Seniors Council Solution Summit

Solution Summit

Content:
Background
The Problem
The Proposal
Acceptance of the Challenge
Solution Summit Agenda (March 19, 2008)
Solutions Summit Executive Summary (March 19, 2008)
Workgroups Summary

Background

is a diverse community comprised of many individuals dedicated to improving the social and economic welfare of all individuals living in the region. Numerous advisory committees, commissions, and workgroups exist to represent the needs of various constituents throughout the region, each charged with providing input regarding a specific focus group or decision-making body.

The Problem

Emerging needs in both communities and an aging society make it more important than ever for the disability and aging communities to work in partnership to insure systems of support are in place to meet the growing needs of both populations.

The efforts of experts and advocates of disabled and senior issues is a finite resource. Advocates are more effective when working in partnership to promote change on a specific topic or focus area. Fortunately, Santa Cruz County has a wealth of community expertise and dedicated individuals, as indicated by the various commissions described earlier. Unfortunately, no common forum exists for these committed individuals to establish priorities and develop strategic action plans.

The Proposal

The Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council (with support of the Seniors Council Board of Directors and staff) is convening a “Solutions Summit”. This summit will provide a forum by which committees, commissions, and other individuals can present not only the major challenges facing their constituents, but also strategize how to work in collaboration to resolve some of these challenges.

Acceptance of the Challenge

The Santa Cruz Long Term Care Commission, the Santa Cruz County Commission on Disabilities, the Capitola Eldercare Task Force; the Santa Cruz Elderly and Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee, the Santa Cruz County Seniors Commission, and the Santa Cruz County In-Home Health Services Commission have all endorsed and agreed to participate in this summit with the AAA Advisory Council.

The chair/president or other designee of each participating commission, committee, council, etc. will serve on a panel and present the mission and current work plan of their respective group. After this presentation, we will engage in a round-table type discussion identifying commonalities between the groups in order to develop some shared strategies and/or projects to further the work of the parties.

Working in unison, the chances of improving the welfare of seniors and individuals with disabilities will be far greater than working alone. The desired outcome of the day is twofold; 1) to identify common projects for all of us to work to improve; and 2) to enact local, regional, or state-wide change that improves the quality of life for seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Our mantra for the day is real communication and real solutions to address real challenges. We also want to be realistic in setting achievable goals, not theoretical ones. We would like all members of local commissions and advisory committees, as well as professional in the field of aging and disability services to join us and help us make Santa Cruz County an even better place to live than it already is.

SOLUTIONS SUMMIT

Solutions for seniors and individual with disabilities in Santa Cruz County
for more information call: 831.688.0400 x15 / RSVP call 831.688.0400 x11

Wednesday, MARCH 19, HOLY CROSS HALL, 170 HIGH STREET, SANTA CRUZ, CA

Start Time	Order	Topic
10:00	1.0	Welcome and Introduction
10:15	2.0	Panel Presentation (5 minutes each ~ 45 minutes total) In-Home Supportive Services Commission Seniors Commission Commission on Disabilities Long Term Care Commission Capitola Eldercare Task Force Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council Eldery and Disabled Transportation Advisory Committe sentatives of each Commission will introduce the role of the Commission and currents Goals & Objectives and local Priorities.
11:00	3.0	Key Topics in our Community (30 minutes
11:30	4.0	Group Brainstorming of Additional Priorities (15 minutes)
11:45	5.0	Group Exercise - Selection of Priorities (15 minutes)
12:00	6.0	Developing Solutions - Convene Breakout Groups (1 hour)
1:00	7.0	Solutions - steps to implementation
1:55	8.0	Closing Remarks.

Solutions Summit Executive Summary March 19, 2008

Seniors Council convened a Santa Cruz County Solutions Summit on March 19th, as a forum for the development of strategies to meet the growing needs of local seniors and individuals with disabilities. Participants included members of local commissions, advisory committees, service providers, consumers of service and impassioned advocates.

The summit began with a panel discussion among representatives of seven key Advisory groups and County commissions, the Long Term Care Interagency Commission, the In-Home Supportive Services Advisory Commission, the Capitola Eldercare Task Force, the Elderly and Disabled Transportation Advisory Council, and the Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council. The panel discussed the roles and charter of their commission or committee along with sharing the key issues and work plans each of them are currently undertaking.

All the participants engaged in a review and discussion of key issues facing the community. An exercise ensued to select a set of top priorities for small group strategy sessions. Areas and issues selected as top priorities for small group strategy sessions. Areas and issues selected as top priorities included:

In-Home Care
Healthy Lifestyles
Access to Medical & Dental Care
Transportation
Independent Housing
Mental Health Services
Access to Services

Each strategy group was tasked with identifying challenges, opportunities, solutions, and potential solution partners related to their topic.

