Senior Advisory Committee EPA

08/29/2023

All folk overc55 should take this survey do it now. It will help bring resources to our cimmunity..

Thank you for taking the time to participate in the State of California Community Assessment for Older Adults. Please follow the instructions below. Thank you!

05/07/2023

We are at bell street park on behalf of the Council on Aging for San Mateo Co. Come on out the festival is going to fun. Stop by get the Help at home guide for older adults. Hope to see you here

04/10/2023

Todays population of the Uited States is gettign older. With this maturing comes some very unique and heart wrenching relaities. Long term care is expensive and the major concerns are if we as a country and county are ready to handle the need of long term assisted living.? Currently that answer is a resounding no. Please stay tuned to this page for more information in coming weeks on this subject.

04/06/2023

Please join us! All are welcome please come just as you are! Celebrate Resurrection Sunday with us at:
St Mark Ame Zion Church. SUNDAY APRIL 9, 2023 11am

03/22/2023

Are you ready for the end of the journey?
Times are tough many seniors are finding themselves in "dire straits" at the end of it all?
Are you ready for the last days of life?
These are really tough questions that every family needs to be asking itself individually as well as collectively.
Are you Ready?

06/22/2022

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10225643179853685&set=pcb.10225643211574478

The Senior Center grand Re Opening was a great success! Now the real work of change begins. We are so thankful to all that came out and supported the reopening. God is Good!

06/14/2022

Appointments will be made soon! Great work to those that are not returning to the committee. We will miss you, and for those that will soon be joining the committee, welcome. let's get to work making sure that our seniors have all their needs met, and some of the wants too!

04/20/2022

Caretaking for Seniors.
This is a group of dedicated folks who are willing to take care of our Seniors. If you are a family member that is struggling with taking care of a senior let us know what your needs are we may be able to find resources to assist you as you assist your loved ones. Send us a message.

04/19/2022

Our last meeting had guests form the EPA Sanitation District. The conversations were robust and some real questions were answered and a few more raised about the state of our seniors sewage line laterals that will need to be replaced.

The meeting can be viewed in its entirety on the East Palo Alto city website under attend a meeting tab on the home page.
http://eastpaloalto.iqm2.com/Citizens/SplitView.aspx?Mode=Video&MeetingID=1847&Format=Agenda

The ED of the Sanitation district as well as Mr. Dennis Scherzer were gracious and kind in attending the meeting in hopes to clear up some questions concerning the lateral replacements as well as what is available for seniors in the city.

There were of course some opposing views on various issues that our city faces concerning this issue. Which is good. It is our hope that these conversations will continue, there are some really serious issues with the water mains as well as the sewer mains concerning new developments. These questions are huge. But Our focus of this meeting was strictly to find out what we could from sanitation district, on the subject matter, if anything is available to help seniors to be able to afford the 15 to 20k that is going to cost to replace these laterals.

Here is what was shared there is a long term very low interest loan available for residents to take advantage of. It was reported to us that there is possibly 50-100,000k available for this program that will offer a loan to folks in need of financing. At the moment we are not sure just what the qualifications for this are, but we believe they are a little less stringent than with a traditional lending source.

WE we encourage elderly homeowners of EPA if you have nor replaced your laterals yet to look into this low interest long term loan. WE also suggest you contact us at the Senior advisory Committee is you are experiencing plumbing issues in your home and do not have the funding to complete the necessary work to have these laterals replaced.

04/19/2022

As we move forward as a committee to bette serve the community in which we reside we will be asking the public in times to come to assist us in various projects concerning our seniors in the city. It is our hope that folks would come out to events that are forthcoming as well as get involved in getting our seniors out and active once again. Look forward to seeing all of you in the community that care about our senior very soon!

04/11/2022

Issues concerning Senior Citizens can be very difficult to navigate. the biggest issue that we are experiencing is the way in which information is delivered to the seniors of our city.
We are working diligently to improve this issue. One of the ways that we are attempting to do this is to invite various organizations in our city as well as outside of our city to come and make presentations to us as the committee. Many times, this is a quick presentation a couple of questions, and then all go home and very little comes out of it. This is something we are striving to change as well.

The biggest issue that we have is inaccurate rosters of the Seniors in the city. Imagine what we could all do, if we knew how to directly get information to every senior in our city. We have attempted thus far to formulate plans to gain this vital information on our folks. Ultimately, a door-to-door campaign to find out where our disabled and elderly citizens are, may be in order.

We need proactive committees. Committees of citizens appointed by the citizens for the citizens. For the most part East Palo Alto has this in place. WE are not perfect...bear with us.

We wish to thank the EPASD for coming out to last Wednesday's meeting of the Senior Advisory Committee. To talk a little bit about lateral replacements for our Senior citizens.

What we discovered is that there is a lot of information that is not being thoroughly understood on both sides of this issue. It is one that is at the moment, a sore spot of contention. This is very unfortunate for us all. But in this issue exists an opportunity to exercise patience and diligence, to uncover and act upon truth.

I ask as we as a community and those that are appointed as representatives of our great great community, that we do so in a manner, that would leave no cause for accusations of slander and or aggressive behavior towards one another.

I ask that we remember why we serve on various committees and boards. It is not about us individually, or our ability to show what we know, or do not know, it is not an opportunity to promote self-driven agendas. What it is about are the people that we serve.

I ask that we all take a step back and reassess just why we are doing what we are doing. If we are using public boards and commissions to make sure that we are heard but are unwilling or incapable of exercising positive actions towards solution. I ask that we stop. Let us stay on the subject of solutions for problems that exist and have more than likely always existed in this community. Solutions require a couple of things, one of which is communication. Communications that are open, willing to be subjected to being wrong or inaccurate. Because many times in our lives we are wrong, and based upon whom we have received information, can be ill informed. this happens in human nature all of the time. I ask though that we truly examine our motives for serving.

Just because we are wrong sometimes, it doesn't make us bad. It just makes us a little misinformed. Which is ok. As long as we get to truth. I am sorry for this very long post, but I felt compelled to voice these sentiments. I ask for dialogues of solution. I seek truth. I hope that we all are as well. Again, I apologize for this long post.
jeff Austin Chair Senior Advisory Committee