President Anne Erfle called the regular meeting of the Residents’ Council [the Council] to order at 7:00 pm on December 3, 2019. The November 5, 2019 minutes were approved as distributed. 55 association members attended. Visitors included resident Charles Denton of the Board of Directors and Heather Sheridan, Associate Executive Director.  The Council observed a moment of silence for those who have passed away.

Anne called on the following officers and committee chairs for reports; the text of those reports appears following the formal minutes:

• Walt Howe, Vice President
• Hope Tillman, Secretary
• Bill Tilles, Treasurer
• Jean Eichenlaub, Chair of the Benevolent Care Committee
• Dick Crebs, Chair of the Communications Committee
• Anna Marie Ciarrocchi, Chair of the Conservation Committee
• Bob Caulfield, Chair of the Dining Committee
• Pat Rudolph, Co-Chair of the Finance Committee
• Eugenia High, Chair of the Grounds Committee
• Lois Kimber, Chair of the Health Services Committee
• Jim Stadter, Chair of the Housekeeping Committee
• Seldra Funk, Chair of the Legislative/Political Committee
• Jackie Graham, Chair of the Maintenance & Engineering Committee
• Bob Pelott, Assistant Chair of the Resident Life Committee
• Janet Allan, Chair of the Safety & Security Committee

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None

NEW BUSINESS: None

Heather Sheridan then presented “Words from Management” which appear below for those residents interested in reading the full text of the message.

President Erfle adjourned the formal meeting at 7:48p.m.

Hope Tillman, Residents’ Council Secretary
Ron DeAbreu, Residents’ Council Assistant Secretary

REPORTS—EXECUTIVE TEAM

ANNOUNCEMENTS/ PRESIDENT’S REPORT (Anne Erfle):

Mission Moments: Margaret Cutchins and Norma Stone-Goldberg
At age 95, Margaret Cutchins is like an Ever-Ready Battery and has been involved in many activities during her 21 years at Charlestown.  For example, she has organized AARP trips, has been active in the United Methodist Women’s Group and has spent 18 years sorting and repairing ladies’ clothes for the Treasure Sale.  Most recently she spends time organizing the coat sales and mini sales.  For many years she was a star at the Annual Charlestown Craft Shop selling her jams, jellies, and pickles.  And in her spare time, she has been instrumental in assisting with preparations for the Annual Galas.  Susan Menke says she is a role model for making Charlestown a Harmonious Community by being responsible for seeing what needs to be done and taking the time to do it.

Jerry Martin recognized Norma Stone-Goldberg for having a helping hand when needed.  For example, she volunteered to be the photographer for the Charlestown tennis team, assists with care-giving services to two residents, attends the computer club monthly, and always ends with suggestions for improvements.  Norma is also a member of the scholarship committee and devotes time to get to know the students who apply for scholarships, giving them encouragement in pursuing their educational goals.  Norma demonstrates respect and caring for residents and staff.

Bob Pelott has replaced Ronny Burrell on the Council, following Ronny’s resignation.  Bob will serve as Assistant Chair, Resident Life Committee.

Anne also noted that since just one committee, Legislative/Political, will be meeting in December, there will be just one committee report at the January Council meeting.  However, the Council will be planning replacement content for January.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT (Walt Howe):

We have recently received several Council Communications Forms concerning problems with speeding or carelessly driven EMVs. Residents have also expressed to us face-to-face concerns about the same problems.  The Resident Handbook spells out a procedure for dealing with EMV issues, which begins with reporting incidents to Security. We encourage residents to get EMV registration numbers of offenders and report every incident. Follow up action depends on these reports. We recognize these as real concerns, and we have shared these concerns with the Charlestown Management Team, and as you will hear, we are considering forming an EMV Study Group to seek improved ways of dealing with these problems. Please don’t see this as a criticism of all EMV operators, the majority of whom operate their vehicles very sensibly.

SECRETARY’S REPORT (Hope Tillman):

At the November 11 work session, the Council voted to donate $500 to the Staff Appreciation Fund. Mary Evans briefed the Council on the new residents’ orientation program.

