NCRCC Eastern Region Minutes
November 18, 2008
New Bern, NC

Attendance: Mineko Holloway- Eastern Carolina AAA Family Caregiver Support Program Georgia Newkirk- Senior Companion Program Holly Henderson- Cape Fear AAA Lou Ann Taylor- Taylor ECF Guest Care Andrea Smith- RHA Howell Paula Edwards- Wayne Co. Services on Aging Terrence Bryant- Britthaven of New Bern Tonya Cedars- Eastern Carolina AAA Family Caregiver Support Program Jean Kenefick- Easter Seals UCP Child Placement Linda Potter- Pamlico Senior Services Phyllis Stephenson- NCRCC Jane MacLeod- NCRCC Phyllis Stephenson, NCRCC Director, welcomed the group and introductions were made. Phyllis gave an introduction and summary of the Lifespan Respite Care Act and the importance of having a strong coalition in order to be able to apply for funding when it becomes available. Gaps in service were discussed by the group, including grandparents raising grandchildren who do not meet the age requirement to receive services. Expanded introductions: Georgia Newkirk- Senior Companion Program This is a volunteer program serving five counties (Carteret, Craven, Jones, Pamlico, Lenoir). They have 65 volunteers to provide respite for seniors who have an identified need. The distance and travel required are sometimes barriers to matching volunteers. Volunteers must be 60 years old or over, receive 30 hours orientation and have physician okay and a criminal background check. The program is federally funded. Volunteers must commit to 15 hours per week and cannot work more than 40 hours per week. A service plan is used to establish the hours. To receive a stipend they must be low to moderate income. They are able to take the person out into the community. Linda Potter- Pamlico Senior Services This program provides case management, family caregiver support, Medicaid CAPD and CAPC Level III in home services. Lou Ann Taylor- Taylor ECF Guest Care, Sea Level, NC This facility is interested in providing respite services for CAP clients. Lou Ann was interested in learning what additional steps her facility would need to take to be able to provide this service. The group then discussed CAP and the push for accreditation. Andrea Smith/ Tina Stewart- RHA Howell This is a four bed facility in New Bern for DD and MH adults. They have begun the START program, which is 2 beds for planned respite and 2 beds for crisis respite. Referrals come from DSS. Clients must have a discharge plan upon entering and must have a case manager. Community Support providers are the first responders. RHA Riverbend facility will also be a resource. Paula Edwards- Wayne County Services on Aging This agency offers in-home aide services for Level I – III and also the Family Caregiver Support Program. They also have a day respite program. There was discussion of partnering with the Senior Companion Program so some people may have a one-on- one companion. Terrence Bryant- Britthaven of New Bern Terrence stated they provide respite at their facility. They provide skilled nursing services and CAP respite. They have some younger residents but most are seniors. If a person wishes to pay privately, the fee is $158 per night. They are required to charge the posted room rate and the person must have an FL-2. Britthaven has 6-8 private rooms that can be used for respite. Billing is through Medicaid/Medicare and private insurance. Holly Henderson- Cape Fear Area Agency on Aging This agency allocates funds to each of their lead agencies to provide caregivers the services they need. They do a lot of education with caregivers about dementia. They try to supplement respite with education to give caregivers more tools. The DVD “Accept the Challenges: is a very useful educational tool. With introductions complete, Phyllis then presented Respite 101, a step by step presentation of starting, maintaining and growing a respite program. Please see attached PowerPoint Presentation. Phyllis emphasized that accreditation will be required by March of 2009 for all agencies in order to serve Medicaid consumers. Other NCRCC news and updates: Jane MacLeod will forward alerts from ARCH Respite to membership. To access this information go to www.archrespite.org. The group discussed upcoming challenges and goals for the NCRCC: advocacy, increasing our membership, sponsoring a “respite proclamation”, developing membership packets and having our members’ directory on the website. The eastern group would like to start a local chapter. Jane will send info to Mineko, Jean Kenefick, Tonya Cedars and Andrea Smith on the process. The next meeting will be either March 24 or 26 in Greenville. Mineko will check on available dates and location. Submitted by: Jane MacLeod NCRCC Program Coordinator.

