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9. Senior need study, consider Sr needs commission CITYOF - 1 I 690 COU DRIVES 2O O9X X CA1HASE NSOTA 55317 MEMORANDUM M_ /O-3 .•9 0 TO: Mayor and City Council 1 FROM: Paul Krauss, Planning Director DATE: October 3 , 1990 — /0_g-So SUBJ: Presentation of Senior Needs Study, Consideration of Establishment of a Senior Needs Commission is aware, staff has been working with a Senior As the City Council i a ar aff h g Needs Task Force to complete a Senior Needs Study. The study was initiated last fall and was funded under an appropriation given to the City under the Community Development Block Grant Program. At the City Council 's direction, the study was intended to be an open 1 ended document, that is one where there were no preconceived notions as to what senior needs did or did not exist. Consequently, the study was far ranging and did not focus on 1 specific needs such as housing or transportation. A consultant, Judy Marshek, was retained to undertake the analysis. The Senior Needs Task Force was appointed by the Mayor and was drawn from senior citizens representing a number of churches in the community. Some of these seniors were members of the Chanhassen Seniors Group that plays cards in the elementary school once a month, others were members of the South Shore Senior Center, which is funded in part ' by the City through CDBG appropriations, while remaining members of the group expressed no affiliation other than a general interest in senior needs. The Senior Needs Task Force expended a good deal of time and energy to explore this issue in great detail. Information was gathered from interviews and presentations by senior service providers and ' by one on one interviews conducted with the consultant. In addition, a mailed survey was provided to all seniors in the City and received an excellent response rate. The full analysis of the data and recommendations of the group are described in detail in the attached report. In general, it was concluded that the following areas warranted further consideration: 1. Long term goal of establishing a senior center in the City of Chanhassen was established. It was clear from the data collected that the number of seniors in the I 11 Senior Needs Commission October 3 , 1990 Page 2 community is quite large and is expected to grow in the next few years. When a center is established, it should be centrally located and designed for a full range of ' , activities. 2 . Transportation needs for seniors are not being adequately ' handled and requires long term solutions. In the short term, staff and our representatives to Southwest Metro were able to get Southwest Metro to revise their policy so that transportation services are now being provided to ' citizens in Chanhassen who wish to attend programs at the South Senior Center. ' 3 . Housing for seniors needs to be addressed probably through a combination of programs designed to facilitate their continuing stay in their own homes along with 1 specialized housing designed for the purpose. 4 . It is recommended that the City seek to facilitate the provision of information on programs and services for seniors since there is, at the present time, no other single source that seniors can turn to. ' As noted above, these and other recommendations are described in detail in the attached report. One of the most important recommendations from the Task Force, however, pertains to the need to carry forward on programs and facilities designed specifically ' for seniors. It was believed that the best way to facilitate this is for the City Council to establish a permanent Senior Needs Commission that can act as a source of information and advice to the City Council on these matters in the future. It is thought that this commission could carry forward on work outlined in the Senior Needs Study as well as providing input on the new programs, ' facilities, and funding as may be appropriate for seniors in the future. The members of the Senior Needs Task Force have volunteered to serve as the initial members of the Senior Needs Commission should the City Council be inclined to appoint them. The Council could also ask staff to advertise in the paper for volunteers for membership on this commission, however, it should be pointed out that these people have worked diligently on this issue 1 in the past and that staff had previously placed two announcements in the local paper asking for volunteers for the Senior Needs Study • with little response. 1 STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council accept the report of the Senior Needs Task Force and take action to appoint the members of this Task Force to a permanent Senior Needs Commission. The Senior Needs Commission should be directed to develop by-laws and a work ' program for the next year for review and approval by the City Council. 1 J. M. RESEARCH 1SOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CIT r SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMLAT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I 2. Jo Ann Kvern, Director Southshore Senior Center 441 Oak Street P. O. Box 2 ' Excelsior, MN 55331 3. Beverly Miller, Transit Administrator Southwest Metro Transit 7600 Executive Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55334 • One other person served to assist the Task Force, conferring with City Staff to help select a Task Force member from St. Hubert's Catholic Church, the church in ' Chanhassen with the largest proportion of senior parishioners. This was: Father Barry Schneider 7707 Great Plains Boulevard Chanhassen, MN 55317 The Task Force met seven times between January and September of 1990 and worked with a consultant to conduct a study of the needs of area seniors. The study occurred in several stages. In the first stage, demographic data on Chanhassen and surrounding communities were gathered. In