ORDER-2016-188 : Presentation to the Board of Aldermen by Dawn Folopoulos and Mike Lindstrom relative to recently completed Senior Needs Assessment and proposed action plan

Transcript (~41 min @ 23:10)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 23:49 Speaker 1: okay we've concluded yet another brief recess what is back motion to resume the regular order of business and take up the order that was removed from the table mr president the order that's before you is 2016-188 presentation to the board of alderman by don philopoulos and michael lindstrom relative to recently completed senior needs assessment and proposed action plan we are under suspension of the rules if you folks wish to come

▶ 24:26 Speaker 4: forward please good evening that's a that's a tough act to follow we go from the young will

▶ 24:29 Speaker 5: you take our picture afterwards well thanks for taking some time to hear from us tonight

▶ 24:34 Speaker 4: over the past year dawn and i and some other city department heads we've been working on a needs assessment for 55 and over population you may ask why why we kind of took on this project i think you know as administration we're always encouraging new ways to find two-way dialogue and communication with our residents solicit input and frankly this is sometimes the population that's not always heard from and i know about three years ago now we did the um the our city series which was i think one of the most successful documents the city's ever produced but looking back in that don and i said you know where's one area not so much that we fell short but an area that i don't think we got the same participation in the focus groups and some of the other things that we did from other demographics and don and i were in agreement that we thought it was the um mainly 65 and over population that i think didn't have the same some some of the same voice that some of the other demographics did so what did we try to do here we tried to identify current emerging needs of melrose residents age 55 and over to create and improve city policies that impact melrose residents to identify what seniors feel they need most for healthy lifestyle in melrose to work on creating the greatest value for seniors with the available resources and help the melrose community as a whole understand what the emerging needs and better understand the needs of our aging population so what are some of the goals and outcomes of this of this project i think it's important to note this is a working evolving document for the city of melrose to identify priorities based on resident input VR input various stakeholders input it's not a rigid document I think there's a lot of great action steps in here but it's a document that we wanted to be relevant for folks who took the survey at 55 that is still policies that were evolving when they become 75 85 so it's an action plan that's gonna be presented the community and stakeholders and we have some targeted policy suggestions that will have a media impact and benefit for our aging population okay I'll talk about the methodology so we

▶ 26:32 Speaker 2: used three different methods to gather this information there was a ten question survey that was professionally created by Civitas strategies the city of Melrose and the Council on Aging distributed it to probably about 22 different locations there was an insert in the Melrose weekly news and it was posted on the city website. We made sure that there were paper copies available as well as online survey through SurveyMonkey. There were also one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders and we did that to get, as you'll see as this continues, to get some insight from different perspectives. We also held seven focus groups. Some were held in senior housing, others in the downtown businesses so that we could try to attract different populations. The focus groups were very productive, the discussions were lively, the feedback was really valuable. Gary Romano, who's the president and CEO of Syphidus Strategies, provided invaluable assistance to us. We really appreciate that he offered his expertise and his time on this project, which was very considerable. Free of charge. Yeah, pro bono. So Civitas is, for those who don't know, a Melrose-based management consultancy firm that supports both foreign nonprofit public serving organizations, and he provided pro bono analysis for us. He helped us analyze the overall data and picture, I mean, overall data, yeah, and picture, Victor conducted the one-on-one interviews for us and helped create the survey and the focus group design so all together we were able to gather 965 surveys we asked Stoneman Wakefield to participate because their populations are pretty similar and we were trying to gather just as much information as possible and so I do want to say that I'm very grateful for their support they put a lot of work into it also. But overall, the responses were pretty similar. And so of the 965, 70 of them were actually from Melrose people. Seventy percent. I'm sorry. Seventy percent. Did I say 70? Mm-hmm. Thanks. So with this survey, we were interested to better understand concerns about transportation, finances, health and wellness, housing, socialization, and technology. the respondents had between six and nine choices in each area of concern and we asked that they only select the one most important so we could have the clearest picture of what was important so this is a picture of the survey and at the bottom there's a list of where all the drop box location very little the bottom right about where all the drop box locations were so um this shows the

