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Home My WebLink About2022-02-08 Council on Aging Minutes Department of Elder Services Kathy Shelp, Director Connecting our Community through Service, Experience and Advocacy North Andover Council on Aging North Andover Senior Center February 8, 2022 @ 9:00 A.M. Minutes Attendance Members Present: Laurence Smith {Chair}, David VanArsdale {Vice-Chair}, Quentara Costa {Interim- Secretary}, Patricia Riley, Maria Rosati {Treasurer}, Tallie Abernathy, Jennifer Abou-Ezzi, Lucius Michel, Dr. Harry Kaloustian, Heather Takesian (remote), Eileen Elliot Absent: Remo Zimbaldi Others Present: Kathy Shelp, Director of Elder Affairs; Cahla Ahlstrom, Outreach Manager & Assistant Director; Lya Morse, Program Coordinator Call to order: 9:05 AM th Minutes of January 11: Correction: last page under Grants Application, “generally senior centers are underutilized.” The January minutes were approved unanimously via roll call on a motion by Harry Kaloustian and seconded by David VanArsdale. th Minutes of January 26: The January minutes were approved unanimously via roll call on a motion by David VanArsdale and seconded by Patricia Riley. Senior Advocacy re: RMV, Dr. Harry Kaloustian: Recent experience at the RMV raised concerns about how the state agency can create serious disruption for seniors. Cars allow seniors to stay connected to the outside world and their ability to pick up food, groceries, and other necessities. Harry acknowledges that some seniors may have medical issues (impaired vision, effects of a stroke or medication) which makes it necessary for the registry to remove a senior’s license. However, Harry is focused on capable seniors.  Harry’s license is current, eye exam complete, no issues.  Received letter about responding to a hearing within 14 days, otherwise he would lose his license. What seemed to trigger the letter was his DOB and unspecified medical condition.  By the time he received the letter due to the holiday weekend and mail time, there was only 4 days left to respond.  Response was via computer, which many seniors are not skilled to complete. No one answered the phones. He had three trusted friends assist, who also ran into issues. North Andover Elder Services 120R Main Street North Andover MA 01845 978.688.9560 www.nort handoverma.gov kshelp@northandoverma.gov  Due to issues in responding, he received a follow up notice that his license was suspended followed by a call saying it’s not suspended. Heather wonders if a medical diagnosis was submitted and tied incorrectly to Harry. There is a process for this to happen that’s physician directed, potentially it was misdirected. Proposed Solutions:  Heather proposes the AAA office as a resource, they are closely tied to the RMV and can act as an advocate, but you have to be a member.  It’s also suggested that we reach out to Christina Minicucci, our MA State Representative. Dave volunteered to write her a letter or reach out directly. Kathy also recommends the whole council sign a letter drafted by Dave prior to it being submitted. Luke encourages we also address the language in the letter as it sounds threatening. Given it’s an election year, it could really go to all candidates in office.  Larry asked if this is something Cahla could work on in her role as Outreach Manager. If not for Harry, but other seniors who encounter a similar issue. Kathy feels Cahla could tackle something like this in the future.  Kathy also suggests we create something similar to the Ombudsman program that nursing homes run, where there is an unbiased advocate that can address problems as needed.  Luke asks if there is a way to outreach to others to gather similar cases? Kathy agrees that there is power in numbers, whether it’s us finding others or us reaching out as a group vs Harry individually.  “Hank Does” on channel 7. May have already pursued something similar. Make a motion to accept Harry’s recommendation to address process and procedures at RMV. Accepted by Harry and seconded by Jennifer. Unanimously, all in favor. Committee formed: Harry Kaloustian, Luke Michel, Dave VanArsdale, Heather Takesian COA Membership Process, Quentara Costa: We are still looking to fill an associate member seat. Please let Quentara know if anyone interested. Luke is also interested in stepping into a full voting seat. If anyone is interested in stepping down to an associate role please let Quentara know. We may naturally have openings come June as terms expire/renew otherwise. Separately, a membership process has been officially created and approved among all involved. A hard copy will be shared at the next in-person meeting. There are no notable changes, it’s more a matter of all being on the same page and defining our individual responsibilities and timeline. COA Bylaw Review, Dave VanArsdale: Dave has been working on better defining the COA board and Kathy’s office based on what we learned about the bylaws. Dave will be having 1-2 meetings on where our bylaws overlap and diverge with the town’s bylaws to simply create a useful, current, and transparent document. Tallie, Harry, and Jennifer will be happy to join as a second set of eyes. Larry will also sit in as needed. Senior Center Report, Kathy Shelp: They have been interviewing van drivers for 2 part-time positions. They have narrowed down options but did not get a big group of candidates, although those who applied were great. An offer to a candidate will be made soon. They also have on order a new Ford van which is on hold due to supply chain issues. They have an older van that needs significant repair and are deciding what to do in terms of spending money on having it repaired. Feb 2023 is anticipated as the open date for the new Senior Center. Next meeting, we may be able to see floor plans. Kathy would like to set up a meeting to discuss how to spend the grant money and hosting an event. It would be a working group, separate from requiring a COA committee. Vaccines: There are booster shots available, homebound seniors are being made a high priority. A notice was sent out via Meals-on-Wheels bags. Deadline to respond is today. Senior Center is also reaching out to low-vision and veterans’ groups. There may also be a clinic at the senior center. (Cahla) COVID tests: Every Meals-on-Wheels client received an at-home testing kit. Dave reviewed the town budget and didn’t notice the van driver worked into the budget, meaning it may not have been approved. Kathy is going to look into this as it wasn’t directly sent to her and it could be displayed differently than expected (ie – per diem vs van driver). Email Heads Up: If a message comes out to everyone, try to respond only to the sender vs reply to all. It can technically constitute as an unposted board meeting if the conversation keeps going under reply all. Senior Center Rebranding, presented by Lucius Michel: Discussion on tag line review and approval. We may want to do one more special meeting prior to this. Luke has posted the tagline in context with being next to “North Andover Senior Center.” We noticed in the special meeting we may not want to duplicate the word senior, etc. A successful tagline will be adaptable for future situations, appeal to a broad range of interests, and be easy to remember/repeat. About 8 taglines resulted in the meeting, examples below:  Many Voices: One Community  Making Connections, Celebrating Experience  Age and Experience in Action  Community, Service, Advocacy  Offering Friendship and Service in Changing Times  Connecting Our Community through Service, Experience, and Advocacy Members of COA voted on favorite options. Motion by Kathy to accept the NA Senior Center tagline as “Connecting Our Community through Service, Experience, and Advocacy,” accepted by Maria and seconded by Patricia. Unanimously all in favor. Adjournment at 10:16 A.M., on a motion by Harry, seconded by Jennifer and approved via roll call unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Quentara Costa, Interim-Secretary