Love is but a song we
sing
And fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry …
C'mon people now
Smile on your brother
Ev'rybody get together
Try to love one another right now
Some will come and some will go
And we shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass …
And fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry …
C'mon people now
Smile on your brother
Ev'rybody get together
Try to love one another right now
Some will come and some will go
And we shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass …
--“Get together”(1964) by Chet Powers
The inaugural Getting There Together (GTT): A Celebration of All Ages and Abilities event took place during Sunday Streets Tenderloin in the Civic Center. Presented by CASE (Coalition of Agencies
Serving the Elderly) in partnership with Livable City/Sunday Streets, SF Department
of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), Age and Disability Friendly SF, and Dignity Fund
Coalition, there was something for everyone under the sun!
Cathy Davis, Executive
Director of Bayview Senior Services, stood ready with staff to serve barbecue.
Seniors and people with
disabilities took the main stage outside the steps of SF Main Library to share
their talents in five hours of programming, with line-up including Wake-up Call
by Sounds from the Ground Drumming Group.
Marie Jobling, Executive
Director of Community Living Campaign (CLC), came out of her Dignity Dog costume to join David Knego, Executive Director of
Curry Senior Center and Board President of CLC, at SF Dignity Fund Coalition
table with invitations to Be Part of the Plan: The California Master Plan for Aging. Interactive Resource Fair was
one-stop shop organized to showcase housing, transportation and street safety,
financial planning, health, fitness, and caregiver resources so all San
Franciscans can thrive.
At SFSU’s Sixty Plus
event, 67-year-old Mark Leno, former SF Supervisor (1998-2002), State
Assemblyman (2002-2008) and Senator (2008-2016), and SFSU Gerontology Program's 2017 Long-Term Care Advocate awardee, spoke about The Joy, Opportunities and Frustrations of the Legislative Process. He said being a legislator appealed to him
because he is “a salesperson of ideas” and a good fundraiser. After serving as SF Supervisor, he found the
“severity of partisanship” the most surprising as a legislator in Sacramento
where he was challenged to find common ground working with Republicans for the
first time. During Q&A, he made
clear that he had no plans to run for Mayor again.
Toni Newman of St. James
Infirmary and Hediana Utarti of Asian Women’s Shelter presented on rights of
sex workers and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking of all
races and genders, at this month’s National Association of Social Workers-SF
Unit meeting. Hediana talked about human
trafficking and labor exploitation of Filipino immigrants in their 60s forced to provide 24/7 caregiving to older adults in their 80s in San Mateo County care
homes.
The Care Agenda:
Expanding Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS) for All town hall meeting featured a panel discussion + working lunch session at SF
Main Library. By 2030, more than 9
million Californians will be over the age of 65. This unprecedented growth in the older adult
population is contributing to a rising demand for LTSS, and paying for these services is bankrupting middle-class older adults and
their families throughout the state. (See Eduardo Porter's "Why aren't more women working? They're caring for parents," in The New York Times, Aug. 29, 2019.) Time to get together for a solution!
Jessica Lehman,
Executive Director of Senior and Disability Action (SDA), welcomed the audience, clarified
the definition of “long-term supports and services” in reference to accessing long-term care (LTC) needed to live at home, and then introduced presenters who shared
their challenges when seeking (spending down retirement assets to pay for care,
ultimately becoming very poor to access care through Medicaid) and providing LTC
(poor working conditions and low wages for workers).
Next Jessica asked the audience:
·
Who here wants to be completely dependent on other people? (no
one)
·
Who here believes that any of us can be completely independent?
(no one)
·
How many of us believe in the concept that we all depend on each
another, and we should be proud of that, and we all can and should be interdependent?
Following this last
question, Jessica noted, “you raised your hands before I finished (asking the question)! It’s an
interdependent system that we will create.”
Woo-hoo!
Kathy
Kelly, Executive Director of Family Caregiver Alliance, described how the
current system forces people to spend down assets for Medi-Cal that pays for
LTSS, no stable access to LTSS but reliance on 80% unpaid family caregivers,
and those who work part-time do not accrue Social Security benefits needed to
retire but go into poverty and debt.
The panel of politicians
(all expected to hit age 60+ by 2030!) included State Senator Scott Wiener
(supports social insurance model for LTSS), and Assemblymembers Phil Ting (supports
universal healthcare system) and David Chiu (acknowledged “Silver Tsunami” and “look forward to figuring out, if not my elderly mother would have my
head”).
Hearty food kept momentum
for advocacy and community building!
During working lunch, we
were asked to “talk to someone you don’t know to build a movement.” I was introduced to Art, who wore
Troublemakers Union T-shirt, and we shared our connection to the movement (both family
caregivers). With another person I
didn’t know, we discussed what made us feel hopeful (Ting and Wiener “got it”
with their proposed solutions for universal healthcare and new social insurance
program covering LTC) and one way we would get involved.
