Burlington Aging Council

CITY OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT Burlington Aging Council c/o Community & Economic Development Office City Hall, Room 32 • 149 Church Street • Burlington, VT 05401 802-865-7144 VOX • 802-865-7024 FAX • www.burlingtonvt.gov/cedo Meeting of the Burlington Aging Council Tuesday October 15th, 2024 3:00pm – 4:30pm Hybrid Meeting Sharon Bushor Room, City Hall First Floor, 149 Church Street, Burlington. This is a zoom link: Remote link: https://zoom.us/j/96065288679?pwd=aSenCY04ju5vvkEqbPUU2Ys5iKVIP7.1 Please contact mgange@burlingtonvt.gov if you have questions or concerns. Draft Agenda 1. Motion to approve agenda 10 15 24 2. Public Comment 3. Review Conversation Clr Carpenter (notes attached) 5. Burlington Parks Recs and Waterfront Senior Programming – Superintendent Rogers 4. Suggested Action Items review (Action summary attached) Final BAC DRAFTS: Draft Full Action Plan Draft Action Plan Summary 5. Presentation of plan to Administration/CDNR/City Council 6. Any other business and motion to adjourn The programs and services of the City of Burlington are accessible to people with disabilities. For accessibility information, call 865-7144. For questions about the meeting Contact Marcella Gange at mgange@burlingtonvt.gov or 802 865 7178 Meeting summary for Partial BAC and Councilor Carpenter (10/09/2024) Quick recap The council members were advised to attend relevant committee meetings to introduce Age Strong Burlington concepts and discuss overlaps with the missions of the departments, with a focus on keeping the older adult audience in mind. The importance of engaging with city commissions and departments to achieve tangible results was emphasized, with a need for communication and collaboration with city departments to address aging challenges. The challenges of staffing and funding within the city were discussed, with a proposal for a strategic approach to resource allocation. While there might be a need for a designated staff to lead work addressing the needs of older adults within the city, the BAC should keep in mind the serious resource constraints faced by the City and seek alternate solutions by working with current department staffing and identifying where actions could be achieve din collaboration with current City department work. Next steps  Brian Pine to schedule a meeting with Mayor to discuss the Aging Council's plan before presenting to City Council. Other BAC members indicated interest in attending – AV, SS, RN and KSP  Aging Council to reach out to the various City committees and commissions over the next 3-4 months to present their plan and discuss how it relates to each department's work and identify common goals/actions areas.  Brian Pine to work on crafting resolution clauses for City Council presentation, including follow-up expectations.  BP to connect with Superintendent Rogers to invite to BAC meeting and to review plan and understand crossover with BPRW CORE Adult programming. Summary Council Committee Attendance and Collaboration Strategies Clr Carpenter recommended that the council members attend relevant council committee meetings to introduce the concepts of Age Strong Burlington and discuss overlaps with the departments and send the message to Depts that they need to think of older adults when decision making and planning. She suggested inviting the BAC members to provide updates on their work to her, keeping the city council informed about their progress. Clr Carpenter also suggested that the council members should approach almost every committee, with a similar aim of raising the Age Strong Plan and highlighting needs and planning for older adults. Improving Engagement With City Commissions and Departments Clr Carpenter emphasized the importance of engaging with city commissions and departments to achieve tangible results. She suggested that the Council should seek input via survey on how they program for and reach out to older adults – for example BPRW and CORE adult programming. Brian Pine will connect with BPRW to join their Council meeting to provide more information on the core program. Discussing Older Adults in City Initiatives Members discussed the importance of considering older adults in city initiatives and the need for community input sessions. They agreed on the necessity of creating a core of people willing to advocate for older adults and the importance of maintaining an information loop with the city council. The need for a follow-up plan to ensure older adults are not forgotten was emphasized – this could be integrated with the Priority Actions sheet suggested by Glenn. Addressing City Staffing, Funding, and Resource Allocation Clr Carpenter discussed the challenges of staffing and funding within the city, emphasizing the need for a strategic approach to resource allocation. She suggested that the council could bring back milestones and activities to keep the council informed, and proposed a meeting with the mayor to discuss these issues. Kelly expressed concerns about the lack of a designated leader for addressing the needs of older adults within the city, which she believed would hinder the attraction of outside funding and coordination. Others acknowledged these concerns, but also highlighted the fiscal realities of the city and the need for departments to prioritize their own work. Suggestion to coordinate with Grant in CTO – for information on grants to support the work Attendance: Clr Carpenter, Chair Brian Pine, Staff Marcella Gange, Members: SS – BSD – KSP – RN – MD - AV Burlington Aging Council Priority Actions for Consideration: City Departments / Action / Implementation Organizations to An asset based approach… Engage Timeline Outcome Continue to elevate the contributions of older adults in Burlington; raise issues facing older adults in Burlington and the 1. The Age-Strong Burlington Plan requires a organizations that serve them; support current and address new policy recommendations to the Mayor and City Council to Accept Report from address gaps, needs, and opportunities that impact older adults in Burlington; ensure that the voices of older adults in coordinated effort, with central