TREASURER’S REPORT (Bill Tilles):
The closing balance at the end of October 2019, was $4593.89. Payments in the amount of $925 were made in the month of November, including donations to the Staff Appreciation fund and to the Charlestown Archives and committee expenses. The balance at the end of November 2019 was $3668.89.

REPORTS—COMMITTEES

BENEVOLENT CARE (Jean Eichenlaub, Chair):
The meeting was held on Wednesday, November 27th. Patti Santoni and Emily Fowler from Philanthropy attended.

On-line Giving:  Starting on December 3, Erickson rolled out the opportunity to donate to Benevolent Care on-line across the enterprise.  Our Philanthropy office plans to roll this out in January as part of the 2020 BCF Strategy.

Gala plans are already underway for the 2020 event: “Roaring Twenties”. Date is September 25^th, 2020 from 6-10pm.  Ideas include a Speakeasy atmosphere, casino games, and a jazz band.    Discussion about the idea of Gala on two floors or keeping everything on one floor.  This year’s Gala netted close to $90,000.

2020 BCF Strategy:
Main focus in 2 areas:  Planned Gifts and Monthly Donors. Goal will be to add 20 new in each (Vision 2020 Campaign). We must secure new Planned Gifts (promised but not guaranteed) but we also need cash on hand to pay for current residents that need BCF (major gifts, special events, BCF campaign, monthly donors, etc.).

Another strategy for 2020 is a possible Focus Group/ “Coffee with Philanthropy” to encourage residents to ask questions/dispel myths.

OTHER BUSINESS:
Emily Fowler reported on the Winter Putterland.  It will take place the last week in February. Some new ideas to bring in extra revenue. Goal is $10,000.

Committee also discussed strategies/ideas to get rid of negativity about Benevolent Care among residents. We still need more BCF testimonials/stories to show it could be any of us receiving funding.

No meeting in December. Next meeting is January 22^nd, 2PM at Charlestown Square 116.

COMMUNICATIONS (Dick Crebs, Chair):
The website subcommittee, which meets every other month, met this month and is continuing its site review.  This month the focus was Resident Life.  There is lots of really good information for residents.  A Lake map, nature trail map, and an additional indoor map have been added.

15 members and 1 staff attended the Communications Committee meeting.

Ann MacKay presented “Communication methods during emergencies.”  The telephone outage, which occurred during the recent water outage, was a Verizon issue and just coincidentally occurred at the same time as the water outage.

Brian Gentile of Erickson corporate IT was on site this past month.  Wi-FiWi-Fi is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for wireless networking and allow nearby devices to exchange data by radio waves. Wireless local area networks (WLAN) are widely used in the world to link laptop computers, tablet co... READ MORE issues are apartment- centered due to internal interference issues.  Residents are encouraged to request an apartment survey if they suspect a problem.

We enjoyed a demonstration of the Alexa/MyErickson interface.  Visit the community info tab on MyErickson for instructions on setting up your Alexa-enabled device.

Our next meeting will be Monday, January 27th at 2:00 PM in Charlestown Square 116, preceded by the Website Subcommittee at 1:00 PM.  All are welcome.

CONSERVATION (Anna Marie Ciarrocchi, Chair):
Our committee met on November 19, 2019 with no staff or outside guests present.    Due to a miscommunication, a number of the members were absent.  Because the staff liaison was ill, the questions for staff were not addressed.  Recycling and Trash reports were added after the meeting.  October minutes were approved as written.

Recycling efforts during the Treasure Sale went very well.  Plastic bags went to Giant and aluminum cans went to the Arbutus fire department.  The group noted that non-functioning electronics can be recycled at Best Buy.

Work continues to go forward on a program for 972. Next Meeting:  January 21, 2020 at 2pm, Room 142.

DINING SERVICES (Bob Caulfield, Chair):
Our Committee met on Monday, November 18.  Congratulations to Ken Zahn, the newly appointed Dining Services Director!

In open discussion, six subcommittees reported issues in commonality, including concerns with staff shortages and inconsistency in food preparation, portion size and/or service. The ongoing need to hire qualified, experienced cooks in a very tight competitive labor market to deal with these issues is hindered by financial considerations.  We acknowledge the challenge to management and recognize their hard work in trying to address problems to make it better for us.

