Aging and Disability Commission - Minutes

TOWN OF SIMSBURY

AGING AND DISABILITY COMMISSION –REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

MARCH 19, 2019

SUBJECT TO APPROVAL

The regular meeting of the Aging and Disability Commission was held at 7:05 p.m. on March 19, 2019, in the Hartford Room of The Village at McLean Care, 75 Great Pond, Simsbury.

PRESENT

Jan Beatty, Victor Bible, Lorraine Doonan, Anne Erickson, Sandee Fleet, Mike Jennings, Shannon Knall, Marvin Koff, Edward LaMontagne, Mark Orenstein, Kate Robbins, Kathleen Marschall (Senior Center Coordinator), and Susan Ray (Library)

EXCUSED

Joy Himmelfarb, Susan Krinsky, Cheryl Lauben, Diana Yeisley, Arlene Zappile, and Cheryl Cook (Board of Selectman Liaison)

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Edward J. LaMontagne, Chairman, at 7:05 p.m.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The Pledge was recited.

PUBLIC AUDIENCE

None.

GUESTS

Mary-Margaret Girgenti, Simsbury resident, noted that she attended a senior advisory committee for LiveWell, formerly the Alzheimer’s Resource Center in Plantsville, and said they are interested in supporting the inclusion and wellbeing of people as they age. She provided their contact information to Mr. LaMontagne.

ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES - Regular Meeting of February 19, 2019

The minutes were approved without correction.

BOS LIAISON REPORT

Selectwoman Cook was absent so there was no report.

SENIOR CENTER REPORT

Senior Center Director Ms. Marschall noted that the Senior Center and the Library are cosponsoring a live performance of “Gettysburg: One Woman’s War” on Sunday, March 24, from 2:30-4 pm.Beginning April 1 at 10-11 am, the Senior Center will be hosting a veteran’s coffee hour the first Monday of every month. She also noted a 6-week chronic pain management course will be starting April 3 at 1 pm at the Senior Center.Finally, she said there is a small group of people 50+ for whom English is not their first language who want to practice their conversational English; anyone interested is invited to meet from 10-11:30 on April 3 at the library.

PROGRAM REPORTS

• Spring “Souper Tuesday” Event will be held May 14.  There is approximately $490 left in the Super Tuesday account.  Lunch will be at noon and entertainment will follow in the auditorium.

• Picnic in the Park: Ms. Yeisley let the committee know via email that she will contact the church to see if the 3^rd week in July is available.
• Sensory Friendly Spring Fling will be held April 3^rd at Eno Memorial Hall from 4-6 pm. An Easter bunny will be on hand along with hands-on activities and refreshments.  A separate room will be available as a quiet option.

OLD BUSINESS

• Age Friendly Community Update: Mr. LaMontagne received a letter and certificate from AARP today stating that we are the 4^th town in CT and 339th in the US to undertake the process of becoming an Age-Friendly Community.  Mr. LaMontagne will present these documents on March 25^th at the Board of Selectmen meeting.
• Mr. Bible reported on his meeting in Greenwich with representatives from the other towns seeking the AARP age-friendly status in Connecticut (Newtown, Glastonbury, and Greenwich). Mr. Bruce Armbruster from the national AARP has volunteered to meet with the towns during the year, either in person or via video. Mr. Bible brought back AARP publications from the meeting that can be ordered for every commissioner. Mr. LaMontagne will confirm with Mr. Armbruster that we can concentrate on older populations and will create of a list of next steps.
• Spring Seminar Update: Mr. Bible noted that the committee met with Claudia Englisby to go over the program, which will focus on aging in place.  Ms. Englisby will provide an outline for the May 16^th program.
• Loan Locker: Mr. LaMontagne noted that the Loan Locker will open by July 1. Anthology, a new assisted-living facility opening July 1, will provide space for the Loan Locker on the first floor of their 200 Hopmeadow Street facility at no charge.  The Simsbury/Granby Rotary Club will sponsor the Loan Locker and provide both temporary space for equipment and start-up costs; through the international organization, they will be able to provide liability insurance. 
• Visitors Center: Mr. LaMontagne stated that the Chamber of Commerce is moving, but there is no word from Mr. Buda, Chair of the Tourism Commission, as to whether the Visitors Center will move to the new location, which is also not accessible.
• Commissioner Surveys: Mr. LaMontagne asked that commissioners who did not respond do so soon so that he can provide survey results at the April meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

• Venue Access Advisory Committee: Mr. LaMontagne received an email from the Simsbury Performing Arts Center asking for a group from the commission to assess overall access and current services at the Performing Arts Center. Ms. Knall, Mr. Jennings, and Mr. LaMontagne will comprise the group.

• News Article: none provided.
• Facebook Page: Ms. Yeisley is working on this.  The Board of Selectmen passed a policy regarding social media, and the guidelines will be followed in creating a Facebook page for the commission.
• Other:  Mr. Hampton provided a list of bills that pertain to the Aging and Disability Commission and Mr. LaMontagne asked that any comments/concerns about any of the bills should go to him, and he would see that Mr. Hampton receives them.  Ms. Knall noted two important issues that will come up this session: the Katie Beckett waiver and expansion of ABLE (tax-advantaged savings programs for eligible people with disabilities.)

• Other: Dr. Koff noted that the House had passed a bill to advise the General Assembly on how to arrange a system for transportation for the elderly and disabled, and an advisory committee is being formed. Representative Hampton plans to put Dr. Koff forward as a member of the committee.
• Other:  Ms. Yeisley asked Mr. LaMontagne to mention that Roosters is hosting a haircutting event co-sponsored by SEPTO on April 4^th from 3-7 pm for students with disabilities.
• Other: Ms. Robbins attended the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (HFPG) Listening Tour at the library. She noted that each of the 29 towns for which HFPG plans to give $100,000 will need to create an advisory committee to consider how funds would be used.  She noted that many of the roughly 80 attendees spoke about transportation needs in the town. She also said that there was a lot of interest in establishing regional projects.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business a request to adjourn the meeting was made. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 pm.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, April 16, 2019, 7:00 p.m., at McLean’s Hartford Room at The Village.

Submitted by,

Jan Beatty

Secretary