To deliver, fund, and advocate for services that promote well-being,

independence, and dignity for older adults, people with disabilities, family

caregivers, and veterans in Boulder County

BOULDER COUNTY AREA AGENCY ON AGING ADVISORY COUNCIL (AAC)

Indian Peaks Golf Course – Club House (2300 Indian Peaks Trail, Lafayette, CO 80026)

April 5, 2019, 9 a.m. – Noon

8:45 Gather, Coffee, Visiting 9:00 Welcome – Dale Porter, Co-Chair Comments from the Chair – Dale Porter, Co-Chair

Public Comments and Correspondence Additions to the Agenda

Approve March 2019 Minutes 9:15 Meeting Expectations and Etiquette 9:25 Getting to Know You Exercise 10:15 Advocacy – Your Role & Opportunities 10:45 BREAK 11:00 Subcommittee Exercise – Goals & Objectives 12:00 Adjourn AAC

Next meeting of AAC: Friday, May 3, 2019

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Location: Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room (1325 Pearl St, 3rd Floor)

Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request for persons with disabilities. Please contact Julia Yager, ADA Coordinator or the Human Resources Division, at 303-441-3525 at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled event.

AAC members = 22 Quorum = 12

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To deliver, fund, and advocate for services that promote well-being, independence, and dignity

for older adults, people with disabilities, family caregivers, and veterans in Boulder County

BOULDER COUNTY AREA AGENCY ON AGING ADVISORY COUNCIL

(AAC)

MINUTES: April 5, 2019

Indian Peaks Golf Course - Club House, Lafayette, CO

AAC Members Present: Patricia Feeser, Tom Genovese, Kellie Hudson, Michele Hurliman,

Mary Jo Manydeeds, Jessica O’Leary, Dale Porter, Patrick Egan, Pamela Christensen, Chuck

Stout, Sara Berry, Kristin Durso, Andrew Lattanzi, Dena Boutwell, Judy Mares-Dixon,

Carren Williams, Rebecca Paskind, Stephanie Dunn

Staff Present: Carol Cross, Lindsay Parsons, Ali Hasert, Christine Vogel

Excused: Judith Brush, Jeff Foster, Bill Marine, Dave Pinkow

Guests: Chris DiRosa, Juli Mackenzie

Welcome and Comments from the Chair – Dale Porter, Co-Chair:

Dale announced that subcommittees will be identified by the next AAC meeting on May 3rd.

He shared a data report by The New York Times which shows American economic

productivity has fallen with an average of half a percent every year for 15 years due directly

to an aging workforce. Dale proposes that productive life stops around the age of 55 and he

would like our society to consider renewing and improving the skills of aging people before

they retire from the workforce. He closed his comments by proposing a class titled “How to

be a successful older adult” which would include estate planning, housing choices,

transportation and health concerns to put seniors on a more sustainable lifepath.

Public Comments and Correspondence – Juli Mackenzie:

Juli Mackenzie, Lafayette Senior Services Supervisor, announced upcoming events in

Lafayette - Brochure Breakfast, Dementia Friendly Event, and a Senior Health and Fitness

Day.

Additions to the Agenda: None

AAC members = 18

Quorum = 10

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Approve March 2019 Minutes: Moved by Patricia Feeser, seconded by Chuck Stout, and

approved as submitted.

Meeting Expectations and Etiquette – Lindsay Parsons:

• Cell Phone Etiquette:

Cell Phones must be turned off or on vibrate. If you need to take a call, please do so outside.

• Absences:

If you know that you will be absent, send Lindsay an email or call her and inform her of your

absence. Alternates are not able to vote or participate in the AAC meeting. If you ever need

to resign, let Lindsay know.

• Sign-in Sheet and Hours:

Use the sign-in sheet and report your hours outside of this meeting that have been spent on

committee work, preparation, and travel time.

• Meeting Location:

The meeting location will change every month. There will be no meeting in July and

November. The Age Well Conference is in November and everyone gets one complimentary

ticket. Dena mentioned that she may be able to arrange a big enough vehicle for group

transportation after receiving the date and time from Lindsay.

Getting to Know You Exercise:

Lindsay assigned buddies for this exercise. Everyone was given 10 minutes to get to know

their buddy and were then given 2 minutes to present fun facts about their buddy to the

group.

Buddy List and Fun Facts:

• Kellie Hudson & Sara Beery:

o Connected over their travel experiences.

o Sara does a lot of work with the Longmont Senior Center and she did a cruise

with them around the tip of South America. If Sara could be any animal, she

would be a river otter because likes how playful and sleek they are, and she

had a book about them years ago.

o Kellie has recently gone on a family vacation to South America where her and

her daughter hiked the Inca Trail. She is a task master and good cook. If Kellie

could be any animal, she would be a mama bear.

• Tom Genovese & Chuck Stout:

o Connected over some of their favorite memories and similar past volunteering

for the Peace Corps. They volunteered at the same location, just 6 years apart.

They both still enjoy getting together with Peace Corps friends from time to

time. Tom and Chuck also connected over their experience with end of life

care and hospice work as they have both been caregivers for one of their

family members.

o Tom has previously worked for Disney at a corporate level in Florida.

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o Chuck has been in Colorado since 1973. He went to graduate school in Hawaii

for Public Health.

• Patrick Egan, Pam Christensen & Jessica O’Leary:

o Pam is originally from South Africa and has been a caregiver for someone in

her own family. If she could be any animal, she would be a mix of a golden

retriever and a thoroughbred because they are loyal but not completely tamed.

o Jessica began her career as an art therapist in a nursing home. She has a

master’s degree in gerontology. If she could choose to do anything for a day,

she would spend the day snowboarding up in Whistler.

o Patrick is a CU alumni and has a background in technology. He currently

works on bringing technology into the home to further assist caregiver efforts.

• Stephanie Dunn, Becky Paskind & Mary Jo Manydeeds:

o Becky is originally from New Mexico. She has a PhD in social worker and

currently works in a private practice for older adults and volunteers with True

Hospice. If she could be any animal, she would be a horse. If she could choose

to do anything for a day, she would ride horses in the mountains with her

husband.

o Mary Jo is a clinical social worker from Idaho. She is currently participating in

an aging study at CU where she gets paid to sit in hot tub for an hour so that

researchers can study the impact of moist heat on cardio vascular health. If she

could choose to do anything for a day, she would do a difficult hike.

o Stephanie is originally from Chicago. She has a master’s degree in physical

therapy and specializes in older patients at Longs Peak Hospital. She has two

kids and if she could choose to do anything for a day, she would hike all day

and spend the evening at a brew pub.

• Dena Boutwell & Carren Williams:

o Connected over their shared hobby of gardening and their relatives that live in

Minnesota and Lafayette.

o Dena is originally from Minnesota with family that lives in Lafayette. Dena

has recently started gardening.

o Carren has a 400sq foot garden and has worms in her basement from South

Africa that are used for composting.

• Dale Porter & Judy Mares-Dixon:

o Connected over their past when Judy met Dale’s wife during a project years

ago.

o Dale’s favorite memory was taking his whole family to Mexico a few years

back. His favorite book is “The Newcomers”. If he could be any animal, he

would be a cattle dog. If he could choose to do anything for a day, he would

hike the divide like he did on his 65th birthday.

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o Judy has relatives from Mexico. If she could be any animal, she would be a

horse because she loves large animals. Her favorite book is “Gone with the

Wind”. If she could choose to do anything for a day, she would bike with her

husband and workout.

• Kris Durso & Michele Hurliman:

o Kris works in Boulder County’s Housing & Human Services Department as a

resource for those living in the affordable housing units. If she could do

choose to do anything for a day, she would spend the day biking, hiking,

camping or doing anything outdoors.

o Michele lives in Nederland and enjoys the peace and quiet of living in the

mountains. Her mother trained horses in dressage and her grandfather did

rodeo acts. Some of her favorite memories are from going to those events with

her grandfather and mother.

• Andy Lattanzi & Patricia Feeser:

o Andy grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Colorado in 1974. Andy

volunteers as a Victim’s Advocate. One of his favorite things to do is to

participate in a world fair discussion group on Tuesday mornings.

o Pat grew up in Boulder, moved away for 30 years but then came back. She has

2 kids and 2 degrees. She has a lot of experience with public service and was

the director of a senior center in New York for 10 years and a communications

director for the office of aging in Albany.

Advocacy – Your Role & Opportunities – Christine Vogel & Lindsay Parsons:

Christine spoke about the purpose of the AAC and how the AAC assists BCAAA. She

described the fine line between advocacy as a AAC member and advocacy/lobbying as a

private resident.

Lindsay mentioned that everyone is invited to the Volunteer Luncheon on April 11th at the

Chautauqua Community House. She also spoke about the upcoming event, Boulder County

Older Adult Day at the Capitol (BCOADC). This event will be held at the Capitol in Denver

and will consist of a tour of the Capitol and a meeting with Senator Foote and Representative

Singer. The AAC will bring a message to this meeting. Lindsay will follow up with more

details via email.

Lindsay and Christine shared some pictures and information about their recent trip to

Washington DC.

Questions and Comments:

Q: What kinds of hours do we track?

A: You should track your subcommittee hours – hours that you prepare, get together, travel,

etc. Also track hours for next week’s Volunteer Luncheon.

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Q: Can we track and write the hours spent on other boards?

A: Yes. The purpose of tracking hours is to give the county a better idea of how many

volunteers hours are spent each year.

Q: Do we need to submit a public notice when subcommittee’s meet?

A: Lindsay doesn’t believe that a public notice is necessary but will find the concrete answer

and communicate that to the AAC.

Comment 1: Andy wants to do a presentation to the Niwot Association and needs Lindsay’s

help with collecting data regarding demographics.

Response: Lindsay will touch base with Andy to help him get the information he needs.

Christine mentioned that connecting data to advocacy can be much more powerful and that

Lindsay is happy to provide data to members when needed. Just ask Lindsay either in-person,

over the phone or by email.

Comment 2: Carren expressed interest in going over elder finance education.

Response: There are helpful workshops available at the Longmont Senior Center. Christine

with follow up with Carren about the resources on this subject.

Comment 3: Andy spoke about his frustration with the senior citizen discount on property

taxes and how you must live in the resident for 10 years to receive the discount.

Response: Lindsay mentioned that there is a house and senate bill that would change this

issue.

Subcommittee Exercise – Goals & Objectives:

Purpose: Create goals & objectives for 6 common topics to establish subcommittees. The 6

topics were Aging in Place, Support for Caregivers, Health, Transportation, Technology and

Communication.

Lindsay will follow up with the council after compiling the information collected from the

group exercise for further discussion.

**Lindsay will send minutes for this exercise.

Action: Establish the AAC’s main objectives to present to the Commissioner’s in our next

meeting.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 12:00pm.

Submitted by Ali Hasert

Next meeting of AAC:

Friday, May 3, 2019

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Location: Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

Aging Advisory Council

CELL PHONE

ETIQUETTE

Please either turn off your cell

phone or put it on vibrate.

We understand that you may

be expecting an important

phone call during these

meetings. Please take your

cell phone out of the meeting

space if you need to take or

place a phone call.

Absences

Members having 3 consecutive unexcused absences from regularly scheduled

meetings or a total 4 unexcused absences from regular meetings during a

twelve-month period may have their membership on the AAC terminated. Failure to

attend a meeting may be excused and not counted against the unexcused absences

noted in this paragraph if the member notifies one of the co-chairs or a BCAAA staff

member in advance of the meeting to be missed. Alternates for regular members at

AAC meetings are not permitted.

Signing In and Hours

■ Please use the member sign-in sheet.

■ Place a check next to your name to show you were present at

the meeting.

■ Other than attending this meeting, please record the number

of hours you spent on AAC-related activities in the prior month.

– Committee work

– Preparation

– Travel time

Meeting Locations

■ Transportation

ADVOCACYYour Role and Opportunities

PURPOSE

The purpose of the AAC is to advise

the Board of County Commissioners

(BOCC) and Boulder County Area

Agency on Aging (BCAAA) and to

recommend actions that promote

opportunities for older adults to age

in their homes in the community

and further the goals established in

the countywide strategic plan for

aging services and contribute to the

countywide human services

strategic vision.

In order to carry out its purposes, the AAC shall assist BCAAA in the following ways:

3) Review and comment on community policies, programs,

and actions affecting older adults and caregivers; conduct public hearings; represent the interests of older adults and caregivers; and encourage

social and civic engagement.

7) Advocate for, and educate the community about the

strengths and needs of older adults and caregivers.

Private Resident

Much like a public employee, you

are more than welcome to

advocate or lobby for the purpose

of influencing legislators to favor

or oppose legislation.

Advocacy as an AAC

Member

There is a fine line between what advocacy as an AAC member and advocacy/lobbying as a private resident.

If you have questions about when to advocate as an AAC member, ask!

Do you want to coordinate a group to speak in front of your Council on an older adult issue? Let’s talk.

If you are interested in addressing an issue impacting older adults locally and need data, contact me!

Boulder County Older Adult Day at the Capitol (BCOADC)

Tour

Senator Foote

Representative Singer

BCAAA’s Advocacy Role

■ Vast!

■ Evolving.

■ All levels of government!

Federal Legislation

■ National Association of Area Agencies on Aging

■ Reuauthorization

■ Aging in Place

■ Social Determinants of Health

State Legislation

■ Colorado Senior Lobby

■ AARP

■ Example of bill written by Boulder County

Local Policy

■ I scan it

■ Senior Services Directors scan it

■ Boulder County scans it

■ You scan it!

AAC Objectives Activity – Prioritized List (April 2019)

Communication – available, accessible, prevention/upstream, connection Reframing/destigmatizing aging

• Connect with the community to share stories

• Connect with younger populations to share stories

• Potential partnerships (Generation Exchange?) Connect with everyone to share available resources

• Referrals to 303-441-1617 for anyone who needs assistance – single-entry point

• Ways for existing systems to ID that someone needs additional care o Senior tax exemption as trigger for other services o Buddy system for new seniors

Health – mental health, healthcare navigation, healthcare utilization, physical health, health promotion, nutrition Health navigation

• OA need a better understanding of Medicare navigation – locating providers

• Dementia support

• In-home health options – mental and physical health

• Wrap-around services for older adults accessing all health resources

Aging in Place – housing, affordability, home modification, safety, homelessness, accessibility

Expand concept of “aging in place” to “aging in community”

• In-home services o Home modification o Services at home – yard, snow/ice

• Alternatives to “aging in home” o Co-housing options o Silvernest/Golden Girls o Intergenerational options

• Address threat of homelessness in older older adults (80+) o Advocacy o Specific service (and other) needs of this population o What is the systemic cost?

• What are the strategies to address social isolation? Support for Caregivers – mental health, family workforce support, transitions in care, time off, workforce support (paid caregivers) Help caregivers navigate each state from diagnosis to hospice and after the care recipient has passed

• Navigation after caregiving ends

• Address social isolation in caregivers

• Outreach to caregivers about existing programs

• Respite – paid and unpaid options

• Local workforce supports family caregivers

• Mental health support for caregivers

AAC Objectives Activity – Prioritized List (April 2019)

o Support groups o Grief counseling

=== Technology – accessibility, education, connection, affordability Increase accessibility of technology for older adults

• Training to overcome barriers to technology o Voice controlled technology access (Alexa, Google Hub) o Smartphones o Explore funding to provide services o Transportation o Grocery and food delivery

• Education about privacy in technology o Security tips

• Messaging around addressing social isolation with technology o Connection between caregiver and care recipient with voice and video o Remote medical and health monitoring with technology

• Consider accommodation for older adults who cannot adjust to technology’s rate of change/innovation

Transportation – safe, accessible, on-demand, reliable, technology, affordable

Increase accessibility of transportation to older adults in Boulder County

• Safe driving assessments for older adults

• On-demand transportation options are necessary and not available o Need to consider ability to pay

• Technology barrier to accessing transportation o How to use tech for transportation o Education around safety concerns o Options to access transportation for non-tech savvy older adults

• Rural access to transportation