Town of Redding
Commission on Aging
Meeting Minutes
September 7, 2016
Commission Members In Attendance: Beth Wagner, Karen de Friese, Rosalind Kopfstein, Ingrid Heller, Jean Whitham, Hilda Rhodes, Lea Mintz
Others Present: Annette D’Augelli, Angelica Fontanez, Ruth Moran, Dev Patel (Intern), Julia Pemberton, Maria Jordan (MSW), Jean Rexford
Mrs. Wagner called the September 7th meeting to order at 9 am in the Town Hall conference room.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Approval of minutes from July 6, 2016
Motion: Move that the minutes of the July meeting be accepted as corrected. Whitham, Mintz. Approved. Unanimous.
Correction: A typo in Beth Wagner’s name was corrected.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Angelica submitted a written report and introduced intern Dev Patel who will be working 15 hours per week as part of his degree program at UCONN.
Food Pantry: 25 residents have accessed the food pantry and Angelica has made two deliveries. The breakdown is as follows: 14 were senior citizens, 9 non-senior families, and 2 were residents who are mobility challenged (the two deliveries).
Fuel and Electricity Assistance: Requests for fuel assistance are coming in. So far Angelica has received 5 from families who want to get their 150 gallons before the price goes up. Angelica attended the training session for the Eversource energy assistance program. Dev Patel will be assisting residents with this program.
Back to School Supply Drive: We had an excellent response to the Supply Drive. Once all the needs at JRMS and RES were filled, Angelica still had extra supplies. She called the counselor at Joel Barlow who was thrilled to receive them. She noted this was the first time the Town had shared supplies with the high school.
Home visits: Angelica has been making home visits to a special resident who is 102 years old. She’s made the connection to the Lions Club and their members will also visit this resident. The Redding Police Dept. has also made visits and helped to install smoke detectors. This individual is very independent.
Mrs. Kopfstein suggested that the Quality Living at Home program would be an excellent resource for this individual. The Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association offers the program. Maria Jordan, MSW could help with the program.
Angelica reported on two other cases that are complex and are the subject of ongoing research.
The Senior Van has been very busy through the summer mostly for medical appointments.
SENIOR CENTER PROGRAM REPORT – RUTH MORAN
Ruth reports that summer has been quiet. Some classes were canceled due to low attendance, primarily due to vacations. Mah Jong met intermittently. A Zumba Gold class began. Lisa Tenore will not be back to teach so they’re looking for someone to fill the gap between Tai Chi and Zumba Gold. Ruth hopes to start a pottery class. Coming up on September 20th, the Heritage Center will be host to the Fine Quilts and Flowers exhibit. 20 quilts will be displayed.
LUNCH
The lunch crowd is diminishing. Ruth recommends keeping a close eye on it. Ruth and Annette D’Augelli attended a conference seeking ideas. One proposal to consider would be to bring in a caterer or a provider with à la Carte offerings.
Two lunch and learn programs are scheduled for September. The first is about the Connecticut Center for Patient Safety. The second is a talk by John McLaren about Redding’s open space. Vaccination clinics are also coming up. Bethel VNA is offering two vaccination clinics. The Ridgefield VNA will do a ‘Vote and Vax’ clinic on Election Day at the Community Center. RVNA will also be holding a vaccination clinic at the Georgetown Fire Department.
OTHER
On October 5th, the Discussion Group guest will be Congressman Jim Himes.
Rosalind Kopfstein raised the subject of opiate abuse and prevention efforts for seniors.
Jean Whitham reported that on September 21st, Angelica Fontanez would be the featured speaker at the League of Women Voters wine and cheese.
The next meeting of the Commission on Aging is October 5, 2016, at 9 am, at the Redding Community Center.
ADJOURNMENT
The Chair adjourned the meeting at 10:00am
Submitted by:
Julia Pemberton, First Selectman