't hear. Oh. Now I understand. Most of the people can hear. Most of the people probably will answer the phone. Most of the people when they're hungry, they'll eat but there might be 5% or 10% or whatever that keep dropping through the cracks. They can't do some of these things for whatever the reason. These are the ones which she identified. The family's out of town. You don't turn your hearing aid for whatever the reason. You don't tell the family that you're in lousy shape so you come in sometime and you find out they've been laying there for 2 days or they haven't eaten for a week or some other kind of thing, and then you look back and you say, this problem can be resolved. This women or this person has been getting along. How have they been getting along? Because other people around in this situation have been aware. There's other people saying...well I haven't seen her for a day or two. We'd better knock on the door. We'd better do something so people kind of innately or intuitively most of the time do the right things but there's a few that don't. They're reclusive or they're such a SOB that nobody wants to even talk to them because you end up hassling with them and they'll leave them go. But those are the ones that need the services that seemingly, why these organizations have been set up to service but we don't get around to it for whatever the reason. I want to touch on that a little bit later because I got a report from this sales transaction. The problem that she's bringing up I think can be dealt with. There are ways to deal with it. You can get people to use the Life Line but you've got to market it to the people that are going to use it. Not to the ones that don't want to use it by not putting on a hearing aid or not turning it up. What if somebody knew that their wife or husband talks all the time, they've got a hearing aid, turn it down. You know...I've heard her for 50 years. I've heard her for 50 years. I don't want to hear it. It's repetitive. It's the same thing because I don't want to get up until 4:00 in the afternoon. That's why I don't want you calling me at 9:00 because the day's shorter if I get up at 4:00. And there's all kinds of 10 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 reasons but I think that we can deal with these if we can identify the right problem for the right person at the right time. And I think that there are, assumed that there are organizations of people who will help deal with these problems if we can identify the problem. And I've got a real good example that I wanted to tell you about later on because it might make sense. It's not that...but people maybe work 40 hours a week or something. Billison: Thank you Mr. Dorsey. We should get on now onto our next item on the agenda. PRESENTATION BY SALLY HEBSON WITH SOJOURN ADULT CARE CENTER. Sally Hebson: Good morning, thank you. I have a bit of information for each of you. Not knowing how much you know about our organization and what we do. Mostly it's about the ntergenerational aspect which was one of our well defined goals from the very beginning. First of all I'd like to start off by sending a great sympathy for your discussion of today. It's not an easy one and one that we are well versed in. We began Sojourn Adult Day Program in August of 1984. I do live in Excelsior. This is my home community in this area and I was the founder of the Adult Day Program with another Public Health Nurse. My background is also in public health nursing. The kinds of concerns that you are talking about were the kinds of concerns that were becoming identified in research and studies through the South Shore Senior Center and other studies through the Hennepin County Nursing Department. My colleague, Dr...was working for Hennepin County at the time and so she was actually doing the marketing, not the marketing. Excuse me. The research just really by accident because she was doing home health care screening through the Hennepin County...and they were finding that there were no programs to serve the kind of people in the kinds of situations that you're talking about today. So we began as I said in August of 1984 in Chanhassen actually. I think West Ir. High School was just, like maybe over the edge. At least I think it was in Carver County. We were there for 3 years. We have moved 5 times since then. Right now we have...to move 2 weeks ago from Holy Cross Lutheran Church, where we were for 3 years which was in the city of Chanhassen, to an assisted living building in the Presbyterian Home Complex which is in Spring Park. It was with great relunctance that we moved the adult day program...the situation we were in at Holy Cross, the physical plans of the building is lovely for a church but it did not serve our growing needs to provide expanded services and more personal care for the seniors who have the kinds of difficult situations that I'm sure you're all involved in. The Sojourn Early Learning Center, I have a representative here today. Dawn Peterson is the teacher who founded the Early Learning Center, and 5 years ago? Is that right? Dawn Peterson: No, 4 years ago. Sally Hebson: 4 years ago...they'll be part of the program and I'll have Dawn talk about it in 11 e te e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 a moment. I'd also like to introduce you to Karen Neimi who has been on our staff for 5 years. Karen came in as a fill in afternoon receptionist as a junior at Minnetonka High School and has since gone onto Augsburg and has now expanded her skills to be our financial office manager and pretty much my administrative assistant and as we grow and expand and learn how to provide these services and families better, we change the way our staff works and so we now have a staff of 9 people in the adult day program. The preschool has a staff of...and 2 teachers and a full time...professional from the Chaska School District. We're very pleased to be able to tell you today that we have a contract with the Chaska School District to provide services for children with special needs. And this is a new program. Part of the inclusion process, which Dawn can speak about better than I, whereby children instead of being in a program where the only special needs children are included into community preschool. We will continue to our intergenerational programming from the site at Presbyterian Home but with the children at Holy Cross and also to expand in that community also. The reason I'm here today is, as I said it was with great relunctance that we moved the adult day program to the city of Chanhassen. I see the same needs that you do in this community. I see seniors who are unidentified and not well served by the situation, by the services that exist. The situation that Sharmin spoke about