SHELL POINT RESIDENTS’ COUNCIL MEETING
Regular Meeting - Social Center
May 6, 2009
Attachments
ATTENDANCE BY COURT:
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CALL TO ORDER AND OPENING PRAYER
Chairman Rockstroh called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m. and Grayce Gore gave the opening prayer.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Chair announced the following:
New Court Representative for Lakewood: Ed Mitchell is the new Court Representative for Lakewood. The Chair thanked the outgoing Court Representative Bill Davis for his services to Lakewood and the Residents’ Council in past years. The Chair welcomed Mr. Mitchell. A memorandum of this change has been delivered to the Administration Office.
Hurricane Preparations: Information relative to assisting all residents of Shell Point in preparing for a Hurricane Alert was distributed to Court Representatives. This information included items required in individual Hurricane Kits as well as an example of the type chair to be utilized by each resident. Court Representatives are asked to distribute this to new residents for their information.
ROLL CALL OF COURT REPRESENTATIVES
The roll was called with those present and absent listed above.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF APRIL 1, 2009, RESIDENTS’ COUNCIL MEETING AND APPROVAL OF AGENDA FOR TODAY
After a discussion by Mr. Maas regarding unused and/or rusty bicycles, on motion duly made, seconded, and unanimously passed, the Minutes of April 1, 2009, were approved as amended. The Proposed Agenda for the Residents’ Council for May 6, 2009, was distributed to each Court Representative present, and on motion duly made, seconded, and unanimously carried, was approved.
SHELL POINT ON-SITE BANKING FACILITY
Tim Ficker introduced Richard E. Riley, Executive Vice President and Susan S. Chicone, Manager of the Shell Point Branch of FineMark National Bank & Trust.
Mrs. Chicone announced that FineMark is scheduling meetings with all Courts and has already met with many of the Courts. Court Representatives should feel free to call her to arrange a meeting. FineMark will host a luncheon for all Court Representatives on Friday, May 15, 2009, at Noon at its corporate headquarters.
FineMark has planned an Open House/Dessert Reception at the Village Church on Monday, May 18, 2009 from 6:15 – 8:00 PM for all Shell Point residents. FineMark staff members will be in attendance.
Mrs. Chicone addressed the matter of safe deposit boxes at FineMark. Bank of America (BOA) has advised its Shell point safe deposit box clients to empty and vacate those boxed by no later than June 24, 2009, earlier than what FineMark expected. FineMark may not use BOA’s vault or safe deposit box areas until BOA has vacated the premises. Representatives of FineMark, by law, for security reasons are prohibited from having any contact with clients’ safe deposit boxes and contents thereof. FineMark is working very quickly to reach a solution for those residents uncomfortable with having those items in their apartments for a period of approximately a month. Mrs. Chicone will work with Shell Point residents on an individual basis to resolve this matter and provide assistance in establishing new safe deposit boxes with FineMark. This matter is being addressed on an individual basis with residents of the Pavilion, King’s Crown, and the Arbor.
Residents have been assured that they will pay the same price for safe deposit boxes with FineMark as were paid to BOA. Each resident is on the honor system to advise FineMark of the box size and fee, if any, paid for such safe deposit box.
FineMark is a full service bank, understands individual needs of clients, and as such will customize its services to individual residents. It offers various accounts, including money market, savings, and checking accounts, including free checking accounts under some circumstances. It also offers Certificates of Deposit. FineMark endeavors to understand the type account each individual resident will need and will work with each resident to customize each account. Residents of Shell Point are invited to contact Mrs. Chicone regarding questions concerning any and all aspects of FineMark’s banking services.
Mr. Riley expressed thanks for the very warm reception FineMark has received from Shell Point residents and stated FineMark feels it is included as part of the Shell Point community.
Mr. Dys thanked the representatives of FineMark for their sensitivity to and cooperation with Shell Point residents as well as their willingness to provide full-time services and personal attention. It is a happy situation and indicates success for everybody.