Many of the issues have been brought up before. To make it better, it is important the Committee work as a team with Management to not let poor service or poor food preparation go without notice or comment, but to be proactive in finding issues and offering support with solutions; simply put, to help! Residents are encouraged to attend the Coffee with the Managers monthly meetings and Focus Groups in each dining venue to provide them with feedback. Also, a working contact with the dining venue managers has been ongoing to educate servers/staff on residents’ concerns about allergies and food intolerances, but residents need to advocate for themselves.

Residents are happy with physical improvements to the dining venues: more frequent changes in menus, the ability to carry out leftovers and desserts, and the use of informative icons in menus. An increase in the use of the Chesapeake Bar small plates dining has been noted.

We look forward to collaboration with other Council Committees to address common issues of concern.

There will be no meeting in December. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, January 20, 2020 at 2:00 pm in Brookside Classroom 1.

FINANCE (Joan Green and Pat Rudolph, Co-Chairs):
The Finance Committee met on November 26 with Eric Schwab, Assistant Finance Director.

Eric presented the Occupancy and Financial reports for October:  Independent Living 98%, Assisted Living 98.9%, Memory Care 100%, Skilled Nursing 92.1% (Well above the year’s projection of 83.4%) and Memory Care/Skilled Nursing 93.2%.  To-date, the occupancy rate continues to be strong, greater than budget predictions.

The October total operating revenue exceeded budget projection by $118,000 , but operating expenses exceeded budget projection by $277,000, leading to a lower projected operating income for October of $159,000.   So far this year, operating income remains above projections.  In October and so far this year, investment income has also exceeded projections.

With regard to restricted funds, in October, 17 residents received benevolent care assistance, and these expenditures totaled $98,838.  This represents a decrease from September of $32,966.

While the decrease in expenditures is good news, donations and fund raising of $24,648 did not cover expenditures.
A few moments were taken to review the progress of the Council’s 2020 budget suggestions.
Most suggestions were approved.  Beginning now and throughout 2020, you will see many of them being implemented.
We continue to seek ways to move our last month’s “cost saving” suggestions forward.

Our next meeting will be on January 28, @9 am in Brookside Classroom 2.

GROUNDS (Eugenia High, Chair):
The Grounds Committee met on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 with the staff members Kiril Apostolov, Kevin Crawford, and Ryan Truitt present. The October minutes were approved by the committee members.

Kevin reported on his meeting with Solitude Lake Management regarding algae control in Lake Charles.  Two new fountains will be installed.  A dyeing solution will be applied before algae growth begins and added whenever necessary.

The Grounds Committee reviewed and discussed the Charlestown Tree Assessment Report which has been completed by Brightwood.

Committee audit reports included leaky valves, condensation in St. Charles AC pipe which has caused flooding in several apartments, the need to replace sod area near St. Charles, and problems related to roof water runoff.

New and improved holiday lights, decorations, and figurines have been installed throughout the campus.  New guard rails have been placed along Erickson Way.  Leaf removal has started.

There will be no December meeting.

The next Grounds Committee meeting will be on January 28, 2020 at 10 am in the General Services Conference Room.

HEALTH SERVICES (Lois Kimber, Chair):
Dr. Pelczar reported that in the week of November 2^nd, there were 3.2% of positive influenza specimens in the US.  Influenza B is prevalent in the South and South East. Most cases are in Louisiana and Puerto Rico. There have been two pediatric deaths nationwide.

Discussion about putting emphasis on the need for residents to keep their “Vial of Life” updated on a regular basis. This will also be addressed at the Safety & Security meeting.

A committee member is recommending starting a “Buddy” program for residents interested in losing weight. There is also a “TOPS” Club, active at Charlestown.

Lois shared the “Potential Impacts of New Medicare Models on Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Care.”

