Gray Matters Winter 2013

LightHouse Future 3

Gray Matters

Caregiver Training 4 Senior Coalition 5 RSVP’s New Focus 6

A quarterly publication of Area 1 Agency on Aging

Osher Lifelong Learning, A1AA Partnership Begins

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wo of the cornerstone organizations devoted to older adults in Humboldt and Del Norte counties join together this spring semester for a monthly series of brown bag lecture luncheons at Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center.

Area 1 Agency on Aging experts will teach what Osher Lifelong Learning Institute calls its “50 and better” membership about health insurance, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, volunteerism and caregiving on the third Wednesday in January, February, March and April.

The first seminar about the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) begins at noon on Jan. 16.

The brown bag luncheon series is free to OLLI members who pay $35 annually to register singly. Partners/spouses cost an

additional $25.

“The partnership is a natural fit,” said Maggie Kraft, executive director of A1AA. “They promote education to people 50 and older who want to keep active, informed and learning and we are able to connect with a population that doesn’t typically use our services and may not realize what we have available.

Too many people think – incorrectly – that our services are only for those with financial need.”

Kraft sees it as an opportunity to “help OLLI members see what issues others are facing and what is and isn’t available.”

“It may also encourage people to be active and productive through volunteerism and help them to move forward as they, their friends and family discover what is needed to live independently as long as possible,” she said.

Sheila Rocker Heppe, program director for OLLI, recently accepted a seat on A1AA’s Board of Directors starting November 2012.

“I’m excited about the possibilities,” Rocker Heppe said.

OLLI has been based at Humboldt State University since the Bernard Osher Foundation initially supported the institute in 2005 with a grant of $100,000.

“It’s an innovative program of specially designed short courses

Food Pantry Households in Humboldt County — Age Breakdown

WINTER 2013

with no exams, no grades and no credit,” Rocker Heppe said.

OLLI members receive discounted rates of $30 to $70 on the more than 70 classes offered this spring.

OLLI members also receive HSU student privileges. That means access to HSU facilities such as the library, discounts at the bookstore, and access to the HSU Student Recreation Center for $48 per term. A discounted  continued on page 2

317 respondents age 35 or younger

29%

190 respondents age 60 or older

17%

594 respondents age 36 to 59 Source: The Food Access and Pantry Services Survey from Aug.-Sept. 2011

54% 

for CalFresh, see page 5

SPECIAL INSERT TO THE NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

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OLLI/A1AA Partnership

The Past Exalted Ruler’s Association of Eureka Elks Lodge #652 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the USA

Proud to be an Active Organization in our Community We support youth activities including: Hoop Shoot Soccer Adoption of Pine Hill School Scholarships for high school students We also support various senior and veteran programs, including: North Coast Honor Flight Meals on Wheels Gray Matters

Elks Fact: Nationally, the Elks are the second biggest contributor of scholarships, trailing only the U.S. government.

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10-swim pass is also available for $45 to members.

Those taking at least one OLLI class are eligible for a Jack Pass and free bus rides on AMRTS, Redwood Transit and Eureka Transit System. The Jack Pass costs $60 per semester.

Once local OLLI membership hit 500, the HSU branch became one of the 115 endowed OLLI programs in the country and received $50,000 in annual funding.

A second endowment that doubles the annual funding to $100,000 is possible, but happens only if the local OLLI has a sustained membership of 1,000 and a robust fundraising effort in place.

“They want all the pieces in place for a self-sustainable institute at HSU,” Rocker Heppe said. “We have a rich program, facilities, community interest and the membership base to bring the second endowment here once we’ve established a culture of giving and other sources of revenue.”

She said about 3,000 people in the region have been OLLI members in the past, but only 700 have paid for the membership year that begins Aug. 1 and ends July 31.

“Our membership goal every year is to get to 1,000,” she said.

“We got there on February last

continued from page 1

year and may get there in January this year. We need to build a culture of remembering because our funding relies on that membership.”

