Council on Aging Board

The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov POSTING DATE: _January 3, 2023_ Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Monday, January 9, 2023 at 9:00am at Lowell Senior Center I. Roll call/sign-in Present: Frank Baskin, Joyce Dastou (by phone), Kimberly Gagnon (Director), Beverly Gonsalves (recorder), Andy Hostetler (Chair), Gilda James Absent: Judith Huber, Molyka Tieng and John Lawlor; Guest: John King II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of November and December Minutes: A motion was made by Joyce and seconded by Frank to approve these two sets minutes (the absence of a quorum at the December meeting delayed the approval of November minutes), and they were approved unanimously. IV. Chairperson’s Report: No report, but Andy indicated that he would discuss issues below under the Healthy Aging Committee report. V. Director Update: Kim just completed her fourth week as Director and is still acquainting herself with various aspects of the job. One of the things that she is doing is looking over Lil’s Director reports and calendars to get a better sense of what to include in Director updates. VI. Committee & Liaison Reports a. Outreach Committee: No report, but we discussed the general structure of our committees and clarified for Kim that the committees are intended to help the Director and therefore should fit with the director’s priorities. We discussed some of our recent activities. b. Healthy Aging Committee: The activities of the HAC have largely been tied in with the Age Friendly Lowell (AFL) Project and its Older Adult Action Group (OAAG). The latter meets on the fourth Monday of the month, and Andy indicated that he would invite Board members to future meetings. We discussed the age-friendly domain of Information and Communication, which  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov has come up a lot in recent AFL activities, and we discussed how best to disseminate information from both the AFL project and the Board to community members. We talked about what could be included in the newsletter (and what probably shouldn’t be), about making better use of the closed-circuit television monitors in LHA building to make annoucements, and about doing a specific “how to get things done” forum at the Center. VII. Items for Discussion a. Old Business i. Bio project: Gilda and Frank’s bios were featured in a recent edition of the newsletter, and Judy will be featured in an upcoming one. We will work with Aurora on possible future features, which can be used to build our collection of bios. ii. Vacant board position: No update, but we discussed with Kim about getting updates from the City Manager’s office and some clarification about how the appointment process works, as well as information about how to deal with Board member absences. iii. Frank updated the Board about the assistance that was provided to those displaced by the recent water main break in the City. Everyone is back in their homes. b. New Business i. Beverly raised the issue of the need for volunteers to help with the dinner dances. Joyce suggested making announcement at the next dinner dance that volunteers are needed to assist with setting up the dining room. Joyce also said that the custodians usually deal with set up and clean up, such that only minimal volunteer assistance should be needed. ii. The issue of non-working security cameras at the Center was raised. The member who installed the cameras is no longer available. John King  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov indicated that the city is responsible for the cameras, and that the issue should be brought before the City Council. VIII. Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made by Joyce, seconded by Frank, and approved unanimously. Next Meeting: Monday, February 13 @ 9:00 AM  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Meeting Agenda Monday, February 13, 2023 at 9:00am at Lowell Senior Center I. Roll call/sign-in Attending: Frank Baskin, Joyce Dastou, Beverly Gonsalves (recorder), Andrew Hostetler (Chair), Judith Huber, Gilda James, Molyka Tieng (via Phone). Absent: John Lawlor Guests: Aurora Erickson, John King II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of January Minutes: A motion to approve was made by Joyce, seconded by Frank, and approved unanimously. IV. Chairperson’s Report: Andy had no specific updates unrelated to the activities of the Outreach and Healthy Aging Committees, which are addressed below. V. Director Update: Kimberly was unable to attend due to ongoing training sessions, so there was no Director update. VI. Committee & Liaison Reports a. Outreach Committee: We had a broad discussion of what this committee could do to help with outreach activities not already covered by Center staff. We ended up settling on two foci for the near future: First, we will try to make sure that the Center is more consistently represented, in the form of liaisons, at city and community meetings and gatherings and in local coalitions and organizations that are open to public participation. For example, Frank already attends the monthly meetings