STAFF REMARKS
PETER DYS
As a representative of this district, Mr. Dys attended Legislative Day with other representatives in Tallahassee and remarked that the session was a difficult one. Dealing with the various financial crises that the State is experiencing proved to be chaotic and difficult regarding the funding crises. There were busloads of folks for every organization representing their individual causes. There are numerous critical issues, some of which are critical to Shell Point as an industry.
Taxing Food, Founders Fees, And Monthly Maintenance Fees: The issue creating the biggest problem for Shell Point was the potential for a tax imposed by the State on Food, Founders Fees, and Monthly Maintenance Fees. A huge problem for retirement communities, and here at shell Point, this would impose additional costs making sales more difficult if such taxes were required and would be a burden to existing Shell Point residents. That issue has been set aside and the attention for taxing sources will be directed to sky boxes, ostrich farms, and racetracks, BUT NOT retirement centers.
Audit Issues: There are some audit issues imposed by the State and Shell Point will probably go to a 5-year rotation rather than a 3-year rotation which is customary for this industry.
Staffing Requirement Changes: Three years ago a Bill was passed resulting in litigation going on in nursing centers to increase the staffing ratio from 2.6 to 2.9. After the first year, the State cut back on reimbursement for Medicaid patients in nursing centers which resulted in the right to drop back from 2.9 to 2.6 and for Shell Point that represented an approximate savings of $300,000. If the ratio fell below 2.6 nursing centers then had to put a moratorium on admissions in addition to being subjected to a number of other things. This occurred for the next two years. This year, because of the Economic Stimulus Bill and another complicated process whereby the State is no longer matching Federal dollars, there are now assessments in the nursing home industry which are a source for drawing down Federal dollars. Medicaid money is fully funded and as a result the mandatory ratio has reverted to 2.9. It appears that efforts to keep the ratio at a lower level as in past years will not be successful. Although Shell Point is a 5-Star facility and just came through the Survey with flying colors for the quality of services we provide at the lower ratio, it appears that Shell Point will have to increase its ratio to 2.9 at a cost of approximately $250,000. This is a major financial problem as there is no reimbursement source from which to get these funds. It is just another budget complication Shell Point faces.
Budget: At the next meeting in June, Mr. Dys will share some of the actions Shell Point is taking regarding budgeting issues. The biggest challenge is Capital which the banks watch carefully. Our income is greater than our expenses which is always a critical issue. You don’t build cash when investments are down 30% and you don’t build cash when you don’t have closures on units. That is the challenge Shell Point is facing. When there is an imposed obligation to increase staffing by $250,000, it is difficult. Because we are a licensed facility we must comply.
Sales: Mr. Dys reported that 98% of our units are sold. There are 92.7% of the units drawing revenue. The approximate 5% difference represents about $10 million in Founders Fees. There are 28 units in our entire campus that are not sold. Many of the vacant apartments are those which have been sold and await people moving in or waiting to sell their homes. Closing the transactions has been the challenge. The market is easing up a bit with hopes it will continue. Many folks waiting and waiting for the real estate prices to change are getting older and are now saying they cannot wait any longer and have to address the problem. It is a wise move to come to Shell Point.
Defibrillators: Shell Point has had 4-8 units throughout the campus which have never been used. After consideration by the medical staff and others, a lot of thought given to the matter, it is not wise for Shell Point to continue to retain them and they will be removed from Shell Point. No defibrillators are available on campus. There is a major liability issue involved. Many residents have “Do Not Resuscitate” orders and it is unknown in an emergency situation who has one. It is an uncomfortable position to be in to have given assistance of this kind when it is unwanted. Shell Point has, in the past, been castigated for doing this. Defibrillators are available for individual purchase and individuals who purchase one should know how to use it. It is best in an emergency to call 9-1-1 which is 3-5 minutes away.
HMO/PPO: This matter will be discussed in more detail at the Quarterly Meeting. There are residents responding to mass advertising regarding HMO/PPO’s. The reason that makes them attractive is you pay a lesser price such as a lower cost for drug prices. The baseline for an HMO it that it has negotiated rates with its providers. Providers are not always reimbursed at reasonable rates. It is paying a different rate than charged to the person walking in off the street.