▶ 29:44 Speaker 2: age groups of the respondents so Melrose people in their 60s were the most interested in completing this survey the next group were Melrose people in their 70s in Wakefield the 60 and 70 somethings were equally interested in completing the survey and in Stoneham it was the 70 somethings that completed the

▶ 30:18 Speaker 2: most surveys. So the surveys were designed to have the participants select one option. So we decided to focus on areas where 25 percent or more respondents noted it as an area of concern. In Melrose, only three of the categories came up over 25 percent. In all of the communities altogether there were seven significant areas of concern these are the seven ability to pay bills manage retirement funds maintain and improve physical health remain in their home they had concerns about being alone desire for more desire for a variety of social activities and help learning about

▶ 31:09 Speaker 4: devices newfangled gadgets so as dawn said seven of those categories cross the 25 threshold uh amongst the three communities if you look on this on the on the next chart significant issues by respondents you see the three in melrose our ability to pay bills remain in their people to remain in their current home and knowledge of devices which i found very interesting though is that even within these three categories none of them crossed the 30 threshold so i i think that was a good sign there and you can see um you know for stoneman wakefield some of these other issues like variety of events loneliness they crossed a much higher threshold than they did here in the city so very quickly just to go through kind of each of the the the graphs that crossed that threshold i think i'm not gonna spend a lot of time on each one but there's some pretty general overall themes that amongst the all these seven and they're pretty much that as don said the 60 to 69 age group was the largest group of respondents to answer for all these it was very interesting that if you look i did not include them as this is a melrose presentation the Wakefield and Stoneham graphs but they they were a much steadier level in those communities where the concern in Melrose kind of jumped up it seemed like there was a the concern of preparation began at a younger age in Melrose for these issues to start preparing for the management of retirement funds where it seemed to be a much straighter line for each of the other communities I think one of the biggest takeaways from just looking at these graphs is the opportunity within this demographic i think it's very untapped to get them involved with city programs city resources there's just a thirst for financial education where it just didn't jump out off the page like it did in melrose and or in stonema wakefield as it did um in melrose so like i said we have some action items that go along with each of these graphs i'm not going to go through each one i know we'll go back to the interviews okay

▶ 33:06 Speaker 2: Okay, so we conducted, well, we didn't, but Civitas Strategies conducted three interviews for us. So, Jack Beckley, who is the former Melrose Council on Aging Director for 23 years, Dan O'Leary, Executive Director of Mystic Valley Elder Services for 30 years, and Jane Ahern DeFilippe, who's not chairperson for that long, but she actually is not chairperson now, but was at the time of the interview. So, we selected these people because they each bring, they're each very knowledgeable about senior issues, but they bring a different

▶ 33:47 Speaker 2: perspective. So the survey and interview themes that emerged were a need for increased awareness about transportation options, financial concerns, both about financial planning, but also about making ends meet. The interviewees brought up that some of the responses may have been shaped by people's comfort with the aging process. So in other words, they may not have been able to envision themselves having needs in the future. So that may have altered the results just a little bit. It was also suggested that we consider regional opportunities to provide service so that's something that we'll look into so from there after that

▶ 34:32 Speaker 4: process took several months we then focused on doing kind of basing some of the answers we got from the surveys and conducting seven different focus groups across senior housing at the Y to try and also Brugger's bagels to try to catch retirees and seniors at all different levels of their of their life so some folks you know we tried to catch after aquatics class at the y is going to be different than maybe some of the folks you're sitting down with at the steel house or the mccarthy oh you know somewhere across the city so we did actually through the seven groups we were able to get 135 total participants and as don said at the beginning it was very lively it was very it was you know it was really well done uh we had we had some uh professional facilitation for some of them also don and i did some of them so it worked well i mean i don't want just to go over some of the recurring themes that were very positive people and people who participated in the focus groups had an amazing pride in Melrose they loved being here they want to stay here there's so many things they value about Melrose and it was interesting that most of the recurring themes of what they value were very similar to a lot of the focus groups we ran we did the our city and whether it's someone who's lived here for two days 20 years or 60 years most of the themes you see on this what they value about Melrose and what they like are very similar and you know just to run through in the downtown the walkability the library community dinner how the city the city is centrally located but we don't have highways cutting through it a vibrant arts community multiple modes of transportation many houses of worship the generosity of residents a well-maintained clean city city with good schools they really valued the y and mystic valley elder services um they very there was a lot of mentioned they thought that yeah the mayor the administration the board of alderman Election officials try to be able to keep seniors at home through the various debatements discounts and non-profits that operate in the city the victorian housing a very responsive dpw they love the snow shoveling program they thought there's a lot more diversity in the city than in previous decades a lot of appreciation for the way the city zones and trying to preserve green space even though you're only seven miles from boston or six miles there's still a you know you can go take a hike in the fells there's mount hood and that was brought up many times during the focus group they love the farmers market the coa minibus and they love they were very happy with a lot of the new construction and the emphasis on pedestrian safety um i know some of the drivers don't like bump outs and things like that but i can tell you a lot of our aging population do appreciate them