The brown bag luncheon series meets weekly. A1AA’s presentations are sandwiched between the Art of Living series on the second Wednesday and Creating Community Assets on the fourth Wednesday.

The first week of every month is dedicated to Redwood National Park.

The Art of Living series features conversations on creative aging and life after 50.

“We have speakers from the area come and talk about what they do to remain vital and involved. I call it 50 and better,” Rocker Heppe said.

Creating Community Assets covers the creation story of different groups and places in the community. The spring schedule features Access Humboldt, Main Street and Business Improvement Districts, Kinetic Universe and Sculpture Race, Aquaculture on the Bay/Oyster Festival, and Humboldt Area Foundation.

Rocker Heppe said OLLI instructors are experts from the community and current or retired faculty.

To become an OLLI member, call 707-826-5880 or go to www.humboldt.edu/olli/. 

Future is Dim Unless LightHouse of the North Coast Increases Revenue

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ightHouse of the North Coast isn’t a government program, but it’s facing a fiscal cliff of its own.

Unless it can boost donations and the number of paying customers using its services, the Eureka satellite of the San Francisco-based LightHouse of the Blind and Visually Impaired may have to call it quits after 12 years of North Coast service. In that time, LightHouse has provided equipment and training to help roughly 400 adults with blindness or low vision learn how to adapt.

Ali Lee, vision loss services coordinator in Eureka, believes part of the challenge is getting people to understand what vision rehabilitation services are so they seek help.

“People have a tendency to assume that disease-based blindness or low vision is a normal part of aging. It’s not,” she said. “A change in vision changes a life, but there are strategies to help you compensate and maintain independence.”

For the local program to survive, more individuals adjusting to sensory loss must decide to seek help rather than deny, ignore or grieve the decline, or friends, family and neighbors must acknowledge what’s happening and call LightHouse of the North Coast (2685646) with a referral.

LightHouse provides assessments and training for using adaptive strategies, including video magnifiers, task lighting, stair navigation, mobility assistance with canes, and training around everyday activities associated with cooking, shopping, managing bills and finances, and organizing clothes, food and medications.

“This is a dire and simple situation,” said Maggie Kraft, executive director of Area 1 Agency on Aging. “We have to step up as a community. If we don’t, and if we continue to lose referral agencies, we may lose this local outlet for everyone.”

American Community Survey 2008-2010 estimates 7.1 percent of Humboldt County seniors living independently self-identify a vision disability. Prevent Blindness America predicts twice as many people will be blind in 2030 as today, and at least 21 percent of the age 65 and over crowd will have some sort of vision impairment.

LightHouse of the North Coast is a private nonprofit that is not faith-based. Its survival hinges on people stepping up in one of three ways: 1. Collaborate and contract with LightHouse for more professional services.  continued on page 8 SPECIAL INSERT TO THE NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

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4 SPECIAL INSERT TO THE NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

Caregiver Training Starts Feb. 19 in Fortuna

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he first of A1AA’s six caregiver training courses scheduled for 2013 starts in Fortuna next month.

“It’s a fabulous course - so indepth, so precise and so necessary,” said Julie Van Devere, a Fortuna resident who took the class five years ago. She’d spent the previous seven years caring for her mother, who passed away in 2006.

Class graduates qualify for application to get on the caregiver registry, which paves the way to a job as a private caregiver.

“If someone falls, what do you do? If they get lost, what do you do? If they won’t eat or take a bath, what do you do? How do you get them to take their meds?”

Van Devere asked.

“Paid caregivers, and trained unpaid caregivers, are in short supply,” said Jeanie Ren, program manager for A1AA’s Caregiver Services and Information & Assistance. “This class prepares more people for a job while at the same time helping to improve the skills and expand the toolbox of the roughly one in five adults in this country who provide unpaid care to an adult family member or friend who is age 50 or older.”

Ren’s statistics come from Caregiving in the U.S., published in 2009 by the National Alliance for

Caregiving in collaboration with AARP and funded by MetLife Foundation. The report says the proportion of caregivers who say they need help or information has increased over the past five years.