is all too common. All too common in occurence. Interestingly, since we moved to Presbyterian Homes 2 weeks ago and began able to offer expanded services, we have had 12 new participants within our program which is wonderful in one respect but in another respect it's very frightening to think of how many people we haven't been able to identify. The information was in the newspapers and on cable television and we sent letters to people in the community to let them know that we would now be able to provide personal services, staff and hair care and foot care in an expanded way and the response has been almost overwhelming. We're able to handle it. We're staffing up. We have expanded our license to serve 40 persons but this is just the very beginning. What we all need to look at is community. I think probably you're all well aware of articles in every lay publication as well as in professional journals as in professional journals about this situation having people as they age wanting to, as they say age in place which means they want to stay at home. And they want services in their homes. They want them to be the most cost effective they can be. They want their families involved as much as they can and the families do provide the bulk of care. A program like our's is an adjunct to what the families are already doing. I would like to talk to the Senior Commission about this need which I see you're also involved in to say that we would like to have another site, another Sojourn program in the city of Chanhassen and have the preschool in the same building as we did at Holy Cross for 3 years. We need some assistance in figuring out how to do that. We have an older man who is retired, who is on our board, who I think will join us shortly who is an expert in putting together funds for senior projects. He...has built several senior projects and I hope he can speak to that. He was the head of the civil service in the State of Wisconsin so he knows how to work with the funds from State and Federal level as well as to put together coalitions of private fundings to help do this. He and our Board are 12 e ;e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 committed to help us see if we can make this dream come true. I would like Dawn to speak about the joy and wonder of having the children and the old people be together. I think you can see from all the articles that I've included in your packet, that it's something that everybody benefits from and everybody loves. So I'm not sure where we go from here except to maybe ask Dawn to speak a bit and hopefully Vern Knoll will be here shortly and...feedback from the Commission about our idea and our dream and our mission. But fIrst I'd like maybe Dawn to share a little bit about the preschool and the intergenerational program. Do you want to come up here? Dawn Peterson: Do you want to switch? Sally Hebson: Sure. Dawn Peterson: A couple of reasons that I brought...today. One was, I didn't have...and the other one is, she is a part of the Sojourn program and when she was 2 weeks old and we moved into the Victoria area, Pastor Vern Knoll Blackin approached me and said, he wanted Holy Cross Lutheran Church to be a community outreach church. He wanted to serve the needs of the community. He just didn't want to do the congregation. He wanted to look into the community and we started a program that serviced toddlers and preschoolers. Kind of giving mom a time out and that's what it was called. It was called, Mom's Time Out. And we were kind of under the umbrella of the church. The church was not financially able to have us become a licensed preschool because of all the start-up costs and everything. We began a licensed preschool because we were trying to meet another need. These parents that had been bringing their kids to Moms Time Out said there isn't any preschools out here. There is in Excelsior. There is down in Jonathon but there isn't any out in this area. And they wanted just a preschool. They're not looking for daycare for their children. But then that's how I first started getting in with Sally because under the Sojourn umbrella, then we licensed the preschool. We had a woman come in that had a special education background and we had the School Districts approach us saying we need to have a place for these children with special needs. They are being integrated into the kindergarten, into the fIrst grade, into second grade but they aren't at preschool. They need that socialization. The same socialization that Sally talks about with the seniors, we talk about with the preschoolers. Socialization. Needing to be accepted. Needing to be social is an intergenerational concept and we all know that. Last year we did work with the Minnetonka School District. We feel fortunate for where we are in the district because we're right on that edge. We service some Minnetonka School District children and we do some Chaska School District children. And we did a program called learning readiness with them. This year we are working directly with Jim Miller at the ECC center and we are doing an inclusion program with their special education kids who are not, no longer center based. They're no longer at there. They are school based. They are out into the schools and that is what we're able to do now. The 13 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 intergenerational part of it is just a wonderful side track you know. People come and they say they want to have it peaceful. They want that it's a bible preschool with kids. I feel so lucky because I can work with these kids all day long because I told her she was going to be able to talk a little bit about the Sojourn program also. We have 3 year olds, 4's and 5's this year and we plan to do intergenerational activities with all of them. Whether it be going out to Carver Park. Being at the Arboretum like we were this summer with the garden program. Or just around the house so that's kind of where we have come and we're still just a morning program. We're still a 2 112 hour program. We're not a day program. But it's probably because of our space too. We don't have the space to go beyond a certain number of children and we're not licensed to take more than that. So is anyone familiar with where we are either? I think that's part of it. We had to approach school districts. We had to go out and do this. We had to do that marketing to let people know that we existed. That this early learning center was there for people with needs. Do you have any questions directly? Howard: Where are you located? Dawn Peterson: We are located in Holy Cross Lutheran Church. We were with the Sojourn program there for 2 years on Highway 7. And the kids are bussed there through the Chaska District. Montgomery: I have a