California Aging & Disability Alliance (CADA) facilitated afternoon discussion of ways to take action to expand LTSS for all
in a program that is universal (regardless of income), affordable and
accessible, sustainable (revenue mechanism that is stable and solvent), offers
flexible benefits (range of LTSS such as durable medical equipment, home care,
home modifications, etc.), and is supportive of the direct care workforce
(including fair working conditions). We completed surveys indicating our interests:
·
Sign
name to petition asking Governor Newsom for support
·
Contact
State Assemblymember or Senator in support
·
Share
story of LTSS with media or policymakers
·
Join
a visit to legislator in 2020
·
Tell
family and friends
The Dignity Fund Coalition and SF Long-Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC)
hosted Be Part of the Plan: The California Master Plan for Aging and What it Means for You, at
Hyatt Embarcadero on the same day as Global Climate Change Strike. This
public policy event opened with Tabling Resource Fair and then panel
discussion.
Lolita Kintanar of Felton Institute promotes civil engagement through Senior Corps programs, Foster Grandparents (intergenerational) and Senior Companions (mutual aid).
Jessica Lehman, SDA Director,
and Maria Guillen, CLC Connector (retired DAAS Program Analyst).
CLC Executive Director Marie Jobling, co-authored with SF DAAS Executive Director Shireen
McSpadden, a thoughtful op-ed piece in SF Examiner, “San Francisco has much to say about the state’s master plan on aging,” recommending
1) improve integration across systems (currently spread across 20 agencies and
administrative units) to make access easier, 2) whole-person approach that
considers social determinants of health, 3) incorporate flexibility to
accommodate diversity and unique needs of local communities, and 4) factor in
continued growth of aging and disability populations so we have enough resources
to go around as we uphold values of inclusion and justice so all are empowered
to participate and contribute to our society.
African-American Aging
Partnership Chair Edna James and Meals on Wheels social worker Lois
Heaton-Camacho get together for mini-SFSU gerontology alumnae reunion. California Collaborative for Long-Term Services & Supports’ Creating a California Master Plan for Aging was stuffed in yellow tote bags
from MyCareMyChoice (Making Medicare + Medi-Cal Work for You) on seats.
Fiona Hinze, Systems
Change Coordinator/Community Organizer at Independent Living Resource Center
SF, and Anne Quaintance, Chief Government Affairs Officer at Meals on Wheels
SF, welcomed attendees and provided background on host organizations, The Dignity Fund Coalition and SF
LTCCC.
Janet Spears, CEO
of the Metta Fund and SF Aging & Adult Services Commissioner, provided
opening remarks about demographics (1 in 3 San Franciscans will be age 60+ by
2030, more likely to live alone and susceptible to social isolation, facing
higher housing costs), systems fragmented and under-resourced, why we need
Master Plan, “aging and ageism is a social justice and human rights issue.” Next
she read a statement shown on screen by California Governor Gavin Newsom: his
hope “to build environments for health(y) aging.”
Via video, SF Mayor London Breed expressed
her hope for SF to continue leading the way for California, in housing (funding
more senior housing), transportation (Muni easier to access), health and
wellness, and jobs (first-ever job fair for older adults and people with
disabilities last month).
Bruce Chernof, MD, President & CEO of The SCAN Foundation (which helped lead #StandWithSeniors
campaign for Master Plan on Aging last year), moderated discussion with
panelists and questions from audience (including from livestream):
· Norman Yee, President, SF Board of
Supervisors: disclosed his age 70, plan for 300 units of senior housing on
Laguna Honda campus, pilot $5 million SOS (Senior Operating Subsidy) making
housing affordable to seniors at 15% Area Median Income
·
Scott
Wiener, California State Senator: repeated proposal for social insurance
model for LTSS at federal, if not state level
·
Jeannee
Parker Martin, President & CEO, LeadingAge California (also on Master
Plan on Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee): aging is personal, depending
where you live to get services, focus on person-centered and addressing
disparities
·
Shireen
McSpadden, Executive Director, SF DAAS: advocated for local flexibility (e.g., SF unique with its Dignity
Fund), integrate Aging & Disability (vote yes on Prop B!), ton of money to execute, Reframe Aging (messaging campaign to launch October
14)
·
Sandra
Lee Fewer, SF Board of Supervisors: mentioned she would like “sh-tload of
money” for Master Plan, then started choking (censoring herself?) while
moderator commented about her language for “mature audiences only”
·
David
Chiu, California State Assemblymember: repeated “Silver Tsunami” speech
from The Care Agenda
As I exited
the Ballroom, a reporter from Berkeley asked to interview me and I referred him
to Anne Hinton, former DAAS Executive Director (2005-2015).
1% (9,784) of San Franciscans are homeless, and most are
concentrated in the Tenderloin neighborhood, where sidewalk encampments are
common.
