Senior Sector Eds and Board Reps Meeting

Senior Sector EDs and Board Reps Meeting

April 2, 2009, 9 a.m. to noon

Meeting held at Native Seniors Centre

Facilitated by ESCC

Attendees:

John Bannister - SEESA Board

Gordon Block - SEESA Board

Kimberly Buehler - SEESA ED

Barb Courtorielle - Native Seniors Centre ED

Anna Der - Seniors Assisted Transportation Society ED

Rich Gossen - ESCC staff

Sheila Hallett - ESCC ED

Janice Monfries - Westend Seniors Activity Centre ED

Emily McLeod-Native Seniors Centre Board

Anne McNabb - Mill Woods Seniors Centre Board

Barbara Olsen - Mill Woods Seniors Centre ED

Doneka Simmons - SAGE staff

Fran Matthews - Seniors Outreach Network Society ED

Alba Valderrama - City of Edmonton FCSS

Ken Wiancko - WESAC Board

1. Call to orderat 9:09 a.m. by Sheila.Introductions made and welcome provided by Barb and Emily.

1. Sector issues discussion and news

2.1 Waiver forms: Each senior centre uses its own waiver forms but most acknowledge memberships at other centres when taking registrations for programs and classes. That being the case, Kimberly suggested it would be a good idea for all centres to use the same forms.

The new forms would have to include a clause stating “at this facility and all other seniors centres”, and seniors would have to produce a copy of the form when participating in activities at other centres.

Action items: Sheila asked centres to send her a copy of their waiver forms by April 24. She will seek legal advice as a basis for crafting a common form.

A corollary discussion on the need for insurance when transporting seniors ensued. Staff members require business insurance if they transport seniors but volunteers do not need extra coverage. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has provided written confirmation. Some voluntary driving organizations, such as SATS, nonetheless top up the liability coverage of their drivers to relieve any anxieties in this regard.

2.2 Cross registration policy extended to home help services: If seniors centres accept cross registration for programs and classes, should they also do so for drop-in events? Janice noted that the drop-in fee for members is practically free so it’s difficult to recoup the cost of additional participants who haven’t paid for a membership at the host centre.

Gordon said SEESA allows non-members to drop in a specified number of times but after that they are asked to take out a membership. SEESA has a second policy for guests of members.

Guests present a problem, Janice pointed out, because at WESAC a lot of people drop in during the summer for bridge. It would upset members if these visitors played for free while they had to pay.

Outreach clients, however, don’t need to be members to access services, Barb noted. SAGE has been criticized for requiring memberships and its policy is under review. WESAC does not require seniors to be members in order to receive snow shovelling and yard maintenance assistance, Janice said, and she is confident SAGE will adopt asimilar policy.

2.3 Report on Aging in America conference: The delivery of services at American seniors centres has become more technology-related and focused on health promotion and lifelong learning opportunities, Sheila said. But centres are also on the verge of dying due to funding issues. The conference therefore sought to provide input on how centres can adapt so they don’t need to close.

A marketing guru talked about offering sleep adjustment assistance programs, giving seniors access to driving simulation machines, and welcoming retail outlets into seniors centres. If centres don’t evolve to attract younger seniors they are going to go under, he said.

Seniors centres in the U.S. are a lot more organized than Canadian centres in addressing issues such as funding, Janice said. They focus on aging as a stage, not a chronological age. Baby boomers look for documentation (facts) on why they should participate in programs. They want to know the benefits. They want to participate in mentally engaging activities, meaningful dialogue and brain fitness exercises.

Janice also accumulated information on evaluation tools. It will be made available to local centres through the ESCC. In the U.S., seniors centres receive accreditation and core services are defined. Accreditation takes one year and has been renewed every four years. Centres use evidence-based programming, with benefits backed up by research, and conduct pre- and post-program fitness measurements to document improvements.

Her favourite comment from the conference is that centres can “make things happen, watch things happen, or wonder what happened”. The conference validated the importance of seniors centres, she said. One centre quit selling memberships and asked for donations, and found that the average donation was $90/year. Alberta centres could start issuing tax receipts for donations and use them to get matching funds under the province’s Community Spirit initiative.

Examples of the use of technology included providing members with a keychain bar code tab they swipe to sign in, and issuing computer memory sticks for keeping track of measurements such as blood pressure during exercise programs.

Transportation remains a major issue in Edmonton, John pointed out. Some members can’t get to a seniors centre unless they are picked up. Centres are going to have to become community hubs and include transportation as a key aspect of their programming, Janice responded. Centres may also have to take their programs to other facilities such as community league halls. Though some older seniors don’t embrace change and technology-based innovation, centres are going to be forced to move forward because there aren’t going to be enough staff for all of the seniors in the baby boomer surge.

