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COMMISSION ON AGING
March 8, 2010
PRESENT: Dr. Peter Barwick, Karen Hood, Mary Keating, Neil Kraner, Incy Muir, Bruce Sullivan, Jack Vanderbilt; Staff Present: KerrryAnn Kielbasa, Director of Human Services; Sandy Yost, Program Coordinator
ABSENT: George Bronsord
APPROVAL OF MINUTES 0F 2/8/10:
The minutes of 2/8/10 were reviewed. It was noted that on the second page under Old Business, “Grievance” Committee should be changed to “Governance” Committee. It should also be noted that in Dr. Barwick’s absence, Bruce Sullivan presided over the meeting. ON A MOTION BY Jack Vanderbilt, seconded by Karen Hood, the Commission voted (7-0-0) to approve the minutes as corrected.
VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH:
Ms. Yost reported that Eleanor Messenger has been selected as Volunteer of the Month for February for her assistance with calling bingo and helping collate the newsletter.
ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE REPORT:
- Sandy Yost, Program Coordinator
- Ms. Yost reported that through a grant from DSS, she has begun attending training for a program that will be presented in the fall. The program is called “Live Well” and it is for individuals suffering with a chronic illness. The workshop will advise participants in areas such as pain management, anxiety management, how to talk to a doctor, etc. Dr. Barwick and Neil Kraner suggested participants sign a release to make it clear that medical advice is not being given. Ms. Kielbasa stated the States’ Attorney General signs off on DSS’ grants which should take care of any liability issues. She will contact the State Department of Aging for clarification on this matter.
- The St. Patrick’s Day dinner will be held next Wednesday evening. It will be catered by Kane’s Market. The Culinary Arts Department at the high school is making soda bread and entertainment will be taken care of by HealthNet.
- The VNA will give a presentation on shingles, i.e. recognizing the symptoms, prevention, etc.
- The Mind Sharpener program and the intergenerational program, Adventures in Living, will both be held again in April.
- The Art is Ageless program is continuing and a watercolors class just finished. The beading class is held twice a year and the participants continue to meet on their own even when the class isn’t in session.
- The drumming class was held during the school break and the participants were very pleased with it.
- Bruce Sullivan, Senior Club Treasurer
- Mr. Sullivan reported there are currently 28 members of the Senior Club.
- Marion Stevenson, the new President, is anxious to proceed with the recipe book. As such, Commission members were asked to bring in five recipes each.
- Mr. Sullivan also reported the Senior Club held a discussion regarding having more input into what happens at the Senior Center.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
- The budget hearing was last week. The Senior Center budget was presented and it didn’t take any cuts. At this point, the library is taking the most hits and if that doesn’t happen, the Senior Center may be next. The next step of the process is presenting the budget to the Board of Finance.
- Ms. Kielbasa stated she is presently in the process of writing grants. The CT DOT grant is due April 2nd. The NCAAA grant supports the grandparents group and outreach. She hasn’t decided yet whether or not to submit a proposal to the Granby Educational Foundation. She explained that is difficult to add programs as it only adds work onto existing staff who cannot take on much more. There was a discussion regarding the possibility of having a core group of volunteers who could be called on at different times. It was suggested that the Senior Club could possibly assist with this.
TRANSPORTATION REPORT:
- The Department of Transportation grant will go out within the next two weeks.
OLD BUSINESS
- The reports from the various reaccreditation committees were distributed for the Commission members to review.
- The Governance Committee (Bruce Sullivan, Incy Muir and Neil Kraner) distributed a memo they drafted to the Commission. The Governance Committee recommended the re-establishment of a Program Advisory Committee and that the Commission take on a more active role in supporting the Senior Center and its’ staff. The group also felt it was important to look at and develop the strategic plan. ON A MOTION by Bruce Sullivan and seconded by Jack Vanderbilt, the Commission on Aging voted (7-0-0) to accept the recommendations of the Senior Center Reaccreditation Governance Committee and to form a sub-committee to ensure the recommendations are carried out.
NEW BUSINESS
- The Governance Council Sub-Committee (Incy Muir, Karen Hood, Neil Kraner, Dr. Barwick and Bruce Sullivan) will hold their first meeting tomorrow morning (3/9/10) at 8:15 a.m. at the Senior Center.
ADJOURNMENT
ON A MOTION BY Dr. Barwick, seconded by Karen Hood, the Commission voted (7-0-0) to adjourn the meeting at 3:05 p.m.
The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 12, 2010 at 1:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Kane
Recording Secretary
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