[Senior Affairs Commission on September 15, 2025.]
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[*A portion of this video is without audio*]
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MY PARTNER, CHRIS WILLIAMS SAID, IS A SOCIAL SUPPORT AND A COLLABORATION BETWEEN DATA FIRE EMS, WHICH IS US LOCAL HOSPITALS AND COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCIES.TOGETHER WE PROVIDE A SCHEDULED INDIVIDUAL CARE TO A TARGETED HIGH RISK PATIENT POPULATIONS IN THEIR HOMES.
THE PROGRAM GOALS ARE TO PREVENT UNNECESSARY HOSPITALIZATIONS, ER VISITS, AND 9 1 1 CALLS, AND TO BE PROACTIVE AND MAKE USE OF LOCAL AGENCIES AND RESOURCES AND TO FOCUS ON PATIENT NEEDS SUCH AS MEDICAL, MENTAL, SELF-CARE, GOVERNMENT AID, AND HOME AND HOUSING NEEDS AND TRANSPORTATION.
THE OUTREACH PARAMEDIC WILL MAKE A VISIT TO YOUR HOME ON A SCHEDULED BASIS.
AND WHILE THERE WE DO CHECKUPS.
WE CHECK YOUR VITAL SIGNS AND WE DO ALL AROUND NEEDS AND GOALS ASSESSMENTS, ALONG WITH YOUR HEALTH.
WE ALSO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING YOUR HEALTH.
AND IF YOU NEED US TO, WE WILL SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR ON YOUR BEHALF TO SERVE AS AN ADVOCATE.
WE'LL EVEN HELP YOU THROUGH THE, UH, NAVIGATE THROUGH THE HE HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES.
THE GOAL OF THE MODS OUTREACH PARAMEDICS IS TO HELP YOU BECOME MORE SELF-RELIANT.
YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SCHEDULE AND ATTEND YOUR APPOINTMENTS, APPOINTMENTS, OBTAIN MEDICATIONS, BECOME HEALTHIER AND PREVENT UNNECESSARY HOSPITALIZATIONS, ER VISITS, AND ONCE AGAIN, 9 1 1 CALLS.
WHEN WE MEET OUR PATIENTS AND THEY ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION OR WE INTRODUCE OURSELVES TO 'EM, THIS IS THE CONVERSATION WE HAD WITH HIM RIGHT HERE.
GAS FIRE RESCUE UNDERSTANDS THAT YOUR HEALTH IS IMPORTANT.
THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE TOOLS TO HELP YOU CONTROL YOUR SYMPTOMS THROUGH SELF-MONITORING, DIET, EXERCISE, LIFESTYLE CHANGES, AND MEDICATION.
AND THIS IS A FREE SERVICE FOR YOU.
OUR TEAM WILL STRIVE TO ASSIST YOU IN MANAGING YOUR PROBLEMS IN ORDER TO STAY HEALTHY.
I MEAN, WE CAN ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN YOUR CARE PLAN.
THE MODS OUTREACH PARAMEDICS ARE DALLAS FIRE RESCUE PARAMEDICS WHO WORK WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY RESOURCES
[00:10:01]
AND VISIT YOUR HOME TO ASSIST YOU.THAT OBS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR CONDITION, HELP YOU FOLLOW A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE, SHOW YOU WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR OWN HEALTHCARE, AND TO LIVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE.
IN ADDITION TO PERFORMING A MEDICAL ASSESSMENT, WE ALSO PROVIDE A PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HOME.
AND WE DO THAT BY OBSERVANT AND ATTEMPTING TO MITIGATE FALL HAZARDS LIKE POOR LIGHTING, TRIPPING HAZARDS LIKE CLUTTER,
IF A WALKER OR WHEELCHAIR IS USED WILL CHECK FOR PROGRESS, UH, PROPER EGRESS AND INGRESS THAT'S IN AND OUT THE HOUSE.
JUST TO KEEP IT SAFE, WE INQUIRE ABOUT HOW, I MEAN, INQUIRE ABOUT AND OBSERVE.
FOR ANTIQUATED SMOKE ALARMS FOR OLDER ALARMS PLACE, WE, WE WILL REPLACE A REQUEST TO INSTALL NEW SMOKE ALARMS WITH OUR INSPECTION AND LIFE AND SAFETY DIVISION.
YOU CAN DO THAT BY CALLING IT 3 1 1.
UH, WE ALSO EDUCATE THE FIRE SAFETY RISKS AND HOW TO KEEP THEMSELVES AND FIRST RESPONDERS SAFE.
AND WE INFORM ON HOW PERSONAL ITEMS CAN CROWD COOKING EQUIPMENT AND MAKE IT UNSAFE TO COOK.
AND ALSO HOW PERSONAL ITEMS AND CROWD HEATING EQUIPMENT PUTTING YOU AT RISK OF HAVING A FIRE.
AND ALWAYS KEEP EVERYTHING THAT CAN BURN AT LEAST THREE FEET AWAY FROM THE COOKING AND HEATING EQUIPMENT.
WE SUGGEST ON USING A TIMER TO REMIND PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE COOKING FOR SMOKERS, WE INFORMED TO NEVER SMOKE AROUND MEDICAL OXYGEN.
WE INFORMED TO KEEP DOORWAYS AND WINDOWS CLEAR OR ESCAPE IN CASE THERE IS A FIRE.
THIS WOULD ALSO PREVENT INJURIES FROM FALLING OVER EXCESSIVE PERSONAL ITEMS. NOW, BLOCK WINDOWS AND DOORS MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR RESPONDING FIREFIGHTERS AND EMS PERSONNEL TO GET INTO YOUR HOME TO FIGHT THE FIRE SEARCH FOR OCCUPANCIES AND REMOVE CRITICAL PATIENTS OUT OF THE HOME IN CASE OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
PILES OF BELONGINGS MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS TO MOVE THROUGH YOUR HOME QUICKLY.
AND IF YOU SEE ON THE NEXT PAGE, YOU SEE A LADY COOKING WITH A, A CLEAR COUNTERTOP SO SHE'S NOT POTENTIALLY STARTING TO FIRE WITH PERSONAL ITEM.
AND IF YOU TURN THE PAGE AGAIN, EXCUSE ME, I'M SORRY.
HAVE A COMMISSIONER IF YOU CAN PODIUM.
THAT'S THE KEY, RIGHT? NO, WE CAN SEE.
YOU CAN SEE WE CAN, THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR SHOWING UP, GUYS.
YOU CAN, YOU WERE AT THE CLUB
SO THE NEXT PICTURE, AS YOU CAN SEE,
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CLEARING THE HAZARD, RUG TOYS, ANIMALS, SAME THING RIGHT HERE.AS YOU SEE HIM CLEARING THE FLOOR, UM, RUGS, THEY CAN ESPECIALLY BE TRICKY WITH CANES AND WALKERS.
WALKERS DON'T ROLL SMOOTHLY OVER CARPET SOMETIMES, OR RUGS CAN BEND UP.
YOU CAN CATCH THE LIP OF IT SOME FORWARD.
SO YOU WANT A CLEAR FLOOR OF RUGS IF YOU CAN.
AND THIS PICTURE IS PICTURE OF US INVOLVED WITH COMMUNITY AND DOING WORK.
THESE ARE DIFFERENT PATIENTS THAT WE HELP.
THIS IS OUR FULL TEAM, MR. WILLIAMS. THIS IS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE'VE BEEN IN THE CITY HELPING OUT CLIENTS OR PATIENTS CITIZENS FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND LOVING ALL TIME.
