[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6632161,"mediaKeyId","2675156-b1703f7f217802396b88823e42630c7d","parentId",2675156,"title","Senior Affairs Commission approves minutes, asks public to return senior-services surveys","audioSeconds",171,"startMs",64000,"endMs",235000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2675156-b1703f7f217802396b88823e42630c7d&start=64&end=235","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2675156-b1703f7f217802396b88823e42630c7d/thumbnail_64000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6632161/Dallas/Dallas-County/Texas/Senior-Affairs-Commission-approves-minutes-asks-public-to-return-senior-services-surveys","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6632161-bad7d865e65cb4986e2160535e10b85f/orig.mp4?Expires=1777504816&Signature=lh8XKlOz~sn3AIrh684ZW78pIzVOvLeqPYK95Ab1B12Z74IHd~9ly2k3xY8IjXIaLnFh7hCIbYE7fPa1bgwXf8zaSpNnu3~hVd81JkJmNMKxNoZhS-Oskv6Hzo~9vdXGby20A4AHyH5SilGxr~eSe3WJCf4cuOVp2fNL4Cew26jmSPkTB15lFhUwMQ3P-3wNlf5~tITOAZFZHVa2ZMGBsKpumycYBJVYpGecIjfoPIMMvuFII~CSNmgVtrKMEhFtIzQoemitleJaH70shB~4q-hoerTOnAwgakMgeyp~TBHLc3kpW3miKZf6ry6ewmpz7~C~aElN-Zd8BI6XsIBnvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dallas","date","2025-03-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Dallas Senior Affairs Commission approved the minutes of its previous meeting with two edits after a brief discussion at the March 17 meeting.

Commissioners identified two changes: clarifying a sentence about advertising (removing a redundant clause about a funding memorandum) and fixing a phrase related to transportation costs. After a motion and a second, commissioners voted to approve the minutes as amended. The motion was recorded and passed by voice; no roll-call vote was taken.

Why it matters: Accurate minutes are the official record of commission actions and requests. The approved edits remove a redundant sentence describing the committee’s funding memorandum and clarify an ambiguous editorial phrase in the draft minutes.

Survey distribution and collection: City staff reported that the senior-services needs-assessment survey is available online and in paper form. As of the meeting staff said they had distributed more than 200 paper copies and received 32 completed online surveys. Staff described a collection plan using the city ASAP program (recreation and senior-center supervisors) to gather paper surveys from centers and rec centers; commissioners were asked to share the survey with their networks. A staff member confirmed paper packets would be available at upcoming senior events (including a city-sponsored event at a Jewish community center) and that staff would retrieve sealed envelopes of completed paper surveys from designated centers.

Other administrative items: Commissioners noted Parkland’s community health-needs assessment is underway; Parkland staff will present a fuller update at a future meeting. Commissioners also referenced a Dallas Morning News article about the city’s aging population and discussed sending a letter to the paper to add missing local resources (area agencies and nonprofit providers) to future coverage.

Ending: With remaining business completed, the commission chair adjourned the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Dallas - Senior Affairs Commission - Mar 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Dallas Senior Affairs Commission approved last meeting’s minutes with minor edits, and staff reported ongoing collection of a city senior-services survey in paper and online form; commissioners urged broader distribution and promised pick-up arrangements for paper surveys at senior centers and rec centers.","taxTitle","Dallas, Dallas County, Texas","taxId",2781,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6632164,"Parkland outlines geriatrics outreach, house calls and transport limits for South Dallas",1862,3850000,5712000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2675156-b1703f7f217802396b88823e42630c7d&start=3850&end=5712","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2675156-b1703f7f217802396b88823e42630c7d/thumbnail_3850000.jpg","/articles/6632164/Dallas/Dallas-County/Texas/Parkland-outlines-geriatrics-outreach-house-calls-and-transport-limits-for-South-Dallas","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6632164-c216bff705dbed7ddeeff2182d79281d/orig.mp4?Expires=1777504816&Signature=dIELwz7q5FwWQ99fjanQvVyHwJxKZAwHGbR8LZjcHliKOlycmk9ONDTSpDK2t0W5XhJqxOIjmwt9u324Md9~N62K27gU~WltlOszLOMoi4tCzpbqlo21mKmzdk5VqEEigj~Ou-v1kseOCaisTIVj2l1Yn6K0tDPbz4j2I7U5VShZljQWrJrVfSzPlqUsocxlY5AIxGWFMLcuOUT3gjYYE82-CDnii~d5wzQUERKs8UqYau19hYmgSMOaOaECwAZ6028lcbRkwNy~JBkVzufnXZLrtY5lDZNczJFCaebfr2DBZ8-1EHwaTUhrgf1K8cmFjgX2Uxmqwx2bQ-lva3KdMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Shafon Kinnehan, an RN case manager in Parkland Health’s Department of Geriatrics, told the Dallas Senior Affairs Commission on March 17 that Parkland operates a senior outreach grant (called SOS) that funds home visits, a single van for nonemergency rides and community education focused on South and Southeast Dallas.

