HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_COA_07.18.2016Minutes of the
Georgetown Commission on Aging
City of Georgetown, Texas
July 18, 2016
The City of Georgetown Commission on Aging met on July 18, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the Public Safety
Facility, located at 3500 DB Wood Road, Georgetown, TX 78633.
The City of Georgetown is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you require
assistance in participating at a public meeting due to a disability, as defined under the ADA, reasonable assistance,
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four (4) days prior to the scheduled meeting date, at (512) 930-3652 or City Hall at 113 East 8'h Street for additional
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Regular Session
(This Regular session may, at any time, be recessed to convene an Executive Session for any purpose authorized by
the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code 551.)
A. Call to Order
Gene Jantzen, Chairman of the Board, called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Eight Board
members were present, with Donna Livingston absent, thus constituting a quorum. Also present
was Staff Liaison Fire Chief John Sullivan, and Staff Liaison Office Specialist Linda White.
Statutory Consent Agenda
The Statutory Consent Agenda includes non -controversial and routine items that may be acted upon with one
single vote. An item may be pulled from the Consent Agenda in order that it be discussed and acted upon
individually as part of the Regular Agenda.
B. Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes of the meeting held on June 20,
2016 — Gene Jantzen, Board Chair. Bill Dalton moved to approve the minutes from the June
20, 2016 meeting. Tiffany Enos moved to second the motion, which the Board approved
unanimously. (8-0)
Legislative Regular Agenda
The Commission will individually consider and possibly take action on any or all of the following items:
C. Report on Texas State Library grant for Community Resources Coordinator position — Eric
Lashley, Director for the City of Georgetown Library. Mr. Lashley was pleased to report the
success of the Library's grant application. The grant is awarded from the Texas State Library and
Archives Commission to fund the Family Place Libraries program. The program intends to
redesign the library environment to be welcoming and appropriate for children beginning at birth.
The program also involves outreach to nontraditional library users and connecting the parents with
resources, programs and services offered at the library and other family service agencies. In
particular, the grant funding will support a Community Resource Coordinator position to service
senior residents of Georgetown. This position is of particular interest to the Commission on Aging,
which Mr. Lashley and the Commission have discussed the various aspects of integrating
communication skills of the Community Resource Coordinator in connection of the service
agencies who serve senior residents throughout the City of Georgetown.
Commission on Aging July 18, 2016
D. Presentation and discussion Alzheimer's Texas — Amelia Frank, Education and Outreach
Specialist, Alzheimer's Texas. Ms. Frank shared that The Texas Council on Alzheimer's Disease
and Related Disorders was established in 1987 with their Mission being to serve as the state's
advocate for persons with Alzheimer's disease and those who care for them. Members are
appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House. In July 2007, the
Alzheimer's Study Group was established under the auspices of the Congressional Task Force on
Alzheimer's disease and was charged with creating a national Alzheimer's Strategic Plan to address
Alzheimer's disease in the United States. In March 2009, the group released its report which was
the fust national account of its kind, and provided core recommendations for addressing the current
and future burden of Alzheimer's disease.
In March 2009, the Texas Council on Alzheimer's Disease and the Department of State Health
Services Alzheimer's Disease Program began formal discussion around development of the first,
coordinated Texas state plan on Alzheimer's disease. A steering committee was formed and
charged with identifying the plan's priority goals, while taking into account the Alzheimer's Study
Group recommendations and unique issues facing Texas.
Five goals were identified as essential plan elements and believed to represent a comprehensive
approach to addressing Alzheimer's disease in Texas: 1) Science — Texas will support Alzheimer's
disease research; 2) Prevention and Brain Health—Texas will experience improved cognitive health
throughout the life span; 3) Disease Management — Texans with Alzheimer's disease will
experience improved quality of life through better disease management; 4) Caregiving/Caregivers
— caregivers will experience enhanced levels of support through improved access to Alzheimer's
disease/dementia care information and services; 5) Infrastructure — Texas will improve state and
local capacity to address Alzheimer's disease.
The Texas Alzheimer's Disease Partnership was formed with its first meeting held in Austin in
June 2009. The partnership is comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds from state, local
and community level organizations; academic and research institutions; for-profit and non-profit
sectors; businesses; the healthcare sector; and family members of individuals afflicted with
Alzheimer's disease.
The scope and range of this process was large enough to call for development of five committees
that would address an assigned goal and/or field of focus. Each of the five Alzheimer's Association
chapters in Texas chair and guide the actions of an assigned committee. It is hoped that this plan
will benefit Texans by guiding statewide coordinated efforts to reduce the burden of this disease
on Texas citizens and those who care for them. Some strategic efforts are coordinated at the state
level, but others can only be effectively coordinated at the local or organizational level.
Ms. Frank stated that Williamson County is second to Travis County as having the highest number
of Alzheimer's cases throughout the state. Alzheimer's Texas strives to increase community
awareness and knowledge of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Alzheimer's Texas offers
a variety of services and programs including a 24/7 helpline, education and training, care
consultations, support groups, early stage support, and community respite development. Services
are available in seventeen Central Texas counties.
Ms. Frank distributed flyers sharing information about the upcoming 71 Annual Williamson
County Walk for Alzheimer's Texas, to be held September 241 in San Gabriel Park. Georgetown
Police Captain Roland Waits is this year's Honorary Chair for the walk. She explained that there
is an Alzheimer's Texas Walk Kickoff Party on July 281 and encouraged the Commission to come
and learn about the walk. The event is a big fund raiser for Williamson County Alzheimer's Texas,
and all funds stay local to be used in Central Texas.