SO, UH, AGAIN, OUR, OUR, OUR GOALS AS THE, THE MOD PROGRAM, UH, IS TO BUILD THAT PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS WITH A BS.
UH, AND WE, WHEN I SAY COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WE ALL HAVE ALL KIND OF COMMUNITY PARTIES, UH, PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
WE HAVE OUR CRISIS PREVENTION TEAM.
WE WORK WITH, UH, UH, UH, EVERYBODY IN ANY, ANY CITY.
YOU KNOW, THE SENIOR, THE SENIORS, UH, WITH MISS
WE WORK WITH ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCES, UH, AND IT'S A COLLABORATION, UH, BENEFIT.
UH, THE BENEFIT IS IDENTIFYING AND MAKING RELEVANT ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES, REFERRALS, ADVOCATING AND PROVIDING MENT SERVICES WHEN A PS IS NOT A VIABLE OPTION.
AND ALSO LONG-TERM CARE AND CONTINUED OBSERVATION FOR MEALS AND WHEN ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES BECOMES A RESOURCE NEEDED.
UH, FOURTH TO THE US CENSUS BUREAU DATA.
BY 2035, THERE'LL BE, THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN THE 65 OLDER POPULATION.
THERE WILL BE A DECREASE IN THE 18 AND UNDER POPULATION, AN INCREASE IN DISABILITY POPULATION, AND AN INCREASE IN MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS.
SO WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE? WILL THAT HAVE WELL, IT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO PROVIDE CARE AND BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.
IT'S GONNA IMPACT HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES, ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES, AND HOME HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, WHICH IN TURN IS GOING TO LEAD INTO AN INCREASED CALL VOLUME FOR FIRING POLICE AND THE INCREASING NEED OF SOCIAL WORKERS AND CASE WORKERS.
SO THE SOLUTIONS TO MANAGING THIS GROWTH, THE SOLUTIONS OR ORGANIZATION, COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS, UNDERSTANDING OF THE OBJECTIVES OF EACH AGENCY AND REALISTIC OUTCOMES TO DECREASE, DECREASE THE DUPLICATION OF EFFORT TO MAXIMIZE THE RESOURCES FOR MORE PEOPLE IN NEED SO WE CAN ALL CAN BECOME THE TEAM THAT WE NEED TO SUCCEED.
THAT ENDS OUR PRESENTATION, BUT WE'D LIKE TO OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYONE MAY HAVE.
UM, ARE THERE SOME SPECIFIC ZIP CODE SERVER OR IS THIS A CITYWIDE THING? IT'S A CITYWIDE ALL THE WAY UP IN COMMON COUNTY.
SOME PORTION, SOME OF DALLAS IS AND, AND DENTON COUNTY AND DENTON COUNTY.
WE, WE, WE HAVE, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WE LOST FOUR OF OUR MEMBERS, UM, THAT WERE ABSORBED INTO A NEW PROGRAM, UH, THAT, UH, JUST STARTED.
SO, UH, WE NOW ARE DOWN FROM EIGHT TO FOUR AND, UH, WE DIVIDE THE CITY UP TO FOUR QUADRANTS
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AND WE ALL, IT'S A BIG AREA WE, WE ALL HAVE TO SERVE, BUT WE, WE DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE.DON'T WE PUT OUR BEST BEFORE EVERY TIME.
AND I KNOW YOU SPEAK OF SENIORS, BUT DO YOU ALSO SERVE THE, UH, ARE DISABLED? YES, MA'AM.
SO THEY WANTED NEEDS SENIORS AND DISABLED.
AND, UM, DO YOU HAVE A SOCIAL WORKER ON YOUR TEAM OR A CASE WORKER? SO, SO MY EDUCATION IS NOT SOCIAL WORKER.
MY EDUCATION IS NOT IN SOCIAL WORK.
UM, BUT I BEEN DOING THIS FOR SO LONG, WE'VE BEEN, AND WE, WE'VE OUR, OUR GROUP COMPRISES OF EXPERIENCED MEDICS THAT'S BEEN ON IN THE DEPARTMENT FOR, ON THE DEPARTMENT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND WE'VE BEEN BLESSED TO BE IN THIS PROGRAM FOR, FOR A LONG TIME.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE HAVE BUILT A LOT AND FORMED A LOT OF RELATIONSHIPS, UM, TO WHERE ALTHOUGH I MAY NOT BE A SOCIAL WORKER BY EDUCATION, UM, I'M ABLE TO, TO EXIT, TO DO THESE ACT ON THESE RESOURCES THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD, THESE COLLABORATIONS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD AND A LOT OF THE THINGS WE CAN DO ON OUR OWN.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE COLLABORATION THAT WE HAVE WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE SOCIAL WORKERS LIKE CIT AND OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE, JUST BEING ABLE TO AGAIN, BE THAT ACCESS TO GO INTO THE HOME, TO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE WHAT THAT PATIENT MAY NEED, WE CAN THEN OUT RESOURCE TO THOSE OTHER, OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT CAN EXPEDITE THOSE THINGS THAT WE MAY NOT NECESSARILY HAVE ACCESS TO.
AND DO YOU WORK WITH SOME HOME HEALTHCARE? OH, YES MA'AM.
A LOT OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING HELP HEALTH CAN OKAY.
WE HAVE RESOURCES THAT, THAT RIGHT.
WE HAVE PATIENTS THAT ARE IN NEED OF, UH, HOME HEALTHCARE PATIENTS THAT ARE, NEED TO BE, YOU KNOW, PLACED UNFORTUNATELY TO NURSING FACILITIES AND WHATNOT.
WE HAVE DIRECT CONTACT, BUT WE CAN GET THANK YOU.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND YOUR TIME OFF.
I'M CURIOUS, YOU SAID THERE ARE ONLY FOUR PEOPLE THAT ARE PART OF THIS MONTH? YEAH, UNFORTUNATELY.
AND SO HOW MANY PEOPLE A WEEK DO YOU SEE WITH ONLY FOUR FOLKS? WE AVERAGE AROUND 20 TO 25 PATIENTS ON OUR, ON OUR CASELOAD.
AND WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF CATEGORIZE THOSE PATIENTS BASED ON, ON THE, SOME WEEK YOU MAY SEE ONCE, ONCE A WEEK.
OTHERS WE CAN SEE TWICE A MONTH.
OTHERS WE CAN SEE ONCE A MONTH AND WE CAN JUST CALL AND, UH, AND CHECK ON 'EM AND MAKE SURE.
IT JUST DEPENDS ON THEIR NEED.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THESE COLLABORATIONS WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY, WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE BANDWIDTH TO BE ABLE TO, TO SEE OUR PATIENTS AS MUCH AS WE LIKE, BUT IT'S, IT'S BEING ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THE NEED AND BEING ABLE TO ACCESS OUR RESOURCES THAT CAN GET US THE HELP THAT WE NEED TO HELP YOU RECTIFY THAT SITUATION FOR OUR PATIENT, OUR CONDOM.
SO IS IT, IS IT TYPICAL THEN THAT YOU, SOMEBODY WHO IS CALLING 9 1 1 A LOT, YOU TURN 'EM OVER TO SOMEBODY, LET'S SAY HERE AT OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE AND THEN THEY TAKE CARE OF 'EM OR WORK WITH ANOTHER HOME, HEALTHCARE HAS KIND OF STEPPED AWAY THE GO ON TO THE NEXT UH, YES, YES.
AND NO MEETING PERSON? YES, YES, YES AND NO.