of the Lowell Non-Profit Association (NPA) and also the Greater Lowell Health Alliance (GLHA), and John King attends the Lowell Housing Authority meeting on the second Wednesday of the month. Andy will solicit suggestions from Board members and others to generate a full list of open meetings at which the Center could and should be represented. Second, we discussed more widely disseminating the Center newsletter, and we will generate a similar list of businesses, organizations, churches/temples, residences, and other locations that the newsletter could be delivered. A question was raised regarding the languages the newsletter is printed in, and Aurora indicated that it is currently printed in English and Spanish (and there aren’t currently sufficient resources to offer additional translations). b. Healthy Aging Committee: We continued a previous discussion about the future focus of this committee (if is to continue under the new Director). The  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov committee helped to rewrite the COA mission statement under the former Director and dedicated time to breaking down the mission by service/resource area, and then beginning to assess whether or not we are accomplishing our mission under each of these areas. For example, we spent a few meetings talking about our nutritional mission. Joyce reminded the Board of the many ways in which Meals on Wheels helps the Senior Center to accomplish its nutritional mission and also mentioned the Traveling Chef program coordinated by AgeSpan. Andy reminded members of the upcoming meeting of the Older Adult Action Group (Age Friendly Lowell Project), to which they are invited. VII. Items for Discussion a. Old Business i. Vacant Board position update: As addressed at a previous meeting, Molyka reported that a couple of individuals are interested in and potentially submitted applications (to the City Manager) for Board positions, but there were no further updates. We also discussed checking in with John Lawlor, who has been unable to attend meetings, about whether or not he plans to continue on the Board. ii. Security cameras: The cameras are not all in proper working order and we may need to consult with the City Council on this issue. Andy volunteered to check in with the Pollard Memorial library about the maintenance of their security system. b. New Business i. Newsletter feature (Aurora): The March Newsletter will feature a description of the duties and activities of the COA Board and of the Friends of the Lowell Council on Aging. Space in the newsletter is very limited, but there might be some space in the future to address the activities of the Age Friendly Lowell Project. ii. Public use of Senior Center space (Aurora): The Great Room and other spaces have long been open to public events, but this has become financially unsustainable given that the Center is required to provide custodial service for after-hour events. The City will likely have to start charging for using the Center at night. VIII. Other: John King raised a concern that the CHOP dinner is not being as held as often as it used to be. Aurora explained that the Center currently has sufficient resources to host it only once quarterly. IX. Adjournment: Motion by Frank, seconded by Joyce, and approved unanimously. Next Meeting: Monday, March 13 @ 9:00 AM  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Meeting Agenda Monday, March 13, 2023 at 9:00am at Lowell Senior Center I. Roll call/sign-in Present: Frank E. Baskin, Aurora Erikson, Beverly Gonsalves (recorder), Andy Hostetler (Chair), Judith Huber, Gilda James; Absent: Joyce Dastou (excused), John Lawlor, Molyka Tieng; Guest: John King II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of February Minutes: Judy made a motion to approve, Frank seconded, and the minutes were approved unanimously. IV. Chairperson’s Report: Andy reported that the Age Friendly Lowell (AFL) project will be doing outreach to the Highlands Neighborhood Association and Friends of Tyler Park Group to recruit for focus-group and key-informant interviews on public spaces and other topics. He also invited Board members to attend the upcoming monthly meeting of the AFL Older Adult Action Group meeting, which will focus on reviewing interview protocols for key-informant interviews on different topics. Other activities were in relation to Board committees and are reported below. V. Director Update: The Director was unable to attend due to ongoing trainings, but Aurora Erikson attended in her place and addressed questions that came up. VI. Committee & Liaison Reports a. Outreach Committee: We briefly discussed additional groups and organizations that we might reach out to with respect to both newsletter dissemination and representing the Senior Center and older adult community at open meetings. Andy will work on compiling a list of such organizations. b. Healthy Aging Committee: Updates related to Age Friendly Lowell activities are documented above. Otherwise, activities are largely on hold until the Director, Kim, provides input on where she would like the committee to focus. One option would be to continue the work of