SFSU Gerontology Program hosted its 2nd SF State Silver Lining Lecture
& SF DAAS Community Training, Addressing Aging and Homelessness in San
Francisco. Mayor London Breed was
featured speaker and recipient of 2019 Distinguished LTC Advocate
Award. She was raised by her grandmother in public housing, and later faced challenges getting support when her grandmother developed Alzheimer's Disease. Since becoming Mayor over a year ago,
Breed has focused on helping the City’s homeless population: opening up over
400 new shelter beds, co-authoring
Proposition A for $600 million affordable housing bond, introducing
legislation to implement housing conservatorship (SB 1045 authored by Scott
Wiener, last year’s LTC Advocate awardee), expanding mental health
stabilization beds (thus SF Department of Public Health decided to evict
residents at SF General Hospital’s Adult Rehabilitation Facility to convert
long-term beds into temporary shelter beds), continuing support of Healthy Streets Operations Center (though at times City's response to homeless encampments and "behaviors that impact quality of life" has resulted in constant shuffling of people living on the streets and sweeping their life-saving medications, walkers and other belongings), etc.
Group photo: SFSU Gerontology Advisory
Council President Tom Berry, SFSU College of Health & Social Sciences Dean
Alvin Alvarez, SF Mayor London Breed, SFSU President Lynn Mahoney, and SFSU
Gerontology Professor Darlene Yee-Melichar.
Mayor Breed stood between Felton Senior Division
Director Cathy Spensley and LTC Ombudsman Benson Nadell.
Professor Yee-Melichar introduced training
agenda.
UCSF's Margot Kushel, MD presented Aging among
Homeless Populations: Causes, Consequences, Solutions (mostly repeated presentation
from UCSF Grand Rounds in July). Nearly half of SF’s homeless population is age 50+, and living on the streets takes a toll on health, so a huge percentage
are at high risk of needing nursing home care. Dr. Kushel acknowledged that while mental
health and substance use disorders are common, underlying causes of
homelessness are structural. She
proposed solutions to match the problem: deeply affordable housing and prevention (eviction protection, Adult Protective Services’ Home Safe Program).
Edna James, former Aging
Commission President and retired nurse, in deep discussion with Dr. Kushel.
Presenter for Lived
Experience of Aging and Homelessness was no-show. Curry
Collaboration panel discussion with Curry Senior Center (CSC) team: Executive Director David Knego (also SFSU MSW alum), Geriatrician
Alicia Oberschelp, MD, and Clinical
Services Director Ann Tuszynski.
· David: Founded in 1972, CSC was originally a primary
care clinic that later added social programs to serve older adults in their two
buildings in Tenderloin. As a Federally
Qualified Health Center (FQHC) since 1994, CSC receives enhanced reimbursement
for offering integrated wraparound services.
· Dr.
O: Medical staff consists of 3 doctors,
1 nurse practitioner, 5 nurses. Older patients present more medically complex
conditions, like dementia, psychosis, paranoia, intoxication, alcohol
withdrawal, abscess and infections from congregate settings, ulcers, edema
(often no place to elevate leg), environmental challenges (no access to
bathroom/hydration/food/place to rest/recline, stolen/lost medications/prosthetics/DME/CPAP machines).
· Ann: Case management staff consists of 4 LCSW, 3
SW with ASW, 1 licensed psychologist. Homeless seniors have frequent hospital stays, and unique challenges with medical and behavioral health needs served
by clinical team using integrated model.
Because homeless are used to being turned down and placed on wait lists,
relationship building and problem-solving are key; they work with homeless from
6 months to a year. She emphasized the
collaborative process with high-risk seniors because workers burn out and “get
angry” so case managers talk through problems and get support. Homeless seniors present
history of trauma, substance use and mental health disorders, cognitive distortions
and emotional dysregulation impeding follow-through, difficulty with delaying
gratification so they spend support checks within first two weeks. Case managers will do intake assessment,
schedule appointments structured for 1 hour per week with homeless seniors to talk, get
organized and take control of lives. Case managers can get frustrated with
challenges presented by homeless who lose documents needed to access services,
no mailing address, lack motor/sensory skills to use cell phone, afraid to
leave Tenderloin, fail to use services; street survival skills mean being on
guard and not translate to living in SRO/apartment community; homeless have their own community, with parallel
interactions that do not support daily living.
Ann ended her presentation with Helen Keller quote: “Alone we can do so
little, together we can do so much.” (And I thought, can we get together and identify strengths instead of pathologizing people?)
Final day of 9th Annual Legacy Film Festival on Aging (LFFoA) at New People Cinema coincided
with Sunday Streets in Western Addition nearby.
But it was more comfortable
sitting in an air-conditioned theater for screening of Satan and Adam (2018)
documentary filled with blues music. Afterwards, LFFoA Board member Paul Kleyman interviewed Tom Mazzolini, host of KPFA’s Blues By the Bay and founder of SF Blues Fest, focused more on
music than the intergenerational, interracial relationship between older black
guitarist Sterling “Satan” Magee and younger white harmonica player Adam
Gussow.
LFFoA Executive Director
Sheila Malkind introduced the last screening, In a Different Space (2018), an 18-minute
Australian film showcasing older adults dancing their life stories, including a
101-year-old tap dancer.
Closing reception to
celebrate 9th Annual LFFoA!
This cool, interactive
outdoor exhibition, Middle Ground, was installed outside of SF Main
Library last month. It invites us to
consider reciprocity, in the ways we impact one another, looking to others in deciding what to
do: Follow v. lead? Give v. receive? Be kind v. be mean? Stay silent v. speak?
Stand by v. step up?