SO WE CAN, WE CAN STEP AWAY SOONER.
I'LL JUST SAY THAT BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO, TO, TO REFER 'EM OUT.
SO, BUT WE, ONE THING THAT WE HAVE, HAVE HAD OUR ADVANTAGE THAT THEY DON'T IS GET THE ACCESS AND HAVING THE ABILITY TO GO TO THE HOME, WHERE OFTENTIMES THEY'RE UNABLE TO DO THAT.
AND WE CAN BE THAT BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND WE CAN BE THOSE EYES FOR THOSE RESOURCES AND, AND PROVIDE WHAT THEY NEED.
SO ONE THING WE DON'T DO IS WE DON'T JUST ON YOU OFF, IT'S NOT, I HATE YOU THAT WORD, BUT IT'S NOT, BUT WE DON'T WANNA JUST PROVIDE THE RESOURCE AND THEN JUST LEAVE YOU THERE
AND WE'LL DO THAT FOR, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST ANOTHER 30 DAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU, YOU'RE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WHAT PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE HELPING ARE OVER 70 YEARS OLD? I, I CAN'T PUT A, A EXACT NUMBER FOR IT.
BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT'S GONNA BE THE MAJORITY OF OUR PATIENTS.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE MAJORITY OF OUR PATIENTS ARE THE 65-YEAR-OLD AND OLDER.
AND WOULD YOU CLASSIFY THEM AS, UH, LOW INCOME LEVEL AS WELL, OR WOULD THEY BE JUST ANY OLD JOKE? MOSTLY.
MOST OF, MOST OF OUR, OUR BUSIEST AREAS ARE IN THE SOUTH DALLAS FOLKS AREA SOUTH.
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE, THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE OUR MOST FOLKS.
DO Y'ALL KEEP ANY OF THOSE KINDS OF STATISTICS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US THAT ARE HOW MANY CALLS YOU MAKE IN FIVE DISTRICT EVERY QUARTER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE KIND OF CARE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR DISTRICT.
UM, AND HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE ELDERLY AND, YOU KNOW, SINCE THAT'S OUR FOCUS.
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YOU CAN GET ANY OF THAT, THAT MAY BE GREAT.SO WAS WAS THE REDUCTION FROM EIGHT TO FOUR PART OF THE REORGANIZATION THAT'S JUST RECENTLY TAKEN PLACE? IS THAT, YEAH.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS NEW PROGRAM, UH, UH, THAT, UH, OUR FOUR MEMBERS WERE ABSORBING TO CALLED THE MEDIC PROGRAM.
AND IT'S AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM AS WELL.
UM, IT'S, IT'S A PROGRAM REALLY, I THINK MOSTLY TO TAKE SOME OF THE RUNS OF OUR, OFF OF OUR HEAVY APPARATUS APPARATUS, LIKE OUR FIRE ENGINES AND OUR FIRE TRUCKS THAT ARE GOING OUT ON WELFARE CHECKS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, NON-EMERGENT CALLS.
WHEN THOSE CALLS COME IN, IN THE PAST, OUR ENGINES GO OUT AND OUR TRUCKS GO OUT AND IT, IT TAKES A TOLL WEAR AND CHAIR GOES APPARATUS.
SO THE SOLUTION TO THAT WAS TO KIND OF CREATE A PROGRAM TO WHERE YOU HAVE A MOD THAT, SUCH AS OURSELVES THAT'S RIDING THE BONE WITH THE CRISIS INTERVENTION COORDINATOR, AND WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF TAKE THOSE RUNS FIRST OFF OF THOSE HEAVY APPARATUS.
AND THEN THEY BEING ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THE SITUATION AT HAND.
IF THERE'S A, IF WE'VE ACTUALLY RUN ON A WELFARE CHECK AND WE RUN ON, ON, ON A PATIENT THAT ARE IN NEEDING THESE RESOURCES, THEN THE MOD MEDIC AND THE CRISIS INTERVENTION COORDINATOR, THEY CAN HANDLE IT RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT, SO TO SPEAK, AND THEY CAN IMMEDIATELY, YOU KNOW, DO THE REFERRAL TO WHATEVER RESOURCES THEY NEED.
THE ONLY THING THAT THAT'S MISSING IN THAT, IN THAT DYNAMIC, IS THE ABILITY, UNFORTUNATELY, TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT PATIENT AND SEE HOW THEY'RE PROGRESSING, ET CETERA.
SO, I MEAN, IT HAS ITS BENEFITS, BUT IT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ONE, SO DO YOU HAVE EQUIPMENT ASSIGNED TO YOUR GROUP CARS OR, OR AMBULANCES? YES, SIR.
WE, SO YOU HAVE FOUR H WE ALL RIDE OUR OWN VEHICLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
WE HAVE OUR OWN MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, MEDICAL BAG.
LIKE I SAID, IF YOU GOT THE CALL, YOU COULD JUMP IN ONE AND GO.
WE DON'T EVEN, WELL, WE DON'T TAKE, WE DON'T TAKE LIVE CALLS, BUT, BUT WE, WHEN YOU'RE DISPATCHED, YES.
WE DON'T TAKE, WELL, WE'RE NOT DISPATCHED.
THE MODS GUYS ARE DISPATCHED NOW THAT MEDIC ONE TEAM, THEY DO TAKE LIVE CALL.
THEY ARE DISPATCHED, BUT OUR GROUP, WE ARE, WE BASIC, OUR PATIENTS ARE BASED ON REFERRALS.
BASED OFF OF WHETHER, UH, WE GET ONE, A REFERRAL FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UH, THAT ARE WANTING US TO GO OUT AND, AND DO AN ASSESSMENT, WHETHER IT'S MEDICAL, ET CETERA.
WE GET 'EM FROM IN, IN-HOUSE, WHETHER IT'S BEING ABLE TO VET OUR PATIENTS BASED ON HOW MANY CALLS THEY MAKE THROUGHOUT THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE MAKING IN THE CITY.
AND WE ALSO GET REFERRALS FROM THE FIRE STATIONS THAT THEY SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, I WENT TO SEE MS. JOHNSON AND, AND THIS IS OUR THIRD TIME TODAY GOING OUT ON MS. JOHNSON AND HER PARENTS'S NOT WORKING.
UH, I DON'T THINK SHE'S BEEN TAKING HER MEDICATION.
AND THEN WE GO OUT AND DO AN ASSESSMENT.
SO OUR, OUR, OUR VOLUME IS BASED OFF OF DEFERRALS THAT COME FROM.
I, I'LL KEEP MY BRIEF SINCE WE HAVE 50% OF THE TEAM HERE AND WE WANT YOU OUT IN THE FIELD.
BUT, UM, AND, AND COMMISSIONER JARVIS ASKED A COUPLE OF MY QUESTIONS, BUT, UM, IS THERE LIKE A CHECKLIST THAT YOU ALL HAVE WHEN YOU SEE A, A, A NEW INDIVIDUAL, UM, AS FAR AS SERVICES THAT YOU CAN REFER THEM TO? AND THE REASON I ASK IS OUR NEXT PRESENTATION IS ACTUALLY ABOUT THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CRISIS RESPONSE GROUP, AND THERE'S A PROGRAM CALLED STEER, WHICH HELPS REGISTER INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AT RISK IN THE, IN THE CRISIS OR A, A LARGE SCALE EMERGENCY.
UH, SO DO YOU HAVE THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE YOU GO THROUGH A CHECKLIST AND SAY, HEY, WHY DON'T WE SIGN YOU UP FOR STEER? YOU'RE SOMEONE THAT COULD UTILIZE THAT TYPE OF YES, SIR.
