Seniors' Advisory Committee - Minutes

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

9:00 A.m. - 11:00 A.m.

Kenmount Park Community Center

Present:

• Glenda Reid, Citizen Representative
• Devonne Ryan, Public Representative (19-35)
• Deanne Stapleton, Council Representative
• Neil Hamilton, CARP
• Ruby Constantine, Citizen Representative
• Sharron Callahan, Chair (CARP)
• Patsy Yetman, Citizen Representative

Regrets:

• Lorraine Best, Seniors NL
• Judy Tobin, Manager of Housing
• Neil Moores, NLPSPA

Staff:

• Karen Sherriffs, Manager of Community Development
• Robyn Dobbin, Adult & Seniors Co-ordinator
• Maureen Harvey, Legislative Assistant

Others:

• David Day, Manager of Emergency Preparedness

  Natalie Godden, Manager of Family and Leisure Services

  Bruce Knox, Fieldworker II

   

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1.

CALL TO ORDER

2.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

• Motion
  Moved By Neil Hamilton
  Seconded By Ruby Constantine

  That the agenda be adopted as presented

  CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

3.

ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES

3.1

Adoption of Minutes - September 15, 2020

• Motion
  Moved By Glenda Reid
  Seconded By Devonne Ryan

  That the minutes of September 15 2020 be adopted as circulated.

  CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

4.

DELEGATIONS/PRESENTATIONS

4.1

Mayor Danny Breen

Due to unforeseen circumstances Mayor Breen was unable to attend, but promises to attend the next meeting.

4.2

Emergency Planning

Manager of Preparedness, David Day will be in attendance to present information on emergency planning.

David Day was welcomed to the meeting and proceeded to conduct a presentation, a copy of which is appended to this agenda.  The presentation addressed the City's response to the Mega Storm on January 17, 2020.  

Discussion took place with the Committee expressing the need to ensure that the vulnerable population, which may include some seniors, is informed.  While social media campaigns are vital in keeping the public informed of the City's response to multiple issues during an emergency, the Committee suggests that radio and television ads would assist in this regard.  

An additional document was discussed which was distributed by Sharron Callahan and Neil Hamilton.  The subject of care home services & alternate sources of heat was discussed at a previous SAC meeting where it was agreed that Sharron and Neil would undertake some research to determine the degree of impact emergencies that his has on residents concerned and what the magnitude of impact might be.

A copy of this document is appended to the agenda.

The document puts forth the following recommendations:

a.  The Emergency Preparedness Team of the City of St. John's assign a staff person to do a fore fulsome analysis of the deficits in heat accessibility in the care home within its boundaries during an outage situation

b.  That the Mayor, with the support of City Council, submit a recommendation to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (Health & Community Services) to make a provision of alternate heat sources a mandatory requirement in the Standards of Care for Personal Care Homes and Long Term Care Facilities.

It was agreed that staff would consider the foregoing, flesh out the details, and put together a more comprehensive document for discussion by Committee members prior to introducing the final recommendations to Council.  

4.3

Healthy City Strategy Presentation to Seniors Advisory Committee

Natalie Godden, Manager of Family and Leisure Services and Bruce Know, Fieldworker II will be in attendance to present.

Natalie Godden was present and along with Bruce Knox (who was in attendance virtually) provided the Committee on the City's Healthy City Strategy.  

Before the first draft of the Healthy City Strategy goes to City Management and Council for approval, staff is  seeking feedback and input from expert stakeholder groups, like the Seniors Advisory Committee, to ensure that the priorities of the older adult demographic are captured.

Background Information

In 2018, the St. John’s City Council approved the development of a Healthy City Strategy. The strategy will be a long-term plan focused on building healthy neighbourhoods that support the health, wellness and inclusion of all citizens.

Through stakeholder engagement and research, Healthy City St. John’s identified six ‘Pillars’ to support the strategy, they are:

• Healthy Neighbourhoods & People
• Urban Design
• Transportation
• Environment
• Housing
• Inclusion 

In the Healthy City Strategy, each ‘pillar’ has its own respective goal and is supported by healthy city ‘assets’. The assets are the unique building blocks that support healthier neighbourhoods.

The infographic appended to this agenda shows how each of the pillars and assets fit together to support a healthy city.

The Healthy City Strategy aims to improve people’s health and wellbeing by addressing the social determinants of health. Where the social determinants of health are the social and economic conditions that impact people’s health, the City of St. John’s will work in collaboration with various levels of government, sectors, and community stakeholders to improve the health of people and the neighbourhoods they live in.

The Healthy City Strategy works to improve the determinants of health by supporting the healthy city ‘assets’ for every neighbourhood. These healthy city assets are the building blocks that need to be in present in a City (or neighbourhood) in order to foster health and wellness for all.