▶ 37:16 Speaker 2: So, specific areas of concern. When it comes to transportation, there was a desire for trips outside of Melrose to Boston and beyond. New York City was mentioned for different kinds of cultural events, and the people who were participating said that they were willing to pay for these trips, so we might be talking like charter buses. FISH and MBTA ride programs have become unreliable. This is true. The FISH program, it changed hands last year, and while it did, it was bumpy. So two new agencies were brought on, and it was also the Council on Aging was new to it. So when the seniors said that it was unreliable, we did not have enough volunteers to meet everybody's needs. So I can understand that. runs very smooth now. Action Ambulance has taken on a major role and they have, they've really stepped up and everybody understands the philosophy and the process and so we're smooth now. As far as the MBTA I really can't speak to them being unreliable except that I've heard this a lot over my time here. The Council on Aging minibus. So the next two are very similar. The service stops at 4 o'clock, and seniors want to go to the different community events that happen in Melrose. The orchestra, the symphony orchestra, different things at Memorial Hall. A lot of things that happen at other senior housing buildings. So there's that, and then, oh, here we are. And special events in various housing, and throughout the city. So, it makes sense. We'll have to look into a variety of funding sources. So the respondents also said that they enjoy trips to Market Basket and would like them more frequently. That sometimes it's difficult having to call in advance for rides. It's a first come, first serve kind of ride system. They would like more transportation to the voting polls and they would also like transportation to the farmer's market.

▶ 39:31 Speaker 4: just going through uh some of the things we heard about pedestrian safety while we're there we do have some action items on this that i think do address a lot of this but you know stuff that you commonly hear handicap accessibility on some of the major arterial roads some of the sight lines at different intersections snow removal for residential and commercial adjusting some of the timing on signals that all the new projects that we do mass dot standards do allow for a little some more of that i think vehicle speed near senior housing was an issue and just some you know general sidewalk trip hazards along popular walking routes and i know we're doing the complete streets that we were just accepted for last friday our application scored 100 actually so my first hundred but uh but they um but i think some of the things we're gonna be looking at with some of this funding which is an action item is to dedicate some of that sidewalk money to add some connectivity between side streets to major roads where we see that folks who walk a lot So I know that's something we're going to be looking at, and I know the planning office and engineering did an unbelievable job on that application.

▶ 40:37 Speaker 2: So another specific area of concern was public safety and veteran services. The respondents said they were concerned about phone scams and also drug addiction with their children and grandchildren, and they're concerned about being exploited and becoming victims. So these are both very scary and very realistic concerns. The seniors also asked for information about veteran's benefits and veteran's spouse benefits. So specifically bringing the benefits to senior buildings and also information about the spouse benefits.

▶ 41:15 Speaker 4: We heard about parking, I would say the major concern we heard was people were unsure where handicap parking was located. Whether, I think there was a general sense there was enough handicapped spots. But whether they were always in the right places in municipal lots or in private lots or closest to the areas that they would like to go. So one of the things they would like for us to look at is to create some sort of GIS mapping that shows where all the handicapped spots are in municipal lots. And have that easily accessible at the senior buildings when people are driving. So that's a concern and also an action item that's going to be looking to address some of their concerns.

▶ 41:50 Speaker 2: Finances, so the next few were requests essentially for information. So, the people asked for more information about a retail senior discount program, which we'll get to in the action steps. They asked for financial education about reverse mortgages, trusts, home modifications. They asked for information about access and affordability for medical equipment and devices. They asked for guidance on the best health and dental insurance, it's extremely difficult to navigate all those choices. And of the people that participated, most of the retirees stated that they were working not for financial need, but to stay engaged.