assessing how well the Center does in fulfilling the different parts of its mission. VII. Items for Discussion a. Old Business i. Vacant board position and selection process update: No updates are available. ii. Security camera update: The issue of broken/non-functional security cameras and the lack of monitoring was discussed again. Given the  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov upcoming transfer of building ownership, this is something that will need to be dealt with through the City. Andy shared an email regarding what other departments are doing. There are separate providers used for camera installation and monitoring, and different departments pay for these services at least in part through their own funds. Andy will forward the email to Kim and Aurora b. New Business i. Frank raised the issue of Formula Grants, and encouraged members to reach out to their state representatives to ensure passage/full funding. VIII. Other: John King again raised the issue of the frequency of the dinner dances, which the Center is only able to host quarterly given staffing shortages. Attendance had also been down before the decision was made to shift to a quarterly instead of a monthly schedule. The issue of charging more for admission was suggested. John also mentioned that blood pressure screenings and other health checks haven’t been offered as frequently. This is apparently due to partner organizations not offering these services as much as they used to. IX. Adjournment: Joyce made a motion to adjourn, Frank second, and it was approved unanimously. Next Meeting: Monday, April 10 @ 9:00 AM  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Monday, April 10, 2023 at 9:00am at Lowell Senior Center I. Roll call/sign-in Present: Aurora Erickson, Beverly Gonsalves (recorder), Andy Hostetler (Chair), Judy Huber, Gilda James, and Molyka Tieng; Guest: John King Absent: Frank Baskin, Joyce Dastou, and John Lawlor II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of February Minutes: Judy Huber made a motion to approve the minutes, Molyka Tieng seconded, and the minutes were approved unanimously. IV. Chairperson’s Report: The Chair’s activities during the last month were primarily related to the Outreach and Healthy Aging Committees and are reported below. V. Director’s Report: There was no Director’s Report, as Kimberly Gagnon continues to have training meetings during our regular meeting time, but she will attend the May meeting. Aurora Erickson attended in her place this month. She mentioned the upcoming Health Fair on Thursday, April 13 and the need for volunteer assistance. VI. Committee & Liaison Reports a. Outreach Committee: The compilation of a distribution list for the newsletter and of a list for “liaison” opportunities is still ongoing. b. Healthy Aging Committee: The Age Friendly Lowell Older Adult Action Group will meet on Monday, April 24 at 10 AM, and Board members are invited. Andy noted that we now have Bomba socks, which are very high quality and can cost up to $100 per pair, available as a participant incentive for Age Friendly Lowell focus-group and key-informant interviews, thanks to the Greater Lowell Health Alliance. VII. Items for Discussion a. Old Business i. Open Board positions: We discussed the need for follow up regarding John Lawlor’s participation on the Board and any pending applications before the City Manager. Aurora said she would check in with John to see how he is doing. Molyka will follow up with Mary Callery in the City Manager’s Office regarding any pending Board applications.  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov ii. Security system: Aurora thanked Andy for soliciting and forwarding information regarding the security camera arrangements of other City departments. Departmental costs range from $800 to about $1500 annually. The City will take ownership of the Senior Center building by May. b. New Business i. Fall Festival: Frank indicated via an email prior to the meeting that he will discuss the possibility of having a Senior Center table at the Fall Festival. ii. Medicaid and SNAP updates: Frank raised this issue via email prior to the meeting. In his words, “[p]eople who came on Medicaid a result of COVID will all have to go thru a re-determination process. Mass Health is sending a blue envelope to all. As people move some will receive it and some not. Some will ignore the mailing. Language may be a deterrent. All this could place some (maybe many) at risk for their health coverage. Some may only find out when they go to a pharmacy when their prescriptions are not covered. What is the Senior Center doing about this and helping older adults to stay on MassHealth?” Aurora reported that the Center is aware the issue and working on a strategy. VIII. Adjournment: Molyka Tieng made a motion to adjourn, Judy seconded it, and the motion was approved unanimously. Next Meeting: Monday, June 12 @ 9:00 AM  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Meeting Minutes for Monday, May 8, 2023 at 9:00am at Lowell Senior Center I. Roll call/sign-in Present: Frank Baskin, Kimberly Gagnon (Director), Beverly Gonsalves (recorder), Andy