Shell Point is the provider for services for Type A services which is the Pavilion and for Type B services which are the Physicians’ services. If Shell Point is part of the HMO, the HMO will take the difference from Shell Point’s money to make it attractive to the individual covered. Shell Point would have to take the cut in reimbursement for services in order for it to be an attractive program for the individual. To keep the operation of Shell Point going, it will have to go back to our residents and charge them for the difference. There is no other place to go for the funds. Shell Point will consider an HMO/PPO program on a case by case basis, but it will have to be with very careful scrutiny. The one absolute condition is that the reimbursement level for Type A and Type B services must be no less than the amount we are getting today. If it is less, Shell Point will not participate which means that the client cannot use our local physicians because the client is not allowed by law to pay the difference to the physicians. If a client needs to use the Pavilion for rehab services under Medicare, you could not use the Pavilion because we are not a certified facility. You would have to go to another facility off site as well as a physician off site who would take that reimbursement system. Once you have used your spell of illness under Medicare or that HMO/PPO product, you could then come back to Shell Point under your Contract. It is the portion covered by Medicare that you must keep in mind. The revenues will have to come from the client. A client must be in an HMO for at least a year. You cannot jump out of an HMO if you don’t like it. Be careful when choosing an HMO/PPO.
TIM FICKER
T. V. Channels: Three Sky Angel Channels have been restored as of this date: Channel 68 Classical Music; Channel 70 the Classic Arts Channel; and Channel 72 the Inspirational Channel. We have been getting more people subscribing to the Direct TV fee -for-service option which is gaining momentum faster than expected which is a good thing.
Shopping Bus Shuttle Schedule: Dawn Boren requested residents to pay attention to the publications in June where the new shopping bus schedule will be announced. There will be changes in the shopping routes as well as offerings based on observed shopping preferences and locations, etc.
Traffic Safety at Shell Point: Following up from a discussion of last month with Mr. Peters addressing traffic safety: Shell Point is looking into different ways to reinforce the message which is a weightier issue during the Season when there are more guests and visitors. This issue is certainly not related only to guests, but applies to residents and staff. There are significant issues involving increased speed; bike clubs on campus not always aware of Shell Point guidelines; and golf cart issues. Remember that there are some paths available to golf carts, but the pedestrian ALWAYS has the right of way. Please be extra careful on those paths. Enforcement of safety issues is being considered. Please refer to Page 23 of the Residents Manual which highlights Shell Points’ guidelines on traffic. A new Residents’ Manual will be published and will be coming out later this summer. Some verbiage will be added regarding traffic safety.
Shelter for Bus Stop: In response to a request to consider a shelter for the bus stop across from the Medical Center entrance, there are numerous issues and concerns involved in putting up such a shelter. For example, the shelter constructed across from the Woodlands cost $35,000 for a relatively simple structure. We will look into pricing as well as aesthetic impact to see if it is feasible.
Dining Room Closures: Once again this summer there will be some dining room closures which will be well publicized:
Crystal Dining Room: The Crystal Dining Room will be closed for lunch June 1 - August 31 Monday through Saturday. The normal Sunday Brunch will still be in operation. The Crystal Dining Room will be closed entirely - no lunch and no dinner - on Saturday. Dinner will be served Monday through Friday. If demand in the Crystal diminishes significantly this summer, there may be a two or three week closure in August as was done last summer. Notice of such a closure would go out by mid-July.
Palm Grill: The Palm Grill will be completely closed from September 1 - September 24.
Promenade Café: The Promenade Café will be open from 8AM - 2PM. There will be no evening hours until next Season. From July 6 - August 20, the Promenade Café will be completely closed.
Island Café:. There are no plans for any changes in the Island Café. The Island Café has picked up a lot of the business lost at the Crystal Dining Room.
