SHELL POINT RESIDENTS’ MEETING

 

Regular Meeting – Social Center

April 2, 2008

 

ATTENDANCE BY COURT:

 

                                    Arbor                          Betty Rinderle

                                    Cameo                         Sharon Bermel

                                    Cellana                        Gayle Richardson

                                    Coquina                       Gene Loughran

                                    Eagles Preserve           Paul Williamson

                                    Harbor Court              Joan Perry

                                    Junonia                        Shirley Naugle

                                    King’s Crown             Jim Butler

                                    Lakewood                   Bill Staples

                                    Lucina                         Warren Goodell

                                    Macoma                      Pat Straup

                                    Nautilus                      Mike Klein

                                    Oakmont                     Bill Lanpher

                                    Palm Acres                  Ted Rodgers

                                    Parkwood                    Floyd Jamison

                                    Pavilion                       Nita DeWeese

                                    Periwinkle                   Rob Waltz

                                    Rosemont                    Richard Maass

                                    Royal Bonnet              Carol Palermo

                                    Sand Dollar                 Gus Ormrod

                                    Sundial                        Chris Gooden

                                    Tellidora                      Jean Field

                                    Turban                                    Dick Rockstroh

 

CALL TO ORDER AND OPENING PRAYER

 

Chairman Dick Rockstroh called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m., and Jim Butler gave the opening prayer.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Dick Rockstroh announced that Recording Secretary Earl Mallick had to be home this morning, and that Chuck Durrell would be taking the minutes for this meeting.

 

ROLL CALL OF COURT REPRESENTATIVES

 

Dick Rockstroh requested a change of procedure to have each attendee give his/her name during the roll call rather than just saying “here” or “present. The roll was called with those present as listed above.

 

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 5, 2008 RESIDENTS’ COUNCIL MEETING AND THE AGENDA FOR TODAY.

 

The minutes and agenda were approved. Floyd Jamison pointed out that on page 5 of the minutes, that the motion was not passed unanimously, since he indicated with his voice and hand a non-agreement with the vote.

 

STAFF REMARKS

 

PETER DYS:

 

Sales: Peter Dys said that he had heard on the news this morning that the housing market has bottomed out in this area. The good news is that 28 apartments are in the “will advise” status, i.e., prospect has committed to buy with a deposit when they sell their house. Since February 15, 47 prospects have taken advantage of the 25% discount if they purchase a unit within a limited time period – the object being to encourage them to apply the discount towards reducing the sale price of their house so that they can close the pending deal on their Shell Point apartment. Right now there appears to be 110 to 125 vacant apartments, but when you subtract the units that have been sold but not moved in, and the pending deals with a deposit, there are approximately 30 units that are unsold. Because the people that they have talked to in the past six months are well qualified, they are optimistic that there will be a high demand when the market breaks, which will hopefully bring sales back to normal by the end of June. It will be a long time, however, until the occupancy is as high as it has been in the past.

 

Occupancy: There are currently 146 people in the Larsen Pavilion, with room for 5 or 10 more. We are past the real crunch caused by the renovation work. There are six vacant units available in King’s Crown. They have 18 private pays. The Arbor is fully occupied.

Budget: The staff is hard at work on the 2009 fiscal year budget. This will be presented to the Board of Directors in May. The budget will be largely affected by occupancy. They are making conservative estimates so that they do not get caught in an unexpected shortfall.

 

Florida Budget Concerns: If Florida cuts Medicaid to nursing homes, Deland would be hit hard, and Shell Point to a lesser degree. If this goes through, we may have to cut staffing. The state is looking at fees and taxes on nursing homes as a means of cutting their costs while adding this burden onto the local providers. The Legislature session will end by the end of April and will determine our fiscal impact.

 

Tax Review: Every 20 years a board takes a look at the Florida taxing structure. They are taking a hard look at not-for-profit organizations. This could mean taxing founder fees, maintenance fees, food, and purchases made by Shell Point. This would have to be passed on to the residents. However, health care may be excluded. They are looking at increasing sales taxes by 1%, which will probably pass, and possibly a decrease in property taxes. Taxes on monthly fees will probably be excluded. All this should be resolved by the end of this fiscal year.