• Nursing Home Residents will receive less medically-necessary therapy (physical, occupational, and speech). Reimbursement would be higher for residents receiving no therapy and lower for those receiving any therapy.
• Facilities may provide group therapy rather than individual therapy.
• Maintenance therapy may be at risk.
• There are some potential impacts of Medicare’s New Home Health Payment Model, effective January 1, 2020.
• Medicare beneficiaries who were not recent in-patients and/or need more than 30 days of home health care will experience even greater problems accessing care than currently.
• Beneficiaries with severe functional impairments and co-morbidities will have even greater problems accessing care, and agencies will likely decide they do not receive enough of a payment boost to provide this care.
• Access to home health care will most likely decline.
• Home Health patients will receive less medically necessary therapy (physical, occupational, and speech).

The committee will not meet in December.  The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 11:00am in Brookside Classroom 2.

HOUSEKEEPING (Jim Stadter, Chair):
Our committee met on November 15 with Michelle Fenn, the Charlestown Housekeeping manager, and Walt Howe, the Residents’ Council Vice President, in attendance.

Previously, one of the committee members sent an email to the administration concerning a hole in a wall in one of the buildings, and it was noted that the hole has since been repaired.

A question was asked about the difference between Charlestown Housekeeping responsibilities and those of the facilities coordinator. Essentially, if cleaning is involved, it is a Housekeeping issue and if something needs repair or replacement, it is a facilities maintenance issue.

Next, all committee members present reported on the conditions of the buildings they monitored, and Michelle took note of where cleaning and repairs are needed. One member complimented the cleaning staff for promptly cleaning the leaves blown in the doorways in Building 9. Michelle said that in winter, Housekeeping watches for and promptly cleans up any salt tracked in at the doorways.

The committee decided not to meet in December, so our next meeting will be on January 17, 2020, at 2 pm in Herberts Run 142.

LEGISLATIVE/POLITICAL (Seldra Funk, Chair):
The Legislative/Political Committee met on November 13, 2019.

The Maryland legislative process was reviewed for the committee and guests.  Also there was a report on tracking legislative bills of interest that will be available to Charlestown residents during the 2020 General Assembly.  Hope Tillman provided a viewing of her excellent tracking system that she developed on the ccicharlestown.org website during the last legislative session.

Committee members signed up to help with a candidate forum for the special election for the 7th District Congressional seat.

Subsequently, a subcommittee met and selected Saturday, January 18, 2020 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. as the time for this candidate forum.  This event will take place at the Charlestown Conference Center.  Thirty-two individuals have registered as candidates for the February 4 special election, 8 Republicans and 24 Democrats.

Our next committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 11, at 10:00 a.m. in Brookside Classroom 1.

MAINTENANCE & ENGINEERING (Jackie Graham, Chair):
The committee met on Tuesday, November 26^th at 2pm with General Services’ Kiril Apostolov and Kevin Crawford and 10 members in attendance.

General Services Updates
All elevators have been inspected. Repair of elevators #2 in building 7 is in process.
Pavement striping and lettering has been completed.
Automatic doors have been installed at the north entrance of the St Charles and on the T level of building 8. Automatic doors are scheduled to be installed throughout campus.
Safety mirrors will be installed in elevators.
Two new stop signs will be installed at mobility crossings.

There will be no meeting in December.
Next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 2pm in the General Services Conference Room.

RESIDENT LIFE (Bob Pelott, Assistant Chair):
Five committee members attended the meeting; no representative from either the Executive Committee or Management attended.

A new agenda format has been recommended for Committee meetings, in which specific questions for Management are detailed, and the initial topic at meetings will be those questions so that Management representatives can be excused if they want to leave early.

The question for Management at this meeting was how serious an infraction of the rules has to be for management to get involved, especially regarding pets and EMVs; Management was not present to reply.

A review of the subcommittees revealed that the deliveries of the Birthday Angels as well as Welcome and Condolence Cards continue smoothly.

Pet Owners:  Minutes from the October meeting outlined the following items:  several people have worked on a new trifold (now finished); the group has a new storage locker; data regarding shots will need to be reported and recorded; the process of notifying the pet group when a pet owner moves in was discussed; and a new name for the group was finally decided. It will be known as the Charlestown Pet Group.

