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HomeMy WebLinkAboutASPAC Update ASPAC City Council Presentation on ASPAC Process and Recommendation Development Process, February 6, 2018 Good evening, Mayor Stromberg and Councilors. My name is Jackie Bachman, and I am the Chair of the The Ad Hoc Senior Program Advisory Committee. I am here tonight to explain the history and function of the Ad Hoc Senior Program Advisory Committee so you and the public can understand our process. The Ad Hoc Advisory Committee has One Major Goal-to give recommendations to the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission regarding the Senior Center Program. The Committee developed 3 Objectives to reach that goal: 1. Listen to the Public; 2. Use our own expertise, knowledge, and experience; 3. Search out the Best Practices and Standards of Excellence in the area of Senior Programs. For the first objective, we are Listening to the Public in several ways: 3 Listening Sessions at the Senior Center, 2 Open Houses, Public speaking at every Ad Hoc Advisory Meeting starting in November 2017. We also reviewed Survey data-2 Senior Center participant surveys from 2016 and 2017, and we are currently reviewing the January 2018 Community Needs Assessment that ended January 26th. For the Second Objective, using our own expertise and knowledge, we look to each of the Citizen and Community Partner Members on our Committee, who have extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of Aging and Organizations that Support Seniors. Between us on the Advisory Committee we have: First hand experience of personally attending, teaching and assisting at our Senior Program from Marion Moore, our Gentle Yoga Teacher, Peggy Byrnes, who participates in the Senior Center Discussion Group, and me-I attend Line Dance and Yoga Sessions each week. We have expertise in educational programs for seniors from Rob Casserly and Anne Bellegia through their work with OLLI, (our local Life Long Learning Program for Seniors.) We have extensive knowledge and training in providing outreach and referral services to Seniors from Laura O'Bryon, through her work with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments (RVCOG) and the Aging and Disabilities Connection, (ADRC) We have expertise in providing and organizing support for Seniors in their homes from Katharine Danner who works with the organization, Ashland at Home. We have extensive knowledge in Gerontology and the critical issues related to Aging from Mary Russell-Miller through her teaching at SOU on this subject. And finally, we have the knowledge and expertise on the concept of an Age Friendly Ashland from Council Member Stef Seffinger who has researched the concept of Age Friendly Cities for many years. The third objective of our Advisory Committee was to search out Best Practices and Standards of Excellence for Senior Programs across our country. This was accomplished by reviewing information provided by the National Council on Aging, (NCOA), and within that organization, the National Institute for Senior Centers, referred to as NISC. What we found was twofold: first, the Best Practices in Service and Program Offerings at highly successful Senior Center Programs across the country, and Secondly, the National Standards of Excellence that NISC uses to evaluate the effectiveness and program improvement process of Accredited Senior Center Programs. When we looked at the Best Practices in Program Offerings, we found that our Senior Program is providing many of the recommended services such as: our Food and Friends Program, Gentle Yoga, Line Dancing, Tai Chi, Discussion Group, and Card Games. Key services that still need more focus are Referral Information and Outreach, and Transportation. Then we looked at the 9 National Standards of Excellence for Senior Programs and compared them to what our Senior Program has in place. We found four standard criteria areas that were in place to varying degrees. Those are: #4 Administration and Human Resources (job descriptions, Organizational Charts, and personnel and volunteer policies) #5 Program Development and Implementation (many recommended programs are currently in place) #7 Fiscal and Asset Responsibility (Budget, financial statements, insurance) #9 Facility and Operations (maintenance plans, building layout diagrams, rental agreements) The National Standard Criteria that we found lacking or not present in any recorded form were in the 5 areas of: #1 Purpose and Planning (Is there a current Action Plan with Goals and Objectives, updated Mission Statement, and Annual Reports of Accomplishments) #2 Community Connections (Is there an Explanation of how the Information and Referral Process is made available to seniors and the community, a Marketing Plan and Marketing Materials) #3 Governance (Are there By Laws and an Appointment Process for an Advisory Committee and Fundraising Committee with procedures for utilizing funds?) #6 Evaluation (Is there A Senior Program Evaluation Plan, Baseline data showing intended results, actual results, and an Improvement Process) #8 Records and Reports (Is there a Policy and Procedures Manual, a general participant record form, or Quarterly reports on programs and services?) This last area-Records and Reports- is a concern to many of us on the Advisory Committee. Written information on who is attending the Center, what programs are meeting the needs of Seniors and how programs and services are provided, especially in the area of referral and outreach, is crucial in determining the success, improvement, and continuation of services from one year to the next. So essentially, the Ad Hoc Senior Program Advisory Committee has done an Improvement Process Evaluation using The Best Practices and the National Standards of Excellence as the Framework for our Recommendations to the Parks and Recreation Commissioners. As we began this evaluation process, we realized that there were some