Agenda 04-07-2026; 8-a - Minutes for March 5, 2026, March 10, 2026, and March 17, 2026

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3 1 Chair Hamilton said that the Board will meet with the City of Mebane on March 19. 2 Commissioner McKee thanked the Planning Board for their work and said he reads their 3 meeting minutes closely. 4 Vice-Chair Fowler also expressed her appreciation to the Planning Board. 5 Tracy Holsinger of the Advisory Board on Aging, with Vice Chair Joanne Wilson, praised 6 the Department of Aging's accomplishments under Janice Tyler's leadership. She said the 7 department improved elder care and now leads statewide efforts in aging plans. She said key 8 achievements include the respite program for dementia caregivers in its second year, the "Aging 9 Well Together" broadcast hitting 100 episodes, and "Sibling Out on the Edge" for older LGBTQ 10 adults. She said the advisory board seeks to enhance access to care and social safety net 11 services. She said they would like to provide enhanced programming for those aged 55-64 facing 12 increased work requirements, and financial aid for taxes, Medicare, and healthy aging initiatives 13 Commissioner Greene thanked the board for their work and said that systems like 14 Medicare enrollment are deliberately complex. 15 Tracey Holsinger said program volunteers offer Medicare expertise assistance. 16 Joanne Wilson noted the wide range of programming at the Senior Center for helping older 17 adults. 18 Commissioner McKee agreed and commented that all the programming and offerings 19 described apply to him. 20 Vice-Chair Fowler said that they also support the senior games and she recently signed 21 up. 22 Commissioner Bedford said her family has also benefitted from the Senior Center's 23 programming, including the Medicare class. 24 Chair Hamilton thanked the board for their work and said that the department works 25 together to serve everyone. 26 Jackie Podger and Shade Little of the Adult Care Home & Nursing Home Community 27 Advisory Committee presented the committee's workplan. Jackie Podger said that the training 28 requirements have increased and described the extensive process members must go through 29 before they can be appointed to the committee. She said they have a very active group of ten 30 members. She said they have been working with a new ombudsman. She said they want to 31 continue the relationships with administrators, activity directors, and resident council members. 32 She said they continue to stress the importance of activities and socialization. She said that the 33 new ombudsman has helped the committee improve relationships with one facility and they are 34 working with a second facility that plans to open six ventilator beds. 35 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked for clarification of the ventilator beds. 36 Jackie Podger said a nursing home in the county is planning to offer ventilator beds due 37 to low occupancy, but it requires changes to infrastructure as well as staffing and nursing 38 standards. 39 Commissioner Carter said she'd like to hear a follow-up report on the committee's 40 engagement with facilities. 41 Shade Little said the quality of the facilities in Orange County are very good. He asked 42 the Board to let the community know, because they would like more engagement with facilities. 43 Chair Hamilton asked about the impacts of staffing shortages on facilities. 44 Jackie Podger said that facilities with low staff and restricted budgets are unable to call 45 other agencies for help, so they are doing the best they can. She said that in those situations 46 residents wait for services they need. 47 Shade Little said that despite the challenges, many of the staff they meet still have positive 48 attitudes. He described how hard the staff work under difficult conditions and low pay. 49 Tony Whitaker of the Board of Health described the board's monthly meetings and 50 activities. He said they assist with accreditation for the Health Department. He said their activities 51 center around three focus areas from their strategic plan, which comes from the Community