Pathways to Positive Aging
Partnership

For information, contact:
Karen Grimsich
510-547-2602
kgrimsich@ci.fremont.ca.us

Chapter 1: How did this Partnership get started? How are they structured?  What have they been doing

I. WHY Did the Partnership Happen Here?

More than a decade ago, the Tri-Cities Elder Coalition was organized by staff from the Fremont Human Services Department, the Washington Hospital, and a number of other social service organizations serving elders. The Pathways to Positive Aging Partnership began its planning effort in 2004, serving the communities of Fremont, Union City and Newark and building upon this earlier coalition. The Partnership was able to invite faith communities, cultural organizations, businesses and government agencies in addition to a vast cross-section of older adults to participate, “allowing grass roots community groups and formal providers to learn from each other and increase collaboration.” Nearly 1,300 residents of the Tri-City area joined the very interactive process used to develop the community plan for how to care for older members while respecting their wisdom and their on-going contributions.

Demographics:
In California as a whole as well as in the Tri-City area, the older population will double in the next two decades, while the population of those over 85 will triple. Half of all older adults speak a language other than English as their first language and 13.5% live in households where no one speaks English with proficiency. Many seniors who are Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, or Transgender are often reluctant to seek services fearing discrimination or intrusions to their privacy. More than one third of the older adults in the Tri-City area have incomes lower than the “Minimum Financial Survivability Threshold” established by the California Budget Project, making it very difficult to cope with the extremely high cost of living adjacent to the Silicon Valley.

Learning About the Issues: A methodology called the “Technology of Participation” (ToP) was deliberately used by this Partnership to actively engage local people, who are from many different cultural groups and who speak many languages, in gathering information, building consensus, developing priorities, and creating strategies. Fourteen “focused conversations” were held in nine languages during which participants discussed characteristics of an ideal community supporting older adults, community strengths and challenges, and lastly, actions by both organizations and the community that could improve long term and supportive service systems. Frail elders were escorted and transported to meetings to ensure their inclusion. The “sticky wall” tool helped the groups to easily arrange and re-arrange ideas as they were shared. Data from all of the sources were then shared at two large Community Dialogues. 240 residents from senior groups, businesses, service providers, caregivers, city planning & public safety organizations, and elected officials used the sticky wall tool again to reach consensus on six priorities upon which a community strategic plan could be built. (Priorities are listed in Initiatives.)

Findings – The “Focused Conversations” process surfaced the following ten concerns, (not in any order of priority)

1. More housing with support services
2. Affordable health insurance and increased access to health care
3. Improved transportation to community businesses and services
4. Ability to find and access services – barriers were: lack of information, language and health
5. Lack of cultural sensitivity
6. Desire for increased educational opportunities, including desire for more ESL classes.
7. Political awareness and advocacy for age-related issues
8. Socialization opportunities
9. Opportunities for intergenerational and cultural exchanges
10. Opportunities to work and volunteer within the community

II. Getting Started: What Vision, Goals and Structure emerged?

A Community Vision emerged (from the focused conversations, surveys, interviews and community dialogues) to create a community that has the following characteristics:

• An environment that is safe and welcoming;
• A community that respects diversity and values senior participation;
• Senior service information is available for easy access and referral;
• Multi-lingual and culturally sensitive services are available for all;
• Services for seniors are coordinated;
• Affordable senior housing with supportive services is made available.

Structure
The original Tri-City Elder Care Coalition joined with the Partnership to create a core leadership group now called the Tri-City Elder Care Community Board, which has nine workgroups reporting to the core leadership: [1) Senior Health and Wellness committee, 2) Mobility committee, 3) Community Engagement committee, 4) Intercultural and Intergenerational committee, 5) Senior Opportunities committee, 6) Marketing committee, 7) Fundraising committee, 8) Evaluation committee and 9) other Ad-hoc committees as needed (e.g., the Personal Urgent Need Fund committee and the Senior Night Out committee).

The Executive Team (consisting of the Community Board Officers, the Human Services Department Director, and the Partnership project staff) makes day to day decisions about the Partnership’s work. Many New Partners joined the Partnership from community cultural groups, the transit authority, libraries, senior centers, Kaiser Permanente, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and a local bank. More elected officials and local media have been attending meetings and events.

III. WHAT: Implementing initiatives based on their identified priorities. What did they do?

Priority 1: Increase capacity of the infrastructure, oversee funding strategies, and improve community’s perception of aging.

