Columbia Commission on Aging
Minutes for September 28, 2016
Attending: Cathie Rowe, Chairwoman, Lynn Buonocore, Paula Cahalan, Jill Livingston, Edith Prague.
Meeting called to order at 9:05 AM. Motion to accept the August minutes was made be Edith Prague, seconded by Paula Cahalan.
Old Business: Van schedule as follows:
Monday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM for lunch and medical appointments.
Wednesday,8:00 AM to 5:00 PM for lunch and medical appointments.
Thursday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM for shopping and banking.
Friday, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM for lunch only.
Suggested Van Donation: To be decided at next meeting after review of grant and Lebanon Senior Center Transportation Services.
(In the spring of 2017 we will decide what we want inside our van, and in November of 2017, it should be ready.)
New Business: Cathie reported on the visit to the Moodus Senior Center. She reports that it has a memorial garden and a circular walking path outside, and inside it has three stationary bikes and two treadmills. Card tables are always set up for cards and Mahjong. Multiple bookshelves with the books in alphabetical order, and there is a small computer room. Cathie will contact Margaret Schatz, Beckish Center President to see if she’d like to visit Moodus. Perhaps a committee could be formed to see what configuration could benefit our center.
Future Project Ideas:
Develop a booklet of information and resources for Senior Citizens.
Home Visits: Starting with the oldest residents on the voters list, make visits to determine their needs. Volunteers would do this and would have IDs provided by the Town. An appointment would be made prior to contact. The booklet mentioned above would be made available to them at this time.
Emergency Alerts: Without email, how do our elderly receive Town alerts? Does the Fire Department have a list of people at risk?Everbridge, a security company, provides this type of service in other towns.
Update from Route 66 Corridor Meeting:
Federal grants are still available, but requests must be submitted by January.
Dates of interest:
October 13th, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Access Community Action Agency to discuss and brainstorm challenges facing older adults. All are invited, but RSVP is required: (860) 886-0030 or
October 20th, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Shea entrance: Ribbon Cutting for Hartford Healthcare Older Adult Program. All are invited.
Next CONA meeting October 26, 2016. Meeting adjourned at 10:15 AM
Respectfully Submitted, PaulaCahalan