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9. Senior needs study 1 CITYOF CHANHASSEN 690 COULTER DRIVE • P.O. BOX 147 • CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 (612) 937-1900 • FAX (612) 937-5739 MEMORANDUM TO: Housing and Redevelopment Authority FROM: Todd Gerhardt, Assistant Executive Directo ' DATE: September 14, 1990 SUBJ: Review and Discuss the Senior Needs Assessment Study ' Attached for the HRA's review is a Senior Needs Assessment Study as prepared by J.M. Research Associates, Inc. Staff has placed this item on the agenda to specifically talk about Section VIII of this report dealing with the future need for senior housing (page 17) . Some questions the HRA should be considering are as follows: 1. Does the HRA want to add senior housin g as a part of their future goals? 2 . Should the HRA sponsor a comprehensive needs analysis for senior housing in Chanhassen? 1 3 . Where should the project be located? ' 4. How much assistance would be needed to have a successful project? Staff would like to discuss this on Tuesday evening to determine if the HRA is interested in looking at a similar program. ATTACHMENT ' i. Senior Needs Assessment Study. I I I r r 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I2. 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. - 2 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES. INC.. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 • THE CITY OF CHANHASSEN I SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 • I. BACKGROUND In December of 1989, the City of Chanhassen's City Council commissioned a study I of the needs of retirement age adults for special services including, but not limited to housing, transportation, information and referral, social and recreational services I and health services. The City appointed a special Task Force composed of retirement age adults. The members of the Task Force were as follows: 1. Betty Bragg 6. Dick Nieland , 8510 Great Plains Blvd. 6320 Steller Circle Excelsior, MN 55331 Chanhassen, MN 55317 2. Selda Heinlein 7. Emma St. John 420 Chan View 1621 West 63rd Street Chanhassen, MN 55317 Excelsior, MN 55331 1 3. Mr. and Mrs. W. Jorrissen 8. Einar Swedberg 420 Chan View, # 203 8016 Cheyenne Avenue ' Chanhassen, MN 55317 Chanhassen, MN 55317 4. Jane Krubetz 9. Floyd Tapper 7492 Saratoga Drive 632 Santa Vera Drive Chanhassen, MN 55317 Chanhassen, MN 55317 5. Barbara Montgomery I 7017 Dakota Avenue Chanhassen, MN 55317 1 Several members of community agencies made one or more visits to Task Force meetings, to contribute their expertise and to help in educating the Task Force to issues related to meeting the service needs of senior adults. These Techical Advisors are listed below and on the next page: 1. Kathy Dorfner, Coordinator of Share-A-Home '. Sponsored by Lutheran Social Services Located at Community Action Agency 1257 Marschall Road Shakopee, MN 55379 1 1 1 - 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT • SEPTEMBER, 1990 • I ' Following the completion of the various research activities, the Task Force met several times to discuss the research findings and to translate these findings into recommendations for the Council's recommendations. This report contains those recommendations as well as a brief summary of the findings which led to the ' recommendation. Due to their length and their degree of detail, the research reports which were prepared throughout the entire process are not incorporated into this summary document. ' A Technical Appendix for this project has been prepared in a separate notebook and contains the following, detailed research information: ' • A copy of the original project proposal which was approved by the • City • Minutes of all Task Force meetings • Demographic data gathered for the study • Service data gathered from other agencies serving seniors • Key respondent interview findings • Survey findings and a copy of the mailed survey • Summary focus group findings and focus group questionnaires This report is divided into eight sections which are as follows: Background H. The Growing Need for Senior Services in Chanhassen III. Service Need: Transportation IV. Service Need: Information and Assistance ' V. Service Need: Independence in the Home VI. Service Need: Social and Recreational Programming VII. The Need for a Senior Center ' VIII. Future Need: Senior Housing Each of these sections is contains several Major Findings which the Task Force ' would like to communicate to the Council. Following the findings, there is a set of Recommendations which the Task Force would like the Council to consider and discuss. • I 3 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT I SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 II 11. THE GROWING NEED FOR SENIOR SERVICES IN CHANHASSEN • A major issue which served as the reason to initiate this study of area seniors in the 1 first place was the perceived growth in the number of retirement age adults in Chanhassen. Demographic data, gathered from a national demographic company which specializes in population projections between census collection years, conclusively demonstrated rapid growth in the numbers of retirement age adults in the area. MAJOR FINDINGS: I 1. Chanhassen currently has and is projected to have more adults over age 55 1 residing in it than any other area city with the exception of Eden Prairie. NAME OF THE CITY CENSUS TRACT NUMBERS I Chanhassen 905,906,907 Greenwood/Excelsior 275.01 1 Tonka Bay/Shorewood 275.02 Victoria/Laketown 904 Waconia 903 I Chaska/Chaska Township 908,909,910 Eden Prairie 260.01, 260.02 PROJECTED NUMBERS OF SENIORS 1 55 AND OVER 1980 1989 1994 1 CENSUS PROJ. EST. Chanhassen 690 1,389 1,958 1 Greenwood/Excelsior 1,012 1,122 1,193 Tonka Bay/Shorewood 670 1,336 1,790 1 Victoria/Laketown 452 552 694 Waconia - 938 998 1,089 Chaska/Chaska Township 1,074 1,335 1,546 Eden Prairie 1,118 3,289 5,285 Taken from National Planning Data Reports, specially ordered for this study. 