 

Effects of Medicaid Cut: Two years ago, the state required an increase in staffing from 2.6 to 2.9 and provided a Medicaid increase to offset these costs. This cost Shell Point between $300,000-$400,000 per year for which we have received minor reimbursement since we have very few Medicaid beds. With a cut now being contemplated in the Medicaid reimbursement rate, it is imperative that the mandated staffing ratios also be temporarily reduced. This is the emphasis that is being made to the Legislature from the providers should this cut occur. Shell Point has been, and always will be, staffed in excess of the minimum staffing requirements in either case. Mr. Dys responded to the attached e-mail from AARP, which regrettably appears to be in error in reference to minimum staffing and unfairly assumes that staffing for nursing homes should be maintained at the 2.9 level regardless of what happens with Medicaid funding. For some organizations this requirement would bankrupt the operation and displace all nursing patients.

 

TIM FICKER:

 

TV Channels Out: Four channels went out yesterday because the Sky Channel satellite went off. Hopefully they will be restored by next month.

 

Hurricane Seminar: A hurricane seminar will be held at the church auditorium on April 30 at 10:00 a.m. Meteorologist Dave Roberts will talk about preparing for the upcoming hurricane season.

 

Stop Signs: The temporary stop sign at the bottom of the hill from the Arbor will be replaced by a permanent one. There will also be one going in the other direction.

 

Shell Point Life Delivery: This monthly magazine will be delivered in bundles to each court on the last business day of each month between 2 and 4 p.m., starting with the next issue. From there it will be up the courts to deliver them to the individual apartments.

 

Photo Directory: The new photo directory will hopefully be completed by the end of this month.

 

New Bus Route: The new bus route was started yesterday. It was designed to be more efficient by saving diesel fuel and eliminating standing time. The new routes will be monitored closely. For any questions, call Diane Morton at 454-2061.

 

Pet Policy: Richard Maass asked Tim Ficker for a clarification on when to use a leash on a dog. Steve Minniear said that dogs must be carried indoors to prevent messing carpets, tiles and other types of floors, and to prevent tripping by a leash, particularly in narrow areas. He said that the policy will be clarified.

 

Pull Chains: Richard Maass asked if pull chains are checked regularly. He related a case where his produced a false alarm due to corroded contacts. Perhaps they should be checked annually. Warren Goodell added that perhaps fire alarms in apartments should be checked annually. Steve Minniear will check into the pull-chord issue and Tim Ficker will ensure that the fire alarms get checked annually. He believes this is already a Shell Point practice but will confirm that with the Facilities staff.

 

Where to Go In the Event of a Fire: Carol Palermo asked where residents should go in the event of a fire. Tim Ficker said that it was up to each Court Rep to clarify this issue with Gary Wicall, the Fire Safety Officer, because various building designs warrant different procedures.

 

STEVE MINNIEAR:

 

MDS: This is a computerized system that collects information from the nursing staff and generates reports outlining the specifics of care given to residents in the Larsen Pavilion. It also is the basis for our Medicare reimbursement system.

 

King’s Crown Renovation: This is moving right along. They are installing carpet on the third floor this week, and continuing work on the second floor, as well as in the entry area.

 

Larsen Pavilion Renovation: This is also moving along. They are now working on the first floor. In two weeks they will be starting the kitchen area. Food preparation will be moved to the Crystal Dining Room kitchen, with further preparation occurring in the Social Center while renovating the Pavilion kitchen. You can enter the Pavilion through the Medical Center door; however the Lagoon side entrance is preferable.

 

Behavioral Health: Dr. Tim Van Sickle is no longer at Shell Point. Dr. Hirchak is leading the search for a replacement to lead this department.

 

Chiropractor: Drs. Perkins, a husband and wife team, have been added to the list of Specialty Physicians. Their phone number is 966-2311.