Hostetler (Chair), Judy Huber Gilda James, and Molyka Tieng; Absent: Joyce Dastou and John Lawlor; guest: John King I. Pledge of Allegiance II. Approval of Minutes: Molyka made a motion to approve the April minutes, this was seconded by Judy, and approved unanimously. III. Chairperson’s Report: Andy reported that he will be out of town for the June meeting. We discussed the summer meeting schedule (we typically do not meet in July or August), and whether or not we should cancel our June meeting. The alternative would be for Vice Chair, Judy Huber, to facilitate the meeting. We decided on the latter, and Andy will help Judy prepare the agenda. IV. Director’s Update: Kim just completed her multi-week diversity training. She reported that this is the third week that the computers have been down due to the Ransomware Cyber Attack, but that the telephone system is back up. Kim also reported that the Friends have purchased new cameras for the Senior Center. The City will perform the electrical work, and the cameras will be monitored in Kim’s office. The new systems allow for better tracking and date-stamping. She also indicated that she is stepping up efforts to sign up new senior center members. V. Committee & Liaison Reports: We jointly discussed the recent activities of the Outreach and Healthy Aging Committees. With respect to outreach, Judy and others continue to deliver the newsletter to other sites. Once we have the full delivery list, we will see if other sites can be added. We also discussed what can be included in the newsletter and what should not be. With respect to the Healthy Aging Committee, activities have largely been tied in with the Age Friendly Lowell project and its Older Adult Action Group. We addressed how the committees are intended to assist the Senior Center in whatever way makes the most sense and therefore should fit in the Director’s priorities. Kim had no immediate thoughts about the most appropriate committee structure, but we agree to revisit in the near future. Andy suggesting discussing committees again at the September meeting, ahead of the October officer elections and committee appointments VI. Items For Discussion  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov a. Old Business i. We again discussed the issue of repeated absences from Board meetings, and the open Board position. We reaffirmed the existing rule that three absences per year should be the maximum, but that participating by phone should be an option. Frank offered to check in with John Lawlor about his interest and ability related to continuing on the Board. Molyka suggest doing outreach to the Coalition for a Better Acre and the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association for new members. We discussed presenting appreciation plaques to “retiring” members. ii. Flyers about changes to the SNAP program are available for distribution VII. Other a. John King expressed concern about the drive-by lunch program driving down participation in in-person meals, and asked if it would be discontinued soon. Kim indicated that there remains demand, that it provides nutrition to those who might not otherwise be reached, and that it will continue for now. b. The senior art contest was brought up. Submissions are still being accepted. Relevant information is in the Heritage Newsletter. c. Gilda reminded members about the upcoming special election for the Friends Board, and urged members to vote. VIII. Adjournment: Gilda made a motion to adjourn, it was seconded by Beverly, and approved unanimously Next meeting Monday, June 12, 2023 at 9:00am  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Meeting Agenda Monday, June 12, 2023 at 9:00am at Lowell Senior Center I. Roll Call Attending: Frank Baskin, Joyce Dastou (by phone), Kimberly Gagnon (Director), Judith Huber (Acting Chair), Gilda James. Molyka Tieng Absent: Andy Hostetler, John Lawlor; Guest: John King. II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of Minutes for May 8, 2023 IV. Chairperson’s Report. The board was informed that this is our last meeting until Monday September 11, 2023. Judy is chairing this meeting in Andy’s absence. V. Director’s Report: Kim said that it has been eight weeks since our computer system had been attacked for ransomware. We have no answers at present. The phones have been turned on but no computers are operational at present. The cyberattack wiped out every hard drive in the city, our servers are down but we do have about fourteen usable cps that people can sign up to use. Our seniors can still make appointments to come in for help. The cameras are not operable yet. Kim also said that funding was raised to $2.00 a senior. Kim is satisfied with the senior center and is well informed about budgets because she has worked in assisted living prior. She also informed us that the City’s fiscal year begins on July 1st. VI. Committee Reports  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov a. Outreach: No meeting is scheduled at present for the Outreach Committee for July or August; however, the Age-Friendly Lowell Older Adult Action Group continues to meet monthly. b. Healthy Aging Committee: There are also no meetings scheduled in July and August for the HAC. VII. Old Business: None VIII. New Business: Joyce Dastou said that the outgoing voice message for the Senior Center should be changed because it still has Lillian Hartman speaking on it. IX. Other: John King voiced an interest in having more casino trips, but noted that casinos are having a hard time maintaining staffing levels X. Adjournment: Joyce made a motion to adjourn, which was seconded by Gilda and approved unanimously Next meeting: Monday, September 11, 2023  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Monday, September 11, 2023 at 9:00 am Meeting Minutes I. Roll Call/Sign In Present: Frank Baskin, Kimberly Gagnon (Director), Beverly Gonsalves (recorder), Andy Hostetler (Chair), Judy Huber, Gilda James, and Molyka Tieng (via phone); Absent: Joyce Dastou (excused) and John Lawlor; Guest: John King II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of the Minutes: May minutes were not approved at the June meeting due to the lack of quorum. Judy moved that the May minutes be approved and Molyka seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously. Judy also moved that we approve the June minutes, Molyka seconded the motion, and the minutes were approved (with one abstention). IV. Director’s Report: Kim reported that, months after the hacking of city government servers, the computer system is finally working 100%, but there is still no wi-fi. Moving forward, we will have to be more cautious with wi-fi, an issue for staff in particular. The security cameras are not working yet but she is working on it. We also have a new budget as of July 1. V. Chair’s Report: Andy reported that the Age-Friendly Lowell team has been awarded a grant from AgeSpan to better serve Southeast Asian seniors and to help develop the Diversity Toolkit. VI. Committee and Liaison Reports a. Planning for the coming year: We shifted the elections from September to October to give us more time after the summer break to plan for the coming year, including the structure and activities of board committees. When Lil Hartman became Senior Center Director, we revamped our committee structure, creating the Outreach Committee and the Healthy Aging Committee. Lil thought these committees best fit her vision for how the Advisory Board could assist her. The Healthy Aging Committee (HAC) helped rewrite the Senior Center mission and began helping Lil to assess how Centers resources and services are addressing each component of the mission (we started with nutrition). More recently, the HAC has integrated its efforts with the Age-Friendly Lowell Older Adult Action Group. Members of the Outreach Committee (Molyka, Frank) have met with the Center Outreach team to carve out an area of outreach not currently under their purview and decided it could best serve the Center by promoting its regular programming and activities to as wide an audience as possible. To that end, we have begun compiling a list of additional sites and locations to deliver the newsletter to, as well as a list of local organizations and committees that we could participate in as liaisons. Board members are already delivering the newsletter to several different places, and Frank has been representing the Senior Center at the Greater Lowell Non-Profit Alliance and the Greater Lowell Health Alliance Mental Health Task  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Force. Kim was asked if these committees still make sense given her focus and priorities, and she agreed that they do, at least for the time being, as she is settling into the job. Given limited bandwidth and resources, Andy suggested that both committees continue along the same path as in recent months, without taking on new activities or commitments for the time being, and there seemed to be consensus for this plan. VII. Items for discussion a. Old Business: i. Board positions/vacancies: We again discussed the inability of John Lawlor to attend meetings and talked about opening this position to applications (along with the currently vacant position). Andy suggested presenting John with a plaque to thank him for his many years of service to the Board and Senior Center; he will get a quote for the plaque. Open Board positions could be advertised in ab upcoming Newsletter. ii. New Business: Board elections will be held next month. Andy solicited nominations for the offices of Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Recording Secretary. No one new stepped forward, and Andy (Chair), Judy (Vice Chair), and Beverly (Secretary) indicated a willingness to continue in the role. Joyce Dastous is currently the Treasurer, and Andy will check with her regarding her interest in continuing in this role. VIII. Other. John King asked if the Senior Center still provides meals to the Lowell Police for prisoners held in the jail. Kim said yes, for 35 inmates during the week and 75 on the weekends. IX. Adjournment: Frank made a motion to adjourn, the motion was seconded by Judy Huber and approved unanimously Next meeting: Monday, October 16 @ 9:00 am  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov Council