▶ 42:40 Speaker 4: One of the things we heard a lot about was people's desire to remain in Melrose. They love Melrose, they want to stay here. these concerns i would say the one that really stuck out to me was people looking not understanding a you know if you look at the housing stock in melrose you have a lot of old victorian vertical housing uh what can be done with the programs out there or could the council on aging or city run programs about home modifications and retrofitting as you know now people are staying in their homes longer than ever and uh it really stuck out just whatever the focus group of the people um were really interested in that and they're also looking for greater communication about their housing options whether it be congregational housing senior uh melrose housing authority centralizing that information because they can't you kind of get bounced around to different places it varies so they're looking for some centralization of that information

▶ 43:31 Speaker 2: community connection so the respondents requested access and education relative to healthy eating more outdoor activities at the milano center community garden opportunities

▶ 43:44 Speaker 2: opportunities to use their skills, to use the skills from their professional careers. A city-wide senior picnic and more programs from recreation that are geared towards seniors. It was also noted that churches and church leaders are very successful at keeping seniors engaged.

▶ 44:08 Speaker 4: So what did we do from here? We basically took all the information from the surveys, the interviews, the focus groups, and We've tried to come up with some targeted actions and policies and just some ideas to try here, some of them pilot programs. They kind of try to touch on all these areas. Can you solve every issue that was brought up? No, but it's not a wish list. You're kind of working within the resources we have, and the staff we have, and the funding opportunities we have, to try to create the best opportunity for folks who try to address a lot of these needs, and I think we've done a pretty good job. As I said, it's a working document, so I think a lot of ideas of this document goes public. things may get tweaked, things may get added. There may be things that people say you don't want, that can never happen, you know? So it is a working document, but we're going to go through some of these action items, beginning of ones that are actually in progress now since this document was started.

▶ 44:58 Speaker 2: Yeah, as we saw the results come in, we had opportunities, so we just grabbed them. One of them is to remove the word senior from Milano Senior Center. And this is something that all the Council on Aging's are looking at. So the goal of doing that is to, it would become Milano Center. And the goal is to reduce the stigma involved with going to a senior center. We want it to be a place where a lot of people feel like they fit in. People that are 60 and over are struggling with finding a term to define themselves. themselves. I could list so many. Third generation was the most unusual one I've heard so far. But the baby boomers, they're not relating to the word seniors. Those were their parents. Their parents are seniors. So this is a way to, essentially, baby boomers are feeling like there should be no label at all. They are just people. So by removing the word senior not replacing it with some other term it actually meets that need um okay the other thing we have in progress is outdoor recreation programs there is pickleball um that's really taken off really

▶ 46:20 Speaker 4: taken off we started with a pilot program over the winter and we used memorial hall we taped the floor memorial hall and we weren't sure if people were going to sign up even though we were approached and we sold out every slot and now we've moved it to foss park as you can see a photo there and again we're going to be expanding the program again it's um that was just the first

▶ 46:43 Speaker 2: huge following yeah um and also um uh walks on the fells and um mount hood has done a presentation and the council on aging provides transportation so everybody can go up to the tower

▶ 46:57 Speaker 2: um there's also uh we heard that people wanted programs on the patio the patio is completely fully underutilized at the senior center. It's just a cement slab. So, there's the picture. Now, there's a butterfly garden, and we have patio furniture, and there's a gazebo coming mid-September. So hopefully, I will tell you people are already gathering out there, which is wonderful. But hopefully, we'll be able to bring some programs out before it gets too cold. But the gazebo's not coming until mid-September. Providing rides to Farmer's Market, we began that in June, so it's hard to tell how it's going to be taken yet. The first annual city senior picnic is going to be on July 21st at Mount Hood. And reviving the fish program I mentioned, but also just to say that even, it's an ongoing need to get more volunteers. Because the program, word spreads, it's a great program and it continues to grow. um just last week i had put out um a call for volunteers you know through various media so uh

▶ 48:07 Speaker 4: let's move it along a lot of our 55 plus community must have friends in somerville because i don't know how many times i heard you guys need a senior picnic like somerville does