While time did not permit full discussion on each of the pillars outlined in the document, a meeting was scheduled for Monday, November 30th  at 9:30 pm so the Committee members can review and discuss each of the pillars and provide the required feedback.

Once completed, actions will be developed and the plan can be finalized.

5.

BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

5.1

Seniors Day 2021 Update

At the last SAC meeting a Seniors Day subcommittee was selected and is comprised of the following members: Robyn Dobbin, Sharron Callahan, Ruby Constantine, Neil Hamilton, Devonne Ryan and Christine Fitzgerald (Adult & Seniors Fieldworker). The group met on Tuesday, October 14, 2020 to discuss Seniors Day and the possibilities for the future.

It was determined that due to many restrictions the regular way of celebrating Seniors Day would have many challenges so change would have to be implemented.  The sub-committee with the other SAC members celebrate by offering Seniors Week starting September 27 to October 1(National Seniors Day). The theme would be “Conquering Challenges & Celebrating Change!” Each day during the week there one to two activities happening to recognize seniors for all they do and to help with the challenges they are facing due to COVID.

Another meeting of the sub-committee will be scheduled for early December.

5.2

Membership Status – Seniors Advisory Committee

The Committee was informed that staff have been charged with ensuring each Advisory Committee is fulfilling the membership requirements as per the Committee’s Terms of Reference. 

Discussion – Background and Current Status:

The Terms of Reference for the Seniors Advisory Committee with respect to membership and length of term states as follows:

The Advisory Committee will be comprised of a minimum of 9 and maximum of 11 total members from the following stakeholder groups:

Membership

Committee Chair

Advisory committees are chaired by members of the public. One advisory committee member will be elected as chair by the committee every two years. The public member chairing a committee will have responsibility for ensuring the committee carries out its work as per the terms of reference.

Public Members

The Committee will be comprised of no more than 5 residents who are at least 50 years of age or older, or their caregivers. Public members are volunteers and will receive no compensation for participation. Preference will be given to residents of St. John’s.

 Organizations

The Committee will be comprised of no more than 5 persons serving as organizational representatives who are connected to the interests of older persons in the community. Each organization may also appoint an alternate representative to attend committee meetings in the event that the primary member is unable to attend.

Youth Representation

Individuals between the ages of 19-35 Representation: At least one public member will be appointed to each advisory committee between 19-35 at the time their application is submitted.

Length of Term

Public Members

Unless otherwise indicated, the advisory committee term of appointment is two years. Recognizing the value of experience and the need for continuity, incumbents who are willing to seek reappointment may signify their intent to serve an additional two years, for a total of two two-year terms. In some cases, members may be encouraged to provide guidance, expertise and attend in a bridging capacity following the end of their term.

 Organizations

The role of an organization will depend on its relationship with the committee and ongoing ability to represent interests of a stakeholder group relevant to the purpose of the advisory committee. Where appropriate, organizations will be required to alternate appointed representatives following the completion of two two-year terms.

The following table represents the status of current members:

                                        Appointed          Term Expiry

Sharron Callahan	22-Feb-16	18-Dec-19	Org Rep - CARP - (Appointed Feb, 2016 as Citizen Rep. Became CARP Rep in Feb 2018)
Lorraine Best	22-Feb-16	18-Dec-19	Org Rep - Seniors NL
Neil Moores	18-Dec-17	18-Dec-19	Org Rep - Pensioners
Neil Hamilton-	18-Dec-17	18-Dec-19	Org Rep - CARP
Glenda Reid	18-Dec-17	18-Dec-19	Citizen Rep - Eligible for two-year extension
Patsy Yetman	22-Feb-16	18-Dec-19	Citizen Rep - Has served two, two-year terms
Ruby Constantine	18-Dec-17	18-Dec-19	Citizen Rep - Eligible for two-year extension
Devonne Ryan	18-Dec-17	18-Dec-19	Citizen Rep - Eligible for two-year extension

 

Based on the foregoing, Patsy Yetman is the only member who has exceeded the maximum term of membership. The organization – CARP may be required to alternate appointed representatives following the two, two-year term.

Patsy was thanked for her invaluable contribution to the committee over the past four years but invited to reapply in the event there are an inadequate number of applicants.

The following people welcomed the opportunity for one two-year extension:

• Ruby Constantine
• Devonne Ryan

Glenda Reid will advise the Legislative Assistant within the next week.

It was noted, however,  that Council will be required to approve such extensions.

Based on the foregoing, the Committee was advised that recruitment efforts will be undertaken to fill vacancies on the Board, in accordance with the terms of reference.

 

 

 

6.

NEW BUSINESS

6.1

Schedule for Upcoming Meetings

While a meeting has been already scheduled for February 9, 2021 it was agreed to defer scheduling any further meetings for 2021 until the recruitment process for members has been concluded.

7.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:15 pm