UH, WE FOCUS ON THE MEDICAL ASPECT OF IT FIRST, AND THEN THERE'S A CHECKLIST THAT WE HAVE TO LINK THEM UP WITH PARTNERS TO SERVE THE NEEDS THAT WE IDENTIFY THEM AT AS, YES, MA'AM.
I MUST, MAYBE I JUST MISSED SOMETHING.
HOW DOES
AS COMMISSIONER, WE CAN BE THE REFERRAL.
SO IN A PERFECT WORLD, WHAT SIZE TEAM WOULD BE MORE REALISTIC FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS? AS YOU SAID, WE'RE GROWING EVERY DAY WITH MORE AND MORE SENIORS.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY A PERFECT TEAM FOR THE CITY DOWNS WOULD BE?
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I, I WOULD LIKE TO AT LEAST TRIPLE WHAT WE HAVE.I WOULD SAY MAYBE AT LEAST TWO.
UH, ESPECIALLY HEAVIER ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF, OF THE CITY, CITY LIMITS.
'CAUSE AGAIN, THAT'S WHERE WE GET MOST, RECEIVE MOST OF OUR REFERRALS.
UH, YOU KNOW, 12 MINIMUM WOULD BE GREAT, YOU KNOW, UH, BUT I, I'M RESERVE WHAT I WANNA SAY,
THAT'S ALWAYS AN ISSUE, RIGHT? WHEN IT COMES TO, YOU KNOW, BUDGET, ET CETERA.
CAN WE QUANTIFY, WE, WE, WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR DOING GREAT THINGS, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO CITY AND BUDGETS ALWAYS CAN'T QUANTIFY.
AND, AND THAT'S THE WHAT YOU
WOULD YOU DESCRIBE HOW A CALL MIGHT COME TO YOU? RIGHT? SO TODAY IS MONDAY, RIGHT? UH, THE 15TH, RIGHT? UM, SEPTEMBER, WHAT MIGHT YOU GET? WHO WOULD CONTACT YOU, WHO HAS ALREADY CONTACTED YOU FOR IF A REFERRAL COMES THROUGH? UH, THE DEPARTMENT, YOU START AT THE TOP OF THE PHONE, WHICH IS OUR LIEUTENANT, AND THEN HE'LL SIGN, HE'LL GET THE ADDRESS, HE GET THE INFORMATION FROM YOU.
YOU GOTTA FILL OUT REGISTERED, UH, REFERRAL FORMS. YOU CAN FILL OUT, UH, WITH ALL THE PATIENT INFORMATION.
AND THEN WITH THAT, WHOEVER'S QUADRANT THAT PATIENT FALLS IN, THAT MEDIC WILL GET ASSIGNED TO HIM.
AND THEN THAT, THAT SAME DAY, IF NOT VERY NEXT DAY CONTACT WILL BE MADE AND THE WILLS WILL GET THROUGH THE ROLLING ON PROVIDER SERVICES.
UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE PROGRAM AND THANK CHRIS FOR, UM, THE EDUCATION.
UM, MY DAUGHTER ROLLED OUT WITH HIM, UH, SHE'S FROM HIS EMT AND THEY'RE DOING IT THERE.
WHAT, WHAT IT DOES HELP WITH A CALL, SAME PERSON CALLING 55 TIMES.
BUT THAT PERSON, THEY HAND HOLD THEM LITERALLY AND WALK THEM THROUGH AND GIVE THEM THEM CONFIDENCE TO RECOGNIZE WHEN TO CALL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A, A KEY THING.
AND THEN, WELL, SHOULD I JUST CALL MY DAUGHTER TO TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL? SHOULD I JUST CALL MY DOCTOR? OR, OR WHAT? 'CAUSE THIS PROGRAM ALLOWS OTHER
SO THE PROGRAM, THEY NEED TO, THEY NEED POLICE, 10 PEOPLE PUT UP, YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO COVER, YOU KNOW, COVER WHAT THEY DO.
AND THAT IT, I REALLY APPRECIATE 'CAUSE THE CITIZENS, UM, BENEFIT AND THEN THE FIREFIGHTERS EMTS ARE FREED UP TO DO OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED.
IT'S REALLY A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYBODY.
THE CITIZEN BE CARED FOR AND PROVIDED FOR, UH, GET ENDS BE MET.
WE ARE MAKING LESS RUNS ON LOW ACUITY CALLS.
THE APPARATUSES THEMSELVES AREN'T MAKING RUNS.
THE CITIZENS IN THE STREETS AREN'T BEING IZED BY GOING CODE THREE AROUND THEM JUST TO CHECK SOMEBODY BLOOD PRESSURE.
SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? SO IT'S A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYBODY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UH, THE NEXT PRESENTATION IS FROM THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CRISIS RESPONSE, AND, UH, MANAGER, THAT SHEET IS ONLINE AS OPPOSED TO BEING HERE IN PERSON TODAY.
UH, CASSANDRA, IF YOU WOULD TAKE OVER GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR AFFAIRS COMMISSION.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS CASSANDRA WALLACE.
I AM THE COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM MANAGER
[00:35:01]
HERE IN THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND CRISIS RESPONSE.I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE HOW OUR DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS THE SAFETY, WELLBEING, AND PREPAREDNESS OF OLDER ADULTS HERE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
TODAY I'LL BRIEFLY WALK YOU THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT'S COMMITMENT TO THE OLDER ADULTS AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS HERE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
I'LL HIGHLIGHT OUR PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH EFFORTS, AND I'LL INTRODUCE THE STATE OF TEXAS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE REGISTRY, ALSO KNOWN AS STEER.
I'LL SHARE SIMPLE STEPS THAT SENIORS CAN TAKE TO BE MORE PREPARED.
AND FINALLY, I'LL CLOSE WITH HOW INTERESTED PERSONS CAN, UH, CONNECT WITH OUR DEPARTMENT.
FIRST, TO PROTECT OLDER ADULTS AND VULNERABLE RESIDENTS DURING EMERGENCIES.
SECOND, TO STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY SERVING SENIORS.
AND THIRD, TO ENCOURAGE SENIORS TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THEIR OWN PREPAREDNESS.
PREPAREDNESS IS NOT JUST THIS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY DOES ALONE.
IT'S A SHARED EFFORT WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
ONE TOOL AVAILABLE TO HELP US PLAN AND RESPOND IS THE STATE OF TEXAS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE REGISTRY OR STEER.
THIS IS A FREE AND VOLUNTARY AND CONFIDENTIAL REGISTRY FOR TEXANS WHO MAY NEED EXTRA HELP DURING EMERGENCIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, SENIORS, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, OR THOSE WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT REGISTRATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE ASSISTANCE, BUT IT DOES GIVE US LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS VITAL INFORMATION TO BETTER PLAN.
OUR OFFICE MAINTAINS AND REVIEWS LOCAL STEER DATA.
WE USE IT TO PLAN FOR POSSIBLE EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS, TRANSPORTATION AND SHELTERING NEEDS.
AND WE PARTNER WITH GROUPS LIKE MEALS ON WHEELS TO HELP RESIDENTS REGISTER AND ADMINISTER WELLNESS CHECKS ON OUR BEHALF.
WE ALSO PROMOTE THE PROGRAM THROUGH OUR REGULAR, UH, DAY-TO-DAY OUTREACH EVENTS.
