Senior Services Committee

CITY OF VERONA SENIOR SERVICES COMMITTEE OCTOBER 13, 2020 VERONA SENIOR CENTER MINUTES 1. The meeting of the Senior Services Committee was called to order by Christine Posey at 6:03 p.m. 2. Roll Call: On roll call: Charlotte Jerney and Christine Posey were present. Also present: Stephanie Ehle, Senior Center Director. 3. Approval of the minutes from the June 9, 2020 Senior Services Committee meeting. Motion by Jerney, seconded by Posey, to approve the minutes from the June 11, 2020 Senior Services Committee meeting. Motion carried 2-0. 4. Director’s Report  The Senior Center remains busy. Ehle mentioned they are getting ready for early voting. Early voting will take place on Friday, October 23rd and Saturday, October 24th between 9-3pm. Ellen Clark, City Clerk, will be handling the organization of this. Currently, the Senior Center is available to witness absentee voting. As of today they haven’t had any takers in house. However, Case Managers have been fielding many general questions.  Meals on Wheels (MOW) is busy, too. Participation hovers between 22-26 participants per day.  Drive up meals are going well. This week they provided over 100 total meals each day (includes the MOW). They have an average of 30 hot/day and 18 cold meals/day. The caterer has helped with a number of Board events and they have been great to work with. They are very flexible and even accommodated special diets. They now have one new gluten free MOW participant. Posey asked if this is the new caterer. Ehle stated yes, it is TNT Catering out of Middleton.  The Senior Center has also been trying to partner with local organizations. Pizza Ranch is offering a lunch option for $10 which residents pick up at the Senior Center. Ehle also brought in a popcorn vendor from the local Farmer’s Market who is making popcorn for the outdoor concerts. Anyone can drive up or walk up to get popcorn for a fee. The team hopes to do more partnering soon.  The chili supper and Veteran’s day events will both look very different this year. The chili supper will be a drive thru event in partnership with the Chamber and the fire station. The fire station makes the chili and the Senior Center will serve it in their drive up. Details to come on the tree lighting and Santa. Santa will most likely be standing outdoors as cars drive by. They will possibly collect letters for Santa vs having photos with him. The fire fighters will be there but will keep their distance from visitors. They may hold the boot for money collection as well as holiday signs.   Veterans Day will be a drive up event. We will offer a free meal for vets from TNT Catering. They are also working with the American Legion to plan the details. More details in Program report. Posey asked about safety and/or if the Senior Center has had any issues related to COVID-19. Ehle mentioned that the team is being very careful and thankfully have not had any trouble. The programs team is offering limited in-house events (10 or fewer people) and have chosen those events carefully. There is no sharing of food or physical contact programs. The Senior Center had protective glass put up at the front desk and in the kitchen. Outdoor events are winding down but were also limited to 25 people. Staff are keeping their doors shut, and they are not using many volunteers. Posey and Jerney both thanked the VSC team for their efforts in programming, services provided, and for making the quick switch. Ehle stated she will pass those thoughts onto staff. The team has made a quick switch to virtual but they plan on keeping that moving forward. The same is true for the drive up meal options. 5. Reports on Programs and Case Management: Programs:  The Senior Center is continuing with virtual presentations with Zoom and attendance has been steady. Many people enjoy the health and wellness topics.  Foot Care, Chair Massage, and Reflexology are offered in house, by appointment only.  New in-house programs for September/October include: Card Making, Bead Making Class, Great Courses, Rendever Live, Exercise Room, and Movies.  The team held 3 outdoor concerts in October with 25 people allowed to sign up. They had a wonderful response!  All exercise programs have continued virtually and have been well attended. New exercise includes: walking group with Ron Dorr, A balance class, and an indoor yoga class.  To celebrate National Senior Center month in September Kona Ice visited offering FREE slushies. This was well attended and they handed out about 70 slushies. Many members came with grandkids.  The Flu Clinic in September administered over 65 vaccinations.  New Events for October: Prescription Drug Take Back (happening at City Hall), Car Check with Hometown Auto, Trick or Treat with a Twist (supports Badger Prairie Needs Network), Build Movement Virtual 4 Part Series, Virtual Magic Show, Board Brat and Hot Dog Lunch (fundraiser). Alder Jerney asked who gave the shots and also if high doses were available.  Ehle responded that Sams Club administered the vaccines and that high doses were available.  For Veteran’s day the Senior Center will be providing a drive thru lunch. The American Legion has chosen to move forward with flag ceremony that will be recorded and shown on local cable channel about a week after the event.  Chili Supper in December will be a drive thru event. The fire station will be making the chili and bring it over. Santa will be waving from outside. They are unsure at this time about out tree lighting with Gary if it will take place outdoors or indoors.  The Senior Center continues to use many ways to get information out to the public. This includes: Zoom, Facebook, City Website, Email, and YouTube. The Senior Center records the virtual programs and places them on YouTube after the event. Members can watch programs again or view them if they missed one. Case Management:  Case Management / Outreach a. Continuing to do 95% of outreach and check-ins by phone. b. Still getting new referrals, both self-referred and referrals through family or neighbor. c. Continuous need for food and rent and utility assistance. d. Continuous need for case management support for applying for assistance programs, problem solving, arranging transportation, navigating Medicare and insurance, etc. Someone will be coming in to do 1-1 Medicare Part D sessions with members in October.  Vets Group a. Not currently meeting in person. Care managers are looking at how they can continue to support this group.  Caregivers a. Currently conducting via zoom and have regular attendees. b. Some of the group continues to meet informally in community. (at 5th Quarter and in garages) c. Exploring how it would like to start back in person. This is challenging because of the size of the group. d. The caregivers drive thru picnic in September was very successful. The next one will likely be something similar taking the place of our Christmas party.  Triad a. Car Check was successful. Sixteen seniors brought their car in to be checked (compared to 20 last year). This year people signed up vs dropping in.  b. Sharing virtual events with Triad Madison West and Triad Cottage Grove via a YouTube channel created by Mike at RSVP. This is a collaborative effort to get the word out about important topics. 6. Other Business  Ehle forgot to mention they now have a new social work intern. Lauren will be with the team for the next year. Ehle would like her to come to the next meeting to meet everyone. The Alders welcomed that. Lauren will work M/W/TH, about 15 hours per week.  Posey mentioned the city is looking into lots of development and she and others want to make sure all people are being heard. Posey wondered about possible collaboration to reach established/longtime residents and also those who don’t use technology. She suggested putting information in the Chronicle and/or using Zoom. Ehle is open to all ideas and suggested handouts at the drive up events too. Case Managers are available to help residents with Zoom and technology if needed. Ehle also mentioned that people can participate in Zoom via phone. Posey added that residents can send Alders snail mail about ideas/concerns and she liked the drive up option. The group will keep brainstorming on collaboration efforts.  Posey inquired about 2019 vs 2020 participation numbers. Ehle will provide data at the next meeting. 9. Adjournment Motion by Jerney, seconded by Posey, to adjourn at 6:39 p.m. Motion carried 2-0.