facilitation and BAC & initiate action City Council Oct-24 Burlington are at the forefront of City policy; and maintain and monitor the “Burlington Plan on Aging: Age Strong Burlington,” tracking. review in committees acting as a facilitator for City policy and initiatives, and to advance advocacy at the state level for adequate program resources, and targeted investments at the local level. Formalize BAC as a City commission. Re- establish BAC membership with an Develop and initiate a full implementation effort to advance the BAC action plan. Build capacity to identify and seek Provide full support for a reinvigorated Burlington Aging "implementation and City Council Fall 24 out funding from non-city sources. Indentify opportunities to coordinate existing city resources to advance the BAC Council tracking" oriented plan. Establish key indicators and track progress. membership to replace the policy focused initial membership. REIB, under a possible reorganization scenario, may be the best formal city department to house the BAC plan Designate responsibility and activities for coordination. One population whose needs are still rarely discussed as being a social justice for support and imperative are those of older adults. This is surprising given the growing number of challenges many older people facilitation of the BAC face including ageism, elder abuse, and intersectional discrimination for being both older and a member of another among key existing City marginalized population. This gap becomes even more conspicuous in light of statistics which show that people 65 Staff. Consider Mayor's Office & City and older are already the fastest growing population in the United States and in many countries around the world; Dedicated City Staff Support: encompassing the BAC Winter 24-25 Council older adults are also expected to see their numbers grow exponentially over the next several decades. Outcomes agenda (an equity and possible with a strong show of city support and dedicated staff time: Connect to and Coordinate with the State of diversity agenda) with Vermont Age Strong lead. ·Support functions to advance social connection and engagement, and optimal health the reorganization and and wellbeing across city departments and the coalition of local service organizations in Age Strong Burlington. expanded mission of the Review implementation steps that can be best integrated into existing city functions, and build partnerships with REIB office. organizations serving the city to expand and advance implementation agenda. Designate a key contact 2. Coordinate the efforts of the Aging Council and in key City Departments Ensure efficient use of city resources to advance the BAC action agenda with City Departments (Planning (data); Mayor's Office Winter 24-25 City Departments to coordinate and Library; DPW (Plan BTV); Parks and Recreation; Public Safety; Advisory Council on Accessibility. connect with the BAC. Schedule and implement Educate the community, elevating the contributions of and raising issues facing older adults in Burlington, ensuring a series of resolutions that the voices of older adults in Burlington are at the forefront of City policy. E.g., Family Caregiver Awareness aligned with BAC priority Campaign – Beginning in November 2024 (Family Caregiver Month); National Employ Older Workers Week – Mayor's Office & City * Key Proclamations and Host Special Events action areas in line with Ongoing September; & Provide a clear public resolution declaring Ageism and Ableism as public health threats, and Council state and national events committing Burlington to actively fighting agism and ablism through policy and programs, providing resources and and awareness attention needed to enable all community members to enjoy a full and fruitful life, contributing to the greater good, campaigns. and receiving support as it is needed.  Working with Planning Department City Data resources, and local partners, create baseline *Baseline data on key indicators of successful data on key indicators of Advance a more wholisted understanding of successful social connection and engagement within the 65+, health successful social social connection and engagement & Tracking Mayor's Office Ongoing and wellness outcomes, and programming and initiatives of city departments, displayed regularly on publicly connection and Progress accessible dashboard. engagement with all city departments around their programming and work and add it to the City Dashboard. City Staff working with Citizens have access to a one stop shop specific to the City of Burlington that includes a list of family caregiver the BAC will set up a resources; resources to support older workers and employers seeking to hire and retain older workers; a single *Create an Official Online City Resource Site web-based City Mayor's Office 2025 point of information access to City Programming that enhances social engagement and connection and advances Resource site that will healthy aging; resources for older adult housing and transportation information, a Dashboard indicating progress include: on the Age Strong Burlington Plan with connections to the State’s Age Strong Plan progress reports. ** Review of City Human Resource policies that affect accommodation for employees of the city who are family caregivers and report to the Burlington Aging Council with recommendations and a timeline for what modifications and enhancements can be made to flexibly meet the needs of the city and the employee. ** Increase opportunities Conduct a for Home Share programming in Burlington. ** Direct DPW and BPRW to coordinate planning efforts put in place comprehensive policy supportive physical amenities to make Burlington a year-round accessible active city providing opportunity for review and identify key activity in support of health in line with the WHO’s Active Aging Policy Framework. ** Require all new construction Mayor's Office & City 3. Advance an age-friendly city policy agenda policy development to 2025 to adhere to Universal Design Standards. ** Update PlanBTV: Burlington’s Comprehensive Plan (2019) with a Council best advance the Age focus explicitly including the growing older