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GOVERNOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL (GAC)

ON SERVICES FOR AGING AND ADULTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

Julie H.C. Bailey Training Center

Smyrna, Delaware

December 6, 2012

10:00 am – 12:00 pm

PRESENT: Patsy Bennett-Brown (Co-Chair), Bob Brown (Chair), Carolyn Fredricks,

Evelyn Hayes, Suzanne Howell, Karen Lloyd, Katie Macklin, William Payne, Lee Perkins,

Debra Veenema

EXCUSED: Bill Bell, C. Regina Byers, Ernest Cole, Milton Daves, Bonnie Hitch,

Mary Ann Miller, LaVaida Owens-White, Linda Smith, Barbara Willis, Jim Young

DSAAPD (Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities) Staff Present: Bill Love, Director; Cindi Powell, Administrative Specialist III

GUESTS:

Janae Aglio, Executive Director, Elderinfo – DE Department of Insurance

Arlene Littleton, CHEER Executive Director

Agenda

I. Call to Order

II. Review of Minutes (No October Minutes – St. Francis LIFE Center Tour)

III. Overview of Alzheimer’s Association Julie H.C. Bailey Training Center

IV. Overview of State Health Insurance Program (SHIP)

V. TeleHealth Overview

VI. Presentation: Delaware’s Delivery of Long-Term Care Services and Supports:

The Need for Change

VII. Draft Letter to New Legislators

VIII. Update: 2014 Budget

IX. Old Business

X. New Business

XI. Roundtable

XII. Next Meeting: March 5, 2013

XIII. Adjourn

I. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 10:15 am by B. Brown, GAC Chair.

II. Review of Minutes

There were no minutes from the October meeting since the GAC Members attended a tour at the newly constructed St. Francis LIFE Program facility at the Wilmington Riverfront. No meeting was held in November due to the observance of Election Day.

III. Overview of Alzheimer’s Association Julie H.C. Bailey Training Center

B. Love thanked K. Macklin for the use of the center to hold the December GAC meeting, as well as all of the 2013 GAC meetings. K. Macklin provided an overview of the training center.

K. Macklin is the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Delaware Valley Chapter which includes 18 counties in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and South New Jersey. The base office is located in Newport, Delaware with field offices in Smyrna and Georgetown, Delaware. A total of 20,000 clients have been served through all of the offices. Staff provides Alzheimer’s training at the training center or off site. It was noted that the training center is available for use by any outside group in need of a meeting location. A large screen television, projector and sound system are available for use.

A donation was made to the Alzheimer’s Association by Tony Bailey in memory of his wife, Julie H.C. Bailey. This donation enabled the Alzheimer’s Association to develop the training center in Smyrna. Mrs. Bailey’s remarkable artwork is displayed throughout the center.

IV. Overview of State Health Insurance Program (SHIP)

J. Aglio presented to the Council an overview of the SHIP and Elderinfo programs, which are under the umbrella of the Department of Insurance. These programs are federally funded and serve the elderly as well as other individuals on Medicare.

• The office is located in Dover and they have numerous volunteers to help with the program. The volunteers are located in all three counties, and work through senior centers, health fairs and community events. The volunteers do not visit clients in their homes.

• The program also works closely with the DSAAPD Senior Medicare Patrol Program.

• SHIP also receives complaints about providers, prescriptions, and billing issues with Medicare, and offers assistance with Medicare enrollment.

• A volunteer training session is tentatively scheduled for March 2013, which includes a two-day training course with a final online test. The training will be held in the Dover office.

• It was suggested that the GAC refer to the State Council on Persons with Disabilities to write a letter to legislators regarding a State law that state insurance companies do not have to provide secondary insurance to those who are disabled and under 65 years of age.

• Elderinfo provides free health insurance counseling for people with Medicare. You can call Elderinfo at 1-800-336-9500 or (302) 674-7364 to set up a free counseling session with a trained volunteer at a convenient site near you. The goal is to empower people with Medicare to better understand their options and enable them to make the best health insurance decision for themselves.

• For further information, please go to the below link for SHIP and Elderinfo:

V. TeleHealth Overview

B. Love presented an overview of the Delaware TeleHealth Connection. Telehealth is the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies. This technology will help to expand access to health care, will increase convenience for the consumer, offers high quality patient/physician encounters, potentially lowers health care costs, and improves the quality of care. (Please refer to the attached presentation for details.)

VI. Presentation: Delaware’s Delivery of Long-Term Care Services and Supports (LTSS):

The Need for Change and the AARP Scorecard

B. Love presented on Delaware’s delivery of long-term care services and supports scorecard; 2012 profiles of LTSS across the states, expenditure patterns, critical concerns and initiatives that are underway. (Please refer to the attached presentation for details.)

VII. Draft Letter to New Legislators

It was suggested that the Council draft a letter to the legislators in order to introduce the Council and offer the Council as a resource. A draft will be sent to the Council Members for review. The draft will also contain a reference to Medicare and the meals program.

VIII. Update: 2014 Budget

B. Love reported that the public budget hearing was held in November, and C. Fredricks spoke to the legislators about the meals program and the waiting list. DHSS has requested funds for these programs, as well as funding for an Adult Protective Services Safe Haven Program, which will be used as temporary housing when a client is removed from their home in an emergency situation.

The budget will be released at the end of January 2013, and the Joint Finance Hearings will be held in February or March 2013. C. Fredricks voiced her concern that many meals provided by the Modern Maturity Center will not be covered by State funds by the end of the fiscal year, and encouraged Council Members to contact their local legislators regarding the urgent need to receive an increase in State funds to serve meals.

VI. Old Business

VII. New Business

It was noted that accessibility to medical exams can be extremely difficult for persons with disabilities who use a wheelchair or scooter. It was suggested that a list be compiled of doctors and specialists in the State who provide services specifically designed for a person with a disability.

VIII. Roundtable

E. Hayes: Thank you for the informative presentations.

K. Lloyd: Thank you for a good meeting, and wished everyone a happy holiday season.

L. Perkins: Thank you for a good meeting, and for the sharing of information; enjoyed the tour of the LIFE Program in October; and, noted that her sorority held a grandparent education workshop which included 20+ grandparents.

S. Howell: Thank you for a good meeting, and enjoyed the tour of the LIFE Program in October.

P. Bennett-Brown: Apologized for arriving late to the meeting – the DART bus was running late. Ms. Brown will speak with K. Macklin about what she missed during the Alzheimer’s disease presentation.

K. Macklin: Noted she is delighted to be hosting the 2013 GAC meetings at the Training Center.

W. Payne: Thanked K. Macklin for hosting the meeting; and, questioned the parking signs at the Smyrna Health and Wellness Center. Mr. Payne suggested that it be discussed at a future meeting.

D. Veenema: Noted that the Training Center is a great facility, and thanked everyone for a good meeting.

C. Fredricks: Noted that the Delaware Aging Network (DAN) has made the meals-funding issue a top priority, and the Joint Finance Committee has requested a survey of transportation issues in Delaware.

A. Littleton: CHEER has spent the past quarter raising funds in order to supply meals on wheels to clients past May of 2013. CHEER is also attempting to open an adult day center, which already has a waiting list. CHEER has purchased a parcel of land in Milton, and is attempting to raise funds to open a senior center in Milton. One barrier is how to provide transportation to an adult day center for clients with dementia.

IX. Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at the Julie H.C. Bailey Training Center in Smyrna from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.

X. Adjournment

B. Brown adjourned the meeting at 12:00 pm.

BL/cmp

Respectfully submitted 12.27.12

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