Sam Cushman and Pat Kasuda have both had conversations with Management supporting the concept of a joint resident/Management Diversity and Inclusion Council in the near future.

Firearms:  The Board of Directors has received the report of the Firearms Study Group and has proposed a meeting to discuss the findings.

EMVs:  Sam Cushman asked Mary Jo Warthen to consider heading an EMV Study Group, paralleling the Firearms Study Group.  Mary Jo asked that this be tabled until January to give her time to consider it.  The Transportation Committee might also be rejuvenated to assist in coordinating transportation to various entertainment venues, such as Meyerhoff.

The Resident Life Committee will not meet again until January 18, 2020, in HR142 at 2:00 pm, unless something needs to be discussed on an emergency basis.

SAFETY & SECURITY (Janet Allan, Chair):

Chair Updates:
Met with Tom Moore to start planning for a series of safety presentations on 972. The first presentation will be on falls prevention.

The Firearms Safety Work Group presented a report of its year-long efforts to the Board of Directors.  The Board plans to review the report and meet with the Group after the holidays.

Security Report:
Falls data from Independent Living showed 90 falls in September and 104 falls in October. The vast majority of falls occurred in residents’ apartments due to balance problems. There were few injuries.

Despite the expansion of bars, there were no increases in falling or complaints about intoxication. All bartenders are educated about cutting off service to intoxicated residents.

Security response to pendants going off: two-fold, visit apartment and site indicated on pendant. Currently, the system is being upgraded to provide more accuracy (from the current 60 feet to 30 feet away from the pendant).

Car registration 1000; Family/Friends applications 1100; Contractors 300. If having an infrequent visitor, residents should use the form in MyErickson Forms app to notify the Gate House. For taxis, call dispatch 410-737-88006. There are still many cars unregistered.

Green hallway lights are being replaced with LED systematically across campus.

The lack of mirrors in new elevators is making navigating EMVs difficult. Management is aware of the concerns and is working with Erickson Living to come up with a solution.

S& S New Business:  Over the last 7 months, 3 paintings have been stolen from the Gallery which will now be locked at 7pm and opened at 6am. The Gallery Committee is meeting with management to discuss other remedies. Lake Charles will be closed for a few weeks in December so that new electric service to aerators and repeaters can be installed.

S&S Committee will not meet in December. The next meeting will be January 14, 2020 in Brookside Classroom 1 at 1pm.

WORDS FROM MANAGEMENT (Heather Sheridan):
Clara and Nathan send their regards.

Holiday celebrations have begun on campus, which looks beautifully festive with all the lights and decorations.

Thank you for the contributions of $270,000 to the Staff Appreciation Fund.  900 hourly staff received appreciation checks.

Charlestown has been named a “Top Workplace.” The award presented by the Baltimore Sun newspaper naming Charlestown one of the best places to work in the region is based on employee surveys.

Apologies for the elevator in Building 7 not working; Otis has been contacted to make necessary repairs.

The chair lift in Building 7 is also out of order.  Residents who are affected will be kept informed about the progress of repairs via Swift Reach.  Meal delivery can be arranged for those who have difficulty getting to the restaurants.

Thanks to the Council for sending agendas for Council committee meetings to management prior to the meetings.  We request that committees include questions to Management in these agendas so the appropriate staff can be sent to meetings.

Remember that no lit candles are permitted on campus. Flames are a safety hazard. Please use only battery-powered candles.

Four cases of the flu have been reported on campus, three in independent living and one in continuing care.  Please get a flu shot. If you are too sick to leave your apartment, meals can be delivered to you.

Contact Security if you see any problems with pets; don’t try to handle them on your own.

Pharmacy and salon charges can no longer be charged to your Charlestown account.  Cash, check, debit card, or credit card is now required. A credit card may be registered with the pharmacy or salon to facilitate ease of payment.

Residents may now donate to the Benevolent Care Fund online on MyErickson.

The Jim Davis Wellness fund donation will be funding programs for falls.
Also Virtual reality goggles are being explored to see what the benefits will be for seniors.

Have a wonderful holiday!