INCREASING AWARENESS OF STEER AMONG SENIORS IS ONE OF OUR OFFICE'S ONGOING PRIORITIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE, WITH DALLAS FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT, PARTICULARLY EACH SEPTEMBER WE TEAM UP FOR A NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH TO DISTRIBUTE BAGS THAT CONTIN, I'M SORRY, THAT CONTAIN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION AND ITEMS THAT THEY CAN USE DURING EMERGENCIES, SUCH AS FLASHLIGHTS, HAND SANITIZERS, DOCUMENT BAGS, AND THINGS OF THE LIKE.
WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A MONTHLY INITIATIVE CALLED SENIORS ON THE MOVE AT VARIOUS RECREATION CENTERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
THE SENIORS GET TOGETHER FOR A FUN, INTERACTIVE EXERCISE SESSION BEFORE AND AFTER THAT SESSION.
THEY'RE ABLE TO VISIT SEVERAL VENDOR TABLES THAT PROVIDE NEWS AND INFORMATION THAT THEY CAN USE.
ADDITIONALLY, THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH MEALS ON WHEELS, WE HELP SPREAD INFORMATION ABOUT STEER TO OUR HOME BOUND SENIORS.
BEYOND THIS, WE EN WE ENCOURAGE OUR, OR I'M SORRY, WE ENGAGE OUR SENIORS AT PREPAREDNESS FAIRS AND SMALLER NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS.
OUR COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM, OR CERT THAT SOME OF Y'ALL MAY HAVE HEARD OF ALSO PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE.
MANY CERT MEMBERS ARE SENIORS THEMSELVES AND THEY SHARE PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
THIS PEER-TO-PEER APPROACH IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SPREAD OUR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS MESSAGE.
THERE ARE ALSO SIMPLE STEPS SENIORS CAN TAKE TO IMPROVE THEIR OWN PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS.
ATTENDING EVENTS LIKE THE ONES THAT I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, IS A GREAT START BUILDING RESILIENCY NETWORK, GETTING TO KNOW THEIR NEIGHBORS THAT CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE DURING EMERGENCIES.
AND ALSO VISITING WEBSITES LIKE READY.GOV THAT PROVIDES TAILORED INFORMATION FOR OLDER ADULTS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES OR ACCESS AND FUNCTIONAL NEEDS.
SIGNING UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS IS ANOTHER CRITICAL STEP.
OUR MASS INFORMATION OR MASS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM CALLED DALLAS ALERT PROVIDES FREE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS VIA TEXT, EMAIL, OR PHONE.
SENIORS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING CAN ALSO SIGN UP FOR THE ACCESSIBLE HAZARD ALERT SYSTEM, WHAT WE CALL AJAS, WHICH DELIVERS ALERTS IN
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AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, ENGLISH, AND SPANISH.THESE TOOLS HELP ENSURE THAT EVERYONE RECEIVES TIMELY LIFESAVING EMERGENCY INFORMATION.
IN CLOSING, PREPAREDNESS IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY, AND SENIORS ARE A VITAL PART OF THAT.
BY PARTNERING WITH ORGANIZATIONS ENCOURAGING REGISTRATIONS AND PROGRAMS LIKE STEER AND EMPOWERING OUR SENIORS WITH KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS, WE STRENGTHEN THE RESILIENCE IN OUR ENTIRE CITY.
IF YOU ALL WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION OR WOULD LIKE OUR TEAM TO CONNECT WITH SOME OF YOUR COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT SERVICE SENIORS, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
SO THIS DALLAS ALERT, UH, WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU ALERT US? UH, IT WOULD BE, UH, UM, EMERGENCY INFORMATION, UH, PARTICULARLY SEVERE WEATHER.
THAT SEEMS TO BE OUR, OUR BIGGEST HAZARD.
UH, BUT IT CAN GO BEYOND THAT.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE IS, UH, AN ACTIVE SHOOTER IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
WE, WE CUSTOMIZE MESSAGING BASED ON WHAT IS GOING ON.
UM, THE LAST TIME WE, I RECALL THAT WE USED THAT WAS, UH, DURING THE CONVENTION CENTER EVENT WHERE THERE WAS THOUGHT TO BE AN ACTIVE SHOOTER.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE MESSAGING, UH, THAT TOLD, TOLD FOLKS WHAT WAS GOING ON AND ALSO WHERE TO GO TO REUNIFY.
AND, AND THIS, YOUR VISIT READY, UH, THERE WAS SOME BAG YOU GAVE OUT.
WHAT KIND OF THINGS WERE THAT? SOME, WHAT KIND OF THINGS ARE IN THAT BAG? SO, SO I'M SORRY.
SO I THINK YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE, UH, THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS BAG WHEN I WAS REFERENCING OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH DALLAS FIRE RESCUE.
SO THESE BAGS CONTAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, CRITICAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION THAT IS RELEVANT TO THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS AREA.
SO THE HAZARDS THAT ONE WOULD FACE, UH, HERE IN THE AREA.
SO THERE ARE, THERE'S A BOOKLET, THERE ARE VARIOUS BROCHURES WITH INFORMATION.
UH, THERE'S, THERE'S CERTAIN, UM, TOOLS LIKE FLASHLIGHTS AND SOMETIMES HAND SANITIZER, DOCUMENT BAGS.
IT ALL DEPENDS ON, UH, WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE AT THE TIME.
BUT BASICALLY IT'S A, IT'S A PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS BAG THAT IS LARGELY INFORMATIONAL.
I, I HAVE CHAIR THAT I BROUGHT WITH ME DOING THAT QUESTION.
UM, IF YOU REGISTER ON THE STEER TEXAS, DOES THAT GET YOU INTO THE SIGNUP? DALLAS ALERT? IT DOES SEEM LIKE THERE ARE TWO PLACES THAT AM I MISSING? NO, SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, TWO SEPARATE SYSTEMS. STEER IS A STATE SYSTEM, AND THAT SYSTEM SHARES INFORMATION WITH LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICES.
AND THEN DALLAS ALERT IS SPECIFIC TO, UH, THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AND THAT IS MAINTAINED, UH, WITHIN OUR OFFICE.
WE HAVE FULL CONTROL OF THAT COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.
SO AS A SENIOR, I NEED TO REGISTER AT STEER.
AND AT THIS DALLAS, UM, WHERE IS IT? VISIT DALLAS ALERT.COM, RIGHT? YES.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE OVERTIME.
WAS THERE ANOTHER QUESTION? UH, ON CERT, UH, IS THAT FOR, UH, NATURAL DISASTERS AND HEAVEN FORBID, A, A CHEMICAL LEAK TOO AS WELL.
I'M IN EAST DALLAS AND THEY'VE HAD TRAININGS FOR PEOPLE TO BE CERTIFIED CERT PEOPLE, AND THAT WHAT THEY'RE FOR THE, UH, EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS, IS THAT WHAT CERT'S FOR? SO TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON SEARCH CERT IS ACTUALLY A NATIONAL PROGRAM THAT WAS CREATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IN FEMA.
AND IT'S A CURRICULUM THAT IS 20 HOURS AND IT TAKES YOU THROUGH, UH, NINE UNITS OF EDUCATION RANGING FROM JUST STARTING WITH, UH, BASIC DISASTER PREPAREDNESS UNIT, FIRE SAFETY, WHAT TEACHES YOU, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING, UH, THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FIRES, AND ALSO TEACHES YOU HOW TO USE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER.
THERE ARE A COUPLE UNITS ON BASIC FIRST AID.