recommendations that needed to be approved quickly. Those were in the areas of: Sufficient Staff to keep the current Senior Center programs running. Referral Information and Outreach capability. Public Input at every Advisory meeting starting in November, 2017 Keeping the current programs at Hunter Park All of these early recommendations were implemented. Then, we started to work on bigger recommendations in the areas of: 1. Senior Program Description 2. Senior Program Manager Job Description i 3. Community Needs Assessment 4. Organizational Structure of the Senior Program as a Separate Division 5. Budget to adequately fund the necessary Senior Program personnel 6. Identifying local and regional Community Partnerships 7. Creating a Standing Senior Program Advisory Committee Appointment Process so the work started by the Ad Hoc Committee can continue. Last month, on January 22, the Parks Commission approved 3 very important recommendations from the Ad Hoc Senior Program Advisory Committee. Those were: 1. The Senior Program Description, 2. The Senior Program Manager Job Description Essentials, and 3. The Senior Program as a Separate Division within Parks and Recreation I'd like to explain how we created these specific Recommendations. We asked The Senior Program Advisory members to volunteer to serve on 3 Subcommittees regarding the Program and Job Description, the Community Needs Assessment, and Community Partnerships. Out of the discussions in these areas, it became apparent that the Senior Program needed to be defined first, and then the Job Description would be clearer to define. The Program and Job Description Subcommittee researched information on Senior Programs and used the National Standards of Excellence as a framework for essential programs, services, and policies. Once those requirements were identified, the Job Essentials became clear. The Subcommittee then defined the qualities, expertise, and experience that are necessary to carry out those responsibilities. In the process of developing the Program Description and the subsequent Job Description, it became clear that a higher level of leadership was required. The New Senior Program Manager must create a vision for the future of the Senior Program. They must possess the leadership, expertise, and advanced communication skills to build strong relationships locally and regionally. The New Senior Manager will need to do many things. Among them are: Network with City, County and State Organizations, Communicate and assist in planning with the Ashland City Council; Build bridges of understanding with our University, Hospitals, Chamber of Commerce, Retirement Communities, and Agencies on Aging such as RVCOG and SAC. Create partnerships for future grants and opportunities for expansion of services and outreach. And very importantly, Provide the Leadership to meet the Standards of Excellence that will assure a Process of Program Evaluation and Self Improvement each year. In order to actualize this vision for the Senior Program, we recommended creating a Separate Division, reporting to the Director. Back in 2014, Councilor Stef Seffinger, who is also an Ad Hoc Senior Program Advisory Member, presented some census information in an article published in the Tidings. She wrote that "the number of people in Jackson County, age 80 and older, is expected to more than double in the next 20 years." We now know from the 2016 US Census Bureau data, that the percentage of people who are over age 50 in Ashland, (46.5 exceeds the percentage of over age 50 adults in Jackson County, (41.7), Oregon, (36.1)and the US, (34.1) Councilor Seffinger also pointed out that "many cities in Oregon and throughout the United States have created Commissions on Aging to make their City more Age Friendly. Anne Bellegia, also a member of our Advisory Committee who wrote a Guest Opinion recently in the Tidings, described the coming increase in older citizens in Ashland as the "Silver Tsunami". So, my question is this: Do you agree that Ashland deserves all of us working together, to build the "higher ground" to protect and support our Current and Future Seniors? We don't have a Commission on Aging in Ashland, yet. But we can join together in a Conversation about how to support our Seniors. This includes educating our leaders, including the APRC, City Council, the University, and the Chamber of Commerce, and partnering with our Healthcare Agencies, Resource Centers, and the Councils and Agencies on Aging such as RVCOG, SAC, and ADRC. In order for that conversation to occur and continue, we need your support and leadership to build strong relationships in our City and beyond, as we carefully prepare for the future of our exceptional Aging community. The Ad Hoc Senior Program Advisory Committee will complete its duties next month, in March. We will be recommending that a Standing Senior Program Advisory Committee be in place by May 1 st. This will allow the work to continue. The new Advisory Committee will be ready to partner with the new Senior Manager and advise the Parks and Recreation Commissioners in the new fiscal year. As we work together to "do the right thing" for our Seniors, let us all remember the AARP slogan for inclusion--"Nothing About Us Without Us!" Do you have any questions? Demographic Comparisons by Age and Sex, 2016: US, Oregon, Jackson County, Ashland United Jackson 97520 States Oregon County Estimate Estimate Estimate Estimate Total 318,558,162 3,982,267 210,916 25,274 population AGE 50 to 54 years 7.0% 6.6% 6.7% 6.4% 55 to 59 years 6.7% 6.8% 7.2% 8.5% 60 to 64 years 5.9% 6.8% 7.6% 9.3% 65 to 69 years 4.8% 5.6% 6.9% 8.1% 70 to 74 years 3.5% 3.8% 4.7% 5.7% 75 to 79 years 2.5% 2.6% 3.2% 3.9% 80 to 84 years 1.8% 1.8% 2.4% 1.6% 85+ 1.9% 2.1% 3.0% 3.0% Total 34.1% 36.1% 41.7% 46.5% Source: United States Census Bureau, American Factfinder 2016 (Advanced Search) https: //factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresu Its. xhtmPrefresh=t