addition, various reports available from government bodies were used to identify the needs of area residents as well as the resources available to meet these needs. In the second stage of the study, the consultant interviewed ten experts in senior services. Some of these experts were employees of social, government or private agencies serving the elderly. Others were people who were retired and were ' residents of the area. Using an open-ended interview guide, opinions and information were gathered to help the Task Force gain some idea of current service strengths and needs. ' In the third stage of the study, residents of Chanhassen who were 55 years of age or older were mailed a survey designed to gather their opinions on a variety of ' issues. Results of the survey revealed that there were many adults who had retired or were planning on retiring in the area and that they had very diverse service needs. Finally, in the last stage of the study, two discussion groups composed of retirement age adults who resided in Chanhassen reacted to various issues posed by the ' Task Force. These groups helped to prioritize the needs of senior adults and verified some of the findings of the earlier research. I 2 I J. M. RESEARCH , SOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSME..T SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I THE GROWING NEED FOR SENIOR SERVICES IN III. CHANHASSEN major issue which served as the reason to initiate this study of area seniors in the IA first place was the perceived growth in the number of retirement age adults in Chanhassen. Demographic data, gathered from a national demographic company I which specializes in population projections between census collection years, conclusively demonstrated rapid growth in the numbers of retirement age adults in the area. IMAJOR FINDINGS: 1. Chanhassen currently has and is projected to have more adults over age 55 Iresiding in it than any other area city with the exception of Eden Prairie. NAME OF THE CITY CENSUS TRACT NUMBERS IChanhassen 905,906,907 I Greenwood/Excelsior 275.01 Tonka Bay/Shorewood 275.02 Victoria/Laketown 904 I Waconia 903 Chaska/Chaska Township 908,909,910 Eden Prairie 260.01 , 260.02 I PROJECTED NUMBERS OF SENIORS 55 AND OVER 1 1980 1989 1994 CENSUS PROJ. EST. IChanhassen 690 1 ,389 1 ,958 Greenwood/Excelsior 1 ,012 1,122 1 ,193 I Tonka Bay/Shorewood 670 1,336 1 ,790 Victoria/Laketown 452 552 694 Waconia 938 998 1 ,089 I Chaska/Chaska Township 1 ,074 1 ,335 1 ,546 Eden Prairie 1 ,118 3,289 5,285 • ITaken from National Planning Data Reports, specially ordered for this study. I 1 4 I J. M. RESEARCH A _,SOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 4. The changes in the median income of this retirement age group of mature adults reveals that they control considerable personal wealth and are projected to be an affluent group. The median incomes of those in the 55-64 I year old age group exceed state averages. These adults, when they retire, will contribute to local trade and commerce in significant ways. Median Incomes of Three Mature Adult Groups for IChanhassen Census Tracts for 3 Time Periods 1979 1989 (est.) 1994 (prof) IArea 905 IAge 55-64 $32,101 $54,798 $63,598 I Age 65-74 $14,615 $24,414 $28,010 Age 75+ $3,750 $6,311 $7,086 IArea 906 Age 55-64 $37,019 $61 ,039 $83,192 IAge 65-74 $15,278 $22,956 $29,384 IAge 75+ $10,435 $20,512 $26,602 Area 907 IAge 55-64 $18,868 $34,745 $48,585 I Age 65-74 $21 ,910 $52,292 $79,534 Age 75+ $11 ,250 $23,750 $30,347 I I I I 1 6 I J. M. RESEARCH l 3OCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSME. 1 I SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I Southwest Metro Transit, a public service which offers both fixed route IC. buses from Chanhassen to Minneapolis and a portal to portal flexible route system entitled Dial-A-Ride. Southwest Metro Transit is a transit service funded by Chanhassen, Chaska and Eden Prairie. Id. Southshores Senior Center which offers a van which may be used to support Center activities and a certain limited number of other uses, Isuch as trips to area shopping centers. Although there are many options, in number, they all share some common I limitations. Many of these services are not offered in the evening or on week- ends. Some of the services are very expensive (MetroMobility) and some require a great deal of advance notice before they can be used. I2. Many area residents are not aware of any of these services and some are aware of only a few. 50% of the respondents to a survey mailed to Chanhassen residents over age 50 stated that they did not know which Itransportation options were available to the residents of Chanhassen. Only 20% were aware of the Dial-A-Ride service while 35% knew about Southwest Metro Transit. These were the two services of which residents Ihad the greatest knowledge. (NOTE: There were 256 respondents to the survey, about 1/3 of the population to which the survey was mailed.) IRECOMMENDATIONS: ' 1 . The City of Chanhassen should play an active role in informing its residents of the transportation options alreadvr Since ortat o�S as younger adults choose to use a pn ate au omob'le for transportation, these adults age, they are less likely to have experienced a variety of I transportation options. Mature adults actually need to be taught how to use public transportation and they also need to be informed of their choices. I This type of service could be planned cooperatively with some of the transportation sponsors and also could be added to any information and assistance function that the City may choose to create. For example, the City could help sponsor a marketing campaign for the Dial-A-Ride service offered Iby Southwest Metro Transit. It could also co-sponsor an information hotline on transportation options. 