THERE'S A UNIT ON, ON TERRORISM AND DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AS THAT RELATES TO THE VOLUNTEER AND ALSO THE RESIDENTS THAT THEY WOULD BE ASSISTING.
UM, AND THEN THIS CLASS CULMINATES IN A DISASTER EXERCISE.
SO A A REALISTIC SCENARIO OF SORTS WHERE WE BRING IN, UM, VOLUNTEER VICTIMS, WE MAKE THEM UP WITH, UH,
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DISASTER MAKEUP, AND THEN THOSE, UH, STUDENTS OF THAT CLASS ARE ABLE TO USE ALL OF THE, UH, THE TOOLS THAT THEY LEARNED DURING THAT CT CLASS AND APPLY IT TO A REALISTIC SCENARIO.THIS IS A, UH, THIS TRAINING IS BROUGHT TO THE RESIDENTS OF DALLAS AT NO COST, UM, AND AGAIN, SPONSORED BY OUR OFFICE RIGHT NOW.
UH, WE HAVE BEEN OFFERING IT FOUR TIMES A YEAR.
THREE OF THOSE CLASSES ARE IN ENGLISH, AND, UH, ONE TIME A YEAR IS IN SPANISH.
AND WE OFFER THAT AT THE, UH, DALLAS FIRE RESCUE TRAINING ACADEMY.
WE ARE LOOKING AT SOME OTHER OPTIONS, UM, UH, STARTING, UH, CALENDAR YEAR 2026 TO POSSIBLY MOVE THAT CLASS AROUND, UH, TO DIFFERENT AREAS.
THE REASON THAT WE, ONE OF THE, THE MAIN REASONS THAT WE'VE BEEN HOLDING IT AT DALLAS FIRE RESCUE IS, UM, AGAIN, THEY'RE A, A GREAT PARTNER WITH US ALONG WITH, UH, DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THEY HAVE THE TRAINING AND FACILITIES THAT ARE VERY CONDUCIVE TO THAT, UH, ESPECIALLY THAT FINAL EXERCISE.
AND WE'RE ABLE TO STORE OUR EQUIPMENT OUT THERE.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME, UH, SOME LOGISTICS OPTIONS THAT WILL, THAT WILL ALLOW US TO TAKE THIS CLASS OUTSIDE OF DALLAS FIRE RESCUE TRAINING FACILITY.
AND HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE REGISTERED ON, UH, DALLAS ALERT COM? SO, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
UH, RIGHT NOW, VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR, OUR POPULATION, UH, I DON'T QUOTE ME ON THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT IT'S ABOUT 4,400.
SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO AND WE NEED ALL THE HELP THAT WE CAN GET TO GET OUR RESIDENTS REGISTERED.
CASSANDRA, YES, SIMILAR QUESTION SINCE WE WERE KIND OF ON THAT.
HOW MANY, UH, DO YOU HAVE THAT SAME STATISTIC FOR DALLAS AS IT RELATES TO THE STEER PROGRAM? HOW MANY GAL SITES ARE SIGNED UP IN THAT? I'M SORRY.
I DO NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION, UH, READILY AVAILABLE, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY GET THAT AND PROVIDE IT TO YOU ALL.
KIRSTEN, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH, UH, CASSANDRA, I HAVE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU PUT IN THE PACKETS, UM, AND, UH, I'M LOOKING FOR DALLAS ALERTS, BUT ON ONE OF THESE IT SAYS, KNOW WHAT TO DO.COM.
IS THAT STILL OPERATIONAL? YES.
DOT COM IS A REGIONAL PREPAREDNESS CAMPAIGN.
AND, AND WHAT THAT IS, IT'S ABOUT A CAMPAIGN THAT'S ABOUT 20 YEARS OLD, AND IT STARTED WITH, UH, LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS HERE IN THE NORTH, NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS AREA GETTING TOGETHER AND KIND OF HONING IN ON THE, UH, HAZARDS THAT ARE VERY SPECIFIC TO OUR AREA.
SO IF YOU VISIT SOMETHING LIKE READY.GOV THAT TALKS ABOUT HAZARDS THAT HAPPEN, UH, UH, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE GOT TOGETHER AND PUT TOGETHER A CAMPAIGN THAT WAS VERY SPECIFIC TO OUR AREA.
SO YES, KNOW WHAT TO DO IS STILL, UH, A, A VERY ACTIVE, UH, CAMPAIGN HERE IN THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS REGION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANYBODY? THANK YOU FOR, UH, THE PRESENTATION.
IT WASN'T INTENTIONAL FOR THIS MEETING.
I WAS, YOU KNOW, LETTING YOU UP EARLY TO TRY TO MAKE UP.
FOR ALL THE TIMES I KEPT
I JUST, UH, WANTED TO MAKE A FEW COMMENTS.
UH, I THINK EVERYBODY KNOW THAT THIS IS MY LAST MEETING AS SAC CHAIR AND COMMISSIONER FROM B 13.
UM, IT'S BEEN, UH, I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION FOR SIX YEARS AND IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE, UH, AND IT, AND I THINK IT'S BEEN VERY PRODUCTIVE.
UH, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU, THE COMMISSIONERS, UH, THAT HAVE WORKED WITH OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS.
SOME OF THE PEOPLE HAVE TURNED OVER AND, AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE HAVE DIED.
BUT WE, WE, WELL, I THINK YOU SPECIFICALLY PEOPLE BACK.
BILL GART WAS, WAS AN INCREDIBLE SENIOR AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER WHO, UH, WAS ON THE COMMISSION UNTIL HE WAS WELL
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OVER 90.AND, AND HE WAS, HE WAS A SPECIAL GUY.
UH, AND AND I, I TREASURED THE, UH, RELATIONSHIPS THAT I'VE BUILT WITH A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE OVER THAT TIME.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I I I THINK THAT THE, UH, I, I VALUE EVERYBODY'S FRIENDSHIP.
I'VE ENJOYED WORKING WITH, UH, EVERYBODY HERE TO TRY TO ELEVATE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF WHAT THE NEEDS OF SENIORS ARE.
AND, AND THAT'S, UH, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I, I VIEW THE PRIMARY ROLE OF THIS PLACE TO BE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, I, I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN THERE'S BEEN TENSIONS ON PEOPLE THAT NOT ALWAYS AGREED, UH, WITH EACH OTHER OR WITH ME OR ANYTHING ELSE, BUT WHAT SOME OF THE PRIORITIES ARE.
BUT, UH, ALL IN ALL, IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.
AND I, UH, I HAVE, I WILL LEAVE HERE WITH A LOT OF FOND MEMORIES OF BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE AS WELL AS THE GROUP IN GENERAL OF HOW WE WORK TOGETHER ON THE EVENTS.
I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE THE MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR SERVICES STAFF, UH, FOR YOUR COMMITMENT AND, AND, UH, HELPING SENIORS IN NEED.
UH, I, I WANNA APOLOGIZE IF MY COMMENTS HAVE SEEMED TO BE A CRITICISM OF YOUR EFFORTS, BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE SUCH, UH, I'VE NEVER QUESTIONED THE STAFF'S COMMITMENT AND HARD WORK TO HELP DOWN SENIORS WITH THEIR PROBLEMS. UH, YOU'RE AN INCREDIBLE RESOURCE TO, UH, THE RESIDENTS WHO FIND THEIR WAY TO SENIOR SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
UH, MY CONCERN IS THAT WE'RE ONLY REACHING A SMALL SEGMENT OF THE PER OF THE PEOPLE WHO, WHO NEED THE MOST HELP.
