Commission on Aging George Porter, Chairperson Gail Feldman, Commission Secretary

1901 Hearst Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709 Tel: 510. 981.5200 TDD: 510.981.6903 Fax: 510. 981.5220

E-mail: seniors@ci.berkeley.ca.us - http://www.cityofberkeley.info/housing/

REGULAR MEETING AGENDA

North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Avenue Berkeley, CA

Wednesday, January 21, 2015 1:30 p.m.

Preliminary Matters

1. Roll Call

2. Public Comments The public may comment about any item not on the agenda. Public comments are limited to two minutes per speaker. Public comments regarding agenda items will be heard while the Commission is discussing the item.

3. Approval of the October 15, 2014 Regular (Attachment 1) Meeting and November 9,

2014 Special Meeting minutes (Attachment 2) Announcements (5 minutes) Presentations David Stegman to discuss homeless seniors and activities of the Homeless Task Force. Updates/ Action Items The Commission may take action related to any subject listed on the Agenda. Public comments regarding agenda items will be heard while the Commission is discussing the item. Public comments are limited to two minutes per speaker.

4. Approve Commission meeting schedule for 2015. (Attachment 3)

5. Discuss and take possible action to send a letter to the Mayor and Council requesting approval for the Mayor to sign the Milken Institute “Best Cities for Successful Aging Pledge” on behalf of the City of Berkeley. (Porter) (Attachment 4)

6. Discuss and take possible action on correspondence from members of the South

Berkeley Senior Advisory Council regarding management of funds (Attachment 5) and response from the Manger of Aging Services. (Attachment 6)

7. Discuss and take possible action to 1) recommend to Council and the Mayor to pledge to

do their best to hold annual "working" meetings that gather together their appointed commission members for the purpose of personal contact, information sharing and networking; and 2) to forward the recommendation to all City Commissioners requesting

support for the recommendation and for letters to be sent to Council. (Porter) (Attachment 7)

8. Discussion and follow up on the November 9, 2014 Special Meeting of the Commission

on Aging.

9. Discuss article in The Atlantic Magazine September 17, 2014 “Why I Hope To Die at Age 75”. (Porter)

Information Items

Items included in packet. Adjournment Future Items

1. Report on Nursing Home Infractions in Alameda County. Communications

1. Letter from Milken Institute on Best Cities for Successful Aging 2. Letter dated November 17, 2014 from members of the South Berkeley Senior Advisory

Council (SBSAC) regarding management of funds 3. Letter dated December 19, 2014 re: SBSAC from Leah Talley Manager Aging Services 4. Letter from Philomena Burkhardt regarding Redwood Gardens Senior Housing

(Attachment 8)

Please refrain from wearing scented products to this meeting.

COMMUNICATION ACCESS INFORMATION This meeting is being held in a wheelchair accessible location. To request a disability-related accommodation(s) to participate in the meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact the Disability Services specialist at 981-6342 (V) or 981-6345 (TDD) at least three business days before the meeting date. Communications to Berkeley boards, commissions or committees are public record and will become part of the City’s electronic records, which are accessible through the City’s website. Please note: e-mail addresses, names, addresses, and other contact information are not required, but if included in any communication to a City board, commission or committee, will become part of the public record. If you do not want your e-mail address or any other contact information to be made public, you may deliver communications via U.S. Postal Service or in person to the secretary of the relevant board, commission or committee. If you do not want your contact information included in the public record, please do not include that information in your communication. Please contact the commission secretary for further information. Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Commission regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection at the North Berkeley Senior Center located at 1901 Hearst Avenue, during regular business hours. The Commission Agenda and Minutes may be viewed on the City of Berkeley website: http://www.cityofberkeley.info/commissions.

Secretary: Gail Feldman Health, Housing & Community Services Department (510) 981-5232 E-mail: gfeldman@CityofBerkeley.info

Mailing Address: Commission on Aging/HHCS Gail Feldman 2180 Milvia Street. 2nd floor Berkeley, CA 94704

Health, Housing & Community Services Department

Commission on Aging

COMMISSION ON AGING Draft Minutes

North Berkeley Senior Center Wednesday 1901 Hearst Avenue October 15, 2014 Berkeley, CA 1:30 p.m. Preliminary Matters 1. Roll Call

Present: Allen Stross, George Porter, Andreas Lazaris, Bill Schechner, Gabriella Castello-Kramer, Veta Jaqulin, Edith Hallberg Absent: None