Kinnehan said the SOS grant is funded by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services and provides roughly $151,000 a year, covering Kinnehan’s position and a driver. The grant began in 2005 and was initially larger; Kinnehan said funding has declined over time from several hundred thousand dollars to the current level.

The program’s services include high-risk case management and home-safety assessments, a van that provides about 800 rides per year to medical and nonmedical appointments, community education and a house-call program for homebound patients. Kinnehan said the house-call program will see patients who live within roughly a 22-mile radius of Parkland and who meet clinical homebound criteria; the house-call service is separate from the SOS grant and is operated under Parkland’s clinical programs.

Kinnehan described the SOS home visits as nonemergency: \"SOS is not a house-pulse program. I don't do anything medical in the home, even though I'm a registered nurse, unless there's an emergency. I can do a blood pressure,\" she said. She added she typically responds within days and that doctors sometimes request an urgent home assessment.

Why it matters: Kinnehan said South and Southeast Dallas still show the highest rates of chronic disease in Parkland’s community-health data, and that transportation, technology and financial challenges are common barriers to care. She said social-determinants screening (questions about transportation, housing, food and utilities) informs many referrals.

Program and resource details shared at the meeting:

- Funding and scale: SOS funding is approximately $151,000 per year and supports one case manager and a driver; Kinnehan said the grant is rare for its longevity but much smaller today than at inception.

- Transportation: The SOS van provides roughly 800 rides annually for medical appointments and limited nonmedical trips (Social Security, pharmacy). Parkland previously operated two vans; one was decommissioned and Parkland staff said the department is seeking budget authority to replace it.

- Referrals and eligibility: Kinnehan accepts referrals for high-risk seniors (frequent clinic no-shows, falls, suspected abuse/neglect, caregiver stress) and can visit people who are not Parkland patients if they meet age and income guidelines and live in the target zip-code areas. For the SOS grant, the state requires income at or below roughly 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines (Kinnehan cited about $2,500/month as the upper limit).

- House calls and clinic-based home care: Parkland also operates a senior house-calls program and a Center for Geriatric Care and Healthy Aging; those clinical services accept homebound patients (65+) within Parkland’s service radius and include board-certified geriatric physicians, pharmacists, dietitians and social workers.

Kinnehan emphasized practical barriers she sees in homes: low digital literacy that makes telehealth and appointment reminders unreliable, complex paperwork for benefit programs and shortages of reliable paid caregivers. She also noted a shortage of geriatric specialists and geriatric psychiatrists to meet demand.

Ending: Kinnehan described small new respite vouchers under a separate grant that will pay for a few days of paid respite for roughly 30–40 caregivers and said the department is arranging contracts with two home-care agencies to deliver the respite. Commissioners asked Parkland to present preliminary findings from the community health-needs assessment at a future meeting.","Parkland case manager Shafon Kinnehan described a long-running outreach grant that funds home visits and a single van for nonemergency transportation for high-risk seniors in South and Southeast Dallas, and told the Senior Affairs Commission that grant funding has fallen and demand is growing.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6632171,"Senior Source describes caregiver supports, warns of gaps in South Dallas",1008,273000,1281000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2675156-b1703f7f217802396b88823e42630c7d&start=273&end=1281","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2675156-b1703f7f217802396b88823e42630c7d/thumbnail_273000.jpg","/articles/6632171/Dallas/Dallas-County/Texas/Senior-Source-describes-caregiver-supports-warns-of-gaps-in-South-Dallas","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6632171-c8a0249508bed70bb006b53b5679f3e5/orig.mp4?Expires=1777504816&Signature=J1IZxMap9eMSMoll-xEX0N27V8pQvmtaCNgfOQ9NG8WZAoF9iP7XOA4mGBgh1~sLbOYaRtj9~4P-JGkM3gyLW7fevEvUzbju530nndNUPQ56M9jBNMM8wbc3pJWKBRBhgI8EFKSHjD1C0WS9KI~AWv5K020ja0HoaXJBX6AZh28gcSIFZmUtD1O5NahbmBOt-bPVxyNskWF4aRVMIm2ZOs8xeZeJkF6KXbp4fvWQt8KUDNPml0-OiQ0lQAIbWZNPPuKpaU9aQFoWBqoEWbQBGI79NCetJLnRz6I3mb1LuCoyvjGXmrf4m6-0ePmvr81LRWOQciUbW5lqdoyfKTbHog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kimberly Knight, director of caregiver support at the nonprofit Senior Source, told the Dallas Senior Affairs Commission on March 17 that the organization offers case management, education, support groups and a volunteer telephone check-in program aimed at reducing caregiver stress.

