Community Living Campaign

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

long term care council

“Party with a Purpose” Celebrates Work of the Aging and Disability Friendly Workgroup

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The October 23rd “Party with a Purpose” drew nearly 300 participants for an active and engaging afternoon to celebrate the 10 year Anniversary of the Long Term Care Coordinating Council and showcase the work of their Aging and Disability Friendly Workgroup.  This Workgroup launched a process two years ago when the Mayor signed a letter requesting membership in the World Health Organization’s Aging Friendly Cities movement.  San Francisco is the first large city in California to request this status and the first to stress both Aging AND Disability Friendly.

The afternoon event started with an inspiring performance of the Dance Generators, an intergenerational dance group with University of San Francisco.  This was followed by a short slide show about the focus on Aging and Disability domains that are part of this process – Outdoor Spaces and Buildings, Transportation, Housing, Social Participation, Respect and Social Inclusion, Civic Participation and Employment, Community and Health Services, Communication and Information and a new domain, Technology.     The focus is on an asset-based approach to the planning that uses strengths to overcome barriers.

Keynote speaker was John Feather, PhD and CEO of Grantmakers in Aging helped us understand how to identify and reframe issues in aging.  Then participants had a chance to contribute their thoughts and opinions to the planning.  A summary of the discussion will seen be posted on the www.friendlysf.org website.

Long Term Care Coordinating Council Co-chairs Tracy Dobronravova and Cindy Kaufman who highlighted the many successes of the Council over the past 10 years.  They also presented the first Aging Friendly Award to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority, while acknowledging the hard work of the advocates as well that led to the creation of the Free MUNI.

Mary Twomey added a lively touch as the MC, with a special rap and bit of fun with the audience.  The day conclude with a reception, bringing the Party with a Purpose to a close.

 


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Our Thanks”Captain, Bill,” a Leader at the Department of Aging and Adult Services

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At the end of June 2014, Bill Haskell retired from the Department of Aging and Adult Services.  He may be retiring, but has left quite a legacy.  Bill was the staff guru behind the Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC)  and the development of its many and diverse projects and work groups.  Looking back even further, he has been a mainstay in the movement to plan and develop home and community-based services and support in San Francisco.   This includes work to develop the first residential care hospice program for people with AIDS, Coming Home Hospice.

Read more about the Long Term Care Coordinating Council History (thanks in part to Bill’s hard work) in his “last memo”.

Last week, friends and colleagues of Captain Bill  joined together to applaud Bill’s leadership.  We look forward to seeing what he does as an encore.  Happy travels, Captain Bill, our Superhero!

CLC’s 2012 Annual Award Event Honors Libby Denebeim

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Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the Norma Satten Community Service Innovation Award event, honoring Libby Denebeim’s lifetime of leadership.  A gathering of family and friends enjoyed the warmth of community  and a shared vision for a kind and just San Francisco.   A special thanks goes out to all the event’s sponsors and the generous donors whose support and well-wishes are featured in the event Program Book.  We hope you enjoy the pictures and make a note to join us in 2013!

[lg_image folder=”CLC Special Event 2012/” image=”DSC_7454.JPG” caption=”Honoree Libby Denebeim, with CLC Director Marie Jobling and Board President Elinore Lurie” align=”left” display=”slide”] [lg_folder folder=”CLC Special Event 2012/” count=”20″ cols=”4″ paging=”true”]

 

 

Reflections on CLC’s Recent Presentation at the Aging in America Conference – and More

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I was excited to tell you about CLC’s presentation at the Aging in America Conference – “Seniors, Social Media and the Art of Building Community” – which gave us the  opportunity to share stories, pictures, and lessons learned about our work.   Judy Auda, Deloris McGee, Marcia Peterzell and I did a one hour presentation highlighting a community-organizing approach that includes neighborhood networks, personal networks, a local time bank, and other tools to engage and to empower seniors and persons with disabilities. Experienced  “Community Connectors” organize these networks in the spirit of mutual assistance, supported by a range of social media. We were excited about the opportunity and in awe of the room we were assigned (see below). While we didn’t fill every seat, we had 35 people (who stayed!) at a conference where many of the workshops had only a handful of folks.  We would welcome the opportunity to share some of our presentation with groups locally if you are interested.

And we were inspired by the organizations honored with the Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards, at a lovely reception organized by Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA).  Learn more about the award winners at http://blog.caregiver.org/?p=1655. San Francisco was honored in several years ago for their planning work in San Francisco – learn more at http://www.sfhealthyaging.org/city-hall-summits/14-2/.  Kudos to Kathy Kelly and colleagues for another wonderful event.

Then I wanted to share how much we are going to miss Susan Mizner, who is leaving her post as the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Disability.  Her friends and colleagues gathered to show their admiration and appreciation for her years of service and to wish her well in her great new position with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).   Thanks, Susan, for your vision, leadership and graceful persistance on so many issues of substance in San Francisco and beyond.  Welcome, Carla Johnson, who will be continuing Mizner’s good work and I’m sure, after meeting her, initiating some great things of her own.  Learn more about the work of this important  Office at http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=386 .

And while we’re at it, we want to remind folks what a great opportunity the monthly meetings of the San Francisco Long Term Care Coordinating Council are for keeping up on the quickly changing budget and policy issues that impact seniors, persons with disabilities and their care providers.  You will get to meet Carla, as well as get an update on Managed Care in California and learn more about services and support for persons with developmental disabilities from Joanne Rolle of the ARC.   Last month’s meeting included a detailed update from  and Greg Wagner from the San Francisco Health Department, Melissa Howard of the Mayor’s Budget Office, and Martha Peterson from the Dept. of Aging and Adult Services. The Council generally meets the 2nd Thursday of every month at One South Van Ness Avenue, 2nd Floor.  The next meeting will be May 10th at 1:00 p.m.

Well, I’m feeling better now that I’ve had a chance to catch up on a few things.  I’m going to work really hard on do shorter posts, and on a more frequent basis.   And I’m looking forward to learning more from other bloggers at the Aging and Disability Technology Summit on May 15th.  At the Meet A Blogger, Be a Blogger corner, starting at 12:30 on May 15th, we will meet Amber DiPietra (SFILRC Blog & Write to Connect) Linda Post (San Francisco FYI net – political events), Susanne Standler, Architect (At Home with Growing Older), Paul Hendrickson, resident of Laguna Honda (Consider This Resident blogspot),  Linda Leu (Health Access) and hosted by my favorite Food Blogger (and daughter) Amy Fazio (Do You Know The Muffin Pan?)

The San Francisco Long Term Care Coordinating Council is on the Cutting Edge

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This group, which was created by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004, is the single body in San Francisco that evaluates all issues related to improving community-based long term care and supportive services.  The LTCCC, with co-chairs Sandy Mori and Susan Poor and 41 active members, meets monthly on the 2nd Thursday of the month at One South Van Ness.   Its members represent a broad cross-section of agencies and constituency.  You can learn more about the LTCCC  and see might be your representative at  http://www.sfhsa.org/473.htm or by contacting Bill Haskell at (415) 355-6782.   CLC is proud that several Board members and Community Connectors are active with the Council and its working groups.   Meetings are open and provide a great way to keep up with  new efforts to integrate health and long term care locally as well as to connect with local coalitions around the state.

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