Staff Present: Leah Talley, Gail Feldman Public: None 2. Public Comment

3. Approval of September 17, 2014 Regular Meeting minutes. The minutes were accepted as presented: (M/S/C: Jaqulin/Castello-Kramer; Ayes: Stross, Schechner, Porter, Lazaris, Castello-Kramer, Hallberg; Noes: None; Abstain: None

4. Letter to Council regarding Senior Center Facilities. Approve Senior Center facility letter and include date of the Public Works report and chart as an attachment M/S/C: Porter/Hallberg; Ayes: Stross, Schechner, Porter, Lazaris, Castello-Kramer, Hallberg; Noes: None; Abstain: None

Meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.

Minutes Approved on:, Gail Feldman, Commission Secretary

Attachment 1

Health, Housing & Community Services Department

Commission on Aging

COMMISSION ON AGING – SPECIAL MEETING Draft Minutes

South Berkeley Library 1901 Russell Street Berkeley, CA

Sunday, November 9, 2014 2:00 p.m.

Preliminary Matters

1. Roll Call Present: Allen Stross, George Porter, Andreas Lazaris, Bill Schechner, Gabriella Castello-Kramer, Veta Jaqulin, Edith Hallberg Absent: None Staff Present: Leah Talley, Saulo Villatoro, Terry Kalahar, Dina Quan Public: 36

2. Public Comments

None

3. The Commission on Aging is holding this special meeting to seek public comment and broad community input on issues of health, safety, housing, transportation, communication, economic opportunity, ongoing education and community involvement. The Commission seeks to focus on the effects of these issues on our rapidly growing older population. The Commission is requesting public comment to address these questions:

a. How can we prepare to support healthy engaged aging in a changing Berkeley?

b. How can the City government and citizens work together to help promote the vibrancy and health of our elder community?

c. What is Berkeley doing right? d. Where is there room for improvements? e. What new possibilities are on the horizon?

Commissioners invited public comment on the item above. Comments are recorded below.

1) Iris C: There is general interest in services for the aging. She lives in Harriet Tubman and started an art group that meetings Thursdays at 2 p.m. in the Community Room. Everyone is invited. The group works on any kind of art,

Attachment 2

Minutes – Commission on Aging November 9, 2014 Page 2 of 6

however, most material is graphic, paper. The group is open to the public and all are welcome.

2) Angela: She teaches in a senior center. There is a disconnect to learn about the programs. No one knows about classes. This is why the senior center at West was closed. City should appoint a coordinator so seniors can know what is available. Some staff and directors don’t know what is going on in the Center, and should get to know what is going on.

Commission Question to the room: Could those in attendance raise their hand if those here today would benefit from on-line listing of things to do? Most in the room raised their hand. One senior commented that there is a perception of what a senior is like, and that she is on facebook, twitter, and encouraged the use of social media, and that we should not limit how seniors communicate and use the options that exist.

3) JoAnn: She went to a meeting about Aging Friendly Cities, and that it is based on many things. There is a checklist, cities work on the checklist and then they receive the designation. If our city is more senior-friendly, it is better for everyone because public areas are clean, buildings are well-designed and accessible, and transportation is affordable. Commissioner comment: The Mayor’s Pledge is a similar action that we are looking into.

4) Sue: She thanked the commissioners for the meeting. Health is her concern. Medical cannabis for seniors helps seniors more, and she has seen it help with chronic pain, sleep, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. If we want seniors to be vibrant, health is a concern. Medical cannabis can support vibrant aging.

5) JoAnn S.: It should be possible to downsize and still live in Berkeley through affordability in fixed rate condos and housing for seniors that isn’t just in a senior housing complex and is distributed throughout the community.

6) Rosalyn: She is concerned about bikes on sidewalks. Elders are vulnerable to serious injury, and when bikers approach from the rear, sometimes seniors cannot hear them. As bike passes, seniors can make quick moves and are prone to losing balance and fall injury. When bones break, they heal slowly. The solutions exist to fix this: Reinforce existing laws, require bikes to have a bell or horn, and require bikers to stop if on sidewalk and walk bike past a person. The senior also expressed concern about a policy report that listed her as a “LOL” and found that insulting.

7) Public Member: Berkeley needs more bike paths.

