COMMITTEE ON AGING MINUTES
May 28, 2013
This meeting and all other meetings of this committee are open to the public. Proper notice has been posted and given to the press in accordance with Wisconsin statutes so that the citizenry may be aware of the time, place, and agenda of this meeting.
Co-Chairperson Kenneth Renning called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. at the Waupaca County Courthouse, 811 Harding St., Waupaca, WI.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Wayne Laux (excused at 9:45), Kenneth Renning, Mary Mathwig, Mary Kay Poehlman, and Steve Stead (9:15 AM).
MEMBERS EXCUSED: Patricia Craig
MEMBERS ABSENT: Janice Lytie
ALSO PRESENT: Christie Gonwa, Peggy Strey, and Beverly Laux.
I. ADOPTION OF AGENDA:
Motion to accept modified agenda removing need for Action under Item IIIA as none required at this time. Motion by Wayne Laux and seconded by Mary Mathwig to approve as modified. Motion carried.
II. REVIEW AND ACCEPT MINUTES OF MARCH 26, 2013: Motion by Mary Mathwig and seconded by Mary Kay Poehlman to approve minutes as presented. Motion carried.
Public Comment: None
III. ADRC/AGING DIRECTOR GENERAL REPORT – Christie Gonwa
A. ADRC Information and Assistance Staff Need (from ADRC funds/no county levy); current enrollment stats:
Christie had hoped there was funding to support another I & A position but, will need to do more research as the three F/T we have are beyond capacity and we are not meeting timelines. We are reviewing time tracking to see if M.A. funds can be tapped into to accommodate the percentage of funds needed to support that extra -much needed- position. The COW (Calumet/Outagamie/Waupaca) Consortium gave back $100K last year and we are not sure why. Plus, money was given back in the prior year. There is a COW consortium meeting this afternoon and Christie will gather more information on this at that meeting. We need an additional I & A Specialist and are working on it. Presently, Calumet County has four and we have three, which stymies us as our program is larger.
TCM, The Clinical Manager, is a software system that was to be up and running by now. The county has been paying a regular fee to support this program’s usage since early to mid 2012, but, we have not yet started using it. Implementation has been clearly delayed and we are unsure why; it may be due to staffing issues. Data is not really transferable from our current system to this one, which will make the transition process a bit more cumbersome. However, the current system slows down the I & A workers, which negatively reflects on the accuracy of time reporting, which in turn is what generates the funding that supports the program (a negatively adverse cycle). Committee member Mary Mathwig volunteered her assistance to help on this and other projects if and when needed. We are hoping to get it started ASAP. Our enrollment stats are really climbing. We will have more information on this at the next meeting in July after Christie completes more research.
B. Community Living Specialist Staff Need [from Money Follows the Person (MFP) Funds/no county levy]. Current relocation stats:
The CLS position has been contracted for 3 years with Valley Packaging Inc. (VPI) using grant dollars. Business is booming as we have received 86 referrals from February 1st through May 24th. This is much greater than anticipated.
Q: The Appleton Post Crescent recently had a very extensive article on Oshkosh Nursing homes that were not meeting certain standards. Can we be sure our relocations are going to places that are safe and satisfy needs?
A: The MCO – which in our case is Community Care Inc. would be responsible for monitoring the person’s care and placement and should most definitely be aware.
Because of the unexpectedly high number of referrals, we are in need of another CLS, however, the person marketing this position for Outagamie and other counties has resigned and now Outagamie would – similarly - like their own position. Waupaca County was the only one approved for this due to its large number of NH beds. Because we do this as part of a consortium effort there are no county funds used to support it. It is entirely grant funded with no obligation at grant’s end as employer is Valley Packaging Inc.
A motion to increase the CLS program from 1 FTE to 2 FTE’s with no use of county levy money was made by Steve Stead and seconded by Mary Mathwig. Motion carried.
C. Aging Plan Progress - We are now five months into the plan year and are doing a good job of meeting our goals. We are, however, unsure if we will be able to offer two Car Fit classes since Kristine Wiegman does this in partnership with Prevention Coordinator Nancy Krueger and Nancy is not able to schedule her presence. If we can find someone else to help Kristine with this (who is also certified) we can offer it. Christie will see if someone from Calumet County meets these criteria and can assist. We do get the prevention offerings out via local newspapers, radio, and flyers etc. Prevention is very popular. Kristine Wiegman has a waiting list for one of her programs.