NC Respite Care Coalition
Eastern Region Meeting Minutes
8/18/11
New Bern, NC

Attendance: Kathy Moran- ESUCP Misty Hill- ECC, Jan Hood- Promise Place Georgia Newkirk- Coastal Community Action, Susan Robbins- GAL, Olive Hollinger- TEACCH, Sallie Williamson- Mideast Commission AAA, Holy Henderson- Cape Fear AAA, Rene Tarquinio- BSRI, Gayle Ginsberg- NHC Senior Center, Kim Emory- Upper Coastal Plain AAA, Mineko Holloway- ECC, Rev. Dan Brosnan- Jean Kenefick- ESUCP NC and VA, Phyllis Stephenson- ESUCP and NCRCC, Jane MacLeod- ESUCP and NCRCC Phyllis welcomed everyone and introductions were made. Our program today highlighted cultural diversity and featured presentations by members of the community of different faiths in discussing how cultural differences impact delivery of care by providers. Gayle Ginsberg gave an overview of the principles of Judaism and discussed values and practices, including mourning practices in the Jewish faith. Highlights were: Judaism is a monotheistic faith with a belief in one god. There are three divisions of Jews: orthodox, conservative and reform. Care providers would need to know what type of Judaism is being practiced in the home to know what laws to respect. Family is central to everything. The holy day, “Shabbat” is Saturday. Illness is not a curse. Our physical bodies are limited and God knows who should die and when. Healing expresses the divine aspect of mercy. A person should not bear the burden of illness alone; the community must help. (See handouts in Jane’s notebook for further specifics.) Gayle stated she would be glad to answer questions about the Jewish faith and how caregivers may interact with patients and family members. Reverend Brosnan gave an overview of Christianity. Highlights: The Bible is now referred to as Hebrew scriptures and Christian scriptures (not the old and new testament) Knowing the background of a family is very important for care providers. Most Christians believe in life after death and that God is in control. Within sickness, Christians believe in prayer for recovery. Sickness is not always considered a part of life. End of life practice varies greatly. Sensitivity to individual beliefs is key. Christians believe in the importance of Jesus. The sharing of communion is important in sickness. Seventh Day Adventists believe that no blood transfusions should ever occur. Scientology is a whole different thought process where a person is moving into another form of existence. They worship “self-actualization.” Christian Scientists are more resistant to standard medical practices. Jehovah’s Witnesses depend on strict interpretations of scripture. Much discussion followed about the different practices of a varied number of religions, such as those that require female circumcision. The question raised is how do we provide services respecting practices but within the rules governing abuse and neglect? Most religions do have concerns for those who are vulnerable. Taoism- Mineko shared some insights about this religion whose adherents seek “mindfulness.” The focus is on finding one’s function, purpose in life. There is no emphasis on material things. Illness arises from going against harmony. Adherents emphasize caring for one’s body, taking away distractions, “less is more.” This is amore passive, accepting way of living. Harmony is a basic tenet and moving towards enlightenment. The Muslim faith is very focused on taking care of one’s own family- they may not allow others in. All were thanked for sharing these many different practices that help care providers know how to interact in providing services. Updates: National Respite Conference Nov.2-4 in Phoenix, Arizona. NCRCC will have leadership day in near future for board orientation. Next meeting: Topic: Roadblocks to people seeking help. Other topics of interest for future are VA programs and emerging issues with the LGBT community. Date: Nov. 8, possibly Greenville. Welcome committee will be Kim Emory, Sallie Williamson, Holly Henderson. They will coordinate speakers on this topic. Gayle, Sallie and Kim will bring door prizes. Submitted by: Jane MacLeod NCRCC Program Coordinator

Eastern Region Spring Meeting
May 24, 2011
Cape Fear Council of Governments
Wilmington, NC