population. ** Require PlanBTV to incorporate a comprehensive Stron Burlington Action strategy to prioritize the needs of older adults in elements of community design. ** Build a Plan. Policy/Program/Resource Framework to address the specific needs of older adults in the event of another emergency (e.g., pandemic) and to meet the challenge of the ongoing climate emergency as it specifically impacts older adults. ** Assess the status and future need for staffing and funding of efforts needed to expand age-friendly infrastructure and design efforts across all city departments. E.g., Evaluate and provide additional funding to continue and expand the CEDO/Age Well pilot to train/develop PCAs to increase the workforce for in-home supports/Personal and Home Health Aides to increase this critical and skilled workforce in providing services in home and institutional settings; ** Recommend that City departments that make use of national service programs (e.g., AmeriCorps) will also make use of national service programs for older adults (e.g., AmeriCorps Senior). Determine if these programs can also fulfill some of the functions required to support the future work of the Aging Council. ** Provide incentives to fill the gaps with volunteer and assisted 4. Direct City Departments to Advance or Expand Mayor's Office & City ride programs. ** Expand the 50+ Programming of Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Department to 2025 Programming for Older Adults Council ensure that all older adults can access a variety of affordable opportunities for exercise within an inclusive environment. Align planning with the state’s comprehensive physical activity plan and provide evidence-based physical activity and strength training programs to promote positive health outcomes. ** Identify funding and resources to build on the success of the CORE Adult Center (run by Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Department) and engage partners to support the development of a part-time care facility in Burlington to assist older adults with higher-intensity care needs (Adult daycare) and provide respite to family caregivers. ** Expand funding for and promotion of the Housing Access Modifications program at CEDO. Support a Robust Mayor's Office & City Conduct a comprehensive Needs Assessment, with a targeted emphasis on understanding the needs of older 5. Community Outreach and Engagement Outreach and Council Charge and 2025 adults, including BIPOC and New American communities, addressing technology access, affordability, and Engagement Process support to BAC supports focused on infrastructure, capabilities, training/education, path to 6G. *** Identify funding to support the education of the BIPOC and New American advocates and associations Focus on Specific on family caregiving practices and supports. *** Develop multilingual resources for Burlington residents, and Initiatives & Identify Mayor's Office & City support training and education for service providers to better understand and support the variety of cultures of Funding to advance Council Charge and 2025 caregiving in our community. *** Work with Burlington's Employers to support a Marketing Campaign to highlight Action Plan and support to BAC older worker experiences and employer success stories and narratives. *** Work with Green Mountain Transit Outcomes (GMT) to increase usage of public transportation, with special attention to the needs of older adults.  Build out new and enhanced partnerships Mayor's Office & City · Work with GMT, DPW, and other relevant agencies on processes and funding needed to support a 6. Support New and Existing Partnerships as the strategy to Council Charge and 2025 standardized bus stop amenity plan that addresses winter maintenance. Apply a similar process to handicapped advance AgeStrong support to BAC parking spaces. Burlington. · Work with GMT to ensure that the fare structure is transparent and understandable to riders, and that it considers the needs of older riders in terms of access, comfort, and affordability . · Direct City Departments, such as the Police Department to pursue partnerships with community organizations (e.g., UVMMC Emergency Department, Chittenden Housing Alliance, CVOEO) to identify older individuals at risk of experiencing homelessness (or experiencing homelessness) so that they can more effectively connected with resources. · Collaborate with and include diverse social and cultural groups to ensure inclusion of all older residents in a concerted effort to increase usage of public transportation, with special attention to the needs of older adults, and support GMT staffing and resource needs to accomplish this. · Build a Technology for Connection Initiative for older adults, based on a community needs assessment. Identify and secure funding for technology infrastructure and access. Collaborate with partner groups (e.g., Technology for Tomorrow) to expand and standardize the use of in-home technology to help older adults age in place. · Increase collaboration between city departments (e.g., Fletcher Free Library and Parks and Recreation) to collaborate with community partners to expand the accessibility to and participation in volunteer programs, especially those that offer additional support and assistance to help older adults stay in their homes. Provide focus on outreach to local BIPOC, New American, LGBTQ+, and other groups to promote volunteer information and opportunities within these groups. · Support the expansion of existing Burlington programs that work to connect housing, health care, and social supports for aging residents, with an emphasis on broadening the provision of diverse types of housing options/situations depending on level of independence. · Expand the supply of affordable age-specific housing options. Work with housing organizations to increase affordable and accessible assisted living opportunities. Collaborate with developers and partners to create opportunities to provide affordable dementia-focused housing. · Promote the newly adopted BTV Neighborhood Code to increase opportunities for middle housing with an emphasis on accessibility and affordability for older adults.