question. Do you sign up children for a period of time or is there any drop in kind of care? Dawn Peterson: No, they sign up for the year and they pay for the month. So it's September thru May program like a little preschool. Sally Hebson: I think it's Connor's turn. Did you want to mention anything about the Sojourn program? Dawn Peterson: We have a picture here. You're on page 2 of the folders... Connor said what she liked about the Sojourn program. Dawn Peterson: Estelle is a woman when I first met her I thought you know, she must have led a hard life. This woman doesn't smile. She smiles when the kids are there. She talks when the kids are there. And she doesn't ask when her ride's going to come when the kids are there. Connor: We were in the class of it. 14 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Dawn Peterson: Yeah. Did you like being in the class and working with the gramma's and the grampa's in the Sojourn? Connor: Yeah and we go to...do projects and stuff. Billison: Is there anything further? Any other questions that you would like to ask Dawn or Sally? Okay, thank you very much for your presentation. It was very. Sally Hebson: Thank you for allowing us to be here this morning. Howard: I'd like to know under who's auspices you are. Are you private industry? Sally Hebson: Yes. This is a private, not for profit agency. We have several sources of funding. For people who can pay privately, we have a private fee scale. I think that anyone who's bought senior care will find it a tremendous bargain. It's $36.00 for a 6 hour day and that is a team of professionals that includes a registered nurse, a social worker, recreational therapist, and music and art therapy So anybody who has tried to purchase senior services, when they come to us to see what's...bargain. If people are unable to afford that private pay, we have a contract with Carver County with a pre-admission screening alternative care grant money. And with Hennepin County for those same funds. We also have a contract with the National Medicare Demonstration Project that's administered through the Alzheimers Association. And that has just been re-funded for 2 more years which is great. That's for people who, there's no financial eligibility for that program. It's for people who have some sort of mental confusion and you do not have to have a diagonis of profound...or anything. You can just have a physician say there is some confusion. Howard: Thank you. Billison: Thank you. Very interesting...Is there anything further Sally? Sally Hebson: Well...who is on our Board has a senior representative from our community and someone who has great experience putting together funding for projects like this and he was at another meeting and I'm sorry that he was late. I don't know if this is the time to talk about that or just to know that we would like to pursue this further with the commission. Billison: How do the commission members feel about that? Do you want to hear his presentation now or should we table it for another time? Kubitz: I think we're running late aren't we? 15 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Billison: Pardon me? Kubitz: Aren't we running pretty late? Or have we got time? Littfin: How long is the presentation that you have sir? Vern Knoll: Very short. Littfin: Very short? Well I think as long as he's here. Olson: Now's the time. Littfin: Yes. Sally Hebson: Thank you. Billison: Will you introduce yourself sir. Vern Knoll: Can I use this? Billison: That's fine. Vern Knoll: I'm a little deaf so if I talk too loud, you have to say lower your voice. I'm going to speed along and say that out of necessity, because of my wife's health, it was necessary for us to move up to the Tonka Bay area about 2 1/2 years ago. I lived my lifetime in Madison, Wisconsin where career wise I was head of the State's civil service. Since my retirement in '81, because I quit, nowadays I put 75 candles on my birthday cake. I've been active in doing things for senior citizens including trying to currently construct 44 one story senior housing units in Shorewood, Wisconsin. But that's just a side light. But more important is when I moved to the area I was impressed with the program of Sojourn organization and since I have been involved since I retired in raising money for different projects. And having some experience in grants and all that sort of thing, I joined the Sojourn organization and my role and Target with their organization, is to help them establish a building which they can call their own located somewhere in this community and for the past 4 1/2 months I've been making an effort to do that. In my official capacity for the State of Wisconsin, it was my pleasure and honor to get to know Senator Cole from Wisconsin personally. And I have been working with his office for the past 3 1/2 or 4 months in an effort to get a line on what funds are available for that sort of an endeavor. Since the Congress has been in session, Senator Cole has been busy. I have been working with his aide in his office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I happen to have some other business activity. I 16 e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 haven't a great deal to report to you except that I'm in the area of trying to plan an agenda of how we are going to proceed and I come with a great deal of optimism. I am basically planning on how we can get individuals in the community interested in making a contribution to a building and without trying I think that I have already lined up commitments from private individuals that would contribute $40,000.00 to this building. That's without trying. And I intend to sit down and map out an agenda with Sally and her staff so we can make this a reality. I continue to be optimistic. I think that funding and grants are available and hopefully we can work with your...I'd like to report back to you in say 60 days with something more specific and with a workable agenda. Billison: That would be fine. We will be interested in hearing about it. Thank you so much. Sally Hebson: Thank you for giving us a few more minutes. Billison: I didn't get his name. Vern Knoll: Oh I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm sorry. My first name is Vern and my last name, I pronounce Knoll. Like in Evil Kneivel. Knoll. I live in Tonka Bay. e, Billison: Thank you. Littfin: If I may make a comment. Sally. Please don't accuse me of nit picking. I just want to make comment. There is no such thing as a Chaska School District. Sally Hebson: I'm sorry. Littfin: It's 112. Sally Hebson: Okay, I apologize. Littfin: Because we are a part of it. We are Chanhassen. Victoria. I bring this up because our Mayor has corrected several of us on this very point. Sally Hebson: ...being