2. The City of Chanhassen should decide what its role should be in supplementing existing transportation services. Residents of the City would like to see the service area for public transportation expanded, and would I also enjoy more evening and weekend options. The City could choose to purchase a van and work cooperatively with the other services to expand the total transportation options available to its citizens. I 8 I J. M. RESEARCH SSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CI ) f SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSN,—NT SUMMARY REPORT • SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I 3. Senior adults are not likely to plan in advance for services which they will ' need as they age. These needs are usually generated by a crisis. Thus, it is difficult to teach people which service options are available until they are ready to learn, and often this readiness commences when they are in the ' middle of a crisis. A crisis is not a good time to learn. People need more than information at these times; they also need an advisor to help them make the service connection. ' 4. The United Way is attempting to develop a more comprehensive information and referral service for senior adults in selected areas throughout the Metro area. Chanhassen possibly could be a test site for such a service. ' 5. Printed information, such as that included in directories and brochures, tends to get outdated quickly and needs to be distributed in such a way to ' permit constant updating. 6. 56% of the mature adults who responded to a mailed survey stated they ' would be most likely to call Chanhassen City Hall or City Administration to obtain information on services offered to retirement age adults if they wanted to locate this type of information. Currently, the City does not have any 1 resources targeted to meet this need. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 1 . The City of Chanhassen should offer information and assistance services to its residents, either cooperatively with other agencies or singly through the ' City Hall. Options should be explored with other agencies to assure that access to this service is simplified for all City residents and that the service itself is comprehensive in scope. ' The "information" function should be augmented with an "assistance" function, so that those senior adults who need more help than a simple referral to a phone number and agency name receive the service they need This assistance function may consist of simple counseling or more complex care management, as the City determines is needed. 1 1 1 1 10 1 I J. M. RESEARCH ' SSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN Cl . r SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSh._NT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 MAJOR FINDINGS: ' 1. Although many agencies offer some of the various services which help mature adults remain longer in their own homes, no one organization has ' made a commitment to helping seniors remain independent in their own . homes as long as possible. This means that there are service gaps in home chore services and home maintenance services. ' According to the mailed survey, about 30% of mature adults over age 50 currently obtain help for chores such as yardwork and home repair from either family/friends or by hiring the help. 17% obtain help with heavy ' housework such as washing floors or windows. 2. Two groups of mature adults who are residents of Chanhassen discussed ' this subject and agreed that it was difficult to locate quality help at affordable prices. Currently, they locate this type of help by word of mouth or through resources such as the Skills Bank Program offered by the Minnetonka ' Community Services Department . Assistance with outdoor chores and home repair is the help that is most needed. ' 3. Expanded transportation options become very important when a senior adult can no longer drive. These options are essential to keeping seniors healthy and in their own homes. Their homes may be located several miles from ' shopping, church, health services, recreational opportunities and city services. If these short commutes are not supported by local transportation options, they have no choice except to relocate. ' 4. Some health services help keep seniors in their own homes by offering assistance to one senior who might be caring for another senior, such as a wife who is caring for a frail husband. Some examples of services which are ' supportive to a homebound adult caregiver are meals delivered to the home, adult day care and respite care. These are services to which many mature adults have never been exposed. They need counseling and advice to help ' them decide which services could best support their desire to remain at home. ' RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . The City of Chanhassen should assure the adequate provision of services to ' its residents which help them maintain an independent life style in the home of their choice. The adoption of this mission by the City provides a focus around which it can organize its mature adults programming. Since there are no other organizations with this mission in the area, the City can offer a unique forum in which this issue can be discussed and other agencies solicited for their cooperation. 12 I • J. M. RESEARCH ' SSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CI'. . SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSI .'IT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 • MAJOR FINDINGS: 1. The mature adult population in Chanhassen represents a wide range of ages and interests. This population is not homogeneous in its expressed needs for social and recreational opportunities. When the mature adult population of Chanhassen was surveyed and asked to suggest two services or activities they would like to see available to them in the City, they responded as follows (only top ten answers are listed below): Physical fitness, gymnastics, etc. 12.9% ' Crafts 10.2% Dining, Meals, Congregate Dining 8.6% Educational Programs 7.8% ' Tax, bookkeeping assistance 5.9% Social activities (various) 5.9% Card Games 5.5% ' Information and Referral 5.5% Swimming Pool 5.1% Travel Club, Trips 3.5% ' The survey results, as well as the two discussion groups, reinforced the finding that mature adults are lifelong learners, desiring intellectual and physical stimulation in their recreational and social programs. 