January 09, 2025 Minutes

Weld Area Agency on Aging - Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting Location: Zoom Invite & Area Agency on Aging, 315 N 11th Ave., Bldg. C., Greeley, CO
Meeting: Thursday, December 12, 2024 (Thursday) 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Roll Call:
- Board Members
  Attended
  - Kay Broderius
  - Susan Collins
  - DeAnn Cure
  - Nancy Haffner
  - Father Steve Karcher
  - Alan Kress
  - Ruth Leitel
  - Valeria Ortiz
  - Commissioner Peppler
  - Teresa Schunter
  - Gillian Smith
  - Vice-Chair Jami Shepherd
  - Lynn Young
  Absent
  - Aaron Sanchez
  - Anne Curry Sanchez
  - Diana Vasquez
- AAA Staff
  Attended
  - Kelly Morrison, Home & Community Supports Division Director
  - Meredith Skoglund, Community Outreach Manager
  - Michelle Roper, Administrative Assistant
  Absent
  - Tami Grant, Department of Human Services Deputy Director
  - Jill Colavolpe, Home & Community Supports Division Deputy Director
- Guest
  - Sarah Armold, SPECAL Professional Education & Research Support Manager
  - Sharon Keay, Outreach Coordinator
Approval of Minutes
- Motion made by Vice-Chair Shepherd to approve the minutes from December 12, 2024. Member Collins made first approval and Member Cure made second approval. All approved.
Program
- Dementia Together
  - Dementia Together started as a volunteer community initiative under the umbrella of Partnership for Age Friendly Communities and became a 501c3 in January of 2017 with most of its funding coming from individuals. Dementia Together leads the way in changing the predominant culture surrounding people living with dementia and their potential to “live well”.
  - Dementia Together operates under three pillars:
    - Education: Sharing SPECAL insights and practical strategies for care partners, professionals, and community members to promote wellbeing for anyone living with dementia. All education is SPECAL-led, taught by licensed SPECAL coaches and practitioners who are credentialed by the Contented Dementia Trust in England.
    - Enrichment: Helping people living with dementia and their care partners discover joy on the journey through social engagement. Life enrichment opportunities are facilitated by SPECAL-inspired staff and volunteers.
    - Hope: Providing connection and support now, along with help and hope for the future. The hope that is shared with the participants is SPECAL-inspired as seen through the life-changing difference SPECAL makes for those who learn and apply it.
- What is SPECAL (pronounced Speckle):
  - The SPECAL Photograph Album method offers a way of understanding what it is like for someone to experience dementia. By understanding that when looking at a photo album with 30 pictures on a page that for someone with dementia 5 of those pictures may be missing. It could be the image of them eating breakfast for that day so they may not remember doing so.
  - It is a unique, evidence-based, simple, counter-intuitive dementia management method that can be learned and used by anyone involved in the care of a person with dementia. It was developed in the United Kingdom over the past 30+ years and introduced in North America 15 years ago.
  - The 3 Golden Rules of the SPECAL method are:
    - Don’t ask direct questions.
      - Don’t use direct questions like “Are you hungry”, Have you taken your pills”?
      - Instead say, “I am interested to hear...”, “Tell me about ...”, “I wonder if…”
    - Listen to the expert (the person with dementia is the expert).
    - Don’t contradict. Instead use a humble deferral.
      - Don’t say no or argue the facts.
      - Instead say yes and then redirect or give a friendly nod or just listen.
      - Be kind instead of right!
  - By listening to the expert and understanding what the disability of no longer storing recent facts actually feels like. The SPECAL method has shown to:
    - Increase the person’s confidence and thereby seemingly slowing the rate of decline, producing a “plateau effect” in observed symptoms.
    - Reduce the need for medication.
    - Enable the person to remain in their own home for significantly longer.
    - Minimize he distress all too often seen during and after a transition into a different setting.
    - Decrease the care partner guilt.
- Enrichment programs offered:
  - Meal drops once a month: Dementia Together partners with and purchases meals from a local Northern Colorado restaurant. Volunteers then help deliver meals to the homes of the participants who are caring for a loved one living with dementia at no cost to participants.
  - Memory Cafes: Interactive themed social gatherings for people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and their care partners as well as other friends in the community.
  - SPECAL Workshops:
    - Intro to SPECAL
    - SPECAL workshop for families
  - Care Partner support groups.
  - B-Sharp Symphony Signature Concerts
  - Other events such as: Pool Club, Bowling Club, etc.
  - Resource folders are giving out to medical facilities and providers with caregiver tips for family members and tip cards (example:
  - Q: Member Kress – Has there been a positive difference since training has become required?
    - A: Dementia Together – Yes, it’s made a big difference to give the necessary tools and strategies on how to help individuals with dementia. There is an online platform to take the education needed. Seeing better retention of staff in living facilities after completing the training. It all starts with the Leadership first.
  - Q: Member Leitel – Does someone need to be certified to get the training?
    - A: Dementia Together – Not for employees working at a facility and the training is free. Only those that teach the program need to be certified.
    - S: Member Collins – This program must be very helpful for those that are taking care of someone with dementia in the home. Understanding how pictures are missing from the person with dementia in their memory photo album helps the person caring for them know how to respond or talk to them.
Committee Overview, Sign-up, and Committee Reports
- Nutrition:
  - Member Schunter – Will continue to stay on the Friendly Fork Advisory Committee until another Board member chooses to join. She recommends that all Board members take time to visit the meal sites and enjoy the meals for a suggested donation of $5.00 a meal. There were close to 1000 prime rib meals served for the holiday. Nutrition education is being offered by the AAA Nutritionist.
- ADRC:
  - Staff Member Skoglund – Meeting quarterly. Nothing to report.
- AARP Livable Communities:
  - Member Collins – Meeting at the end of January.
- Fraud Updates:
  - Vice Chair Shepherd – Information was emailed out to the Board.
- Legislative & CCA:
  - Vice Chair Shepherd – CCA meetings are being cut from 2 hours to 1 now as funding is being cut for the next year. There is no new legislation for this year. The Governor submitted a new budget and is trying not to cut services.
- 50+ Art Show:
  - Member Haffner – Meeting on January 21, 2025, to discuss this year’s event at the LINC Library.
- Beyond 60
  - Staff Member Skoglund – Still looking for articles. Runs weekly.
- Monitoring, Oversight, Request for Proposal
  - Staff Member Skoglund – The audit was turned in on October 31, 2024. Karen Klein has reviewed the material and stated that she will complete a desk audit on us this year, which will take place on January 27, 2025.
  - HCSD Director Morrison - The Ombudsman audit concluded with excellent results.
Board Participation Reports:
- Member Kress – Attending an Advocacy training class and would be happy to carpool with any other Board members.
- Vice Chair Shepherd – CCA needs volunteers and advocates if anyone is interested.
General Agency Updates:
- Staff Member Skoglund – Tess Jones from Cycling without Age will be the February guest speaker.
- HCSD Director Morrison – Member Haffner has been selected as the next Chair and Member Kress as Vice Chair for the AAA Advisory Board beginning in February 2025.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 50+ Art Show: TBA
- Senior Symposium: TBA
- Project Connect: TBA
- Caregiver Appreciation Day: TBA
- Greeley/Weld Senior Foundation: May 25, 2025
Adjournment
- Motion to adjourn meeting. All agreed.
Next meeting
- Thursday, February 12, 2025, from 9:00 – 11:00 am