Attachment 2

Minutes – Commission on Aging November 9, 2014 Page 3 of 6

8) Sam: This is his first commission meeting and is not familiar with commission history. Downsizing is something that all will have to look at. He has relatives that live in senior housing. For “outside the box” housing idea, he discussed co-op housing, cottages with communal dining and an ownership model with limited equity, for example, the 9th Street Co-op. He would love to see the City to find funds to help people start up co-ops that will eventually be for low income residents. This model would allow a senior to buy in and the family receives money when the senior passes on. Co-ops choose who moves in through an interview process.

9) Naomi: She would like more public relations about everything. She didn’t know about the commission. She downsized about 25 years ago and is looking to do it again. There needs to be more P.R. for seniors in all areas – housing, activities, and other things. She wants more communication and is willing to volunteer if needed.

10) Public Member: Senior Centers are treasures but the programs are not known. Would like face to face time to discuss how we could use the newsletter more.

11) Philomena: At Redwood Gardens, the agency that managed before is back, and they don’t listen to residents. The community room isn’t used, and the residents would like exercise bikes. How do we influence the management? Commissioner question: Do you have residence councils? Philomena: The residence council has not achieved things, and we need advocacy help. The relationship between the City and HUD might be helpful.

12) Helen: She is a volunteer in the senior community who discussed access to information. Diversify information, including local media and on-line. Community can create their programming. She spoke of a personal experience where she did not get information printed in the Nugget and no one knew about the class. She also shared information about a Commission on Disability workshop. Commissioner question: What did the Commission on Disability do to advertise the workshop? Helen: Information was put out to about 50 people.

13) Roberta: She is a representative from the Ashby Village. They have been in existence for about five years. She develops social resources. The Village has high dues, and those that join usually have resources. She encounters people who are living on fixed income and have no children locally, and are getting progressively disabled and can’t afford support or assisted living. What can the City do to support people who are not wealthy, not eligible for MediCal, but needs are high? She requested that the City address the issue.

Attachment 2

Minutes – Commission on Aging November 9, 2014 Page 4 of 6

Commissioner comment: The number of middle class baby-boomers will increase, as will their needs as they age. We have to find resources for these needs.

14) Miriam: She is a Berkeley Resident and heard about the meeting through her congregation. She works for Alameda County Public Health, for the Senior Injury Prevention Program. There are a number of programs for Senior Injury Prevention. Fall prevention is the biggest matter, and the program provides training for fall prevention. Hospitals and others know about the size of the problem. The program works in senior centers and Ashby Village. They offer three trainings anywhere in Alameda County:

a. Fall prevention b. Emergency Preparation c. Driving Smart

The program has a coalition of providers to share information, and holds monthly meetings. A senior asked Miriam about sidewalks and bikes, and Miriam replied that she works with County commissioners to liaison with Cities. Commissioner Comment: Recently, the Commission on Aging provided input on Public Health priorities for Berkeley, and the Commission raised the needs of seniors with regards to the priorities that were identified.

15) Ruth: She shared a recent AARP newspaper article that suggested starting driving networks by seniors for seniors, by giving rides, collection credits for rides for later, and not an alternative for taxi rides. The organization would be an independent transportation network that resembles a co-op, but the article didn’t include discussion of liability insurance. Commissioner comment: Heard of the idea of an “elder uber,” also, some might want to earn money and develop a senior economy.

16) Marcia: She wanted to comment on what we are doing right. The North Berkeley Senior Center Birding Class is wonderful. Also, what can we do? The bowling green in Berkeley is well used, but one bowling green has gone fallow. Does the City own it? We could start a community garden there with a cooking class. Could also provide food for seniors and could also be exercise. The bowling green is at Bancroft and Acton.

17) Stacy: As we age, we can’t cross the street as fast. It is hard to cross the street at Sacramento, Shattuck, Telegraph, Ashby and University. There is speeding, drivers don’t see pedestrians, and it is scary. Is there something we can do, can the City put more lights in the street? Commissioner comment: Have heard this from others, this is something we have been interested in as well as City Council has been interested in this.

Attachment 2

Minutes – Commission on Aging November 9, 2014 Page 5 of 6

18) Public Member: At Ashby and College, came within inches of getting hit when driver made a left hand turn. I suggested that there be a scramble at the light, but that was not approved by council. Commissioner comment: It would be nice to be able to warn seniors of dangerous intersections.