2. The Chanhassen Senior Club offers a very limited array of activities to senior residents of Chanhassen. There is weekly card playing and an occasional trip. Part of the limitation is due to the physical plant in which the Club activities are located, the grade school, which is available only on a ' limited basis. 3. There are two other Senior Centers located close to Chanhassen, one in Excelsior and one in Chaska. Both sponsor activities for senior adults. While the Chanhassen seniors attend activities sponsored by both organizations, they state a preference for attending activities closer to home. ' 4. Volunteerism is an important social and recreational opportunity for mature adults. 46% of the adults survey reported helping organizations by volunteering during the past 12 months. On the average, those who ' volunteer donate more than 10 hours per month to various community organizations including churches, schools, membership organizations such as Rotary, service organizations such as the Red Cross and senior clubs ' and centers. I 14 I, J. M. RESEARCH .SSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I MAJOR FINDINGS: 1. There currently is no Senior Center in Chanhassen. There is a Senior Club which meets 3 hours a week on Thursdays at the local grade school to play cards. There is a Senior Center in nearby Chaska and Excelsior. Both of these Centers report serving Chanhassen residents. 2. City Planning Staff have been unable to locate alternative, affordable space for the expansion of senior activities in Chanhassen. The space and times offered by the grade school are extremely limited and likely to grow more limited in the future. 3. It is not clear whether the City will build a Civic Center or not. This issue is ' apparently controversial and support for the Center is mixed. 4. When mature adults in Chanhassen were surveyed about their support for a ' Civic Center, and their support for a Senior Center within it, they responded as follows: Are community centers a useful addition to a City? Yes - 78.1% Would you support including a Senior Center within it? Yes - 75.4% 5. Mature adults were asked about the governance structure for any new ' Senior Center, both in the mailed survey and in the two discussion groups. They responded by suggesting that professional staff should be used, along with senior volunteers, to create and manage the programming but that the ' staff should operate under the direction of a Senior Center Council. The persons appointed to the Council should be mature adults who are residents of Chanhassen. ' RECOMMENDATIONS: I1. The City of Chanhassen should create a Senior Center to serve as a central • location for the services offered to its mature adult residents. There are two space options to consider for this Center. The Center could be a free- standing space, in a building devoted exclusively to serving the needs of senior adults. The Center could also be coordinated with Civic Center development, if the City should choose to fund such a Center. ' (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE) 1 16 I J. M. RESEARCH .SSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 ' MAJOR FINDINGS: 1. There is no housing in Chanhassen that is devoted to serving mature adults over the age of 55. Some senior housing is available in the adjacent suburbs of Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins and Chaska. 1 2. Almost 2/3 of the mailed survey respondents had lived in Chanhassen over 20 years. 55% were retired and planning to continue to live in Chanhassen and 31% were not yet retired but planning on staying in Chanhassen after retirement. As the number of retired mature adults increases in ' Chanhassen, so will the need for housing options to permit the retiree to relocate from their larger, more expensive homes into smaller, more affordable housing. ' 3. Mature adults who were invited to the two group discussions expressed strong concerns about increases in property taxes for people living on fixed ' incomes, stating that these increases were forcing them to sell property and to relocate. Since there are no affordable options in Chanhassen, some were shopping outside the City even though they would prefer to remain in I it. 4. Seniors are unable to find many living options within Chanhassen in which the housing is on a single level (no stairs) and in which there is access to the housing from an outside entrance. These are the most appealing options to the participants in the group discussions. Cost of housing was also an issue for these groups. 5. A new program called Share-A-Home is offered in the County. This program matches a single older homeowner with a younger adult tenant who provides services to the older person in exchange for a room. These services usually consist of chore and maintenance services. Lutheran Social Services does the matching of program participants. The program ' serves a very limited number of senior adults. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. The City of Chanhassen should sponsor a comprehensive needs analysis of the housing needs of its retirement age residents. This would permit the City ' to plan housing options which would meet the future needs of its citizens. The needs analysis should include activities to identify possible funding sources for the housing as well as possible housing developers. This ' information would permit a comprehensive plan for the future to be developed. I 1 18 I