The Arbor dining room/restaurant is available to all Shell Point residents. With all these closures, a concern was raised that there could be an overflow at the Arbor. Shell Point is aware of the affect of these closings. The reasons for choosing these specific dates and times for closings are because of the significantly diminished business. We do not anticipate a 20% decrease in one area showing up as a 20%+ at another area. The principle of supply and demand is working here in reverse. Shell Point produces a significant supply in dining and the demand is not currently there. As a result, all Shell Point residents supplement that. There is a constant balance between the amount of product put out there versus the demand. Recently in the Crystal Dining Room 59 people ate dinner. Shell Point cannot sustain a business and pay all those employees, supplies, and food product based on 59-60 diners. We understand that as residents travel North we will be serving less, and also the economy is causing people to eat more in their homes. We just encourage residents when they are eating out to realize that Shell Point dining is a significantly better value for their money. Shell Point does covet residents’ business and is trying to answer the issues of variety and choice, etc. In the fall, the Crystal Dining Room will be giving consideration to table service dining and moving away somewhat, but not completely, from buffet dining.
Employees/Residents Surveys:
Mr. Ficker announced the results of the Employees’ Survey conducted in February 2009. Approximately 85% of the employees participated in this voluntary survey. During the next week, all employees will be advised of the highlights of the employee survey. The survey included 59 questions, 3 of which were unique to Shell Point. Fifty-six questions are in the surveyor database and are presented to all clients. In Twenty-five of the 56 questions, Shell Point scored significantly ABOVE the database - very good. In two of the 56 questions, Shell Point scored significantly below the database - not too bad! These are very are positive results! The normative database utilized for comparison is 40,000 employees’ surveys done within the past 24 months, indicating the survey is time related and fairly current, indicating trends over time. Shell Point learned some very good things and now has reams and reams of employee comments which sometimes are the things from which we learn the most in these surveys. Results of the Employee Survey will be presented to Residents at some point in the future, possibly as an Academy session.
Steve Minniear stated that there was a considerable amount of comments regarding how much the residents mean to the staff and how the residents make working at Shell Point special.
Death of Mike Davis:
Shell Point is an incredibly special place to work. A sense of family comes around our Staff at the time of need and great difficulty. Mike’s wife was an employee of Shell Point; they met here, got married, and merged their two families into one. Mike was a wonderful father and husband and a terrific colleague here at Shell Point. We miss him a lot. That sense of support is very important. Many Shell Point residents attended Mike’s Memorial Service to honor him.
Handicap Access Issues:
Another presentation to be made, probably in the Fall Academy, is one concerning handicap access issues. It was one of the important issues the CARF-CCRC survey addressed. Shell Point has been working with a consultant on facility handicap access issues. We hope to have him back when we do the presentation, or at least incorporate information from him in the presentation. With a 40 year old community, there are a lot of things that could use attention in terms of handicap access. There are also things that we cannot do as if it were a brand new community. By law we get grandfathered in regarding a lot of issues, but there are other things that over time or during renovations or new construction projects must be brought up to speed. One of the issues is the parking area in front of the Administration Building. The question has been asked why we do not have many more handicap access parking spaces. The fact is that 90% of our population would qualify for handicap access parking spaces. Usually you get two handicap access parking spaces in the space of three normal spaces. Everybody would be eligible and we would seriously hamper an already difficult parking situation. We will continue to do what is required by law and, as we finish the construction at the Pavilion, we will be making some adjustments as required.
Bicycles:
Addressing an issue presented by Richard Maas, Shell Point has a “Rodeo Roundup” to gather up old bicycles. Mr. Ficker talked to Diane Morton in charge of Transportation who is working on plans to have another “roundup”. That may not be all that is needed to be done and attention will be given to other areas. Richard Maas submitted in writing his request for Shell Point’s assistance in regard to this problem. It was also noted that when residents leave Shell Point for extended periods, they are requested to place their bicycles in their apartments.
STEVE MINNIEAR
Mr. Minniear distributed copies of the Morning Assurance Reports for Independent Living only; there are none for King‘s Crown, the Arbor, or the Pavilion. In the Health Care area, Shell Point is very, very busy. Update on census: Health Care Units – King’s Crown has 118 of 120 units occupied; Arbor has 130 of 130 units occupied. The Pavilion has 174 beds occupied; 38 Medicare which is an unusually high census for Shell Point. Twelve Shell Point residents and non-residents who are in the hospital right now have expressed interest in Medicare beds. Everybody wants to come to the 5-STAR FACILITY! We are very thankful for that.
