TOWN OF REDDING
COMMISSION ON AGING
MEETING MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, June 7, 2017
HERITAGE CENTER
Commission members present:
Beth Wagner – Chair, Jean Whitham, Ingrid Heller, Hilda Rhodes, Janet Metzger
Angelica Fontanez – Director of Social Services
Ruth Moran – Program Coordinator of Heritage Center
Guests: Anita Taylor, Meadow Ridge, Julia Pemberton, First Selectman and Steven Montano from Homewatch Caregivers
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m.
I. Approval of Minutes from May 2017
Motion: Minutes approved as amended; Ms. Fontanez reached out to Doug Fuchs, high school social workers and social service directors of Easton and Fairfield and not the families of the car crash. – Unanimous. Heller, Rhodes
II. Community Participation – Ms. Taylor from Meadow Ridge is working with Angelica Fontanez to reach out to consignment shops for donated clothing and items from residents who pass.
III. Senior Center Program Report – Ruth Moran
Ruth talked about the May events, which included a program at the MTL titled “What would you do?” geared towards family members on dealing with aging parents and issues they may face. Other programs in May included a tour of Regional Hospice of Western CT and participation in the town Memorial Day parade. Upcoming programs include a new class on Reiki, Travel tips for Seniors to be presented by AAA and Pastor Shannon White from Wilton Presbyterian Church, and Ryan Ventura, Director of Community Outreach of First Light Home Care discussing Ms. White’s book The Invisible Conversations with your Aging Parents.
III. Director’s Report – Angelica Fontanez
Visits to the food pantry have been steady. There were a number of oil requests, 4 of which were funded by the Brunissen Trust and 6 families needed help with Eversource. It’s expected oil requests to decline and Eversource needs to increase in the summer months. The State has increased the information needed to approve the Van Grant for the upcoming fiscal year. Ms. Fontanez was able to complete the application with the help from the highway department and funding notification from the State is expected soon. Ms. Fontanez and the Commission discussed the Brunissen Trust and how best to articulate the needs of seniors of town who could be best served by funds from the Trust. Members of the Commission and Ms. Fontanez will be pro-active to develop a list of those needs before the next Brunissen Trust quarterly meeting.
IV. Commissioner’s Report – Beth Wagner
Nominations of Chair and Vice-Chair did not occur as planned. The COA is still looking for someone to step into the Chair position upon Ms. Wagner departure from the Commission. Mrs. Heller expressed an interest to Co-Chair if someone else is willing to Co-Chair with her.
V. New Business
There was no additional business presented before the Commission; the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 am.
The next COA meeting is scheduled for July 5, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. in the Heritage Center.
Minutes prepared by Beth Wagner and Jean Whitham