1 1 4 I 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I I 2. The rate of growth of the retirement age adult population is greater for Chanhassen than for any other area city, with the exception of Eden Prairie. I PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF ADULTS OVER AGE 55 FROM 1980-1989 AND FROM 1989-1994 I 1980-89 Change 1989-1994 % Change IChanhassen 101.3% 40.9% Greeenwood/Excelsior 10.9% 6.3% Tonka Bay/Shorewood 99.4% 33.9% Victoria/Laketown _ 22.1% 25.7% I Waconia 6.4% 9.1% Chaska/Chaska Township 24.3% 15.8% Eden Prairie 194.1% 60.7% 1 3. The rate of growth is about the same in all three census tracts making up I Chanhassen. Since the population base was different in the three tracts, the resultant growth shows population differences as well. I Chanhassen Census Tracts Estimates/Projections of Population Age 55 and Over I1980 1989 (est.) 1994 (proj) Area 905 295 623 (111%) 869 (39%) I. Area 906 282 538 (91%) 744 (38%) Area 907 113 228 (102%) 345 (51%) Totals 690 1389 (101%) 1958 (41%) I I • 1 5 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 4. The changes in the median income of this retirement age group of mature 1 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 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 Chanhassen Census Tracts for 3 Time Periods 1 97 9 1 989 (est.) 1 994 (prof) I Area 905 Age 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 Area 906 , Age 55-64 $37,019 $61,039 $83,192 Age 65-74 $15,278 $22,956 $29,384 Age 75+ $10,435 $20,512 $26,602 I Area 907 Age 55-64 $18,868 $34,745. $48,585 ' Age 65-74 $21,910 $52,292 $79,534 Age 75+ $11,250 $23,750 $30,347 • 6 1 I 1 1 1 • 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 ' GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. The City of Chanhassen should develop a policy to provide guidance to its ' development of services to mature adults over the next ten years. This policy should articulate the City's appreciation for the contributions mature adults make to the community both in terms of dollars spent in local businesses and in terms of volunteer and community contribution efforts. This policy should also address the service and support needs of this age ' group and make a commitment to serve these citizens, many of whom are long time residents of the City. 2. A permanent Senior Commission should be appointed to provide advocacy ' for this age group, to provide guidance to funding efforts originating from the City to serve this age group, to coordinate services with other government and private agencies for this age group, to determine new and emerging needs of this age group and to act in an advisory capacity to the City Council in these matters. ' III. SERVICE NEED: TRANSPORTATION As people age, certain public services increase in importance as supporting an independent life style. Four different services are discussed in this report. This section addresses the seniors' needs for transportation. As senior adults age, they are either more reluctant to drive or become unable to drive. In order to remain independent, they rely on various types of transportation services to convey them to medical appointments, take them shopping or transport them to social and recreational activities. ' MAJOR FINDINGS: 1. There are many different types of transportation options offered to retirement age adults in Chanhassen. They are sponsored both by public and private organizations. Options include the following: ' a. Carver Area Rural Transportation (C.A.R.T.), a county sponsored service which uses a sliding fee scale and has as a priority transportation of seniors and disabled adults to their medical ' appointments. b. MetroMobility, a Twin City wide service, partially funded by the United Way and partially funded by the Regional Transit Board which supplies lift vans to transport handicapped adults to destinations of • choice. I 1 7 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 c. Southwest Metro Transit, a public service which offers both fixed route 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. ' d. Southshores Senior Center which offers a van which may be used to support Center activities and a certain limited number of other uses, such as trips to area shopping centers. Although there are many options, in number, they all share some common 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. 2. 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 transportation 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 had the greatest knowledge. (NOTE: There were 256 respondents to the survey, about 1/3 of the population to which the survey was mailed.) RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 1. The City of Chanhassen should play an active role in informing its residents of the transportation options already available in the area. Since most younger adults choose to use a private automobile for transportation, as these adults age, they are less likely to have experienced a variety of transportation options. Mature adults actually need to be taught how to use public transportation and they also need to be informed of their choices. This type of service could be planned cooperatively with some of the 1 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 by 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 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. , 8 I J. M. RESEARCH. ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 3. The Board of Southwest Metro Transit should be asked to broaden their service area, in order to include those destinations most used by mature adults such as Southshores Senior Center and the Minnetonka Senior Center. The Chanhassen Senior Commission should be charged by the City Council to make specific recommendations for service area changes. ' IV. SERVICE NEED: INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE Mature adults become heavier service users as they age. Until this time, many ' have not used social or health services extensively, and they are unfamiliar with the sponsors of these services and don't know how to access them. Information and referral services are intended to be the bridge which links a prospective service user with a service sponsor. These types of services have become more popular over the past decade. Probably the best known service sponsor for information and referral is the United Way, which funds First Call for Help in many ' communities across the country. FINDINGS: 1. As is similar with transportation, there are many existing information and referral services available to the residents of Chanhassen. These include: ' • First Call for Help, which is offered throughout the Twin City metro area. • The Chaska Senior Center is offering a brochure of services available to senior adults. • The Carver County Social Service Department has a brochure listing services. Public Health Nursing does referral as well. ' • The Community Action Agency does community relations to inform citizens of its services. • Southwest Metro refers people to other bus services, if needed, in order to,assure they get the desired service. Please note, the words "Information and Referral" are different from "Information and Assistance". Some of these agencies take a more pro- active counseling role with their clients, helping to connect them with the service. This is providing "assistance". Others take a less active role, giving the client phone numbers and names to call on their own. This is "referral". 