The following report (attached) provides the key elements that each workgroup identified as solutions to the challenges of their topic. The sessions provide a great starting point for improving the lives of seniors and individuals with disabilities in Santa Cruz County and beyond.

Prior to departing, the summit participants took immediate action on three items; 1) opposing the elimination of rent control & Proposition 98; 2) forming an Aging in Place Action Group, and; 3) signing commitment forms indicating areas they would like to continue to work on.

The Seniors Council is providing leadership in distributing information following the summit, and in conjunction with its Advocacy Committee, promoting efforts to implement the solutions identified. Seniors Council will encourage the formation of “Action Groups,” based on the commitement forms received. Participating commissions are encouraged to take a leadership role in these activities as well.

If you’d like to get involved, contact Clay Kempf, Executive Director of the Seniors Council, at (831) 688-0400 ext. 15

The Seniors Council will be sending periodic updates about Solutions Summit follow-up activities and opportunities for advocacy, if you’d like to be included on this list, please send your name, email address and organizational affiliation (if applicable) to solutions@seniorscouncil.org

WORKGROUP SUMMARIES

IN-HOME CARE
(combined summary of two breakgroup groups)
Identified Challenges	Shortage of qualified, reliable paid caregivers, including bilingual caregivers. Shortage of caregiver support. Need for more caregiver training and education for paid and unpaid caregivers. Isolation. Lack of knowledge about resources that are available. Lack of competitive wages and attractiveness of caregiving as a career.
Proposed Solutions	Create a local certificate/education program for paid caregivers. Assess local needs for paid caregivers, evaluate existing resources. Look at other models and then design our own program for Santa Cruz County. Approach partners. Improve collaboration among agencies providing caregiver education and support (i.e., End of Life Coalition, Hospice, Caregiver Resource Center, Lifespan, Family Caregiver Support Program). Partner with Cabrillo College (including Human Services Program), local Adult Schools and high schools to promote caregiving as a vocation. Identify “naturally occurring communities” of seniors for outreach and get input from these communities about the support they need. Encourage the development of neighborhood support networks. Promote caregiving as a profession. Outreach to younger people and students about paid caregiving as a career choice (i.e. nursing, pre-med students); UCSC, Cabrillo, Adult Schools, High Schools. Advocate and lobby for increased funding for In-Home Supportive Services. Set aside low-income housing units for paid caregivers in independent living and senior housing. Develop support groups for paid caregivers. Develop more cooperation between home care agencies to find caregivers. Expand advocacy and coordination efforts.
Potential Partnerships	Cabrillo College, Adult Schools, Hospice, Caregiver Resource Center, Family Caregiver Support Program City and County officials; neighborhood associations (to encourage support for low-income housing); Schools; In-Home Supportive Services; developers, private homecare agencies

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Identified Challenges	Access to adequate nutrition – sufficient funding for meal programs, information. Access to information, knowing what is available – “one stop shop” for information (211). Need more networking among providers about who is doing what. Need more media coverage -- people don’t look for help until they need it, information needs to get out on a continuous cycle. Lack of understanding about the disease process. Lack of understanding about the importance of exercise and diet.
Proposed Solutions	Partner with media to promote all resources available Low cost health clubs memberships for seniors and those with disabilities. Break the isolation – encourage group activities. Recruit personal trainers to donate time to work with clients Network with local schools and colleges - recruit practitioners such as massage, tai chi, nutrition educators to work with seniors and the disabled. Take advantage of excellent local food sources, publicize locally grown food guide. Promote community gardens. Promote benefits of, and opportunities for, volunteerism. Promote Seniors Roundtable as an opportunity for networking.
Potential Partnerships	Health clubs, local farms, city/county parks and recreation, massage schools, media