Specific areas of need include keeping the cared for safe at home, finding activities to do with them and how to choose a home care agency, assisted living facility or nursing home.

“These classes are key to providing quality care for someone you love, and for meeting what is a growing need in our community,” Ren said.

The series of trainings graduated 69 caregivers in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

The 42-hour course requires 27 hours in class and 15 hours of homework. It runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. from Feb. 19 through March 19 at the Methodist Church, 922 N Street in Fortuna.

Future classes begin April 6 in Del Norte, May 7 in Eureka, and May 11 in Willow Creek.

The registration fee is waived for family caregivers and unpaid non-family caregivers. Everyone else pays $20.

To register for the course, call Area 1 Agency on Aging at 707-442-3763. 

Senior Action Coalition to Spread Wings, Focus on Health Care in 2013

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he flow of seed money ended with 2012, but the local Senior Action Coalition that grew out of The SCAN Foundation’s two-year AGEnts for Change grant will keep at its work to transform the health care system for seniors.

The plan: to continue its affiliation with The SCAN Foundation as part of SCAN’s Community of Constituents initiative. The 60-member Senior Action Coalition will join with more than 60 organizations working at the local, regional and statewide levels to reshape the system of health care so that all Californians can age with dignity, choice and independence.

The SCAN Foundation believes that developing a sustainable continuum of quality care improves outcomes for patients, reduces the number and duration of acute care episodes that lead to hospital visits, supports patient involvement in decision-making, encourages independence for a lifetime, and reduces overall costs.

On December 17, Area 1 Agency on Aging’s Yvonne

Doble, project coordinator for the 60-member Senior Action Coalition, and representatives from three other senior action projects from across the state met in Burlingame to discuss the transition to what’s next.

“It was so amazing to hear how a culture of social action and empowerment within each organization has increased volunteerism and reduced isolation of older adults,” Doble said.

“Stories from our local members resonated strongly with the stories from other seniors in L.A., Alameda and Santa Clara. We left with a clear vision, a commitment to support each other’s work, and a promise to seek out ways to collaborate in the near future.”

Doble said access to statewide policy conversations will help inform the social action goals of the now completely volunteer-run coalition.

She will continue to serve as the liaison from A1AA to the coalition, but the-day to-day work of organizing the group and determining direction transitioned to a steering committee independent of A1AA leadership last June.

“The steering committee is a

great mix of folks with experience, vision and passion,” she said. “I am confident that the coalition will continue to develop and affect change in our community.”

The coalition is housed in A1AA’s Eureka office, with a desk in the Volunteer Center of the Redwoods.

“They choose their agenda and build consensus across a diverse membership,” A1AA Executive Director Maggie Kraft said.

“Our goal is not always to do something,” steering committee member Mary Ella Anderson said. “I’ve heard from two different sources that at least 30 percent of seniors vote against their own self-interest, often because they are persuaded by advertising or don’t really understand what is going on.

We are trying to open up the dialogue.”

Formed last March, the coalition meets the third Wednesday of every month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Jefferson School, 1000 B St. in Eureka.

New members are welcome.

For information, or to add your name to the contact list, e-mail senioractioncoalition@gmail. com or call 707-442-3763. 

A New Year’s Resolution: Don’t Leave Money on the Table – Use it for Food

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umboldt County residents eligible for CalFresh food assistance could be leaving hundreds of dollars per year unclaimed because of lack of awareness or understanding about an evolving program designed to improve health and quality of life while reducing long-term medical costs.

“At this point, there are plenty of CalFresh funds to support everyone who is eligible,” said Debby Krzesni, nutritionist for Area 1 Agency on Aging. “Those who eat fresh food will be healthier, and healthier people cost less to take care of medically. Everybody wins. That’s the bottom line.”

A Feb. 2012 report from California Food Policy Advocates says an estimated 31,497 Humboldt County residents are eligible for the program, but 56 percent – 17,657 – do not participate.