2. Although there are many services, none are comprehensive in that they refer the caller to any and all kinds of services. Each of the service sponsors tends to be more knowledgeable about selected services which are similar to the services they offer, rather than the entire array of services. Senior adults are confused about who to call for what. I . . 9 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT I SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 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. I 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 resources targeted to meet this need. RECOMMENDATIONS: 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. I 10 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT •1 SEPTEMBER, 1990 • 1 2. The City should explore the feasibility of working with other organizations, such as the United Way, to maintain a computer database of services for senior adults. Access to a centrally maintained database would assure ' constant updating of the information yet would also offer local access for the Chanhassen user. Working with other agencies would serve to reduce costs, would avoid duplication and would trade on the expertise of the ' organization who has developed the database. Access to a database which is constantly updated would be a major help to ' any City sponsored Information and Assistance service. The database could also be used as a resource to permit the City to print brochures detailing services available to mature adults in Chanhassen. ' 3. The City should put together a distribution plan to assure that jnformation on services is circulated to mature adults through several vehicles. At a ' minimum, the City should have a brochure listing locally available services for senior adults. This booklet should be updated frequently and could be offered both by the City and other local organizations, such as Welcome ' Wagon. - The City could also offer an information hotline, to answer the questions of ' its citizens who are interested in locating services. The hotline could be staffed by mature adults residents of Chanhassen, along with paid staff. Other services the City could sponsor could include offering a library of video tapes and informational booklets to teach its residents about the various types of services which can be made available to adults as they age. V. SERVICE NEED: INDEPENDENCE IN THE HOME As mature adults age, the same household chores and maintenance activities which were previously performed with ease become increasingly onerous. One of the main reasons that mature adults relocate housing is to reduce the amount of ' outdoor work and maintenance that they are required to perform on their homes. As the senior adult continues to age, they are more likely to be widowed. Living alone in a larger home can be taxing to physical strength, psychological well-being ' and finances. In spite of these drawbacks, many senior prefer to remain in their own homes as long as possible. Services which support a quality of life at home are important to maintain this type of lifestyle. 1 11 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 r MAJOR FINDINGS: I 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. 1 12 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 2. The City of Chanhassen should assure the adequate provision of home chore and maintenance services to its residents. Lower cost programs, such as the "HOME" Program in Bloomington could serve as a model. These ' services not only assure a high quality of housing stock for area residents but also provide a greatly needed service for seniors. If these services do not currently exist, the City should act to attract or initiate ' these services. The City might also offer a directory of businesses or persons who offer chore and home repair help. It could also examine and certify them to assure the quality of their work and the fairness of their fee ' structure. 3. The City of Chanhassen should work with Carver County to assure that ' Chanhassen residents have.ample access to counseling and case management services which can help them plan for their own aging and/or the aging of a significant other such as a spouse. If Carver County cannot ' meet the current demand for these types of services, the City should look at ways in which expanded services could be offered to area residents. 4. Affordable and accessible goods and services help maintain seniors in their own homes. The availability of a major supermarket and a discount department store in Chanhassen would support an improved.quality of life for those Chanhassen residents who are not able to shop outside of the community. The City is encouraged to develop these types of retail operations within Chanhassen. ' VI. SERVICE NEED: SOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS The term "seniors" is somewhat misleading, as it appears to connote that all older adults are alike in their needs and wants. Within the older adult group are many subgroups. Older adults range in age from 55 to 105, a span of 50 years. While most people would never assume that the needs and desires of people age 5 to 55 ' are similar, they do assume that the needs of older adults are similar. Nowhere is this more apparent than when exploring the social and recreational ' preferences of mature adults. While the persons who are age 55-74 are more likely to name outdoor activities, trips, sports and fitness events as preferred recreation, those that are over age 75 are more likely to list dinners, card playing ' and other social gatherings as preferred activities. 1 13 I J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 I 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 111 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. 