politically correct means always having to say you're sorry. So I will work on being more politically correct. Littfin: No apology necessary. Sally Hebson: District 112. I'll write it on my hand...Thanks so much for your time. e 17 e 'e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Billison: It's our pleasure. Thank you. UPDATE ON SENIOR HOUSING. AI-Jaff: Before I refer to this. Last Monday Todd Gerhardt and Paul Krauss were with Charlie James in the office for approximately 3 hours negotiating. So I want you to know that the negotiations are in the process. They are continuing. Todd was preparing his HRA agenda, Housing and Redevelopment Authority agenda and he's looking at the vision 2002 planning process. He's just looking at a vision of by the year 2002, what do we want to see in Chanhassen and basically a 10 year process. This will include many different issues. One of them is senior housing. This will be discussed by the HRA. That doesn't mean that it's going to take 10 years to build senior housing by any means. That's not what it means. It is, Todd has given the citylO years to accomplish all the goals they have set for. Montgomery: May I ask something? It says senior center on here. Does that mean senior housing? Item c. AI-Jaff: I think that if you refer to page 3. Yes, it's item number e. What are the possibilities? How to deal with location. Character of each element and also Todd has prepared an agenda of when each item will be built. So when I have exact dates of when senior housing is going to be discussed by the HRA, I would strongly advise you to be there. Just to give some input because they will be looking for citizens input. That is very important to them. That's how the funding gets allocated and you've been working on this project for quite a long time and this will be the time to say, we need it for this purpose and this is where we believe it should be located. And of course we will get to you before we appear before the HRA. But like I said, this is the agenda when items will be discussed. It is not going to be senior housing only. It's going to cover many, many elements and this is and senior housing is one of them. Howard: When senior center is mentioned, it's the possibilities of. AI-Jaff: Connection. Howard: Connection with the library and that type of thing. And on page 3 the center refers to community center. AI-Jaff: Correct. If we build a community center. 18 e Senior Commission Meeting - September. I? , 1993 Howard: This is what this all refers to when a center is mentioned? AI-Jaff: Correct. What should it include? Should it include a part for the senior center or should the senior center be isolated completely? Should the split location continue or should it go somewhere else? It's things like that that we need to look at. And it's a vision. The vision for the year 2002. What do you want to accomplish by the year 2002 so. What does the HRA want to see? I mean they had envisioned for downtown Chanhassen and that vision continues. Howard: Are they on time with that vision? Al-Jaff: You know I don't know when it comes to development, I truly honestly don't know if you're ever on time. It's such an ongoing project. I don't know if you're ever on. I don't believe there's...There's always that one more thing to do and that one requirement and you fund things and you think this is the perfect way to do this and then you find out, I should make this change to accommodate whatever... Montgomery: Are these listed in priority order? e Al-Jaff: No. Howard: Well you'll let us know when we're supposed to appear. Al-Jaff: Yes and like I said, it's entirely up to you. I mean I would highly recommend that you attend the meeting and you give them your input because this is going to become the... seniors. Again, I would highly recommend you be there. Billison: All you have to do is let us know and we'll be there. Al-Jaff: Okay, wonderful. Billison: Is there anything further? Any questions for Sharmin? Howard: Are you going to discuss the second agreement with him? AI-Jaff: I believe that's another agenda item later on. If you're done with item number 4. Billison: Okay, we'll go onto the next item then. UPDATE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS. e 19 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 AI-Jaff: Okay. You've got two memos. The fIrst one I included in the agenda, and I don't know if you all read that. It was a memo from Paul to the City Council and to the Senior Commission and it's just an informational item. ...received a letter that said, congratulations. You are in the program. This will never happen. But truly Paul has worked so hard on this project and it happened. I don't know how he did it but he did it and I am proud of him. Montgomery: That's wonderful. That's quite an achievement. Billison: Yes it is. AI-Jaff: He did a wonderful job. But we have heard from Washington. They said that yes we do, we are in the program. Everything's been confIrmed. Again, you'll never receive congratulations. There is a note here that says, as discussed with Marge SiegeL.so I think everything is pointing to the fact that we are in the program. Howard: Well it's the first...he's been working so hard. AI-Jaff: He's been working very hard on two projects. Well 3 projects actually. The housing, the CBDG funds and getting his daughter Rachel into. Howard: Did he do that? AI-Jaff: She arrived last Sunday and she's coming for a visit on Monday. So this is the fust part of the CBDG funds. The second part is, do you have any questions on that one? Okay. The second part is a memo that I handed out from Paul to you, and I handed it out before the meeting. Regarding the HOME program. We were originally allocated $4,000.00, no. $5,830.00 for the program. By the end of the year they will be...for the HOME program. We will have $3,494.00 left. If we don't use up the money, they will put it, South Shore Center is running in... They're just, they need money. Montgomery: How big is their deficit? AI-Jaff: I don't know that. I really don't know that but they're not getting the money that they were hoping to get. Kubitz: Did we allot them anything this year? AI-Jaff: Oh yes. Oh yes. Howard: We weren't consulted this year on the allocation of these funds. We don't know 20 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 where they went. The year before we helped plan but this year we were not consulted. Is this not right? Montgomery: That's true. We wondered. AI-Jaff: I did give you a copy of how it was allocated. Well, we'll make sure that you are consulted on this. I apologize. Howard: I would say as far South Shore goes, that if it's made clear to them that this is a one time thing because I know we've cut down our allocation with them. Or we did the year before. AI-Jaff: Correct. Howard: And they really have not been very cooperative to our senior center at all. Kubitz: No. They haven't been. Howard: They don't help promote anything for us. AI-Jaff: Agreed. Agreed. Howard: So I'm not feeling very kindly towards them but if they want to help, fine. But then will they expect it next year by saying last year you gave us such and such an amount? And expect it again. AI-Jaff: Sherol, keep in mind that if it wasn't for Shorewood, we wouldn't have the funds. So as a way of thanking Shorewood. Howard: Oh, that part I agree with but can we make it clear this is a one time that we won't match it every year? That they won't expect it. AI-Jaff: Sure. I will take your recommendation to Paul and to the... Howard: That is right. We should thank for getting this, yeah. Littfin: Yes, but is not the city doing something else for Shorewood in the way of utility services? AI-Jaff: Correct. 