19) Lauren: She has had housing displacement. Some of us never had good housing, some live downtown. Don’t want to be pushed to East Oakland because of high rises. If you are poor in Berkeley, and you lose what you have, there is nowhere for you to go. There is prejudice in this area. There is nowhere to go but Richmond and East Oakland. Can’t keep up with yearly rent increases, and landlords prefer to rent to students. The rent for a studio is $1,100, and $800 for a closet space. She wants it so that long term residents are displaced. Commissioner comment: Someone asked earlier about our role, to be clear, the Commission makes recommendations to Council.

20) Helen: Regarding pedestrian safety, the Commission on Disability has a Parking, Sidewalks and Street Safety Subcommittee.

21) Miriam: Strength training and balance coordination are important for fall prevention. Developing programs in Tai Chi and “stepping on” would be beneficial. Commission question: How are you communicating about your programs? Miriam: Through our large coalition of providers, community-based organization networks, non-profits and senior centers.

22) Judy: There is a relationship between the disabled community and senior community. The disabled community is well organized and identified. Two commissions and two communities working together will have more leverage.

23) Ruth: She expressed a concern about skateboarders and sidewalk safety. Commissioner comment: This can be made worse with loss of hearing.

24) Sam: He was the chair for the Commission on Labor in the past. Regarding resident councils, the commission can do research to see if that is the kind of treatment occurring at other facilities. It is possible for Commission to present resolution to City Council to make them aware of the issues.

25) Commissioner question for those in attendance: For people without computer, how do you get information? Answers included: phone trees, telemarketing, signs at senior centers, phone calls, newspapers.

Attachment 2

Minutes – Commission on Aging November 9, 2014 Page 6 of 6

26) Rodney: This meeting is a great start and hopes it is the first of many more community engagement meetings.

27) Public Member: She shared that she carries a light at night to help cars see her.

28) Public Member: East Bay Express has listing of meetings. Berkeley Times and Berkeley Voice are also good places to list.

29) Commissioner announcements: There is a public hearing at South Berkeley Senior Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. to hear about the needs of Berkeley Residents.

Meeting was adjourned at 4 p.m.

Attachment 2

Commission on Aging

Meeting Dates

2015

3rd Wednesdays of the Month

Month Date

January 1/21/15

February 2/18/15

March 3/18/15

April 4/15/15

May 5/2015

June 6/17/15

July 7/15/15

August No Meeting

September 9/16/15

October 10/21/15

November 11/18/15

December No Meeting

Attachment 3

Attachment 4

Attachment 4

Attachment 4

Attachment 4

Attachment 4

Attachment 4

Attachment 5

Attachment 5

Attachment 6

Attachment 6

Attachment 6

Attachment 6

Attachment 6

Attachment 6

TO: All Berkeley Commissions and Commissioners FROM: Commission on Aging (COA) RE: Joining the CoA in urging Council members and the Mayor to pledge to do their best to hold annual meetings with their commissioners Fellow Commissions and Commissioners, The Commission on Aging is writing today asking you to join us in urging Council members and the Mayor to pledge to do their best to hold annual commissioners' meetings. Our rationale for asking this of council is contained in the recommendation below and we would like you to put our recommendation before your commission for a vote of support by March 2015. If the recommendation is passed by your Commission, please send a letter to council expressing this. If you'd like to add any comments, contingencies, changes or further suggestions, please feel free to do so. Sincerely, Commission on Aging ___________________________________________________________ CONSENT CALENDAR To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council From: Commission on Aging Submitted by: George Porter, Chairperson, Commission on Aging Subject Recommendation to Council: Annual Meetings of Commission Appointees RECOMMENDATION The Commission on Aging recommends that all City Council members (and the Mayor) pledge to do their best to hold annual "working" meetings that gather together their appointed commission members for the purpose of personal contact, information sharing and networking. FISCAL IMPACTS OF RECOMMENDATION The City will incur minimal costs in the implementation of this recommendation. CURRENT SITUATION AND ITS EFFECTS Currently there is very little established policy, either formal or informal, regarding face-to-face contact between Council members (and the Mayor) and their appointees to

Attachment 7

Council Appointee Meetings

2

the various City Commissions and none addressing any such contact between a Councilmember (and the Mayor) and his or her full group of commissioners. As things stand, since appointment to commissions are in general for 4 years and often overlap Councilmember's (and the Mayor's) terms, if a given district seat changes hands, on occasion new Council members (and Mayors) and their inherited commissioners have never met in person. In addition to this, since reappointment of commissioners to a second term is often a routine matter, it is possible that 8 years can pass with little or no direct contact between a Councilmember (or the Mayor) and his or her appointee. As far as contact between a Councilmember's (or the Mayor's) group of commissioners goes, there is no consistent policy and to the CoA's observation in many, many cases commissioners have no idea of even the name of their counterparts on other commissions much less any understanding of who these people might be and how best to work with them towards common goals. Indeed, though some commissions are in constant contact with one another, since there is little established policy encouraging broad based communication between commissions, the simple fact that shared interests exist is far too often missed. BACKGROUND Over the past couple of years outreach and communication to other commissions has been part of the Commission on Aging's work plan. A few individual commissioners have sat in on other commissions meetings, introduced themselves, tried to establish lines of communication and then reported back to the CoA, especially as regards issue relating to the aging population. This has proved moderately fruitful, but time consuming and very hit or miss. During that same time period one commissioner had an appointing council member that held annual commissioner meetings and reported back. This practice seemed much more useful and a couple of other commissioners who had had similar experiences before this period confirmed this which started us down the road that led to this action item. To the best of the CoA's discovery, in the past various Council members (and Mayors) have come up with individual ways of establishing lines of communications with their commissioners and between them. Though the CoA fully appreciates Council members' (and the Mayor's) need for latitude in determining these relationships, the end results are often uneven and sporadic. In the case of the annual commissioners meeting, over the years some Council members have always held such meetings, others only on occasion and some not at all. Over those same years the individual commissions have had memberships with widely varying exposure to and understanding of the broad set of Municipal concerns the effect their work and much of the time in meetings can be spent bringing everyone up to date regarding these. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

There are no identifiable environmental impacts

Attachment 7

Council Appointee Meetings

3

RATIONALE FOR RECOMMENDATION The CoA feels that Council members (and the Mayor) establishing the habit of an annual commissioners meeting is a very simple and cost effective way of both addressing the concerns expressed above and of opening doors to new opportunities insofar as: 1) It ensures a basic level of the needed personal contact between Council members and their commissioners. 2) For all attendees it puts a "human face" on the work of the various commissions and creates the sense of a broader community effort, the value of which should not be underestimated. 3) A well run meeting where each commissioner has a chance to briefly recap the last year's work of the commission he or she sits on establishes a baseline of information regarding Municipal concerns. 4) It encourages greater communication between the commissions which will result in: a) greater appreciation of one another's work b) greater awareness of the current scope of one another's work c) greater appreciation of the complexity of the Council's work d) more efficient use of time in commission meetings

e) equal opportunity for all commissioners for access to useful information f) the recognition of and better cooperation in achieving shared goals g) more efficient sharing of resources h) increased transparency between commissions 5) In general, it will enliven the working relationship between Berkeley's elected officials and its citizen commissions and help ensure that our investment in this cooperative effort will yield greater returns. Again, the CoA's suggestion here is that these be casual and friendly working meetings, not just social events. Though we fully appreciate that Council members (and the Mayor) already carry a heavy load, the CoA strongly feels that these yearly meetings will be of so much value to the municipality that we unanimously urge individual Council members (and the Mayor) to take this additional, small burden upon themselves. ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS CONSIDERED The CoA at first felt that annual meetings should be an official requirement of office and that the Council (and the Mayor) should vote to place this duty on themselves. After further consideration we decided that, given how busy Council members (and the Mayor) already are and appreciating the need for scheduling flexibility, this should be more of a good faith proposition. That is, rather than being a requirement of the office, it should take

Attachment 7

Council Appointee Meetings

4

the form of a pledge to do his or her best to hold such yearly events. The CoA also considered other possible ways the goals might be reached including: 1) Yearly one-on-one meetings between Council members and individual commissioners. 2) A yearly "Commission's Day" on which all commissions and commissioner's come together to report on their various concerns. Both these possibilities were rejected after we assessed they'd be much less effective. CITY MANAGER The City Manager [TYPE ONE] concurs with / takes no position on the content and recommendations of the Commission’s Report. [OR] Refer to the budget process. Note: If the City Manager does not (a) concur, (b) takes any other position, or (c) refer to the budget process, a council action report must be prepared. Indicate under the CITY MANAGER heading, “See companion report.” CONTACT PERSON Gail Feldman, Secretary Commission on Aging, HHCS (510) 981-5178.

Attachment 7

Attachment 8

Attachment 8