ATTACHMENT #1
2022-23 COA Liaison and Committee Summary Report
COA Liaison Report
Commissioner Mary Jane Taintor
Name of Agency: Goebel Senior Center Commission
Agency Mission: Provide social and recreation services for seniors in the community of Thousand Oaks
Frequency of meetings: Monthly
Summary/ highlights of liaison activities for FY2022-23: I served this year as the liaison to the Goebel Commission. My purpose for attending the meetings was to give a voice to them at our monthly COA meetings. I was there to give greater visibility to their events and to provide additional support and advocacy on matters they brought to my attention. Their meetings were held monthly at the Goebel Adult Center. They provide a large variety of activities for their members, which include entertainment (bingo, theme dinners, and bus trips), education and support (computer classes and tech help, nutrition, foreign language, tai chi chuan), and help with income tax preparation. These are just a few of the most popular activities offered. I found this facility to be well managed, and a great asset to our senior community.
Commissioner Tony Gitt
Name of Agency: Senior Concerns
Agency Mission: Senior Concerns, a nonprofit organization, for the past four decades, has provided high-quality, affordable support services to Thousand Oaks seniors and their families through innovative and effective programs aimed at fostering independence, well-being and self-esteem.
Frequency of meetings: Every two to three months depending on concerns Summary/ highlights of liaison activities for FY2022-23: One of Senior Concerns key services is their Adult Day Center program which provides stimulating and engaging programs and activities in a safe and nurturing environment for seniors with cognitive or physical impairments. Thousand Oaks Dial A Ride transportation service provides a vital service to older adults and people with disabilities in our community to participate in the Adult Day center program, but current driver shortages have caused a shortage of rides, causing many seniors to be denied rides. While it is important to prioritize medical appointments, social isolation is a public health crisis on its own. Dial A Ride provides many Thousand Oaks seniors with a vital link to reducing their isolation and connecting them to necessary services, commodities, and appointments. Expanding Dial A Ride availability with shortened reservation times should be a priority to ensure that older adults in our neighborhoods can stay connected and live with dignity in our community.
Commissioner Henry Chan
Name of Agency: Conejo Senior Volunteer Program (CSVP)
Agency Mission: CVSP provides opportunities for adults age 55+ to use their life experience and skills to meet local community needs.
Frequency of meetings: Every other month
Summary/ highlights of liaison activities for FY2022-23: Participate in their meetings and events. Help to encourage senior participation and support to their Wellness Fest and Senior Appreciation activities. As a regular volunteer at the Goebel Center, I teach technologies and join their Tai Chi class. I am also a member of the CSVP Advisory Board.
Commissioner Henry Chan
Name of Agency: Many Mansions/Supportive Service Committee Agency Mission: Serves vulnerable individuals and families with complex needs (e.g., mental health and housing stability).
Frequency of meetings: Every other month
Summary/ highlights of liaison activities for FY2022-23: Participate in their meetings and events. Learn about the organization and their focus. Their plan also includes support to their senior residents. There are opportunities for COA to work with them to address the needs of this subpopulation.
City Council Appointed VCAAA Representatives Loretta Allen and Stephanie Belding
Name of Agency: Ventura County Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA) Agency Mission: VCAAA is the principal agency in the county charged with the responsibility to promote the development and implementation of a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, children and adults with disabilities, and their caregivers to live in a community-based setting. The VCAAA advocates for the needs of those 60 years of age and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services.
Frequency of meetings: General Advisory Board is every other month with committees meeting more frequently.
Summary/ highlights of liaison activities for FY2022-23:
Loretta Allen: My liaison activities focused on being an active participant during the general advisory meetings offering questions and recommendations for actions based on the reports and presentations on the bi-monthly meetings. This includes preparing for the meetings beforehand always keeping in mind the needs of our seniors and adults with disabilities within the City of Thousand Oaks. I also served on multiple committees, including:
•Nutrition and Health Committee: provides guidance to the Senior Nutrition Program and looks deeper at health issues relating to older adults. In FY2022- 23, we monitored the food programs provided to Seniors in the County and the County Farm, as well as coordinate with the Ventura County Master Plan on Aging.
•Optimal Aging Committee: encourages and inspires older adults to enhance the quality of their lives, to maintain their identity and independence, to foster self-direction and to encourage them to be engaged and productive in a variety of activities regardless of disabilities of adverse medical conditions. In FY 2- 22-23, the committee has actively worked on the Legacy Awards for the County. This group is also working with the Theater and Arts groups in our specific communities to see how we can support programs for both seniors and those with disabilities.
•Workforce Committee: offers job and skills training opportunities and provides resources for employers and older adult job seekers to get help when they need it. In FY2022-23, we produced the video “Get that Job!”. We are partnering with the Goebel Center to have a Senior Job Fair at the Wellness Fest in January 2024.
Stephanie Belding: As one of the VCAAA representatives, I participated in a number of activities. I reported back every other month to Council on Aging meetings on these activities and offerings. I also served on multiple committees, including:
•Housing Committee: this committee focuses on housing livability issues and their impact on persons aged 60 and older and adults with disabilities. We have extensive focus on housing for older adults, including homeless and the disabled and working hard to enhance the HomeShare Program. •Workforce Committee: I continued my efforts on the Workforce Committee with “Get that Job!” presentations. We are now in the initial stages of preparation to hold our first Job Fair in a dedicated area at the Goebel Adult Community Center in conjunction with the January 2024 Wellness Festival. As part of the partnership with the One City One Book, the VCAAA workforce committee presented “Get that Job!” at the Newbury Park Library.
It has been my honor and pleasure to serve on the VCAAA and to represent the Thousand Oaks Council on Aging. I hope to encourage increased VCAAA services to our East end of the county, and to advocate for programs key to the Conejo Valley, particularly on housing, employment, wellness, and transportation issues.
COA Committee Report
Commissioner Henry Chan and Chair Patricia Lownes
Name of Committee: Communications
Purpose of Committee: Create awareness and visibility of the Council On Aging Frequency of meetings: Monthly/ as needed
Summary/ highlights of liaison activities for FY2022-23:
Commissioner Chan: The committee worked closely with the Director of Strategic Communications to develop and implement a communication strategy. Since the formation of the committee, we are seeing increases in public participation in our monthly meetings. We need to understand what drives the participation to further the communication effort, and to involve communities that are missing out.
Chair Lownes: Created marketing materials for social media and distribution in the Goebel Center to increase awareness of meeting date, place, and time.
Meetings are now held at the Goebel Adult Center which has increased in person participation at our meetings.
Creation of a video for posting on the COA subpage to introduce the COA for potential COA candidates and older adults in the city who have questions about the COA.
Created an introduction manual for existing and new COA Members. This manual contains information related to the purpose of the COA, its rules and regulations, participation as a liaison for older adult related organizations and creation of committees.
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