21 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Littfin: So I think we've bent over backwards, have we not? I don't want to start an argument or anything like that but I agree with Sherol. Kubitz: Yeah, because this is for senior services and of course that comes for senior services too. Let's not get too tick for tatty. Montgomery: I have one question. They have this senior assistance set up through Jan Gray and I know I'm eligible because I'm in the Minnetonka School District but would that same assistance then be available to all of Chanhassen? AI-Jaff: I don't know. Montgomery: That way we would be shifting from our HOME program to getting some help from their's and apparently we're not using it much anyway but maybe that would help. AI-Jaff: I wonder if we start working with...if that would work out. I mean we've always said let's not duplicate services. Kubitz: Carver County's HOME program is not called HOME. AI-Jaff: Chore. Kubitz: You mean it switched to Chore? AI-Jaff: Well I mean we're always eligible to Chore even if we have HOME program. If we can strengthen the Chore program. Howard: Yes, we should concentrate on that. AI-Jaff: Do you want me to pursue this? Montgomery: I'm just curious because we need to be, I mean we need something available. AI-Jaff: But I mean if we're going to, because if we're going to discontinue HOME, we need to have something. Montgomery: Right. Howard: I think we should work with the rest of the County on promoting Chore. 22 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 AI-Jaff: Okay, can I hear from everybody on this subject. I mean does everybody feel that we should, if we're going to discontinue HOME program, then we should concentrate on Chore program? Does everybody feel comfortable with that decision? Or with that recommendation. Montgomery: Well then would we needto give some money to them? Should part of this money go to them instead? AI-Jaff: It could be a recommendation. I mean I would talk to Paul about this. But is everybody comfortable? Do you want me to research it and get back to you on this? Howard: I think so. We heard from Betty Bragg that it did not work too well. The Chore. Remember when she was laid up. Montgomery: Yes, right. It didn't help her a bit. Howard: And so how, going a program for Chore is in Carver County has to be looked into I think. Montgomery: Does it have enough funding? You know where is it? AI-Jaff: Okay...we could start concentrating on Chore. I mean if you want to push a program, I believe that you can. Montgomery: But if the services are there. I wouldn't want to push it if it doesn't work. AI-Jaff: Absolutely and that's why I'm saying, let's concentrate on Chore and strengthen the program and we would have 3 more months to work on that. Because by January, I mean you can't accomplish a lot in 3 months but you can definitely improve a program and if Chanhassen is willing to support a program. Every time the city has supported a program, the program has taken off. Howard: Call Vicky Peterson. AI-Jaff: I will do that. And maybe I could get a representative from Carver County for the Chore program. Meet with them and then appear before you next meeting. Montgomery: I think that would be helpful don't you? 23 e ,e, e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Billison: Yes I do. Montgomery: It's really hard to know. Al-Jaff: Okay, and then this way we can also figure out funding. If a portion of that money could go from HOME to Chore and I'll talk to Paul about it. When it comes to financing...! really don't have the expertise. Billison: Mr. Dorsey, do you have? George Dorsey: Are you aware of the program that's operating under the auspices of SAIL? AI-Jaff: No. That's why we have you here. Howard: Is it a 5 county thing of Chore? George Dorsey: Yes. 5 county here and they talked about that the other day because obviously...setting up vendors to help meet the needs. The vendors are going to be certified so that the people that use the service don't get ripped off. They're attempting to help set up the businesses of these people. There's one pilot program that's ready to go and one that's already going over on the other side of...They're trying to work out the liability at the State level so that the people don't have to be buying all of this liability insurance and so that the vendors are aware of what they can do so they don't dismantle somebody's house and walk out and leave them. They're trying to set up some kind of certification program so this is the big item...auspices of SAIL. It's an acronym for Senior Agenda for Independent Living. I'd never heard of it until last week so it sounds like things are, they're moving and trying to have some kind of control. I just hope that they do a better job than it sounds like they did for Home Foster Care. They had good intentions and apparently we have a ring of foster care homes set up around the Hennepin County but there's nobody in them. They've got a big wall dug up and ready to go and they can't figure out why there's nobody in there because the people that have the homes didn't know how to market it and now that they're becoming aware of it...how can anybody go to it when nobody knows where they are. Montgomery: Is there a target date for the Chore services to go into effect? George Dorsey: Well, they must have some kind of a target date but they're apparently trying to work out the liability. This is the big thing. Liability insurance at the State level so that they can work through the County's and try to get some kind of an umbrella program and then to get some kind of a certification so you have people who know a little bit about what they're doing before they go charging in. Then they want to set some kind of rates 24 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 apparently