 

Academy Class on the Pavilion: In response to continued questions, an academy class has been set up for July 17 from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m. in the Village Church auditorium to cover often-asked questions on Pavilion admissions, charges, private rooms, etc., followed by a question and answer period. The class will be video taped and replayed in the fall.

 

Survey Team: The AHCA resurvey team returned to the Pavilion, and all items were cleared.

 

KAREN ANDERSON:

 

Karen, Director of Human Resources, also oversees the Purchasing Department and Safety Office. Shell Point has 850 employees, and could someday have as many as 1,500 when Pods 2 and 3 are completed several years from now. About 50% of them have English as a second language. They are looking at various ways to teach them English on company time.

 

Since unemployment has increased from 2.3% a year ago to 6.4% today, they are able to attract better qualified employees. The turnover rate is less than 24% calendar year-to-date. Employees leave managers, not Shell Point. In October, 2007 a Leadership Development Program was started and will continue through August, 2008. This is a program for managers to develop their leadership skills, which will also improve the retention rate. The pay is highly competitive, based on annual surveys. Karen listed the many benefits given the employees. Many are here because of the residents and if you notice any employee going above and beyond their duty, please let their supervisor know.

 

Warren Goodell asked Karen if he could get their newsletter. She said yes by calling extension 3162.

 

REPORTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES

 

Warren Goodell said that in the past month he has been getting a knock on his front door at 4 a.m. He asked if this was happening to anyone else. The answer was no.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

Shell Point Tax Concerns: This was covered in Peter Dys’ remarks.

 

Employee Christmas Gift Committee Update: Chuck Durrell reported that he and his committee met on March 31, 2008.

 

They agreed on guidelines for conducting the campaign as follows:

§  Encourage the residents to donate by sharing their enthusiasm for the program.

§  Do not pressure residents into giving.

§  Handle objections with empathy, followed by explaining why they feel so strongly about the program.

§  Maintain a positive attitude.

§  Keep all communications short, simple, and to the point.

 

            They established a goal to increase the amount given to each employee who has worked    for a full year with no unauthorized absences, from $435 in 2007 to $450 for 2008.

           

            They increased their balance from $2,000 to $10,000 in March, presumably as a result of the letter mailed to all residents on March 1. They will have a better idea where the      money specifically came from after they receive a report from the billing department in the next couple of days.

 

            They established a time line with the following thoughts in mind:

§  Find a balance between too little and too much promotion.

§  Start with a preliminary TV appearance around mid-September.

§  Start a multi-media campaign in mid-October, right after the Bakeless Bake Sale.

 

Consideration of Shell Point Internet System “Help Desk”: Tim Ficker reported that he is continuing to look at the “Help Desk” to be run by volunteers. He will chat with some of the resident experts. If we pay someone to do it, the monthly fee would go up.

 

Consideration of Delivery of Shell Point Life: This was covered in the fourth paragraph of Tim Ficker’s report.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Review of Morning Call Backup Procedure: Joan Perry reported that the following steps are taken if resident’s morning call system has not been turned off by 9:00 a.m.

§  Receptionist sees if those who had not turned off the system are either in the Pavilion, hospital, or are out of town.

§  Phone calls are made twice to those who are left on the list.

§  If there is no answer, then security is asked to check out the apartment.

If the system is not working, then the Court Rep or one of the alternates makes the calls and notifies security if there is no answer after the second call. Steve Minniear will give each Court Rep 3 copies of the list each month. If any corrections need to be made to the list, call Cyn Haas at 454-2299.

 

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE GOOD OF SHELL POINT

 

Gene Loughran reminded residents not to ride bicycles or golf carts on the walkways, and to be sure to tell their guests.

 

NEXT MEETING DATE

 

The next meeting will be on May 7, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. in the Woodlands Grand Cypress Room.

 

CLOSING PRAYER AND ADJOURNMENT

 

The closing prayer was given by Tim Butler, and the meeting was adjourned at 10:26 a.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

Chuck Durrell, Recording Secretary pro tem