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The
event, called “Senior Solutions – a Policymakers’
Summit
,” was held Wednesday, June 14.
State legislators, state agency directors, local
government leaders including county commissioners,
nonprofit agencies and other community leaders
participated. A huge success, the summit brought
together 140 local and state policymakers, including
county commissioners, state legislators, agency
directors, and non-profit organizations, from across
Nevada
to discuss strategic solutions to the ongoing quandary
of providing needed services to
Nevada
’s fastest growing population, our senior citizens.
The
summit presented the findings and recommendations of the
Inter-Agency Senior Issues Task Force to policymakers
who affect policies and/or funding needed to provide
services to allow our senior citizens to maintain active
and independent lives. The Task Force is a
group of more than 30 agencies who have been researching
and discussing the service needs of our senior
population for the past year. A statewide
demographic survey of citizens over the age of 50 was
conducted by UNLV earlier this year and provided an
up-to-date, statistically accurate profile of
Nevada
’s seniors.
The
timing of the event allows individual legislators time
to submit bill draft requests, the new governor to
include recommendations in the 2008-2009 state budget,
opportunities for agencies to revise policies and/or
regulations that don’t require legislative approval or
additional funding and time for local governments to
consider the need for appropriations, said Kathy McClain
of Clark County Social Service, who organized the event.
Jan
Jones, Senior V.P. for Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.
welcomed the crowd and talked about the commitment of
Harrah’s to our senior population. A keynote
address was provided by video from U.S. Senator Harry
Reid that tied together the efforts of the Task Force,
Nevada
’s State Strategic Plan for Senior Services, and the
White House Conference on Aging, held in December, 2005.
J. D. Hoye, well-known professional facilitator,
reviewed the top priorities and the attendees then
engaged in table top discussions on how best to
implement the solutions established by the Task Force:
-
Expand and fully fund
Nevada
2-1-1
, a phone number launched in February by a
statewide collaborative that allows Nevadans to
connect with community services and volunteer
opportunities. Include care management and the
“No Wrong Door” program under the
Nevada
2-1-1
umbrella (www.Nevada211.org)
-
Establish and fund Investigation & Prosecution
Unit for elder abuse/exploitation, including a statewide
reporting/tracking database for all crimes
against seniors.
-
Mandate geriatric
training for all law enforcement, judges and
court personnel. Require social workers,
health care providers, hospital dischargers and
personal assistants to have geriatric training to
maintain licensure.
-
Expand CHIP
(Community Home Based Initiatives Program)
waiver to eliminate waiting lists, allow
additional seniors personal assistance with sliding
fees.
-
Fully fund geriatric
mental health services, dental, and vision
coverage through the Senior Rx program.
-
Pursue programs through local business partnerships
for “elder
friendly” business identifier; “gatekeeper”
training for employees; low-cost and pro bono
home and auto repair and maintenance; low-cost and
pro bono landscape and property upkeep
services.
-
Provide family
caregiver and volunteer caregiver stipends for
personal care services and expand respite and
support groups for caregivers.
-
Provide “on-demand”
transportation options for senior citizens and
support efforts to make mass transportation options
more attractive and safer for seniors.
-
Combine local housing
authorities and establish a regional
affordable/attainable database of subsidized housing
for access by the public and service providers.
-
Expand public outreach
and education on available senior services:
-
TV
programming for the Senior Advisory Council
-
Standing
legislative committee on
seniors and veterans
Policymakers
expressed their gratitude for the work that had been
done by the Inter-Agency Task Force and made many
commitments to help achieve the solutions as presented.
Follow-up meetings are planned to continue the work of
the Agency Task Force. For more information,
please contact
Kathy McClain
, Clark County Social Service, at 455-7191 or e-mail at kwm@co.clark.nv.us.
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