“Lost Dollars, Empty Plates” estimates that getting full enrollment would bring an additional $28.5 million in federal benefits to Humboldt County. The report estimates the average CalFresh benefit for eligible households in the 2011 fiscal year to be $262 monthly, or  continued on page 8

SPECIAL INSERT TO THE NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

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RSVP Heads into New Year with New Focus, New Manager

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aureen McGarry is six months into her new job as project director of RSVP & Volunteer Center of the Redwoods, but she’s barely had time to catch a breath.

“It’s been eye-opening,” McGarry said from her second floor office at Area 1 Agency on Aging. “I came in at the end of a fiscal year that had seen a lot of things pared down, but things are starting to open up again now that the federal mandate has changed and new focus areas are required.”

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is now mandated to focus on volunteerism related to economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, disaster preparedness and healthy futures as part of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. Additionally, performance in those areas will be measured and evaluated.

“The idea was to shake it up and make sure that volunteerism was substantial, pro-active work with community impacts that are tangible and forward-moving,” McGarry said. “We are expected to address the changing needs of our community.”

Education is one of those changing needs.

Years of budget cuts have drained support and increased class sizes. McGarry said RSVP will start with elementary schools and then expand volunteer opportunities from preschool to adult education.

“There’s always a need for people who can work one-on-one with students, whether it’s helping children learn to read or engaging them in activities that promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship,” she said.

“Every child is important, and having a men-

6 SPECIAL INSERT TO THE NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

tor or a tutor can be life-changing.”

The refocused RSVP is also expected to reach out to veterans and military families, some of whom face readjustment and economic opportunity challenges after serving their country.

“We are going to have many college-educated people who are going to be retiring who have valuable skills to offer, and the new focus is about serving the greatest needs in our community while keeping senior lives vital,” McGarry said.

Volunteers engaged in teaching computer skills, adult literacy and occupational skill training are critical parts of the economic opportunity focus.

As for the healthy futures mandate, McGarry is looking for people to volunteer at health fairs, deliver meals to seniors’ homes, promote healthy eating, prevent obesity, and provide transportation to medical appointments.

“We’d also love to help the Trail Stewards,” McGarry said. “Environmental stewardship is about more than going out and picking up trash. It’s about restoring degraded lands, removing non-native plants, making the outdoors accessible and helping with interpretation.”

Some of those who volunteer in areas outside the focus areas may continue to do so as part of Volunteer Center of the Redwoods, but may no longer be considered RSVP volunteers and may not be eligible for the maximum $25 per month mileage reimbursement.

“We have so many wonderful volunteer opportunities in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, but those in thrift shops and hospi-

tals, for example, may no longer fit into the newly designated priorities,” McGarry acknowledged that the work in hospitals and thrift shops hasn’t changed. Neither has their need for help.

“We know this will impact our volunteers,” she said. “But the national mandate has changed and that means we have to change with it.”

Beyond the mandates, Area 1 Agency on Aging will continue to provide volunteer opportunities to people of all ages through its Volunteer Center of the Redwoods.

In November, VCOR and RSVP co-hosted a forum with the Northern California Association of Nonprofits. More than 30 people from a variety of nonprofit and governmental organizations shared their needs and concerns around community engagement in volunteerism.

“There is clearly a need and interest in providing rewarding and worthwhile volunteer opportunities in the local nonprofit community,” McGarry said.

VCOR and RSVP expect to work closely with the attendees to create a forum for sharing best practices in all aspects of community volunteer engagement, McGarry said.

“Volunteers are the life blood of local nonprofits, which are increasingly called upon to deliver more with shrinking resources,” she said. 

WANTED: Boomers in RSVP Established in 1971, RSVP engages nearly 300,000 people age 55 and older in a diverse range of volunteer activities on a national level.

But McGarry, project director for the local RSVP, isn’t seeing too many fifty-somethings in the RSVP mix.

“People who are 55 right now hear the words ‘retired’ and ‘senior’ and don’t think they are old enough to volunteer with RSVP,” McGarry said.

“They don’t think they are old now and they don’t think they will be for a long time. And they’re right.”