Edmonton senior centres are discussing ways to redesign services to promote aging in place but a lot of work still needs to be done. And funding issues are a long way from being resolved. The city’s request for aging in place funding from the province was recently turned down. Alberta Seniors and Community Supports Minister Mary Anne Jablonski will be the guest speaker at the ESCC’s annual general meeting on April 27.

2.4 Other issues: Will aging in place result in the development of communities for retired people that isolate them from contact with young people, John asked. Sheila responded by noting that the Aging in America conference included numerous sessions on forming partnerships for the delivery of services. The City of New York is leading by example (go to In Edmonton, such initiatives need to include means of getting people to programs, given that the city has grown horizontally and is so sprawled out.

The benefits of intergenerational communities have been documented and need to be reflected in planning, both at the individual and municipal level. Seniors and families often don’t think through the ramifications before they move to a new location, and more public education is needed so that individuals will consider what they want and what they need before making a housing change, Fran said. Planning and budgeting is also necessary when it comes to transportation, Sheila added. Seniors tend to think transportation should be free at their stage in life and families need to change their mindset and recognize there will be ongoing transportation costs for social and recreational participation.

The issue is exacerbated by the location of new seniors housing developments far from established communities, Kim pointed out. The result is the need for seniors to adjust to new facilities and services. Seniors centres located in established neighbourhoods are also placed at a disadvantage.

1. Process Committee update:

Sheila outlined the work of a committee, comprising representatives from seniors centres and senior-serving organizations and agencies, that has met during the past year to come up with a discussion paper on improving services in key areas. The intent is increase readiness in the sector to deal with the volume of baby boomers who will soon be reaching their senior years. The discussion paper is about to be distributed in the sector for further input.

The hard work will come in launching the necessary changes outlined in the blueprint, she noted, but the process of collaborating to develop the discussion paper has already increased trust among the participants and thereby laid the groundwork for progress.

Gordon assured meeting attendees that those involved in drawing up the discussion paper will ensure it is not allowed to sit on a shelf and gather dust. The committee members share concerns that action is needed to implement the changes, Sheila added, and at this point are looking for suggestions on the most useful means of engaging others who have not been involved in the process. They will be informed that the sector will be ready to make firm decisions once the discussion paper becomes a strategic plan, and it is therefore in their best interests to get involved.

Funders need to take a lead role in the next stage, Janice said, because many in the sector won’t be motivated to become involved unless they realize money is tied to the results. Sheila pointed out that the intent has always been that funders will sign on to the final document and fund according to its goals and action plans.

Alba updated attendees on developments in FCSS and said she will share information with the city that senior agencies identify as important. Anne requested that Sheila come to the Mill Woods centre to talk about the process committee’s work. Ken agreed seniors should be given the opportunity to attend sessions where the discussion paper is presented. If they do not take advantage of the opportunity, however, the project still needs to move forward.

Until people need help, they often don’t realize the help they will need, Sheila said, but staff in the sector realize that the way things have been working is not going to work in the future. The sector is so fragmented in the way it addresses needs that the system must be rebuilt.

Action steps: When the discussion paper is ready to take out to the sector for further input, Sheila will set up appointments to present it to seniors centres, organizations and agencies.

1. Outreach Assessment Project:

Sheila explained that as part of the discussion on the future of seniors services, outreach was identified as a starting point for more specific examination of how services can be made more responsive to needs. New Horizons funding was obtained and the intent is to determine what centres mean by outreach, what seniors identify as their core needs, and how the two can be most effectively matched. The application for funding states that the initiative will design an improved model for the delivery of core services to isolated seniors.

Participants are being sought for a steering committee to guide this effort. Anticipated steps will be getting a researcher to check on what other models have already been developed (for a look at what Calgary has done, go here, here and here), assigning a staff person to connect with seniors, working with agencies on development of the model, and sharing the work with the sector through video and other means.

Volunteering to be on the steering committee were Alba, Ken, Barbara (or an alternate), Doneka and Fran. Additional members may include a social worker with the city whom Alba will identify and a staff member at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital whom Doneka will approach. The committee will begin meeting in April.

Among the issues it will have to address are the difficulty of identifying isolated seniors because of their lack of contact with agency staff, crossing cultural and other barriers such as deafness, recognizing when seniors need to be referred elsewhere because staff expertise isn’t available at their entry point, and avoiding duplication of effort.

1. Questions/networking:

Sheila recommended the video House Calls, which is a documentary about a new standard for providing care for people in their homes. She intends to show the video at the first meeting of the outreach steering committee. The Good Samaritan Seniors Clinic in Edmonton does house calls and it will probably be presenting the results of a review of its services at the Seniors Services Conference in Edmonton in September.

Gordon updated attendees on SEESA’s renovation project, saying the intent is to throw a big party in June to celebrate completion of the project.

Sheila reminded attendees of the ESCC’s Mobilizing for Action report and suggested they consult the council’s website for this and other resources.

1. The next EDs and Board Reps meeting will be held June 22, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Seniors Assisted Transportation Society of Greater Edmonton office.