Adult Services Committee
2003-04 Annual Report
ADULT
SERVICES COMMITTEE
Annual
Report
FY
2003-2004
The
Adult Services Committee met eight times during FY 2003-2004. The role of
the committee is to provide vision, input, and direction of the provision
of services that benefit older and disabled adults served by county departments
of social services in their efforts to achieve and maintain health and social/economic
well being, to prolong independence, and to maintain dignity. This is accomplished
by implementing goals and strategies from the NCACDSS Strategic Plan as appropriate
to the committee's scope of work or as assigned by the President.
Issues
addressed during committee meetings are as follows:
- Transfer of the Adult Services Section
from the Division of Social Services to the Division of Aging. This resulted
in a name change for the Division of Aging to the Division of Aging and
Adult Services. The committee advocated on behalf of the county departments
of Social Services and their customers for continuity of services for older
and disabled adults as a result of this transfer. Karen Gottovi, Director
of the Division of Aging and Adult Services attended several committee meetings
to discuss the transition. A transition team was formed and the co-chairs
of the Adult Services Committee represented the NCACDSS on this.
- Reviewed and approved several changes
in the Adult Protective Services and Guardianship Manuals. These changes
were an attempt to ensure consistency in policy interpretation across the
state.
- Discussed with representatives from
the Division of Mental Health what mental health reform will mean for the
older and disabled adults in the state. The committee developed a position
paper addressing placement of persons with diagnoses of mental illness in
Adult Care Homes.
- Judy Pelt, co-chair, was appointed
by the NCACDSS President to serve on a committee to review and revise the
Adult Care Home Rules.
Through
the work of the Adult Services Committee, services for older and disabled
adults have been improved. The committee will continue to address issues that
relate to older and disabled adults in the coming year.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Judy
Pelt and Beverly Warren