AND WHATEVER CRITICISM THAT I'VE HAD IS NOT FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
IT'S FOR WHAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO.
UH, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S CLEAR, BUT I, I REALLY DO, UH, MARVEL AT THE COMMITMENT THAT THAT SENIOR SERVICES STAFF ACROSS THE BOARD REALLY HAVE, HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO TRY TO HELP YOU.
UM, SERVING ON THE SENIOR AFFAIRS COMMISSION HAS BEEN BUILDS REWARDING AND TRUSTWORTHY.
UH, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO WAVE A RED FLAG ABOUT SENIOR ISSUES AND PROBLEMS, BUT WE HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
AND ALL WE CAN DO, OR ALL WE'RE AUTHORIZED TO DO IS MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL AND ON WHAT NEEDED ACTION IS.
UH, NEVERTHELESS, I THINK WE CAN, WE SHOULD ALL BE PROUD OF THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE, ELEVATING PROFILE OF SENIOR ISSUES OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, IN PARTICULAR, UH, MANY MORE PEOPLE AND THE, AND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THEMSELVES HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SENIORS IN THEIR DISTRICT THAN THEY'VE EVER HAD IN THE PAST.
UH, AND, AND OVERALL, AND WE'VE, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF DATA.
ONE THING THAT, UH, AS I LEAVE, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IS MAKING SURE THAT THE SENIOR AFFAIRS COMMISSION, UH, INSISTS THAT THAT DATA BE UPDATED REGULARLY.
BECAUSE INFORMATION COMES OUT FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU IN PARTICULAR ALL THE TIME, AND SOMEBODY HAS TO REQUEST THAT.
AND IT SHOULDN'T BE US THAT REQUESTS IT, IT SHOULD BE THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF NEEDS TO BE DOING AS A GROUP.
I THINK THE COMMISSION NEEDS TO REGULARLY ASK, WHERE'S OUR UPDATES SO THAT IT HAPPENS.
UM, THE DATA THING IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT, UH, IT'S HARD TO EVALUATE HOW MUCH IMPACT THAT HAS, BUT IF YOU WANNA BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE NUMBERS TO BACK IT UP.
AND, AND I THINK WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THAT.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO JUST STAY FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT WHATEVER DATA'S AVAILABLE, UM, IS, IS CURRENT.
AND WE, WE CAN USE THAT DATA TO EXPRESS WHAT'S HAPPENING.
AND WHEN YOU REALIZE WHAT'S GOING ON.
UH, JUST WITH THE POPULATION, SINCE WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DATA, THE INCREASE IN SENIOR POPULATION IS REALLY UNBELIEVABLE.
AND IT'S GROWING FASTER AND FASTER EVERY YEAR.
UH, AND, AND I, I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP DOING THAT BECAUSE HISTORICALLY THE SERVICES ARE BEING PROVIDED FOR SENIORS BY THE CITY, BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, YOU, YOU NAME IT, ARE, UM, THEY HAVEN'T KEPT UP WITH POPULATION GROWTH, EVEN IGNORING INFLATION.
AND NOW YOU'VE GOT A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT IS, SEEMS TO BE INTENT ON TAKING AWAY MORE THAN THEY'RE ADDING TO
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ANYTHING.AND I, I THINK THAT THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, A VERY BIG CHALLENGE.
I THINK THAT THE, UH, I THINK THIS GROUP NEEDS TO BE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THE CURRENT ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT, POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IS AFFECTING LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME SENIORS.
UH, JUST THE COST OF GROCERIES AND THE ESCALATION OF PRICES OF GROCERIES AND RENT AND KEEPING YOUR HOUSE TOGETHER AND ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS HAS A DISPROPORTIONATE EFFECT ON SENIORS BECAUSE THEY, THEY'RE EITHER IN FIXED INCOME OR SEMI FIXED INCOMES.
AND FOR ALL LOW INCOME PEOPLE, IT'S LIKE A MOST UNFAIR TAX THAT'S EVER HAPPENED IS, IS HAVING, HAVING THAT GO ON.
AND, AND I THINK AS YOU LOOK AT YOUR, IF YOUR JOBS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH.
I, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR, UH, FOR AN INCREASING PORTION OF THE SENIOR POPULATION, AND WE NEED TO KEEP MAKING A LOT OF NOISE ABOUT IT, OR, OR NOTHING'S GONNA HAPPEN.
AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S NOT A, THAT'S NOT GOOD OUT OUTCOME.
AND, AND THEN I GUESS THE OTHER THING IS, IN ADDITION TO WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE FEDERAL CUTBACKS, THE FEDERAL CUTBACKS ARE GOING TO, ARE GOING TO RESULT IN STATE CUTBACKS, AND THE STATE CUTBACKS ARE GONNA RESULT IN LOCAL CUTBACKS THAT IT, IT'S A WATERFALL EFFECT.
AND THE MONEY COMING FROM WASHINGTON IS ALMOST CERTAINLY GONNA GO DOWN.
AND THAT MEANS THAT THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ARE GONNA KEEP GOING DOWN AND THROW ON TOP OF THAT THE CITY'S BUDGET ISSUES.
AND I THINK IT'S UNREALISTIC TO THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE ANY MEANINGFUL INCREASE IN SENIOR ORIENTED PROGRAMMING FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AND SO I, I THINK THAT IN ORDER TO, IN ORDER TO EVEN TREAD WATER, IT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT AND KEEP MAKING A POINT ABOUT HOW THE SENIOR POPULATION IS GROWING AND IF THE NEEDS ARE INCREASING, AND POINT OUT SPECIFIC INSTANCES OF WHERE THERE'S THINGS THERE.
UH, LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE I PUT ON HERE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
UH, I THINK THE SENIOR SOURCE AND VNA ARE BOTH, UH, DOING SOME INTERESTING THINGS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON, UH, THEY WENT OUT TO THE FOUNDATION COMMUNITY AND GOT THREE FOUNDATIONS TO STEP UP AND HELP FUND A PROJECT THAT'S, THAT'S JUST BEEN KICKED OFF.
THEY ACTUALLY GO HOUSE TO HOUSE AND DO RESEARCH IN, UH, ACTUALLY DISTRICT THREE, UH, TO, IT'S REALLY INTERESTING.
THEY, THEY PUT TOGETHER A MAP.
THEY, UH, THE FOUNDATIONS CO-FUNDED A, UH, A STUDY AND THEY RETAINED A GROUP THAT GOES, DOES DOOR TO DOOR, UH, KINDS OF RESEARCH.
AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THREE DIFFERENT CENSUS TRACKS ALL IN DISTRICT THREE, UH, FOR THE, ON THE PILOT PROJECT.
AND IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO IS IDENTIFY EVERY SINGLE HOUSE IN, IN THOSE CENSUS TRACKS.
AND THEN IF DNA OR MEALS ON WHEELS AND SENIOR STORES HAVE CONTACT WITH 'EM, THEY ELIMINATED THE, THOSE HOUSES FROM THE, THE DOOR TO DOOR CAMPAIGN, UH, BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAD A CONNECTION WITH 'EM THAT LEFT A WHOLE LOT OF OTHERS.
AND THEN THEY HAVE, UH, THEY WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHICH HOUSES HAD PEOPLE THAT ARE OVER 60 YEARS OF AGE IN.
AND SO ALL THOSE HOUSES HIGHLIGHTED, THEY'RE LITERALLY GETTING A DOOR TO DOOR WITH A TABLET THAT HAS A QUESTIONNAIRE AND HAS INFORMATION.