The Arbor had their every-other year survey and did exceptionally well with only one minor deficiency regarding some medication ordering.
The Pavilion re-survey has occurred and all tags noted during its annual survey were cleared. All three of the Health Care areas have had their surveys and we are out of that survey window now for another 9-10 months.
Approximately 650 Shell Point residents attended King’s Crown Spring Fling Open House. The facility is beautiful with thanks to Rita Southern and Scott Moore. The project is now completed and came in under budget. The residents are now enjoying their new home!
The following information will be seen on Shell Point Television and in the Shell Point Life:
THE PHARMACY AND THE MEDICAL CENTER WILL BE CLOSED MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 25th, AS WELL AS JULY 3rd, LABOR DAY, AND ALL NATIONAL HOLIDAYS. Residents are encouraged to plan ahead and get their prescriptions filled or refilled on a timely basis. Do not wait until you have only one pill left to reorder. A pre-authorization is sometimes required which may take 2-3 days to get the refill completed. PLEASE PLAN AHEAD.
REPORTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF COURTS, KING’S CROWN, ARBOR AND PAVILION
William Staples submitted a copy of the Larsen Pavilion Resident Council Meeting, Notes from April 2, 2009.
OLD BUSINESS
Shell Point Campus Banking - Previously covered.
Hurricane Preparation - One of the main concerns of the Court Representatives is to help the residents prepare. Residents were encouraged at this time of year to reorder their medications as soon as possible under their prescription plans. Steve Minniear stated that the better prepared residents are the more help it gives to Shell Point staff. In the hurricane mode, there is an amazing amount of work to be done and much planning must be done. If residents do not have their hurricane kits ready and are not prepared, it really does increase the stress level for the staff. When new residents move into our buildings, it is important that the Court Representatives help them understand the benefit they have in being at Shell Point in the Hurricane Shelter and the things they should be aware of and also getting the chairs on a timely basis.
In preparation for a storm, residents are asked to put their bicycles into their apartments. If they cannot be brought into the apartments, the bicycles should be securely fastened. For those remaining in the parking garages, etc., those bicycles are placed in the respective trash room.
During an actual Hurricane Alert, Court Representatives will be called together and given some guidelines and information. Court Representatives are a center of communications and encourage residents to watch Shell Point television. If there are any questions regarding HURRICANE PREPARATION, PLEASE GIVE BOB SOUTHERN A CALL at 454-8792.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business presented at the meeting.
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE GOOD OF SHELL POINT
Apartment Dryer Filters. Warren Goodell discussed the matter of apartment dryer filters. Residents who have a washer/dryer located within their apartments should be aware that there is a filter attached to the dryer hose. This filter is attached to a small compartment that should be filled halfway full with water during the drying cycle. If this practice is not followed, the dust and lint from the dryer will be circulated throughout the apartment.
Woodlands Overgrown Bushes. Mr. Maas requested that at the Woodlands, the bushes along the walking path on the tennis court side of the ponds are over the path, restricting passage and should be cut back. Mr. Maas submitted his request to the Recording Secretary.
The Chair advised Court Representatives that matters of this nature do not have to be delayed for resolution until the next Residents’ Council Meeting. A call to 454-2190 (ONE CALL DOES IT ALL) would result in such matters being attended to on a more timely basis.
NEXT MEETING DATE
The next meeting of Shell Point Residents’ Council will be held Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at 8:45 a.m. in the Social Center on the Island. The Chair reminded the Council that traditionally there are no meetings in July and August. A vote on this schedule will be taken at the June meeting.
CLOSING PRAYER AND ADJOURNMENT
The closing prayer was given by Grayce Gore; the meeting was adjourned at 10:08 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Nickerson, Recording Secretary
Attachments:
Larsen Pavilion Resident Council Meeting – April 2, 2009
Submissions from Mr. Richard Maas