Attendance: Mineko Holloway Eastern Carolina AAA, Kim Emory- Upper Coastal Plains AAA, Catherine Baker- Robeson Co. DSS, Fennie Oxendine- Robeson Co. DSS, Ann LeBeau- Home Instead, Rosalind Pugh- Mideast Commission, Pat Wesson- Friendly Caregivers, Nell Todd- Friendly Caregivers, Gayle Ginsberg- New Hanover County Senior Resource Center, Jayne Sanderson- Interim Health Care, Ellison Jones- Triangle J AAA, Connie Bell- Pender Adult Services, David Hoolahan- Cape Fear Home Care, Marie Hooks- Cape Fear Home Care Olive Hollinger- TEACCH Holly Henderson- Cape Fear AAA, Jean Kenefick- Easter Seals UCP, Rene Tarquinio- BSRI, Amy Derek- PACE (ElderHaus), Larry Reinhart- PACE, Phyllis Stephenson- ESUCP and NCRCC, Jane MacLeod- ESUCP and NCRCC Phyllis welcomed everyone and introductions were made. Representatives from new agencies were asked to complete program forms for entry into CareLink. Presentation: Larry Reinhart from PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) This program is part of Elderhaus which provides services for older citizens and was the first site for PACE. PACE is an optional benefit sponsored by Medicare and Medicaid. Supervised services are provided for adults over 18 who are nursing home eligible (certified by DAAS). This program is focused on maximizing the functional capacity of the participants. Ninety-five of the people served are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Enrollees must receive all their medical care from PACE. The major question raised is how can PACE be replicated and applied to other populations. It is an excellent model that is proving to have very good outcomes for those participating, including reduced hospitalizations and compassionate end of life care provided in the home. There are three locations in North Carolina: Burlington, Wilmington and Durham. Other cities are looking at adding this program to existing sites. Barriers to people enrolling are that some do not want to give up their primary health care providers (trust in a different system is a big issue).Financial eligibility for Medicaid can also be a barrier because of the 5 year law about transferring assets. Respite care is another benefit of this service. Seven days of overnight respite are provided per year as part of the plan. The goals of PACE are to expand the program and look for housing options, since appropriate housing for this population is not readily available. Thanks to the speakers for their excellent presentation! Updates on the NCRCC: Phyllis gave updates from the PowerPoint on recent NCRCC activity across the state. She also announced there will be an RFP soon for respite grants at the federal level. After the state grants are awarded, there may be dollars for smaller projects in the $10-15k range. Agencies could add to the programs they already have and need to consider sustainability. Agencies need to be prepared to apply for these funds within a short time frame and information would be available mid-July for implementation in September-October. Current projects of the NCRCC: Respite resource library Emergency funding for respite (how to add to this fund, could this be a grant project? We also need a rep from adult disability services community to serve on the review committee; already have someone from children and from aging) To volunteer, please contact Jane MacLeod. Supporting national grant opportunities National conference presentation Webinars on national level Funding advocacy Just One More (adding just one more respite program in each county of NC) Respite program listing (CareLink) State Advisory team Possible funding opportunity Cultural diversity- the western region has really embraced this opportunity with outreach to the Latino and Cherokee populations) Respite Volunteer Training Manual distribution Building Lifespan Respite Connection Our next meeting in the west is August 23 in Waynesville at 30th Alliance, an agency providing services to victims of domestic violence. One of our next main projects is scheduling a board meeting to plan for the coming months. New ideas for the coalition from this group to help in staying connected across the state: Newsletter to keep folks updated on what’s going on in the state. Expand cultural diversity to include religion, LGBT community. The next meeting will be August 18 in New Bern at ESUCP office 2801 Neuse Blvd. New Bern, NC 28560. Our program will be looking at the element of faith in caregiving. Gayle Ginsberg can speak on this issue. Mineko, Nell and Jean will lead this meeting and seek speakers on this topic. Meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m. Submitted by: Jane MacLeod NCRCC Program Coordinator