Council on Aging Board

CITY OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS COUNCIL ON AGING BOARD 401 BRIDGE STREET LYNDA COFFILL, CHAIR SALEM, MA 01970 JOHN RUSSELL, VICE CHAIR TEL: 978-744-0924 TERESA GOVE ARNOLD DOMINICK PANGALLO DIRECTOR MAYOR SALEM COUNCIL ON AGING REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING MINUTES Date and Time: June 12, 2024 at 5:15 p.m. Meeting Location: In person and via Zoom Members Present: Lynda Coffill (LC, Chair), John Russell (JR, Vice-Chair), George Barbuzzi (GB), Kristin Macek (KM, Secretary), and Patricia Small (PS). Absent were: Abigail Butt (AB, Treasurer) Eliud Alcala (EA), Michelle Bettencourt (MB), Michele McHugh (MM) Also Present: Teresa Arnold, (TA, Director of the COA) and Councilor John C. Harvey Clerk: Joanne M. Roomey I. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER LC called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF THE MAY 15, 2024 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES A motion was made by JR to approve the May 15, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes. Seconded by PS. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion was carried unanimously. III. OLD BUSINESS: a. Senior Day Review LC thanked the board and Councilor Harvey for all their help in organizing and participating in Senior Day on June 1, 2024, at Forest River Park. She said it was a lovely day, the weather was great, and folks enjoyed themselves. Five city councilors were there, both legislators brought citations and so did the mayor. There was an ice cream truck and JR said next year it will be free to attendees. The committee also wants to figure out a way where people who were not invited could not walk through the area. There was a lot of food left over, and it was donated to Lifebridge North Shore. The committee wants to change a few things for next year, but all in all everyone had fun. 1 b. Kitchen Update TA said the final design plans were picked up yesterday. There were some changes, and Facilities Manager Joe Candelaria is in contact with both the Building and the Board of Health Departments. Joe Candelaria must fill out a questionnaire for the Building Department. Councilor Harvey spoke with Voula, the Building Inspector, and told her that DMS has a problem with venting out of the side of the building. Voula said she does not have a problem with that and to find out what type of system it is. JR will work with Joe Candelaria to follow up with DMS and find out why they said they could not vent out of the side of the building and what kind of system it is. c. MetroBridge Update The Board viewed the students’ PowerPoint presentation that TA, MM and Julio Mota saw on April 18th at Boston University. The goals were: • Find out why members of the LatinX community are not using these resources; and • Develop ways for this community to make use of the programs offered by COA. There were also suggestions to attract more Hispanic/LatinX participants by having a Food Fest, Zumba/Salsa lessons, movie and game night. The conclusion was: • Lack of Spanish speakers hinders Latino engagement; • Promote a diverse and comfortable environment that fosters relationships and creates an inclusive space; • Limited advertising of the center; • People prefer interactive activities over educational events; and • Establish direct connections with the people of the Salem community, give them ‘agency’. LC also suggested sending Julio Mota from the Mayor’s office a thank you note for all of his help with this project. d. Continued Advocacy Councilor Harvey is still in budget sessions. Everything should pass this Thursday so the mayor’s schedule will be more flexible. LC had a meeting a couple of weeks ago with Solicitor Rennard regarding changing the name from COA to COA and Human Services. Solicitor Rennard will draft an ordinance. Councilor Harvey will continue to advocate for the COA. 2  e. Conversational Spanish PS said the “conversational” Spanish classes are going swimmingly. It is a crash course for peer-to-peer conversations. There are about 20 people in the class, most of them are seniors. They want to continue after the (2) four weeks are over, maybe a lunchtime meeting at the CLC. PS said we need to do this city-wide for all ages. She also said a couple of the schools offer dual language classes now. f. Senior Housing Update KM has not walked by Lee Fort Terrace recently. Nothing much is going on now; it is still fenced off. JR said they have started the asbestos removal and will not be able to drive through there. Demolition will start in November. IV. NEW BUSINESS: a. Friends of the COA Report JR said The Friends will sponsor the Father’s Day lunch on June 13th at Winter Island. The Friends approved $650 to purchase two sewing machines. They are going to partner with Bass River for a pasta dinner fundraiser on September 19th at the CLC from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. They will charge $12.00 per senior and $15.00 for others. JR discussed having a 50/50 raffle and possibly an auction to raise money. He also spoke about having the Beatles cover band fundraiser in the summer of 2025. He asked TA to get some dates for the summer of 2025 for a Friday or Saturday evening. JR said if a senior wants to come to participate, we could arrange for transportation. This event, however, would not be geared toward seniors; it is a general community event. The Friends are working with Jeff Swartz from the Chamber of Commerce for fund raising ideas. They were thinking about making placemats for ads. Councilor Harvey suggested asking the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School to help print the placemats and that would be a less expensive option. b. Director’s Report Transportation: • The department continues to meet demand and assist seniors with their day-to-day transportation needs. Volume is robust as we head into the warmer weather and off premises events. • Mike Phelan is back from his seasonal stay in Florida. John Tachuk has returned from medical leave. Anne Caron is out following hand surgery. Some staff are cutting back on individual work hours which may translate into the need for a per diem driver. • Repair and maintenance of vans continue as scheduled in addition to state inspections. Drivers are looking forward to the two new EV vans and how they will be incorporated into the fleet. 3 Social Services: • Flyers are available that were designed by Boston University Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research with the input of the Salem for All Ages Health Task Force. THEME: Fostering Healthy Minds through Community Connections The Salem for All Ages Task Force applied and was approved for a behavioral health grant to bring awareness to mental health issues in our community. This led to a partnership with BU. The 1st flyer is a free, online training for Salem professionals. The 2nd is to promote healthy living for all in our community…and is promoting the CLC/COA since we offer programs/services listed in each category of the flyer. • The State of Massachusetts has eliminated an asset cap for one of their programs (Medicare Savings Programs formerly called Buy-in by the State). There is an income max, and many are now eligible since the State will no longer be looking at one’s assets. These new guidelines began March 1, and the Social Services department has assisted approximately 35 individuals in applying. The MSP pays one’s Part B premium saving them $174.90 per month. It also automatically gives them “extra help” with their prescription coverage saving folks hundreds of dollars on their prescription copays. There is one level of this program which also protects one from being billed the portion Medicare did not pay the provider (ie. Medicare pays 80% of the bill, leaving a 20% balance). Those who have supplemental insurance can cancel those plans). • Social Services is still seeing many people regarding housing issues and health insurance options. Dining Services: • The recent From Our Kitchen meal made by Erica sold 29 meals at $5.00 per person. • June 4 From Our Kitchen Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken sold 27 meals at $5.00 each. This was so popular. So many more people reserved for the upcoming June 10th and 27th From Our Kitchen specials that we are full. • One of the volunteers donated a toaster which is a big hit with toasted English Muffins (with choice of: peanut butter, jelly, creme cheese, butter, spread). • With the technology grant, we were able to purchase a Bose cd/radio to provide music in the Great Room during breakfast and morning coffee. Programs/Activities: • We started two new programs, both instructed by Eme Mizioch. 4  Vegan Nutrition – an 8-week course introducing a plant-based diet into your lifestyle. Vegan snacks and recipes are being provided. • Bolly X – a Bollywood inspired dance fitness program that combines exhilarating choreography and low intensity movements. • We have our annual Father’s Day BBQ on Thursday, June 13th with 150 guests. Thanks to the Friends of the Salem Council on Aging for sponsoring this event. • We are working on integrating an online process slowly into our registration process. Beginning in July, participants will be able to log on to My Active Senior using their tag to create an account to register for certain programs. We are piloting this with our free programs. In-person registration will still be happening on the 2nd week of each month prior. We will be setting aside a selected number of online spots to ensure that those who still want to register in person will have available slots. Memory Café/Caregiver Support: • The Memory Café this month is a field trip to Ironstone Horse Farm in North Andover on June 27th. The monthly Reiki Clinic is on June 18th. Typically, there are about a dozen individuals for the memory café sessions and the same for the Reiki Clinics. • The Caregiver Support Group will be held on Thursday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m. We usually have 6-12 people per session. Digital Literacy Grant: • We have engaged two instructors, Kevin Figueroa and Claudia Chuber, who will train 70 seniors on Chromebooks. Classes will be staggered throughout the remainder of the calendar year. The first classes will start in July. Both instructors speak Spanish which will be helpful for a few of the folks registered who are bilingual but need a bit of assistance with English. Student Intern/Volunteer: • Luke Gallagher started as a volunteer intern last week to help promote the COA. He is a student at North Shore Community College, currently pursuing coursework in digital video production. Luke is eager to apply his skills and passion for digital media towards supporting the impactful work undertaken by the Council on Aging. He will be with us on Wednesdays filming, interviewing and helping us tell our story through videos and short clips. EOEA-AgeSpan-Salem COA Age-Friendly Listening Session: • On June 27th from 1:30-3:00 pm, we will host the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and AgeSpan who will conduct a listening session around Age-Friendly Massachusetts. The Board, local officials, municipal employees and interested citizens are invited to the forum that will aim to identify successes of the Age-Friendly initiative but also gaps. This is not only for Salem but also for surrounding North Shore communities. V. OTHER BUSINESS: None 5 VI. NEXT BOARD MEETING: Wednesday, September 18, 2024 VII. VOTE TO ADJOURN There being no further business to come before the Council on Aging Board this evening, JR moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by PS. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion was carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Joanne M. Roomey Board Clerk Know Your Rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. Chapter 30A ss. 18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033. 6