Council on Aging, May 5, 2016
HOLDEN COUNCIL ON AGING
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Conference Room – Senior Center
Present: Susan Sullivan, Faye Ellis, Wayne Howard, Eric Johansen, Maureen Locke,
Peter Lukes, Louise Charbonneau, Maureen Buffone.
Non-Members: Rita Brennan Olson.
The Meeting was called to order by Sue Sullivan at 8:00 a.m.
F.H.C.O.A. REPORT
Faye reported the account balances as follows:
Commerce Bank $13,928.33
Leominster Credit Union (furnishings acct.) $2,542.29
Leominster Credit Union C.D. $24,061.45
LCU Trip Account $4,949.04
The Friends’ plans are pretty well done for their 35th anniversary celebration which will be held on May 15th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. A brief history of the H.C.O.A. and the Friends’ group will be given, followed by Chuck Skillings’ slide show presentation of Holden’s history. They will also showcase the senior center with information on the different things that go on at the center. Amanda from the Landmark will be doing a story. Lois Johansen was able to obtain a donation of 200 cans of beverages.
The Friends decided at their last meeting to offer the veterans free coffee when they come to the Morning Glory Café. The café is on a roll and people come and stay and socialize. They have deposited $1,674.00 to date. Paula Grady will be contacting the high school to see if they can recruit volunteers for the summer. Otherwise, they will have to rely on the staff.
There was discussion at the April Friends’ meeting on setting up a budget. It was decided that Helen knows what we have, she submits a report every month, and it will be kept as is.
The records that were found in the Friends’ cabinet are sketchy, as there are gaps in time. They are working on trying to fill in the blanks.
The dates for the fall meetings have been changed from the first Monday of the month to September 12, 2016, October 17, 2016 and November 14, 2016. The Friends Fair will be held on November 5th.
The senior prom was held on April 28th at the high school. The Friends usually help out by paying one-half of that bill.
Sue Sullivan said that she spoke to Rick Mansfield about attending the 35th anniversary celebration on May 15th to give some of the history of the H.C.O.A. Wayne Howard agreed to be a back up to read the H.C.O.A. history, if Rick is not available. Eric Johansen will also be here that day as part of the town’s 275th anniversary committee.
HELP AT H.O.M.E. REPORT - Jim Robinson
No representation. No report.
BOARD OF ELDER SERVICES REPORT - Richard Mansfield
No representation. No report.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT - Louise Charbonneau
MAY PROGRAMS
Monday, May 2 … 11:00 … Cinco de Mayo Concert
Wednesday, May 4 … 1:00 … Elder Law Update
Friday, May 6 … 10:30 … Veterans’ Meeting
Monday, May 9 … Town Election. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 11 … 1:00 … The Haverston Mills Town Meeting” This charming one-act play, is a ridiculous story about a town meeting gone hilariously wrong! The citizens of Haverston Mills may range from sensible to eccentric to downright zany, but they are invariably fun to watch. And now the town faces an important decision and everyone has an opinion! If only the town Moderator can keep it together! Steve Henderson’s comedies are not only laugh riot comical, they are inspiring. This show is fully supported by a generous grant from the Holden Cultural Council. We sincerely thank them.
Sunday, May 15 … 2:00-4:00 … Friends of HCOA 35th Anniversary Celebration … This event is being held to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Friends organization in conjunction with the Town of Holden’s 275th anniversary. Chuck Skillings will present a slide show of Holden’s history. Long time Holden residents will be present for reminiscing and discussions. Also, the various and numerous activities that take place at the center will be showcased. We hope you can join us for this event. Refreshments will be served.
Monday, May 16 … 10:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon … Free Legal Clinic with Attorney Arthur Bergeron of Mirick O’Connell.
Monday, May 16 … 7:00 … Annual Town Meeting at WRHS.
Wednesday, May 18 … 1:00 … Concert and Ice Cream Social … We are pleased to welcome local favorite Rusty Guertin, soloist and guitar player. He will entertain us with popular songs and old favorites. The concert is free and open to all and will be followed by an ice cream social.
Thursday, May 19 … 10:00 … Book Discussion Group This month the Book Discussion Group will be talking about the book The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris.
Friday, May 20 …1:00 … Fun Day Join us for some outdoor fun! Come and return to your childhood days. Paint the parking lot with chalk drawings, blow bubbles, play ball and other games and have fun - fun - fun! We will have horseshoes and croquet too!!
Wednesday, May 25 … 1:00-3:00 … Fun and Relaxation with Adult Coloring … We invite you to join us for an afternoon of fun and relaxation as we join together for an adult coloring session. This is a great way to just take some time out of our busy schedules and relax and be a little creative. Cost for this delightful afternoon is $2.00/person. All materials are provided.
NEWS FROM REPRESENTATIVE FERGUSON
Louise met with Representative Ferguson on Tuesday. They discussed several topics, but the most important was the budget information she shared. When the budget left the House it had:
- The Councils on Aging represent one of the most significant increases within Fiscal Year 2017’s budget that will positively impact older adults and our cities and towns. The formula grant increased from $9 to $10 per senior, funding the Councils on Aging at $14,650,000 (FY16 $13,650,000).
- The Senior Nutrition Program is now funded at $7,256,375. This program provides seniors with congregate dining, meeting one-third of their nutritional needs for the day, as well as socialization. For seniors who are home and isolated, programs like “Meals on Wheels” may provide the only hot meal of the day, and the person who delivers that meal may perhaps be the senior’s only human contact that day.
3. Healthcare, including access, setting and quality of services and prescription costs are major influences on a senior’s quality of life.
a. The Elder Home Care program, within three line items, provides care and services to seniors in their homes and community, allowing seniors to age in place. These services include homemaking, personal care, medical assistance and other individualized services through the Aging Services Access Points. The Elder Home Care program is now funded at $209,626,454.
b. This year’s budget also provides $18,521,922 for the Prescription Advantage program. This drug insurance program allows many of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable and frail seniors to receive their needed medications when overwhelmed by costs and the Medicare “donut hole.”
4. This budget allocates $7,728,275, in two line items, for supportive senior housing and congregate senior housing. Current use of resources and community conversations will continue to focus our planning in this area.
5. Finally, protective services are now funded at $28,048,120 (FY16 $23,123,239). Elder abuse includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect by a caregiver, self-neglect and financial exploitation. The goal of protective services is to remedy or alleviate the abusive situation and to prevent the reoccurrence of abuse. This increase in funding allows for additional support in protecting older adults from these hardships.
VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION
This year we offered a brunch catered by Toupin’s Catering. It received rave reviews from the attendees with many requests to repeat brunch next year. This year’s special awards went to:
Outstanding Nutrition Site Volunteer: Lindsay Smith
Barbara Cushman Award: Patricia Vairo
Outstanding Volunteer: Miriam Gallant; Nancy Owens; Betty Regele
Unsung Hero Award: Sue Donaldson
Lifetime Achievement Award: Helen Wisner
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
The new dishwasher is here, installed and used every week during the Café. The new stove has been ordered and is ready to be delivered. We are currently waiting to engage a plumber to be here to hook the gas up appropriately.
NUMBERS FROM APRIL
A Visit to the Canyonlands – 41
Silver Moon Gypsies – 42
Volunteer Recognition – 58
AARP Tax Help – 87 (February-April)
OLD BUSINESS
The needs assessment has been deferred until next fiscal year. It will be revisited again in September.
NEW BUSINESS
Sue asked about the senior center sign on Main Street. Eric reported that his son has been in contact with Roy Fraser, and an Eagle Scout project is in the works to repair and possibly relocate the sign.
CITIZENS ADDRESS
Rita thanked Faye for her efficiency and her work on the 35th anniversary committee. She also said she is looking forward to the needs assessment.
ADJOURNMENT
It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:34 a.m.
Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, June 2, 2016 at 8:00 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Buffone