▶ 48:17 Speaker 2: so that's i gotta go to this i gotta see if i'm gonna measure up this one will be better

▶ 48:22 Speaker 2: um okay so some of these action items are council on aging and some are other departments But we plan to host a city-wide resource fair, possibly in this room, an open house for people that are 55 and over with all of the departments that have information available to seniors. So everybody can kind of have one-stop shopping. It's a little bit hard to find all the information for people. So we intend to do that a couple of times. programs. We want to create a financial assistance resource directory, a booklet, and also online on the website for different kinds of assistance. We want to hold different financial literacy courses at the Senior Center, like to learn about trusts, reverse mortgage, Social Security. There's actually a very long list of requests for different programs.

▶ 49:17 Speaker 4: this is one of those i think sought after things in holding the focus groups was people wanting education about managing their money yeah even budgeting um

▶ 49:28 Speaker 2: so we also um are considering um working with the chamber of commerce to see if there's a possibility to have some kind of discount program with the members of the chamber of commerce um so i'm not sure what that would look like yet that conversation hasn't started um We're also, while people ask to be able to use their professional skills, the property tax work program seems like that would be a great avenue. And the departments that use the workers, their need for higher skills is also evolving, so it could be a very good match. The home modification presentations, we'll hold those at the senior center. And also centralized housing and applications. We can have those prepared and just make it known where they're available. Other community health and wellness ones, we intend to revamp the Council on Aging Department website, including information that is key for people 55 and over. And we're going to use the birth to five website as a model. very easy to navigate we're going to create a pilot program for between the Council on Aging and the public library this is still in discussion as well to deliver library books to homebound residents and have asked property tax workers to take that on as some of the roles that we have available extend the

▶ 51:02 Speaker 2: Council on Aging transportation to be able to go to some evening and weekend events some of them are listed here spring fling already happens but Victorian Fair the symphony orchestra those do not happen summer stroll create a technology series so this would be presentations and lessons Facebook 101 different gadgets especially right after Christmastime so presentations and lessons but also one-on-one assistance because people learn best like that we also want to create a standing meeting like meeting on a regular schedule with the clergy association to better understand the needs of residents but also to share resources to help meet the seniors needs

▶ 51:55 Speaker 2: Milano Senior Center is going to be updated the interior decorating will be updated essentially it's windows walls and floors of Tierney Hall the classroom and hopefully if there's some funds left over the lobby the friends are funding that and the purpose of it is to create a welcoming atmosphere but also to continue to attract new clients and also to explore a Friends of Wyoming Cemetery

▶ 52:28 Speaker 4: group yeah we're not the counseling agent but we had heard um people take great pride in the cemetery i think it was an area where people go many of the folks we spoke to were there often they like seeing it in good condition and they noticed it was actually brought up by a few different people during the focus groups saying well you know the the milano center has a friends group or memorial hall starting a friends group you know is it something to help the commission enforcing the policy or help raise funds if there's some sort of beautification project so So I think it's something definitely worth looking into. We have it in other areas, and I think it's an area that could benefit from a friend's group.

▶ 53:03 Speaker 2: So on the next page, additional community health and wellness. We intend to facilitate trips to cultural attractions to create parking map that shows time limits and handicapped spots for municipal lots. To target portions of the complete, this is what you're talking about? Yeah. Complete street funding?

▶ 53:25 Speaker 4: You want to talk about that? I mean we do like we spoke water I just dedicate some of the funding if we get it to improve connectivity between walking routes you know around senior housing and all the way either to downtown or to people that are you know you can see the most commonly walk locations and we were going to also

▶ 53:40 Speaker 2: explore creating a community garden find a space for that look into putting more benches near senior housing and make a targeted effort to increase signups to to the Melrose Alert Program, which is for Melrose residents of any age that wander. Their families can sign them up in advance with the police department. And then should they go wandering, there can be a very quick response to try to find them. We also are going to have a senior representation on the Healthy Melrose Committee, so that the fair can be, it'll draw more seniors to it. have a voice on that committee and as of June 1st all six buildings have now gone of senior housing have now gone smoke-free so it seems like a very good time to have a quit smoking program I see a lot more people outside yeah there's a lot of people outside and it's gonna be cold soon so um we want to work at trying to get that kind of program going so very quickly just some of the