so that you don't go in and get ripped off or somebody starts something and then...so they feel that if they can certify this in some way, get people competent to do whatever it is that they're trying to do. And then the people that would be doing the vendoring here are going to be seniors. People who want to do this. Kind of set up, it sounds like set up their own shop and work out of their shop and go around in the community. This area...this county you've got McLeod, Carver, Meeker, Nicollet and Sibley are...but then they said the pilot program was in Ramsey so I don't know. I think they'd like to spread this out to all the counties... Montgomery: I wonder if we're talking about 2002. George Dorsey: It sounds like they want to get this thing rolling...get something through the legislature and get some kind of blanket...1awyers to write up some kind of a policy or some...take forever. But on the other hand they recognize it as a need and... Billison: Thank you. We'll go on to our next item. UPDATE ON SENIOR LINKAGE LINE. Sitter: As I was...because the grant was supposed to cover both the pilot project for Ramsey and for SAIL. Does that strike a familiar... George Dorsey: They said the one in Ramsey is already started. Sitter: Right. It seems to me there was something there too about working out extra dollars... I think there were extra dollars, if I remember right, between the two grants. George Dorsey: We'll have to work on extra dollars... AI-Jaff: I'd like to make a comment here. All this has been wonderful news and it's all points to the fact that Carver County is pursuing a better Chore program so I will gather all my information and I will meet up with Kitty and George and bring to you something to vote on next meeting so that you can make a decision whether you want to drop the HOME program and I'll point out what you're going to lose if you, what are the pros and the cons of having the HOME program. Dropping it. Moving onto the Chore program only. What new services would we add if we went to the Chore program and what we will lose. Montgomery: And when. AI-Jaff: And when. Which is important. 25 e ,e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Billison: We'll look forward to that at the next meeting. Thank you. Okay Kitty. Sitter: Okay. I read through some of the information from the last Minutes and realized that there were some concerns during my absence over the summer of what was happening in the Linkage Line and I think that, as I look back on those notes and what we've solved since that time that we're on a smooth track again. So I'm going to put your fears at ease right away on that piece. I wanted to share with you this morning some information about publicity. What our progress has been in that respect. On our staff and then just some of the problem areas that we're dealing with at this point so you've got kind of an overall picture of what's happening with Senior Linkage Line. As far as the publicity goes, we did have an open house in August, after I got back and that was for some of the key agencies within the county. We invited a number of those people to come and see the system and see how it was working. We had a volunteer there, actually I think Helen...was there working the computer that day so they could actually see how the staff went through a phone call for people and we looked up a number of the agencies of those people that were represented that day to find out how their agency was listed within the computer system. From that open house too we also got some requests for coming out to do some specific presentations to their particular groups and this morning actually I was at the County library meeting and telling them all about the system and getting more propoganda and fliers out to the library. So we're starting to get our bases covered here. Letters went out with publicity to the Community Education Directors within the county. Also with the two hospitals in the area and about 25 key agencies within the county. And we were asking them to put that information within their newsletters or bulletins or if they had questions, to call us and we could answer more information for them. We had information go out to the newspapers this summer and a few specific newsletters that we kind of keyed in on. One specifically was the Visions that the County sends out and also Community Education newsletters have been asked for that information. We also sent information over to the county social services to appear at the County Fair. I'm currently in the middle of setting up a number of personal meetings with various groups like I was at the library this morning. ...groups have asked for me to come and speak to some of their meetings that happen monthly. I'll be contacting some specific people at various senior centers. Not just here but out in the western part of our county. And I also happen to be over at Westview this morning as well in Waconia and I was able to tour quickly there, the facility there which is just a fabulous place for those people. And they were asking if I'd come back and speak to some of their residents there about the service. I am currently also working on an easier to read flier publicity piece. We are just about out of all those phone stickers that we had printed up earlier and what I am looking to do is to include that sticker right within a fold out flier piece so it's one piece of information and if they choose to use the sticker, it's there for them. They don't have to try and search through pockets and purses to find a sticker that could get lost. I also have a lead on information from the back slip of the grocery store. Receipt tapes that we may just put a little blurb on the back for example 26 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Festival or some of the other smaller receipt, grocery stores in the area. As far as staff goes, right now I'm considering that we're fully staffed because we are covered 9:00 to 4:00, Monday thru Friday. Now there's still some openings where I'm filling in that we will plug in volunteers as we get them. We currently have two completely trained volunteers, myself and one trainee and between that we are covering the hours during the week. I also have about 6 more names at this point to call who had been contacted earlier in the spring and summer and said wait until fall and give me a call back. And I'll check my schedule...so I have those 6 people to give a buzz to too. We also have an intern from Hennepin County that's giving us some help and she is specifically looking at locating and contacting agencies within the county to find out what their services are and those contacts then will be updated in our computer so as we go along we're continuing to customize it to the