Aging Advisory Board Minutes 121013

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Long-term Care Work Group: Mary Fraser reported that the group recommends that the Long-term Care (LTC) Learning Collaborative continue to be the vehicle for improvements in the county’s long-term care service network. The Board’s LTC Sub-committee will meet in January to: 1) Make formal plans for the giving of the 2014 LTC Learning Collaborative Quality Service Awards in May 2014. There are currently 7 LTC organizations in contention for an award. It was recommended that the LTC Quality Service Awards will be announced at the 2014 Community Resource Fair and gaiven out by the BOCC during their May meeting (4.2.1) 2) The work group recommended that the 2015 Quality Service Awards focus on 1) Person- Centered Care at the clinical level and 2) Retention of quality direct care staff at the administrative level. Mary Fraser and Charlotte Terwilliger agreed to facilitate the development of the 2015 seminar series on these subjects and to recruit consultants to help with the implementation of new initiatives in these areas. The work group recommended that the focus for the 2016 Awards should be on end of life and palliative care (4.2.2) 3) The work group also recommended that the LTC Learning Collaborative establish a LTC Direct Care Worker Recognition Program to be implemented in the spring of 2014 (7.1.2) and that the awards be given in the following categories: a. Outstanding nurses who have worked at the organization for at least five years (to reward longevity). b. Outstanding nurses’s aides who have worked at the organization for at least five years (to reward longevity). c. Newly hired nurses who show great promise as leaders in the field. d. Newly hired nurses’ aides who show great promise as leaders in the field. It was recommended that the administrators and/or owners of local LTC organizations be invited to nominate their own employees in these categories and that the Award winners receive a monetary prize. Although only the winners will receive a monetary prize, all those nominated should be publically recognized. Transportation Work Group: Alex Castro reported that the group recommends that the two Senior Tarheel Legislators on the Board (Jeane Suddarth and Dick White) develop a strategy to include walkability and complete street regulations, similar to those enacted in West Virginia, in the Senior Tarheel Legislative Agenda (2.4.1, 6.2.2). The group suggests asking Brett Martin at the OC Planning Department to keep our county population and transportation maps up to date (2.4.6), The new Mobility Manager, Lance Hendrix, will be able to take the lead in working with the Planning Department and private transportation providers on increasing transportation options within the county (2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3). The work group recommended changing the wording of strategy 2.5.5 from advocating for a “consolidated” transportation system within the county to advocating for a “coordinated” transportation system because there does not seem to be enough political or budgetary will to consolidate these two systems at this time. The work group applauded the start-up of Project EngAGE and saw it as a way to encourage advocacy among older adults in transportation planning efforts (Objective 5.2). Housing Work Group: Cherie Rosemond reported that the work group recommends getting the Aging Advisory Board more involved in housing issues. Board members Heather Altman and Dick White volunteered to be called upon as needed for leadership. They suggested that the full Board be apprised of the progress made in