on Aging (COA) Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Monday, October 16, 2023 at 9:00am at Lowell Senior Center I. Roll call/sign-in Present: Frank Baskin, Joyce Dastou (by phone), Kimberly Gagnon (Director), Beverly Gonsalves (recorder), Andy Hostetler (Chair), Judy Huber, Gilda James, & Molyka Tieng (by phone); Absent: John Lawlor; Guest: John King II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Approval of September Minutes: A motion was made by Judy to approve the minutes, the motion was seconded by Joyce, and the minutes were approved unanimously. IV. Director’s Report: Kim reported that the Center still does not have Wi-Fi, and that this is unlikely to change anytime soon. Staff computers with ethernet connections are up and running, but the lack of Wi-Fi poses challenges for streaming movies and tax preparation assistance. Other City departments are also without Wi-Fi, except for the library, which has its own routers. Kim also said that extra money from EMHOT was used to purchase new computers, but these are not yet up and running. V. Chairperson’s Report: Andy requested a listing of newsletter delivery locations from Aurora (addressed below) and has renewed his effort to collect and compile Board member bios. He was contacted by Maxine Farkus regarding the status of her application to the Board, but neither he nor Kimberly had been notified by the City Manager’s Office that she had even applied. Board members are invited to a special meeting of the Age-Friendly Lowell Older Adult Action Group on October 23 @ 10:00 AM at the Senior Center. This meeting will involve an introduction to/training in the use of the Diversity Toolkit developed by James Fuccione and the Mass Healthy Aging Collaborative. VI. Committee & Liaison Reports a. Outreach Committee: The Committee did not meet separately last month. We discussed the listing of delivery sites for the Newsletter, adding in some locations currently serviced by volunteers. b. Healthy Aging Committee: The Committee did not meet separately last month but continues to be involved in the Age-Friendly Lowell Older Adult Action Group, which as indicated above will participate in a Diversity Toolkit training session at the October meeting.  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov c. Liaison reports: Frank met with Auroa and Nava in Outreach to discuss the Lowell Mental Health Alliance’s (LMHA) listing of mental health services in the area. This list does not include services provided by the Senior Center or EMHOT, or anything in Lowell specifically for older adults. Aurora, Nava, and Glady will put together a description of services offered by the Senior Center and EMHOT and get it to the LMHA. Kim reported that Center also distributes crisis cards for those facing serious challenges (e.g., homelessness). Andy mentioned future opportunities for collaboration with the UMass Lowell Center for Autism d. Research and Education (CARE) to better service older adults with ASD disorder and other intellectual disabilities. VII. Items for Discussion a. Old Business i. Board positions: With John Lawlor’s retirement from the Board, we currently have two openings for Board members. As indicated above, Maxine Farkas has applied for one of those positions, but we have not yet heard from the City Manager’s Office. Kimberly will advertise positions in the Heritage Newsletter. ii. Honoring retiring members: We will be giving John Lawlor a plaque in honor of his many years of service. Andy will develop the text for it and get a quote/invoice from OwlStamp Visual Solutions. Then Kim can generate a purchase order. We will then coordinate delivery to the nursing home where John is living. Joyce has his contact information. b. New Business i. Elections: Current officers were re-nominated and unanimously re-elected. Positions for 2024 are as follows: Chair-Andy, Vice Chair-Judy, Treasurer-Joyce, Recording Secretary-Beverly. ii. Planning for 2024: We will maintain the current committees and activities in 2024. The committee structure and/or focus may change depending on the Director’s needs and priorities. iii. Attendance policy: We discussed the attendance policy, which is specified in the bylaws and according to which a member cannot miss more than three meetings in a year. We discussed remote attendance (i.e., via phone or Zoom). Some members spoke in favor of remote attendance as an option, while others voiced a preference for in-person attendance only. We also discussed the concept of an “excused absence” (which in the past has been granted for any reason with prior notice). There was no consensus and no motions put forward. VIII. Other  The City of Lowell • Council on Aging 276 Broadway Street • Lowell, MA 01854 P: 978.674.4131 • F: 978.970.4134 www.LowellMA.gov a. Beverly will meet with Amy Leal to discuss the availability, through local pharmacies, of free medications for older adults who cannot afford them. b. John King asked Kim to pass along his compliments to the weekend cook. IX. Adjournment: Joyce made a motion to adjourn, Judy seconded it, and it was approved unanimously. Next Meeting: Monday, November 13 @ 9:00 AM