More than 80 seniors filled the Mission Neighborhood Center (MNC) on Oct. 30 to offer their feedback on services for seniors and adults with disabilities, at an event sponsored by District 9 supervisor Hillary Ronen.

Ronen reminded the crowd that she was an early supporter of the Dignity Fund amendment that protected and increased the funding for services for seniors and adults with disabilities.

“Now, however, I have a personal involvement with the issue,” she said. “I’m helping my mother care for my father and I know how important these services are.”

The District 9 forum—which was also attended by MNC Executive Director Sam Ruiz—was one of the 11 forums organized by the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), which is tasked with developing a comprehensive needs assessment to identify gaps in service.

The needs assessment is a feature of Proposition I, or the “Dignity Fund,” approved by voters last year. Proposition I increases and protects funding for services for seniors and adults with disabilities for 10 years into the future—$38 million plus an additional $6 million for 2017-18, and an additional $3 million for each of the next 10 years.

“We’re holding these community forums because we want to reach as many people as possible. We want to hear from you,” said DAAS Executive Director Shireen McSpadden. “The forums help us know the strengths of our current system, what needs to be improved, and what’s missing.”

Three members of the Community Music Center (CMC) senior choir at MNC and Centro Latino de San Francisco eagerly attested to the health benefits of singing in a choir. “It’s good for our minds, our bodies, it builds community, and it’s fun,” they said.

A service provider also praised the close collaboration among local agencies, which makes it easier to leverage resources for their clients, and several Chinese-speakers praised the computer training offered in Chinese.

The lunch programs at the MNC, Centro Latino, On Lok Senior Center on 30th Street, and the Mission YMCA drew praise, as did the food pantries at MNC and the Mission YMCA.

“The activities at MNC make me want to come every day and keep me alive,” said one audience member, summing up the general response to the strength of existing programs.

The last two questions however—”What could be improved?” and “What is needed?”— elicited a quick response of “money, money, money” and easy laughter, followed by numerous suggestions. The suggestions given included: finding and retaining affordable housing; in-home wifi to enable a quick response when housing options became available; more responsive support on issues of elder abuse; free legal support to help seniors complete power of attorney forms and avoid conservatorship; a service to alert seniors on scams that target seniors and how to avoid becoming a victim; assistance in negotiating with landlords; help in navigating DAAS and other bureaucracies offering services that enable seniors to stay safe at home.

Other services audience members wanted to see included were evening and weekend activities to “offset the stress of living in small places”; an apartment match program to help seniors find roommates; and a referral service where seniors could share needs and resources. One senior noted that while senior centers provide field trips to casinos, nobody organizes field trips to spiritual centers.

DAAS is responsible for serving seniors and adults with disabilities, yet, one woman noted, existing services focus on seniors. “Where are the programs for adults with disabilities. My son doesn’t feel comfortable attending programs at senior centers.”

A woman sitting in the back of the room with her elderly husband introduced herself and asked: “What services are available? I don’t know what’s available and how to qualify for these services. How do I get homecare?”

The input from all 11 forums will be available on the DAAS website by mid-November. Also in mid-November, RDA, the group facilitating the forums, will begin conducting an online, phone and in-person survey; focus groups will be conducted at a later date. Check the DAAS website at www.sfdaas.org to view and complete the survey.

Seniors or people caring for seniors and adults with disabilities are encouraged to check the DAAS website for a list of available services, and to contact DAAS intake at 415-355-6700 or 800-510-2020 with questions. Anna Galleger (an aide to District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen who focuses on senior issues), can be reached at 415-554-5144. For information about the senior choirs and how to join one of them, contact CMC at 415-647-6015 x81.

Contact Melissa McGee, DAAS staff assigned to the Dignity Fund, for further information on the Fund and how you can be involved: Melissa.mcgee@sfgov.org or 415-355-6782.

If you are a senior or an adult with disabilities, or if you are caring for a senior or an adult with disabilities, this is the time to be involved.

[su_box title=”SF Department of Aging and Adult Services Survey”]If you are the 1:4 San Francisco residents who is a senior or an adult with disabilities, or if you’re helping care for an aging adult or someone living with a chronic illness,  then you’ll want to complete this survey. The SF Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) wants to better understand and serve the needs of aging adult and adults with disabilities. Your feedback will inform future decisions about funding priorities and program investments. The survey is available in multiple languages, and your responses are confidential. This survey should take about 15 minutes to complete.

The survey is only open until December 8, so please take it now. Also, if your friends or loved ones are aging adults, adults with a disability, or someone who helps care for those individuals, please feel free to send this survey to them! DAAS wants to hear from as many people as possible.

www.sfdaas.org/survey[/su_box]