McGarry wants to change the mindset about fitting in with RSVP. “We need to get boomers to think like George Eliot, who said, ‘It is never too late to be what you might have been,’” she said.

McGarry knows that from experience. The 59-year-old graduated in 2011 from the University of Massachusetts with an online gerontology degree and worked at Humboldt Senior Resource Center before joining A1AA in July.

“Volunteerism can give your life meaning and it can keep it meaningful as you adjust to a new phase of life,” she said.

Last year, RSVP volunteers supported 65,000 organizations across America and served more than 60 million hours. To volunteer in Humboldt County, call 442-3711, fax 442-3714 or e-mail vcor@a1aa.org. 

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SPECIAL INSERT TO THE NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

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LightHouse

continued from page 3

3. Increase the willingness to donate among those who Unlike physical, occupational and 2. North Coast residents receive services or want speech therapy, vision rehabilitawho are blind or low vision them in the future. tion services are not covered under may qualify for training and LightHouse bills the Califorhealth insurance. Lee thinks many support through the state Denia Department of Rehabilitahealth providers and clinicians partment of Rehabilitation. may not even think about partContact the LightHouse (268- tion for direct services and a nering with LightHouse early on, 5646) to determine eligibility. portion of overhead, but much of the cost for outreach, public before, for example, a diabetic has For the past 15 years, Lighteducation, rent, lights and telelost sight.

House has been a certified com“The majority of people that munity based organization eligible phone for the office in Humboldt Senior Resource Center is receive support from us also have to provide reimbursable services another health condition or disunder two programs: one for people not covered.

“We’ve served retired doctors ability,” Lee said. “Our value is in age 55 and older with vision loss and professional people – many a more efficient and better result significant enough to impair daily for the patient, but providers may living and another for those 18 and people who can afford to pay,” Lee said. “We leave a donation not know what we do and may be older with a vision disability who envelope, and sometimes we unaware that much of our work is desire to work toward indepenget them back, sometimes we reimbursable through the Calidence or have a vocational goal. don’t.” fornia Department of Rehabilita“We know other people are out Lee said many people mistaktion.” there,” Lee said. “But we don’t enly think LightHouse is a govLightHouse can also help firms have the resources to support a ernment program that they are or agencies with in-service trainmarketing effort to bring in new already supporting as taxpayers, ing, space adaptation for the sight- people.” much like Social Security. impaired and sensitivity to blindAnyone can refer someone for “Area foundations like the ness training. service, but the tight budget cliMelvin and Grace McLean “The more contracts we have in mate has led to closures and staff Foundation help us, but we this community at $70 an hour or reductions among the nonprofits need more people to step up to the more group, in-services trainand social service agencies that ings we facilitate the better,” Lee used to make the lion’s share of the retain vital local services,” Lee said.  said. referrals.

CalFresh

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$3,144 per year.

The program is designed for those with income of 130 percent or less of the federal poverty limit, but seniors and the disabled might still qualify if they are above that limit, said CalFresh Outreach Coordinator Heidi McHugh.

“The value of property, vehicles, savings and retirement accounts are not considered income and do not prevent eligibility for the program,” she said.

In California, Supplemental Security income recipients are not eligible, but household members living with them may be.

People who receive Social Security and/or Social Security Disability may still qualify for CalFresh.

Eligible participants get payments through electronic benefit transfer with a card that operates like an ATM debit card.

Call 1-800-410-8809 to apply over the phone. Office visits and fingerprinting are not required. 

Gray Matters is a quarterly publication of the Area I Agency on Aging.

Maggie Kraft, Executive Director • mkraft@a1aa.org

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8 SPECIAL INSERT TO THE NORTH COAST JOURNAL • THURSDAY, JAN. 3, 2013

Carol Harrison, Editor • cah5@humboldt.edu AIAA is located at 434 Seventh Street in Eureka, 95501, across the street from Eureka Inn. Phone: 707-442-3763 Gray Matters is designed by graphic artist Lynn Jones of the NCJ and is posted on the NCJ website at www.northcoastjournal.com The next edition of Gray Matters is April 4, 2013.