Knight said the Senior Source’s caregiver support program served about 2,250 caregivers last year and that 82 percent of those who used services reported reduced caregiver-related stress afterward. \"The caregiver support program in particular is there to focus on caregivers, and we focus on family caregivers,\" Knight told commissioners.

The program provides a care consultation (typically 30–60 minutes) that assesses needs, makes referrals and helps families put legal documents such as powers of attorney in place. It also offers support groups (including Spanish-language and LGBTQ-plus groups), educational seminars, a \"caring callers\" volunteer phone check-in program and home-safety visits to identify trip hazards and other risks.

Why it matters: Commissioners and community members pressed Knight on service gaps in South Dallas and on access for underserved groups. Commissioners said respite care, the ability to pay for short-term in-home help and awareness of services remain the top barriers to keeping caregivers healthy and older adults safe at home.

Knight and others said respite care is the top unmet need. She described home-care companies’ common business models—minimum-hour packages that make one-off, emergency help costly or hard to obtain. \"Most of the time, they don't offer their services à la carte,\" Knight said, explaining that companies often require minimum shifts or recurring bookings.

Commissioners and attendees raised three recurring concerns:

- Geographic gaps: Commissioners said many free or low-cost caregiver-day-out and respite programs are clustered north and centrally in Dallas. In South Dallas they identified the Potter's House \"Golden Days\" program as the only regularly available free respite program and noted other local options are paid services (for example, French Place adult day services). Knight agreed that South Dallas lacks consistent, locally based respite options and that transportation can be a barrier to reaching north-side programs.

- Equity and outreach: Commissioners asked how the Senior Source reaches Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged caregivers and LGBT older adults. Knight said the Senior Source has partnered with the Resource Center and has placed outreach in the Dallas Voice; she encouraged targeted listening sessions in safe spaces for LGBTQ-plus older adults and said the organization has previously worked with the Coalition on Aging LGBT. Knight said the Senior Source employs a contract outreach worker who focuses on Hispanic communities.

- Male caregivers: Several attendees said men are underrepresented in caregiver programs and urged targeted outreach through fraternal and civic organizations. Knight said the Senior Source has tried a men-only support group and education sessions with some media partners but acknowledged ongoing challenges in engaging men.

Services and process details discussed at the meeting included:

- Eligibility and scope: The Senior Source serves caregivers of any age who care for someone 50 or older and also supports \"solo agers\" living alone. Services are delivered by phone, virtual meetings and in-office visits when needed.

- Typical interventions: Care consultations; referrals for medical evaluation (for suspected dementia or treatable causes of cognitive change); legal-document guidance (powers of attorney, advance directives); home-safety visits; education on medication management and nutrition; support groups and a revived \"Caring Callers\" telephone companionship program using vetted AmeriCorps volunteers.

- Financial and equipment gaps: Commissioners and attendees noted that durable medical equipment and some supplies (for example, hospital beds or incontinence supplies) are expensive; Knight said a local provider known as DME Exchange recently closed, reducing low-cost options for equipment.

Quotes from the presentation and Q&A were limited to Kimberly Knight and commissioners. Knight emphasized the program’s twin goals: \"to provide resources and support for individuals or for a family caring for that loved one\" and to remind caregivers to \"put on their oxygen mask\"—that is, to care for themselves so they can continue providing care.

Ending: Commissioners asked the Senior Source to pursue outreach strategies targeted to South Dallas and to groups less likely to seek help—men and Black LGBT seniors—and to coordinate with city and community partners on awareness campaigns (including 211 and senior-center networks). A commissioner said she would share details of an area-agency-on-aging webinar about programs that pay family members for caregiving and follow up with the Senior Source; Knight said the agency will provide materials and consider additional listening sessions in safe locations for LGBTQ-plus older adults.","At a March 17 meeting of the Dallas Senior Affairs Commission, Kimberly Knight of the Senior Source outlined programs for family caregivers, reported that the agency served about 2,250 caregivers last year and said respite and financial help remain the biggest unmet needs—particularly in South Dallas and among men and Black LGBT seniors.","actionData","errors"]

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Senior Affairs Commission approves minutes, asks public to return senior-services surveys

Parkland outlines geriatrics outreach, house calls and transport limits for South Dallas

Senior Source describes caregiver supports, warns of gaps in South Dallas