D. Veteran member Advocate Discussion – Christie is looking for someone who has been a veteran (or a volunteer with military background) to help us work toward developing a peer companion type group and would like this person to sit on this committee as an advisory nonvoting member. She will touch base with our county’s Veteran’s Service Officer, Wayne Knutson. She would also like to partner with the Wisconsin Veteran’s Home on this as we relocate their members via the Community Relocation Initiative and understand that those beds we free via that process will be refilled with consumers who suffer AODA and mental health issues, thus becoming possible Adult Protective Service (APS) issues for Waupaca County.
It was suggested that a job description on this volunteer position be brought to the next COA meeting for review to bring clarity as to the specifics of what we are looking for. It was suggested that we also contact the Volunteer Ombudsman Program at WVH as a good resource as well.
E. Elderly Benefit Specialist Retirement - Kathy Austin is retiring September 3rd having served 26 years with Waupaca County. Her job was internally posted early (due to many upcoming changes) and interviews scheduled for Friday, May 31st. There will not be duplicate staffing issues except for those times when her replacement staff is in training.
F. Sequester/State of Wisconsin funding cuts – We do not yet know of any actual funding cuts. GWAAR – Greater Wisconsin Area Agency on Aging Inc. believes the sequester could prompt up to 5% in cuts, but our county would only suffer a 2% reduction due to funding already having been taken. It is strictly census based.
G. Will Hike for Meals – Pat Enright has been walking the Ice Age Trail for nutrition program donations ($2700.00 to date) and has completed the first half of the trail (500+ miles). He will return to the walk in September to complete the final leg. He has created a blog www.iceagetrailhiker2013.wordpress.com for tracking his activity.
H. Legislative Advocate – We are looking for legislative advocate to work/help advocate for us. Perhaps another advisory nonvoting committee member. A job description on this will also be pulled together.
I. Committee on Aging Board Member Job Description –We could not find an existing job description, but Christie will put one together (already has a similar ADRC one) to help clarify member responsibilities for program promotion.
J. Summer Intern-Social Worker Student, 4 year Graduate Nurse – The SW intern is 2 years into the program and is shadowing and helping our I & A with an emphasis on memory screening. The nurse has a BS but needs an internship - we are hoping to utilize for meal assessment completion. A composite of the results of these efforts will be returned to this group once complete. One I & A Specialist did get certified in memory screening. We would like to hold this in each community. Christie would also like to coordinate outreach on this
Christie asked the membership if they would like a retreat of sorts in order to become more knowledgeable about the things offered by the Department of Health and Human Services and was received with great interest.
K. Staff Performance Reviews – Introduced end of April – as of yesterday every employee in the county was given a performance tool. Will be doing again in November. Christie wants to meet quarterly to find out where employees are at, would like to be and what can be done to help them.
COA committee members would also like to provide input/feedback as a performance review of Christie as their leader and let her know what they feel is or isn’t working. The may be a November agenda item. DHHS Director Chuck Price could also get that feedback. Christie will give COA members a copy of her job description as well as members of her staff.
IV. AGING NETWORK REPORT
A. GWAAR Program Update – Have been pretty much given carte blanche to do what is typical of legislator interaction. Janet Zander – the former Portage County ADRC director – was awarded the position.
B. Other – None
V. NUTRITION PROGRAM
A. Site Updates – overall things are well, but the Weyauwega site is struggling with a rodent issue. Peggy researched local exterminators. Christie spoke with legion representative (site landlord) and they are checking into it. She offered to go halves on the exterminator fee. We may need to look elsewhere if this isn’t resolved. Lakeview Manor was a suggested site but we don’t want to be required to use their food (as it is based on RFP award). Will keep membership updated. Another suggestion was possible relocation to Fremont.
VI. OTHER
MTM is the new transportation provider set to take over on August 1st. Christie will be attending a meeting on June 6th to find out more.
VII. NEXT MEETING –July 30, 2013 – Waupaca County Courthouse, 811 Harding St., Waupaca. 9:00 AM.
Will have informational meeting in June regarding the caterer RFP with final bid opening at July 30th COA meeting.
VIII. ADJOURN – Motion by Mary Mathwig, and seconded by Mary Kay Poehlman, to adjourn at 10:50 AM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted by
Peggy Strey,
Program Assistant
Aging and Disability Resource Unit