SB 209-EXTEND ALASKA COMMISSION ON AGING  3:03:02 PM CHAIR ELLIS announced SB 209 to be up for consideration. 3:03:21 PM TOM OBERMEYER, staff to Senator Davis, sponsor of SB 209, said this bill extends the Alaska Commission on Aging. The purpose of the Alaska Commission on Aging is to improve the quality of life, services and support for seniors as they age. Objectives include helping seniors attain and maintain personal and financial independence at the highest level for as long as possible and promoting their physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. In addition, the commission tries to help seniors remain in their own homes or chosen communities in the least restrictive settings while keeping them connected to their families and informed and helpful in their communities. He pointed out the fiscal note describes the fact that continued funding is extended through 2016 and the attached Governor's bill analysis indicates without this continuation, the Section 306 AD of the Older Americans Act of 1965 requires that this type of agency be continued in order to make $6 million of federal funding available. MR. OBERMEYER also noted a brief summary of a booklet of the State Plan for Senior Services FY 2008-2011." He also attached a letter from the assistant secretary for the Department of Aging, Department of Health and Social Services informing them that it had approved this four-year plan. He urged them to review information on the attached executive summary. For instance, it says Alaska has the highest proportion of baby boomers at 32 percent and that Alaska's senior population is growing faster than in almost any other state. By 2030 the proportion of seniors over 65 will double to 13 percent of the population; people over 60 will make up 17 percent. The summary also indicates that people in their 80s have many more problems getting around and their needs increase. The University's Institute for Social and Economic Research also says that retired Alaskans age 60 and older contributed almost $1.5 billion to the state's economy in 2004, primarily from retirement income and health care spending - roughly 10 times the total cost of state programs targeting seniors. 3:07:27 PM The summary indicates that this state plan focuses on six goals - keeping seniors healthy, active, involved in their communities, insuring access to an integrated array of health and social supports along the continuum of care, supporting families in their efforts to care for loved ones at home and in the community, providing a range of adequate, accessible, secure and affordable housing options for seniors, supporting a stable senior services and health care workforce as well as a range of attractive work opportunities for seniors and insuring that older Alaskans are safe from catastrophic events and protected from personal exploitation, neglect and abuse. For each item covered by the plan, an annual implementation plan will be created by all interested senior organizations, each committing to work on specific strategies outlined in the plan. 3:08:52 PM PAT SIDMORE, Policy Manager, Senior and Disabilities Services, Department of Health and Social Services (HESS), supported SB 209. 3:10:17 PM DENISE DANIELLO, Executive Director, Alaska Commission on Aging, Department of Health and Social Services, supported SB 209. She said the mission of the commission is to ensure the dignity and independence of all older Alaskans and to assist them through planning, advocacy, community education and interagency cooperation to lead useful and meaningful lives. It was established in 1982 and satisfies the federal requirement under the Older Americans Act for states to have an advisory counsel to the state unit on aging (Department of Health and Social Services) comprised of people who are of age to receive services under the Older Americans Act. These services include home delivered meals, transportation, congregate meals served at senior centers, chore, respite, adult day services and so forth. She said the Commission is responsible for formulating the state plan for senior services and submitting it to the department. They do this in collaboration with about 20 other agencies that develop services for seniors. The Commission also provides recommendations to the department and to the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority concerning the integrated comprehensive mental health program regarding the use of monies from the Mental Health Trust Settlement, the income account for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, and seniors who suffer from other behavioral health conditions. They also make recommendations directly to the governor and legislature with respect to legislation regulations and appropriations for programs and services that benefit older Alaskans. With their advocacy partners they have supported successful legislation such as the new senior benefits program, establishment of the Office of Elder Fraud and Assistance, strengthened the penalties for identity theft, added dental coverage for Medicaid eligible adults including doubling the number of slots for WWAMI students to address Alaska's prospective physicians shortage, and secured base funding for flexible long-term supports for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia and other programs. Pending passage of this legislation, she plans to continue to advocate for services that promote healthy life styles of Alaska's seniors. 3:14:52 PM CHAIR ELLIS asked what the trends are for elder abuse. MS. DANIELLO answered that at least it's starting to be talked about. Years ago this was a taboo subject, but now the number of reported cases is increasing. She noted in the last couple of years that the Commission along with the Division of Seniors and Disabilities Services advocated for increased funding for adult protective services to add two staff members. One of the trends they hadn't seen in previous years is the reporting of elder mistreatment coming from rural areas of Alaska. She has heard they need to enhance reporting because a lot of places are collecting information regarding elder mistreatment and there isn't one centralized place to report harm. 3:16:54 PM She also explained that in Alaska elder mistreatment looks a lot different than in other places. For example, it might be somebody taking on somebody else's subsistence fishing rights or fishing permits. 3:17:12 PM SENATOR STEVENS said clearly there are going to be a lot more older Alaskans in Alaska in the future and asked why the 65 - 74 age group is expanding so quickly, asking if that would be the baby boomers. MS. DANIELLO said the baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 and aren't on the chart. She said the 85-plus group is showing the greatest increase in the senior population - and that is the population most in need of services. SENATOR STEVENS related that Senator Ted Stevens remarked in his address today that Medicare is not solving the problem. Also, he said when he first moved to Kodiak years ago it didn't have many seniors, but now it's a real community with all ages. He thought it was probably in large part due to what the commission had done. MS. DANIELLO responded that she observed that as well; another factor might be that older people in the 1970s didn't have as many children here, and more people who have children continue to live here. 3:19:40 PM PAT DAVIDSON, Division of Legislative Audit, supported SB 209. She said the extension comported with her recommendations. She explained that the audit did notice when the commission moved from the Department of Administration to the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) it dropped the granting aspect to focus its efforts on planning, education and advocating for senior services. The audit noted some statutory language clean up needed to happen to recognize that change; the granting should now show in statute as a responsibility of the department rather than the commission. 3:21:40 PM SENATOR DAVIS noted that legislation is going through both houses to make the correction. 3:22:32 PM CHAIR ELLIS announced the bill would be held to make sure it was technically correct before moving it on.