ACCESS TO MEDICAL/DENTAL CARE
Identified Challenges	Lack of education: some people are eligible but unfamiliar with available options (can result in increased emergency room use, lack of preventive care, increase in chronic illness, etc.) People who are uninsured or underinsured. Lack of access to dental care, including in long term care facilities. Shortage of physicians, including physicians for skilled nursing care. Low Medicare reimbursement due to “rural” designation. Proposed reductions in Medi-Cal. Confusion about prescription drug benefits. High cost of medications.
Proposed Solutions	Increase sustained political and legislative pressure. Promote Capital Action Days (May 15) to meet with legislators and put a human face on the issues. Increase collaboration among groups for Action Days. Expand collaborative activities. Acknowledge the problems – increase communication and awareness among county, cities, commissions, providers, consumers and the community. Recognize outstanding local health providers. Promote incentives such as student loan forgiveness, affordable housing to increase number of physicians. Promote preventive care, nutrition, healthy lifestyles. Establish an Oral Health Collaborative providing volunteer services (Pajaro Health Trust, Dientes), expand to long term care facilities. Promote clinic at Cabrillo Dental Hygiene program as a low-cost alternative. Use tools such as “storybank” forms used by CCCIL to tell the story of who clients are and specifically what services they are at risk to lose by reduced funding and how that person will be impacted. Fund education about healthcare. Promote improved access to information including: Network of Care, media, websites, 211
Potential Partnerships	Pajaro Valley Health Trust, United Way, Community Foundations, Hospitals, California Health Foundation, California Endowment

TRANSPORTATION
Identified Challenges	People don’t know what services are available. Providing sufficient bus and paratransit service to meet the needs in the community. Support for transit-dependent people who don’t live near METRO transit options. Need more information and support for people as they transition out of driving.
Proposed Solutions	Cross network with information and referral agencies. Offer transportation guides in vehicles. Provide more bilingual materials. Create a senior database to get information out. More media, PSA’s etc. Encourage the transit district to maintain a balance between transit dependent riders and “choice” riders. Develop a list of priority destinations. Encourage planning departments to locate senior and independent living facilities near bus lines. Ask developers to provide shuttle services for residents if not near transit. Provide more options for South County senior and independent living facilities. Provide incentives for people to try public transit before they become transit-dependent, i.e. free bus passes to those 75+ if they use it only during off-peak times to familiarize people with the bus before they need it. Coordinate with DMV to provide information/bus passes to people who are at risk of losing their driver license.
Potential Partnerships	Media, Department of Motor Vehicles, Information and Referral providers, Santa Cruz METRO, Planning Departments, Housing Developers

INDEPENDENT HOUSING
Identified Challenges	Insufficient affordable housing stock. Mobile homes are a critical affordable housing option. Urgent need to organize to defeat Proposition 98, which would eliminate rent control in mobile home parks. Protect and retrofit existing properties and units of all types (i.e. single family homes, apartments, mobile homes, facilities) for seniors and the disabled. Many people don’t qualify for affordable housing programs, but also can’t afford to purchase.
Proposed Solutions	Work to defeat Proposition 98 to protect rent control in mobile home parks. Solutions Summit attendees unanimously agreed to oppose Proposition 98. Take advantage of existing funding to maintain properties. Recognize that some maintenance issues are actually public health issues (i.e. heat, clean water) and use that to bring pressure to bear on owners. Promote accessible design. Expand community awareness and options about the importance of aging in place. Form an “Aging in Place” workgroup to look at innovative models and options, i.e. co-ops, self-governed housing, intergenerational households, naturally occurring communities. Aging in Place workgroup formed at the Summit.
Potential Partnerships	Housing developers, Housing Authority, County Housing Programs, Mobile Home Commission

ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH
Identified Challenges	Seniors are not getting the mental health services they need. Mental health services are “carved out” of Medi-Cal. Mental health is often not a covered service under the medical model. Insufficient funds from Proposition 63 are being allocated to seniors. Fragmented mental health system. Need to increase speed of access to services.
Proposed Solutions	Expand outreach and information about existing services. Expand education about mental health issues to help break the stigma of asking for help. Identify community partners including: community based organizations, senior service providers Obtain public and private input about solutions. Look at more affordable models of care such as peer counseling. Legislative advocacy. Promote senior center activities.
Potential Partnerships	County Mental Health, Community Based Organizations, Senior Service Providers, private/public input, colleges

ACCESS TO **SERVICES**
Identified Challenges	Confusion about varying eligibilities for services. People don’t know about what services are available in the community. Fragmentation of information about services – frustration at calling multiple numbers. Agencies not answering phones, voice mail. Lack of technological expertise . Insufficient funding for I&A.
Proposed Solutions	More funding for I&A. More outreach is needed Television – expand use of PSAs, community television, and reports about events Newspapers and other print media Websites – ensure that websites are accessible and update Libraries One centralized number to get information – 211? Establish a disability center – “one stop shop” Ensure that services are accessible no physical barriers to service services are bilingual and bicultural Outreach to rehab facilities and staff at other agencies.
Potential Partnerships	Senior Network Services, Central Coast Center for Independent Living, Seniors Council, local televisions stations, local newspapers, library

SENIORS COUNCIL