Commission on Aging July 18, 2016
E. Presentation and discussion regarding various options for publishing in the Texas Seniors'
Guide publication — Antoinette Griffin, co -publisher, Texas Seniors' Guide. Ms. Griffin
distributed the 17hAnnual Edition, 2016 Texas Senior's Guide. Ms. Griffin explained that she and
her husband, John, began publishing seventeen years ago. The Texas Seniors' Guide is published
once a year, in March and distributed in April, with editions published for Austin (includes Travis
and Williamson counties), Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio. Ads placed in the magazine cover
the expense of publishing the magazine. Non-profit agencies receive a 25% discount with their
advertising charges. The Texas Seniors' Guide provides informative information for the early
sixty's to mid eighty's senior citizens age group. The magazine is mailed directly to 75,000
homeowners in Travis and Williamson counties and is available on the magazine's website. An
additional 10,000 magazines are printed for distribution to health and medical offices as well as a
variety of service agencies throughout the counties.
Chairman Jantzen encouraged all Commission members to become familiar with the magazine and
be proactive in sharing the information provided in the magazine. Tiffany Enos and Valerie
Nicholson, communication initiative, will routinely be in contact with the magazine's publishers to
discuss how the Commission can best communicate with each other as well as sharing the
information provided within the magazine with the agencies the Commission comes in contact
with.
F. Status report from each of the Priority Initiatives: Communication, Transportation, Dental
Care, Affordable Housing, Mental Health — Board members.
Dental: Bill Dalton and Patricia Strickland provided data indicating that maintaining good oral
health as an older adult is a challenge because so many are unable to afford dental care and
Medicare does not include dental coverage. Mr. Dalton and Ms. Strickland have researched and
developed a 10 -point plan, named "Georgetown Smiles" to enable those senior residents with no
dental benefits to receive dental care. The 10 -Point Plan of "Georgetown Smiles" consists of:
➢ Confer with Dr. Denise Armstrong, Chief Dental Officer, Lone Star Circle of Care, that
excess dental examination chairs are available for use, and that she will provide oversight
and supervision for a public/private program called "Georgetown Smiles", and
➢ Request that our state senators, Charles Schwertner, M.D. and Dr. Marsha Farney, support
this program by introducing into state legislation a ruling that any retired dentist in good
standing, with a state license from any state or territory of the United States, may volunteer
their services to provide dental care, through a recognized and licensed charitable
organization, providing free or financially assisted dental care, without having to be
licensed and registered in the state of Texas, providing a dentist licensed by the State of
Texas is providing oversight and supervision while the retired dentist is performing
volunteered services, and
➢ Request that the City of Georgetown provide development grant money in a sum equal to
any public/private funding commitments granted or donated to "Georgetown Smiles" up
to an amount not to exceed $10,000.00, and
➢ Request that the St. David's Foundation through either Healthy Smiles, Healthy Aging, or
Opportunity Grants, will provide additional financial support to "Georgetown Smiles" up
to an amount not to exceed $50,000.00, and
➢ Request that St. David's Dental Foundation will assist "Georgetown Smiles" by conducting
clinics or other services as deemed necessary, and
➢ Request that the Texas Mission of Mercy will provide a "Georgetown Smiles" mobile
dental clinic at least twice annually to be located at The Caring Place annex located at 2001
Railroad Avenue, Georgetown, TX 788627, and
➢ Request that The Caring Place will provide screening and administrative record keeping as
needed for all clients receiving assistance under "Georgetown Smiles" as necessary, and
Commission on Aging July 18, 2016
➢ Request that Faith in Action Georgetown will provide weekly transportation services to the
Lone Star Circle of Care Dental and Dentures Laboratory located in Bastrop, TX, and
➢ Request that the faith based organizations supporting Faith in Action will provide vans and
volunteer drivers to transport the clients of "Georgetown Smiles" to Lone Star Circle of
Care, Bastrop, TX, as needed.
In order to be eligible to receive the services listed above, a client must meet the following
requirements:
✓ Lack adequate income to pay for dental care, and
✓ Must be 60 years or age or older, and
✓ Qualify as medically fragile, or
✓ Is permanently disabled
Mr. Dalton and Ms. Strickland will keep the Commission informed each month as to the progress
of the "Georgetown Smiles".
Transaortation: Ginny Hahn reported that Sun City was conducting a Volunteer Workshop on
Tuesday, September 27"'. Ms. Hahn is hopeful that during the workshop volunteers will register to
be drivers for Faith in Action.
Mental Health: Gene Jantzen shared that he is coordinating a speaker for the August meeting.
G. Discussion of future agendas and priorities — Gene Jantzen, Board Chair. Gene Jantzen is
coordinating a speaker for August. Fire Chief Sullivan will present a quarterly report of data
pertaining to pre -hospital medical services and needs within the Georgetown community.
Adjournment
The next Board meeting will be Monday, August 15, 2016, at 6:00 p.m., at the Public Safety Facility, 3500
DB Wood Road, Georgetown, Texas.
The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m, on a motion by Dan Bonner, seconded by Bill Dalton, which the
Board approve unanimously. (8-0)
Gene J', en, Chairman Patricia Strickland, Secretary
Georgetown Commission on Aging Georgetown Commission on Aging
Commission on Aging July 18, 2016