• The Partnership’s region-wide Strategic Community Plan was endorsed by all 3 City Councils and their Senior Commissions.
• The Pathways to Positive Aging Partnership adapted the Milwaukee Partnership’s “Let’s Take Care” campaign, distributing 4,000 brochures through the Tri-City Voice newspaper, doctor’s offices, etc. They covered costs through businesses ads and sponsorship by the Fremont Bank, the Washington Hospital, and the City of Fremont’s Human Services Department. They also created a 2 minute DVD about the Pathways to Positive Aging Partnership (which was circulated broadly) and an Ad Card promoting the Partnership on transit buses in the Tri-City area.
• Presentations about the Partnership’s work were made to more than 20 local groups, as well as at the 2008 California Healthy Cities Annual Conference, at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging conference, and at a conference in Taiwan.
• Additional funds raised include a $750,000 grant from ACTIA, (the transit authority), a $336,000 two-year Public Health Grant, and $22,000 from an annual “Seniors Night Out” fundraiser.
• 14 community members received training on using the CONNECT advocacy methodology; trainees met with local politicians to inform them about Partnership initiatives and to build relationships.

Priority 2: Increase utilization of services to serve frail and underserved seniors.

• The multi-cultural and linguistic sensitivity of the Tri-City Help line was expanded so that it now is also answered in Farsi, Mandarin and Spanish. The Partnership distributed 5,000 Senior Helpline Magnets to community residents and increased calls by 150%.
• Through an “Elder Safe” campaign, 150 postal workers were trained to recognize warning signs of frail elders.
• California Proposition 63 funds were secured to establish a Mobile Mental Health team that served 29 seniors with diagnosis and assessment of mental illness, medication management, and counseling.
• The Partnership generated a second grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for $300,000 over two years to establish the Community Ambassador Program for Seniors (CAPS). 50 Community Ambassadors from 6 ethnic and faith communities received training on how to provide information and referral services to their communities consistent with their cultural practices and in their respective languages. The County Board of Supervisors provided an additional $40,000 in funding.

Priority 3: Increase and sustain senior mobility in the community.

• Through the Tri-City Travel Training Program (using bi-lingual volunteers to provide language interpretation and assistance for participants with limited English proficiency), older adults learned how to use local public transit.
• Volunteers provided over 7,700 escorted trips for seniors and persons with disabilities through the VIP Door to Door Rides Program. Volunteers donated an average of 800 hours/ month, often escorting elders on public transit.
• The Partnership secured changes to public transit routes so that elder commuters can travel to the India Community Center and to the Sikh Gurdwara. The Transit Authority also launched two “Circulator” Bus Routes during off-peak hours to expand transportation options for seniors between senior housing and businesses or hospitals.
• Four older-driver safety discussion groups were conducted and an Older Driver Safety and Transportation Alternatives Seminars were aired on Washington Hospital’s Cable Channel.
• The Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority provided $750,000 to improve transportation and para-transit options in Fremont, Newark and Union City.
  

Priority 4: Increase capacity and sustainability for community groups to serve seniors

• Secured funding from the Alameda County Public Health Department for the Afghan Health Promoter Program. 89 Afghan seniors were helped with self management of conditions and medications in the last year by other Afghanis, decreasing the number of falls and emergency room visits.
• The Partnership assisted two organizations, Afghan Care and the Muslim Support Network, in securing $9,500 and $10,000 grant awards from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation.
• The Afghan Coalition, Afghan Care and Afghan Jurga enlisted Partnership support during pursuit of a grant with Alameda County to fund specialized mental health services.
  
• The Partnership is developing a contract with a non-profit organization to provide Board training for local, culturally-based organizations.

Priority 5: Foster cross-cultural and intergenerational exchanges.

• The Partnership engaged 159 students and 80 seniors in the Senior Pen Pal Program, an intergenerational letter writing program touching 7 different classes in Fremont and Newark; they also secured $5,000 from Cargill Salt and $2,000 from Kaiser Permanente to fund it.

Priority 6: Enable seniors to sustain a vital and active role in the community.

• During the symposium titled “Coming of Age: the Power of the 50 + Volunteer,” over 80 participants from non-profit and government agencies were trained on how to develop meaningful opportunities to use the skills of volunteers over the age of 50.