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Home My WebLink AboutCOA Minutes 10 30 2020 FridayWilliam H. Farr Acting Executive on Aging Harry Kim Mayor County of Hawaii OFFICE OF AGING Aging and Disability Resource Center, 1055 Kino’ole Street, Suite 101, Hilo, Hawai’i 96720-3872 Phone (808) 961-8600  Fax (808) 961-8603 West Hawai’i Community Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i 96740 Phone (808) 323-4390  Fax (808) 323-4398 Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. An Area Agency on Aging MINUTES COMMITTEE ON AGING MEETING Friday, October 30, 2020 - 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM 1055 Kinoole Street, ADRC Training Room Hilo, HI 96720 1. CALL TO ORDER: Meizhu Lui, Chair called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. 2. INTRODUCTIONS: Committee Members: Meizhu Lui, Chair; Judy Bell, Earl Tanaka, Rowena Tiqui, Ruth Raza, Leonor Corpuz, Chalintorn Burian, El- wood “Woody” Kita HCOA Staff: William “Horace” Farr, Luana Ancheta-Kauwe Legal Counsel: Malia Hall Guests: Shelly Ogata, Council Aide and member of the State PABEA Members Excused: Frankie Stapleton, George Ito, Steve Ono, Thomas Patrick Toal, Marcia Sequing Ex-Officios Excused: Alisa Hanselman, County Housing; Eric Honda, State DOH; Laron Kageyama, State DOH-APS 3. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR: Meizhu Lui noted that in 2020, we have only had 2 meetings due to COVID-19. This meeting will be our last meeting as our term ends as the Committee is co-terminus Committee on Aging Minutes of Friday, October 30, 2020 Page 2 with Mayor Harry Kim. The new Mayor will appoint committee members and all others must apply on the Mayor’s website. Meizhu asked the Committee to remember Vice Chair Lito Asun- cion’s contributions to the Committee based on his unique experi- ence working in the Hawaii County Office on Aging, and the Kauai Agency on Elderly Affairs. His death was unexpected, and he will be greatly missed. Summing up some of our accomplishments of the last few years: * Internally, we revised the By-Laws to strengthen our membership, and made new rules to make it easier to have a Quorum. * We defended the unique ways the Hawaii County Office of Aging does business to the state Executive on Aging, and served as an advocate for our island to maintain proven methods of delivering services that work well for us. * As advisors, we kept our independence. When the Executive on Aging Kimo Alameda proposed that we bring case management in-house, we were not a rubber stamp, and after much research, advised against that change. * We provided feedback and helped with the creation of the new 4-Year Area Plan. * One piece of unfinished business is the problem of the shortage of home care workers. That is not of the Hawaii County Office of Ag- ing’s role to tackle, but is something the Advisory Committee can suggest the County to take up. Meizhu thanked the Committee members for their excellent service, and to let people know that Meizhu will not be applying to be on the committee under the new Mayor. I am grateful for the time serving on the Committee on Aging, and for the hard work, dedication and friendship built with the committee members. Meizhu encouraged everyone to re-apply. Committee on Aging Minutes of Friday, October 30, 2020 Page 3 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 31, 2020 MEETING: Motion to approve by Judy Bell and seconded by Rowena Tiqui. Unanimously approved. 5. STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLIC: None 6. EXECUTIVE REPORT: Horace Farr and Staff Horace reported that it was a unique year, with many challenges. Ha- waii County Office of Aging (HCOA) constantly adjusted, and adapted to continue providing services to our Kupuna during the COVID-19 crisis. * One of the first priorities was to ensure a safe working environment for staff. Entry into the building is limited to staff. Screening of walk-in clients takes place outside of the building. Appointments and phone assessments are encouraged, and information packets are avail- able for pickup or available by mail. Masks are mandatory, hand- washing and social distancing is highly encouraged. * The Nutrition Program was one of our biggest challenges. Due to COVID-19, all congregate meal sites were shutdown. To continue servicing our Kupuna, all meals were served as a home delivered meal. The selection of frozen meals ensured the integrity and safety of the meals. * Private sector partners have been a huge help; non-profits such as Vibrant Hawaii have pitched in. * Case Management numbers are down due to worker capacity, and the hesitancy of clients to allow people into their homes. * As for all Departments, budgetary constraints may affect service deliv- ery in the future. The State Executive Office on Aging (EOA) asked each Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to submit a 10, 15, 20 percent reduction exercise on budget impacts to services. 7. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: Shelly Ogata a PABEA representative said that due to COVID-19, none of the priorities with PABEA and HCOA Committee on Aging Minutes of Friday, October 30, 2020 Page 4 were identified for 2020 came up during legislature. They will have to be shifted to the year 2021. Chalintorn Burian representing AARP said that they have been focusing on SNAP (food stamps). Less than 50% of eligible seniors take advantage of this benefit. A lot of the reason is that the steps required to apply is a bureaucratic nightmare. 8. LEGAL UPDATE: Malia Hall, Corporation Counsel Due to COVID-19, sunshine laws were suspended. It is permissible to meet virtually (but not through ZOOM which is not approved by the County). There will probably be future changes in the sunshine laws; today’s technologies make some of the old rules outdated and cumbersome. 9. AGENCY AND DISTRICT NEWS AND UPDATES * Judy Bell can now do Virtual Community Presentations through SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) on “Medicare Basics” and “Medicare and COVID-19”, and also through SMP (Senior Medical Patrol) on “Take Control, and How to Prevent Medicare Fraud, Abuse and Scams”. Judy Bell can be contacted if you would like a training from SHIP. Judy can be contacted at (808) 322-0056 to schedule a presentation for your group. Go Judy! * Chalintorn Burian with AARP has an excellent booklet on fraud prevention. Chalintorn will get some booklets to be distributed to Committee members when we meet again. * Meizhu Lui reported that Hamakua-Kohala Health Center has plans to build bigger sites in Kapa’a, Waimea, and Honoka’a due to greater demand since many have lost employer-based insurance. The healthcare centers serve all from the well-insured to the uninsured. 10. ANNOUNCEMENTS: None. Committee on Aging Minutes of Friday, October 30, 2020 Page 5 11. ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn the meeting by Rowena Tiqui; seconded by Judy Bell. Meizhu Lui adjourned the meeting at 1:45 p.m. Submitted by: Meizhu Lui, Committee Chair Recorded by: Luana Ancheta-Kauwe, HCOA