1 14 1 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT ' SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 ' RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. The City of Chanhassen should employ a skilled staff person who could initiate programs to serve the senior adults of Chanhassen. A part of this staff person's responsibility should be the recruitment and coordination of volunteer efforts within the Chanhassen community. ' 2._ The City staff person should initiate cooperative programming.with other government and private organizations who are dedicated to offering social ' and recreational opportunities to mature adults. This could include Carver County, the Southshores Senior Center located in, Excelsior and the Chaska Focal Senior Center located in Auburn Manor. Some of these activities ' should be inter-generational in nature. 3. Senior Club activities should be supported by the City. Although the current Senior Club in Chanhassen offers a limited program, i.e. cardplaying, which ' is attractive to a limited number of seniors, it meets important socialization needs of the older senior group. Other clubs and groups should be initiated and supported as well. This means that some alternative space options are ' needed if senior recreational and social activities are to be enlarged to better serve a variety of needs. The City should help these Clubs locate alternative space and support recruitment and organizational activities. VII. THE NEED FOR A SENIOR CENTER ' Many communities have found that the number and variety of services offered to their senior residents has created a need for a dedicated space in which to house ' the services. Congregate dining, as an example, requires kitchen and dining facilities. Crafts and fitness activities require special equipment and storage space. Information and referral services require staff and computer support. Transportation planning and coordination requires staff and office space. In addition to the need for space, programs targeting mature adults appear to benefit from sharing a common location since there is some synergy created by staff sharing ideas, referrals and cooperating on meeting common needs. There are ' also some efficiencies created by housing many programs on one site. Some communities locate these senior activities, services and programs in a free- standing building which is called a Senior Center. Others locate programs in shared space, such as the Chaska Senior Center, which is in the lower level of a Board and Care facility called Auburn Manor. Still others share space within a ' community facility such as Minnetonka, where the Senior Center is located within the new Civic Center. There are many ways to support a Senior Center within a community. 15 i J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 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 I 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 1 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: 1. The City of Chanhassen should create a Senior Center to serve as a central, 1 location for the services offered tots 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 , • 1 11 J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT • SEPTEMBER, 1990 II I In the latter case, if a Civic Center were built, the Senior Center planning and design should be developed in tandem with the Civic Center.. This would include attention to architectural design which recognizes the ' physical limitations of older adults, transportation planning with the needs of older adults kept In mind and space planning which would provide adequate facilities to support senior services and programs. I2. The present need for a Center is so great that the City should act immediately to arrange interim Center services for its residents. The I Southshores Senior Center has expressed interest in meeting Chanhassen residents' needs either through its current location or through some type of branch office. These measures, however, are only stopgap measures and at I no time should this type of arrangement be viewed as a long term arrangement. 3. The City of Chanhassen should ask the Senior Commission of Chanhassen Ito devise a governance structure for the Senior Center. This should include recommending the composition and number on a Senior Center Advisory Council. The Council should report to the Commission, which would be I advised by it. The Council should be composed of retirement age adults, continuing the laudable practice initiated by this research project of appointing mature adults to recommend services for mature adults. 1 4. The Senior Center should be centrally located offering easy access by public transportation to all the citizens of Chanhassen. It should have a ' kitchen so that activities which require food facilities could be offered. It should be modern and attractive in decor, so it would be appealing to those mature adults who are pre-retirement age. It should include expansion Ispace, as the mature adult population is expected to continue to grow. • I VIII. FUTURE NEED: SENIOR HOUSING Housing which is devoted solely to mature adults is a relatively recent I phenomenon. As the senior population across the country has continued to grow and as this population controls more discretionary income than any other age group, a variety of new services have emerged to meet the needs of an expanding I market. Senior housing is a generic term which is used to label many differing types of architectural designs and many different types of financing arrangements. In general, senior housing targets mature adults over age 55 and offers some services which are commonly needed and used by seniors on premises. 1 I - - ' 17 1 - J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT SEPTEMBER, 1990 1 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. 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 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: • I 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. 1 18 1 I J. M. RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. CHANHASSEN CITY SENIOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY REPORT - SECOND DRAFT " / SEPTEMBER, 1990 2. The City should serve as a catalyst to assure that Dffordable and accessible housing options are developed, as needed, to meet the demand for senior housing. 3. Housing options should keep in mind that seniors desire an independent life style. Thus, housing should be located close to services. shopping and ' transportation. This will need to be kept in mind as the City selects sites for development. • • I • I . - • • 19 1 r r 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I