AND I THINK THEY'RE GONNA DEVELOP SOME REALLY INTERESTING THINGS.
LIKE, IF YOU'RE NOT USING THESE SERVICES, WHY ARE YOU NOT USING THAT? YEAH.
YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS? AND ONCE THEY HAVE THAT INFORMATION FOR THAT SAMPLE AREA IN, IN A FORMAT, THEY'RE GONNA SHARE THAT AND HOPEFULLY PROVIDE A, A MODEL OF HOW BEST TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE NEEDS ARE AND THESE AREAS AND GO FORWARD.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY AT MARCH,
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AND I THINK THAT WE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH GETTING THAT STARTED.AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A VERY POSITIVE TIME.
UH, BUT I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A TOUGH TIME.
AND I'M, I'M NOT LEAVING BECAUSE I'M GIVING UP.
I'M, I'M LEAVING BECAUSE I GOT SOME OTHER THINGS THAT I NEED AND WANT TO SPEND TIME ON.
UH, MY GRANDCHILDREN PROBABLY BECOME PART OF THAT, BUT, BUT I, I'VE BEEN THREATENING TO WRITE A BOOK FOR A LONG TIME, AND I'M GONNA TRY TO DO THAT.
AND I'M VERY CONCERNED OVER THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT, AND I'M GONNA SPEND A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME ON, UH, TRYING TO INFLUENCE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS THIS COMING SPRING.
SIGN ME UP, PETER, SIGN ME UP,
I DON'T KNOW HOW SUCCESSFUL I'LL BE, BUT AT LEAST IT'LL MAKE ME FEEL BETTER.
SO, UH, AND IN THE MEANTIME, AS I LEAVE, UH, VICE CHAIR JARVIS IS GOING TO BE IN CONTROL OF THE MEETINGS FOR, UNTIL THE MAYOR DECIDES WHO HE'S GONNA NAME AS THE NEXT CHAIR, WHICH HE HASN'T DONE YET.
SO, UH, I WISH YOU ALL WELL, AND, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT PHONE NUMBERS ARE GONNA BE HELPFUL, BUT, UH, I'M, I'M CHARGE ON OTHER THINGS.
THANK YOU FOR THIS WORK YOU'VE GIVEN ME, AND HOPEFULLY YOU FEEL LIKE I'VE GIVEN SOME SUBORDINATE AND THANK YOU, PETER, THANK YOU ON THE COMMISSION FOR A FILE OF FACT THAT THEY BE, UM, MATTER OF FACT, I REMEMBER LOSING A BET TO YOU ON HER VERY FIRST DAY,
I BET THAT I WAS OLDER THAN HER, AND SHE TOLD ME WRONG,
UM, BUT YOU BROUGHT SOME STRUCTURE AND MUCH NEEDED ORGANIZATION TO, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND I KNOW IT WASN'T EASY BECAUSE IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT EASY ONCE WE HAVE BEEN IN A STRUCTURED SYSTEM, ONCE WE REACH OUR AGE, WE WANT, WE JUST NOT BEEN STRUCTURED AT ALL,
AND SO, BUT YOU WORK WITH US AND I THINK IT HAS HELPED.
I CAN'T SEE ANYONE ELSE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CHANNELS WHEN I COME TO THE MISSION MEETINGS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
I DON'T WANNA TURN THIS INTO A DONALD TRUMP.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT LOOKING FOR ATION,
I DON'T WANT ANYTHING FROM YOU,
SO, UH, UNLESS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CONSCIOUSLY DID NOT INCLUDE THE, UH, THE IN THE AGENDA TODAY, THE UPDATE FROM SENIOR SERVICES BECAUSE THE DATA FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ISN'T AVAILABLE YET.
AND AT THE NEXT MEETING, UH, YOU'LL HAVE FINAL YEAR END, UH, INFORMATION ON HOPEFULLY EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THE NORMAL STATS AND THAT NO.
UH, THAT WAS, UH, IT WAS ACTUALLY, SHE, UH, PROVIDED IT TO US, BUT IT WAS, UH, CITY FROM THE CITY.
LET SEE HERE FROM THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING HOW OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN OUR, UM, MED DEER BUDGETING AND WHAT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS WERE AND HOW THE CITY IS GOING TO ADDRESS THOSE IN THE CURRENT BUDGET.
I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS, IF YOU HAVEN'T FOUND THIS IN YOUR CITY EMAIL, PLEASE FIND IT, LOOK AT IT AND COMPARE IT TO OUR MEMO.
'CAUSE I HOPE THAT NEXT MONTH WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS AND WHAT IT MEANS TO US AND TO OUR COMMISSION OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
I'LL JUST SAY I DID, UH, BECAUSE I'M STILL WITH HOUSING, THAT, WHATEVER THAT MEANS, RIGHT? I DID SPEAK TO MR. ERICKSON WITH
I WAS REALLY RELIEVED TO HEAR THAT.
BUT, UH, WELL, THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVING PARTS AND I'M SURE THE JUDGE WILL BE INVOLVED IN THE MEETING AS FAR AS HOUSING HE PLEASE.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, UH, ON OCTOBER THE NINTH, UH, DISTRICT THREE IS HAVING A SENIOR CONVERSATION.
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THOSE, UH, RESOURCES ARE BROUGHT TO US HERE, UH, SHARE THOSE WITH THE GENERAL, UH, SENIOR INDUSTRY.AND SO, AGAIN, WE'LL BE DOING THAT ON THE 9TH OF OCTOBER OR 10 OCTOBER, AND WE'LL BE AT THE CONWOOD CHURCH, WHERE LORD LIVES HERE.
SPEAKING OF GRANDCHILDREN,
SO IF THEY GOT, GOT THE MEMO YOU, WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU AN RSVP, UH, YOUR, YOUR PLANS, PLANS TO ATTEND, UH, BE A GRAND AFFAIR.
SO LET'S, LET'S LOOK FORWARD TO ATTENDING.
IF, IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO THE HELL OF THE PARK COMMUNITY, IT'S A GOOD TIME TO COME.
AND, UH, I, I, I'M SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, BUT I, I MADE A COMMENT AND, AND ALSO BECAUSE OF A RECENT PUBLIC PERSON WHO MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, UH, SEPTEMBER IS PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS.
AND, UH, I HAVE A PROSTATE CANCER.
SO I, I SAY THIS, CERTAINLY ALL THE MEN IN THE ROOM.
BUT FOLLOW THE WOMEN IN THE ROOM WHO HAVE SPOUSES, SIGNIFICANT OTHERS.
YOU'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THEIR PSA DONE.
SO THERE'S NOT TO GET SPEAKING LET, THAT'S ONE OF THE CHESTS THEY CUT.
I WAS FINALLY HAD SOMETHING, I FINALLY HAD SOMETHING, UM, ON NOVEMBER 18TH, DISTRICT NINE AND DISTRICT SEVEN ARE GOING TO COMBINE AND HAVE A SENIOR LUNCH AT THE RIDGEWOOD RECREATION CENTER FROM 11 TO ONE.
WE'RE STILL PUTTING TOGETHER THE PROGRAM.
I BELIEVE THE FLYER'S ALMOST DONE.
SO ONCE I GET THAT, IT'LL BE DISTRIBUTED ACCORDINGLY.
WHAT ARE THE DATES DUE? IT'S, UH, NOVEMBER 18TH, 1111 TO ONE.
UH, MR. OKAY, MR. CHAIR, I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
ALRIGHT, SO BEFORE WE WANNA LEAVE, WE WANT TO SAY, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU.