Aging Board Minutes 011012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Master Aging Plan (MAP) Co-Chair Mary Fraser provided a brief progress report on the MAP and reported that the process is still on schedule. The five work groups commissioned to study Housing Options, Transportation and Navigation, Aging in Place Supports, Health and Wellness and Community Engagement are meeting and have finished 2 of the 5 meetings. The draft Plan is expected to be completed and available for review by the Steering Committee on February 29, 2012. Each of the five Capstone Team members gave a brief summary of the issues being discussed in their respective work groups. Health and Wellness Work Group (Hannah Prentice) – The work group has identified the need for better marketing of available resources to older adults as well as to the provider community. The group feels that the area is rich in health and wellness resources but their availability is poorly known. Older adults also need assistance navigating the health care system to take advantage of what they may be entitled. Aging in Place Supports Work Group (Marcia Perritt) – Information sharing was again identified as a major need. Many services and supports exist, but many older adults do not know about them nor how they can be accessed. Moderate income groups find it especially difficult to afford many available services and supports since Medicare does not cover these expenses. The creation of “villages” within the county is gaining momentum as a way of providing low-cost aging in place supports, however, these groups may need the county’s help to get organized and to sustain themselves. Finally, access to unbiased financial information and counseling is a widespread need among older adults who are nearing retirement or transitioning from independent living to long-term care. Transportation and Navigation Work Group (Phoebe Goldberg) – The work group would like a formal assessment of where sidewalks are and where they go throughout the County, as well as where public transportation routes go and don’t go. Navigation concerns include poor signage for drivers and the time allowed at crosswalks and intersections for walkers. Alternatives to public transportation are needed, especially in the rural parts of the county. Legal advice regarding liability of volunteer drivers is needed. Community Engagement and Information Access (Laura Major) – The work group has identified the need to better protect older adults from exploitation, especially scams. They have also discussed the need for creative methods of information sharing among older adults, especially those who do not have access to a computer. Older adults all across the county have limited knowledge about community engagement opportunities and how to access needed services. There are transportation gaps in helping older adults access activities. Housing Options (Rebecca Woodruff) – The Housing Options work group has first tried to tackle an understanding of what housing currently exists for older adults as a form of baseline to track changes over time as well as to identify where the housing gaps appear to be. Housing options are the narrowest for older adults in the low and moderate income levels. There are many more choices for those who are very poor and those who are wealthy. The group has decided to focus on three areas: increasing affordable owned and rented housing options, increasing access to subsidized congregate housing options (such as HUD 202 apartments, Special Assistance funded family care homes, public housing/Section 8 vouchers, tax credit apartment complexes like Carolina Spring and Eno Haven), and unsubsidized congregate housing options, such as private group homes like the Yorktown and co-housing and other intentional communities. Options to build new developments are limited by land use policies and/or by the