▶ 54:45 Speaker 4: takeaways obviously there's a lot in here we felt that you know what we heard was a very overall very positive feeling about living in Melrose tremendous sense of pride unlike either Wakefield and Stoneham there was really no single survey option that surpassed a 30 threshold as an area there was nothing that spiked at 50 where you're like oh my god you know there was areas of concern but there was nothing I didn't think very alarming which is good to you know which is good the 60 to 69 age group was the most eager to fill out the survey and I do feel like as I said I think we're not catching a lot of these folks and I think there's a lot of opportunity here for some of the new programming is they were very eager to tell us what they felt what they thought their their opinions so i think uh to get them involved with some city programs and um you know most of the issues were very similar in all three communities and i think as we explore this further they're a way to lower cost or enhance service by regionalization we've done it in so many other areas we i think we've done it well we do it as well as anyone in the state um i think there may be some opportunity here that as we move along maybe you'll be able to get identified so thank you thank you very much thank you folks motion

▶ 55:53 Speaker 1: to place the order on file second alderman mortimer moves to place the order on file the motion is seconded by alderman inferna is the discussion before i call the vote alderman

▶ 56:03 Monica C. Medeiros: medeiros thank you i thank you very much i found that very informative like to you know take some time and really digest it i just do have one comment and perhaps you can take this back to the mayor's office and planning. And there's one thing that I noticed that, you know, you mentioned I'm really glad that you tried to reach out to the senior population in Melrose. One thing I noticed is that with the master plan there is no representative this time around for somebody from the Council on Aging or to represent seniors. And in the past a master plan there had been someone so if you would consider you know adding that voice

▶ 56:52 Peter D. Mortimer: to that committee i think that would be true great thank you mortimer thank you very much mr president um i noticed changing you were talking about changing the name to the milano center now that wouldn't be confusing to people i'm going to be 60 in a few months myself and um I'm wondering if that might not be confusing to people. They think it might be some type of drop-in center for 30 year olds or 35 year olds. So you're searching for a new term?

▶ 57:18 Speaker 2: I'm not sure yet.

▶ 57:19 Peter D. Mortimer: As someone who's almost there, I guess. You said 55, which definitely gets me. You said 60, which is going to get me in a few months. I don't know what you want to call me, but.

▶ 57:28 Speaker 2: So, we don't know what to call. Third generation. Yeah. So we actually, we removed the word senior. But I have thought about this before. Someone else did bring that same concern up. How will people know who it's for? So I think a little bit we're going to have to wait and see what acceptable title the boomers decide on to see if we can incorporate that. But we're working with someone to create a logo for us, and the tagline of the logo will be clear as to who it's for. So I think that that will be helpful.

▶ 58:07 Peter D. Mortimer: All right, thank you. And the other comment that was made that peaked my interest was a logistical one on a pragmatic basis, kind of the nuts and bolts. You said people were concerned about having to call in advance for a reservation to get the ride to market basket. At this point, have people been shut out? Has it ever been that people call and they say, sorry, the bus is full? That does happen. That does happen at this point. But people do get shut out at present. They do. And any idea how many or how often? Just to get a feel if more buses are needed or?

▶ 58:42 Speaker 2: There's about 7,000 trips a year. Correct. With the two vehicles.

▶ 58:46 Peter D. Mortimer: To the Redding Market Basket?

▶ 58:48 Speaker 2: No, to everything. Okay. To everything. So actually, they're not getting shut out on food shopping at all. We have sufficient amount of trips to go food shopping. All right. Depending on where you live, depends on which day you go, a few buildings grouped together. we can fill up the van best we can um but often if people call and say uh can i go to cvs today the schedule is already full then we have to say no so um we try to give them you know do you want to go tomorrow at 10. give them different options of the best we can come up with so a flat out no if none of the other options work for them then we need to tell them about fish because that's That's a good option for them.

▶ 59:32 Speaker 4: The revitalization of fish is big in this, because when that's going, that's about 40 rides a month. Right. So a lot of that, with the net, a few people that are falling out of the net of the unmet need with the COA bus. I think you get caught within fish, I mean, that's a lot of rides, between 40 and 50 rides, and that's staffed with volunteers.