county and I think that will be the big thing that we're all waiting for is to have more of those services closer to home. So we're really trying hard to get that up to date as fast as we can. As far as problems go, I realize that over the summer there were some times when phone in's weren't getting transferred properly or a message wasn't getting picked up and that is real frustrating. I think that we have that one covered now and the correct procedure for transferring those kind of phone calls when someone is not available during office hours but that's been covered. We had a computer screen go out and actually that was for about a week and a half before we were able to get a new computer back in there. However, I'd like you to know that it didn't stop our work and we were still able to answer phone calls as they came in and we can do our research via some of the brochures we had here and also call to Hennepin County and plug into their computer because they have the same information pretty much that we do. So it didn't stop us. It was an inconvenience however. As George mentioned, we did have a SAIL meeting, was that last week George? Last week, and heard about their updates and what they're doing. I think that they will be a key agency for us to work with in finding out what they have as far as agencies that they're working with and as far as the information that they do according to their newsletter contacts. They are very interested in helping us out...as well. And I did just deliver today. This morning was a busy morning. I did deliver a number of fliers for them to actually insert into their next newsletter that goes out for SAIL and that will be a big help and I was glad that they offered to do that. There also was a focus meeting put on by United Way with the county advisory group and Sherol are you with that one too? Howard: Yes. Sitter: I know I got some feedback on that particular meeting and I haven't gotten back in touch with Julie yet. There was some concern on if the message was coming through to make a difference with United Way. And I have faith in Julie Bentz in taking the Minutes for that. 27 e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Howard: Well you ask Julie about it. It seemed, I know Vicky Peterson sent her gal back to work. She was wasting her time. The gal at United Way wanted to, us to go over forms we had already discussed and it was a fiasco. Sitter: Yeah, that's what I understand. But I think even thoughout all of that, with Julie having been there and probably being able to pick up some of those key points from the previous discussion, I have a feeling that that... Howard: We could have done it without... Sitter: Yeah, that's what I understand and that's really too bad...but on the other hand, I still feel confident that our message is there...and I still think that meetings like that are important because if we don't express what's happening out here in this county, we're not going to get any services to improve them. And I know hearing some of the information just before I came in here, that it is so important if there's a blank in what we're trying to do and coming up against a dead end for instance, that I can relay that information back to Hennepin County or do a computer update and say, you may have it over on the eastern side but we don't have it here and we need it just as much as you do too. So as you hear...to get that word known. The more the United Way agencies hear about those...then that's where those dollar signs are e going to get allocated to provide those services and improvements already there. Billison: It sounds like you're moving along and doing a wonderful job. Sitter: We're trying over there. Any other questions that you have? George Dorsey: Could you identify or try to identify who your customers are? Sitter: That's what...and I had a great conversation on that. It's the most obvious customer it seems to be the senior citizen and yet George and I were speaking of the other side of the coin where we need to get families as well that maybe have seniors that aren't at that independent living stage that need some more help from us. So that's one...a little bit more carefully on approaching family places. And one thing that occurred to me this morning, I have some contacts over at the School District and there may be a way that we could tie into especially the high school publications that go out to get those parents of high schoolers who also would be at an age where they have seniors within their families. George Dorsey: I was thinking of that and I was also thinking of the senior citizens themselves who would be customers. You've got agencies for customers. You have the citizens who are customers and what does the customer think. What kind of service does the customer think that they need. It's so often what the agency thinks they need or whatever. e 28 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 The type of process in my mind as you go from 8:00 to 4:00 whatever, what about somebody who gets a wild idea in their head at 11:00 at night and then it's not covered. The same thing is when you're talking about feeding people. Remember we brought that up. People, they stop delivering food from Friday until Monday and I say...what are we supposed to do... Sitter: We are covered for that after hours. If people have a wild idea and we all do some days, they still can call our phone number and it does go to...so at least there is a way to do that, yeah. But I think there is more room for catching those families as well as the seniors. George Dorsey: Okay, I think you need to ask the seniors because otherwise you may be solving what your perception of the senior's problems is but it may not be their perception and you set up a program that doesn't meet the need of some of the people. Sitter: Exactly. Billison: Thank you again. George Dorsey: Is it possible to combine the Early Alert program into Life Line so people don't have to remember so many telephone numbers. Sitter: You know that is a concern. There's a lot of phone numbers out there. George Dorsey: You know because...hooked into Life Line, psychologically it's certainly nice...and let them sort it out... Billison: Thank you again. We'll go onto the next item. UPDATE ON SENIOR CENTER ACTIVITIES. Billison: Sherol, do you have this one? Howard: Well I guess Dawn isn't going to be here. I don't think there's anything in particular. Everything seems to be running smoothly. We had a good meeting Wednesday morning and Dawn has sent out folders about the Septemberfest and calendars through November. I can't think of anything specifically, can you Jane? Kubitz: No. Has the stuff gone out yet or was she just getting it organized? We went over it. Howard: No, we got it in the mail. 29 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Kubitz: Oh you did get it. Howard: Didn't everyone get their calendars? Billison: I don't believe I did. Kubitz: Not the ones that we got at the meeting Wednesday. It hasn't come out on the general mailing. No, we just got them for the Board meeting and then she had to make some corrections on some of them before she sent them out so those should be going out. But now people won't get the September calendars until September's practically over. Howard: I didn't realize that because. Kubitz: No, the September calendars haven't gone out to the general mailing yet. Howard: Do they always mail the calendars out to the general public? Kubitz: I think every 2 or 3 months she sends a general mailing of the calendars and fliers and stuff. Howard: I'm not aware of when her mailings are. Everything seems well set for the falL Dawn has everything well in hand I think. Kubitz: It's all set if we just, the general public finds out about it. Howard: Everyone is supposed to support the bake sale for the senior center is doing a bake sale. The Mens Club is doing the. Olson: You know we're still looking of squash. Howard: Todd Gerhardt went out to Willmar. Kubitz: Last year. Howard: Got the most wonderful stuff. Talk to him. Ask him to make another trip. Olson: We're trying to get it out of Chanhassen. Littfin: It's just not available. 30 Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 e Howard: I would suggest going down to Marshal's, do you know where they are on the corner of County Road 1 and 4. And they have gardens there. They have the little minature pumpkins. I was there yesterday. See if they can help out. Maybe they wouldn't be so inclined but. Olson: A lot of the people like that are not willing to sell at a wholesale price to us. Howard: Well it won't hurt to check as long as you're seniors. Olson: I may even take a trip down to the farmers market. Kubitz: I was going to say farmers market you might be able to get something. Olson: The Hmongs I hear you can do a lot of dealing because they've got so much stuff because they have their Thursday market and then they come down on Saturday and the Saturday market. Howard: Well we hope you're going to have a sale. e' Olson: We may have some haybales only to sit on. Buy your baked goods. Billison: Thank you. SENIOR COMMISSION COMMENTS. Billison: Is there anything further you'd like to talk about? George Dorsey: Would you like to hear more about that SAIL thing...or I can hold it over. You might as well know what it is. Howard: Well we've had that. We all know what it is. Billison: Yeah, we all know what the SAIL program is. Littfin: At one of our previous meetings we discussed the possibility of having a different ring or tone for the Senior Linkage phone. Howard: That's been done. Littfin: Well the other day I called the senior center. I was looking for Dawn and they lady e 31 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 who was working the Senior Linkage Line answered the phone Senior Linkage Line. So evidentally she didn't know which phone was ringing. Is that a fair assumption? Howard: They changed the tone one day when I was there and Dawn in her office called the Linkage Line and I was out in the other room and they said now can you tell the difference from the tone and they changed it until it became very apparent which the tone was for the Senior Linkage Line. Now Jane had a problem with the people at the Linkage Line answering the senior center phone before the greeter could get it and they could have automatically said Linkage Line instead of senior center because they're used to it. Littfin: Okay. So now I have this lady down there. She says Senior Linkage Line and I knew who it was. I said is Dawn there and she says no, but you can get Dawn by dialing extension 411. Or 144. Whatever it is but you can't do that. To get Dawn in her office upstairs, you dial the city office and then they'll tell you to dial 5. You cannot dial 411 outside. Kubitz: 144. Littfin: Whatever the number. Howard: But you just call City Hall and ask for Dawn and they'll locate her. Littfin: No, you dial one of three numbers. 5, 3 or 6. Howard: I just ask for her and get her. Olson: That's what I do is ask. Littfin: You push the 5 to get a response. Montgomery: And then ask for Dawn. Littfin: Yeah, that's right. But from my home phone, I cannot dial the city 411 or whatever it is. Sitter: And Mark, that was misinformation that our staff...and I apologize to that. You're right. You have to. Littfin: You have to go around. 32 e e e Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Sitter: Right. You would have to call back the operator and ask for Dawn directly. Sometimes those phone calls just come down to the senior linkage line and often times there's not a senior greeter down there to pick up those phones. So what happens is, the senior center line also rings in on Senior Linkage Line phone and yes there is a different tone. Howard: Does it ring on my phone or on Dawn's desk? Sitter: No, it rings on our phone. They're all connected down there. The Senior Linkage Line does have a distinct ring now from the senior center but we also have lights on the phone that actually light up so we can see if it's like line 2, it's usually one that comes in for the Senior Center and line 11 is specifically Senior Linkage Line. Now the senior center won't ring in on the Senior Linkage Line. Now wait a minute. Did I say that right? But we can pick up the senior center calls from our's and that may be where the problem is. Because we're so used to saying Senior Linkage Line we may just automatically say that even though... Howard: This is what I saw happen. Sitter: Right. And we take those calls anyway, especially if someone's calling for the senior center. Oftentimes what's happening I'm finding is that people are calling the senior center even if they have a question for the Senior Linkage Line because they're so used to calling the senior center for information. So there's kind of that you know... Howard: ...complaint it happened to Jenny, she was there as a greeter and they were answering the phone in the office before she had a chance as a greeter to answer it. Sitter: And I apologize for that. Howard: So if you would check and see if the greeter's there for the afternoon or something and then...but we know there are many times there aren't greeters there...and we appreciate it. Billison: If there's no further business, I would like a motion for adjournment. Kubitz moved, Montgomery seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned. Submitted by Paul Krauss Planning Director 33 e e -- Senior Commission Meeting - September 17, 1993 Prepared by Nann Opheim 34