▶ 59:49 Peter D. Mortimer: Right. Now, in your responses just now, it brought up another interesting point you said, people who want to go to CVS and get a prescription. Is there any provision provided for, excuse the redundancy. Is there any provision for if someone needs a prescription right away to be refilled that somebody can run and go get their prescription for them?

▶ 1:00:11 Speaker 2: Yeah, the prescription is different. I was kind of talking about shopping at CVS, but if somebody needs a prescription, then that's medical. And that has a whole different, takes on a whole different priority. So nobody would not have their prescription. And we do give medical priority in that you can reserve a medical ride up to three months in advance. Whereas anything else you want to go to, you have to reserve within a week. This way we leave the schedule as open as possible for out of town medical and in town medical. But yeah, nobody would be told no for a medical ride. And then there's always fish also.

▶ 1:00:51 Gail Infurna: Thank you so much. That's all I have, Mr. President. looking for Alderman Inferno thank you just two quick points on the housing did it ever come up about the assisted living because we do have an assisted living coming to Melrose and you know that's just I think it's going to be a nice asset to Melrose because Melrose people do want to stay in Melrose we see this all the time in my my day field there so so I think that's you know something really important kind of very welcomed they were actually looking for

▶ 1:01:22 Gail Infurna: more I think yeah so I you know that should kind of be mentioned there and in reference to Alderman Medeiros is concerned about the master plan Joan Cassidy is on the master plan committee and I know she's very involved down with the senior center and a great beneficiary there so there is you know

▶ 1:01:43 Speaker 4: representative there presidents of the friends well represented yeah and I

▶ 1:01:48 Gail Infurna: I happen to be on it, and I guess I fit in that age group now, too.

▶ 1:01:53 Robert A. Boisselle: Yes, sure. Thank you. Alderman Poizel. Transportation, you mentioned Uber, you mentioned the bus and so forth, but I didn't hear anything concerning taxis. Is the taxis being used at all?

▶ 1:02:07 Speaker 2: We do give out taxi information. We also give out mass health information, and Mystic Valley has limited transportation for chemo, dialysis, and one more, chemo, radiation, and dialysis. So, so we, we have a form, a spreadsheet that gives all the information that we send out to folks, but if we can't accommodate them, then we start telling them all the different, all the different options. And there's also the MBTA ride, which for a lot of people, it meets their needs, most Especially if they need to go to Boston.

▶ 1:02:46 Robert A. Boisselle: You mentioned it's all on paper and so forth. Is this posted on your website at all?

▶ 1:02:51 Speaker 2: This is part of our, we need to update the website and have more resources on it.

▶ 1:02:58 Robert A. Boisselle: So the information is accumulating but the outreach is a problem to getting it to the, not, well, to the people, let's put it that way.

▶ 1:03:09 Speaker 6: Yeah.

▶ 1:03:10 Speaker 2: It is, it's not a problem, it's just a constant effort. Because it changes and- We could make it more efficient. We could, and to have people remember, you have to keep putting it out there.

▶ 1:03:19 Speaker 4: But what I've heard from business owners too, a couple different ones, is that since we put the second van into effect, they've seen less and less taxis at their businesses, whether it be food shopping or things like that. To the point where they question, I mean, whether taxi stands should be there. You know, to the point where they think the second van has made a tremendous difference in not seeing taxis dropping off seniors at their stores.

▶ 1:03:40 Robert A. Boisselle: Getting that information up on the website and so forth, what is needed to do that? I mean, is this, you need some, a webmaster to come in, or?

▶ 1:03:52 Speaker 4: Just a question of centralizing the location.

▶ 1:03:54 Speaker 7: Do you know a webmaster?

▶ 1:03:55 Speaker 4: We have one.

▶ 1:03:58 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just, it's just a matter of, well, we're putting together a very comprehensive resource guide, so I don't think that it will take much longer. We started when we saw the needs, originally.

▶ 1:04:12 Robert A. Boisselle: it's in the works the study is very impressive and very thoughtful and looks very good we learned a

▶ 1:04:19 Speaker 1: lot thank you very much thank you mr chair thank you thank you all employees all we've got a motion to place this order on file that's been made duly seconded all those in favor right i propose motion