III. HAWAII COUNTY OFFICE OF AGING
ROLE AND DUTIES
The Hawaii County Office of Aging was established in 1966 and represents the County of
Hawaii in planning, coordination, advocacy, and administration of programs for older
persons in this county. The Office of Aging is an Area Agency on Aging. Specific functions
include the following:
To continuously assess the needs of older persons in Hawaii County and develop programs
aimed at meeting these needs;
To monitor, evaluate, and comment on policies, programs, hearings, and community
actions which affect older persons;
To represent the interests of older persons to public officials and public and private
agencies;
To develop and maintain a public awareness program for older persons;
To maintain data on the profile and needs of older persons in Hawaii County and to have
this information available for other organizations and the general public;
To coordinate planning with other agencies and organizations to promote new or expanded
benefits and opportunities for older persons;
To develop and administer an Area Plan on Aging for a comprehensive and coordinated service delivery system in Hawaii County;
To enter into sub-grants or contracts for the provision of services outlined in the
Area Plan; and
To provide technical assistance, monitor, and periodically evaluate the performance of
all service providers under the Area Plan.
The Executive on Aging serves as the director of the Office of Aging. He is responsible to the Mayor of Hawaii County, and must ensure that plans and programs are developed according to all applicable rules, regulations, and initiatives, and that the office is effectively administered.
STAFF
The Office of Aging employs nine permanent employees, seven in Hilo and two in Kona.
COMMITTEE ON AGING
A Committee on Aging, appointed by the Mayor, assists the Office of Aging in carrying out its planning responsibilities. The majority of its members are over the age of sixty and represent major districts of Hawaii County. The following are its members:
William T. Carse, Chair
Shigeko I. Chang, Vice Chair
Presy Aguirre, Hilo
Alwin Campainha, Hilo
Debera Donner, Kona
Robyn Enos, Kona
Colleen Fuhrmann, Volcano
Violet B. Ramos, Honokaa
Mildred Moniz, Kohala
Daisy U. Smith, Pahoa
Mark B. Perlmutter, Policy Advisory Board for Elderly Affairs
Harold Bugado, Hawaii County Elderly Activities Division
Larry Manliguis, Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council
Patrick Pavao, State Office of Veterans' Services
Royden Watanabe, State Dept. of Human Services
HIGHLIGHTS
For this period, the Office of Aging pursued major initiatives in the following areas:
Grants Management
During the period July 1, 1995 through June 30, 1996, the Office of Aging's operating budget was $318,204. By obtaining an additional $1.9˙million in federal and state grants, the Office of Aging was able to administer a variety of services for older persons on the Big Island. Major services funded were: caregiver support, case management, chore, employment, hospice, information & assistance, legal, nutrition, outreach, personal care, residential renovations, respite, small group homes, transportation, and volunteerism.
Community-Based Planning
Ten community planning councils on aging (CPCAs) were established by the Office of
Aging in all major districts of the Big Island. They are comprised of senior citizens,
youth, business leaders, family members, and interested individuals wishing to be involved
in the aging network. The CPCAs meet periodically to discuss issues important to their
communities, decide on projects that address those issues, and help the Office of Aging
carry out its planning functions.
A representative from each of the CPCAs sits on a committee that provides leadership
and liaison activities for the CPCAs. This Pololia group recently planned and implemented
an island-wide conference in Kona attended by 120 persons from all districts of the
island. Topics offered at the conference included health insurance and benefits, assistive
devices, the legislative process, assisted living, hands-on health care, and family and
community leadership. The conference was well-received and highly regarded.
Partners in Eldercare
The Office of Aging also organized an association of service providers called Partners
in Eldercare. The purpose of this partnership is to improve the coordination of services
and training among member organizations and staff. Partners in Eldercare presently has a
membership of 402 agencies and 523 staff.
This year, the Office of Aging published a Network Directory and 14˙newsletters for
its members. It also sponsored training conferences and workshops in adult protective
services, managed care, social security, arthritis, Alzheimer's care, depression, dental
care, death as a healing process, and brains and behavior.
Case Management Reorganization
Hawaii County has long been recognized for its outstanding case management coordination
program (CMCP) which serves the frail and vulnerable elderly. With budgetary cuts and
increasing demands for services for this group, the Office of Aging reorganized the CMCP
to ensure that those most in need would continue to receive services.
Although the CMCP continues to manage monthly team meetings island-wide, its focus has
been narrowed to serve only those who are most vulnerable to abuse and/or neglect. Other
elderly who are at-risk will be served by the long-term care access project, which
provides assessment, service linkages, information and assistance, and care management.
Adult Protective Services Conference
On September 20-21, 1995, the Office of Aging sponsored an island-wide adult protective
services conference called "Doing More with Less for A.P.S." Over 100
individuals attended. The purpose of the conference was to address the issue of adult
abuse and neglect in a time of limited resources, a poor economy, and a rapidly growing
older population.
During the first day, Dr. Susan Tomita, from Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, guided the group through national perspectives, signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect, financial exploitation, prevention, tools, and definitions. She also shared the model "Eight-Point Intake System" with participants. A panel comprised of a Deputy Attorney General, a Department of Human Services administrator, a senior citizens legal services coordinator, a public health nurse, a professor of social work, and a CMCP supervisor, presented various views on abuse and neglect issues and fielded questions from the group.
On the second day, after review and discussion, participants formed smaller groups and examined ways in which the previous day's information could be used in Hawaii County. A follow-up conference is planned for September 1996.
Outstanding Older Americans Awards Ceremony
This year's ceremony was held to honor Hawaii County's outstanding seniors and to
celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Office of Aging. Over 500 people attended this
special event at the Royal Waikoloan Hotel.
The county's two outstanding older Americans were Glenna Ewing of Kona and Louis Pavao
of Hilo. Others recognized were Viola Withenshaw of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates and LaRue
Piercy of Kona, Golden Years Award; Dorothy Williams and Hiromu Yamanaka of Hilo,
Community Service Award; Betty Mertl of Pahoa and Daniel Kanipae of Honokaa, Senior
Activities Award; Tsugi Kaiama of Waimea, Carol Rogers of Kona, and William Harris of
Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, Personal Achievement Award; and KTA Super Stores, Royal Kona
Resort, and Chalon International of Hawaii, Partnership Award, business category.
Partnership Awards in the individual category went to the original staff of the Kona
Coordinated Services program: Margaret Cagampang, Setsumi Hirata, Rosita Padayao, Edita
Melchor, and Shigeko Nakasone. Also receiving individual Partnership Awards were Renji
Goto, retired director of the State Executive Office on Aging; Shimeji Kanazawa, volunteer
with the Policy Advisory Board for Elderly Affairs; and Patrick Pavao, volunteer with the
Hawaii County Committee on Aging since 1971.
30th Anniversary Celebration
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Hawaii County Office of Aging, a new
Information and Services Directory for Seniors was published and dedicated to the county's
first Executive on Aging, Gladys E. Bowell. A special tabloid was also printed by the West
Hawaii Today newspaper providing an historical overview of aging services in Hawaii County
from 1966 to 1996.
Over the past 30 years, the Office of Aging has been able to "leverage" a relatively small amount of county, state, and federal resources to create a network of services for older persons in Hawaii County. Services range from providing home-delivered meals for the frail elderly to conducting individual health assessments by registered nurses. A computerized data base developed and maintained by the Office of Aging enables services to be targeted to those most in need.
Hawaii Intergeneration Network
The Office of Aging awarded a mini-grant to the Hawaii Intergeneration Network to
promote activities that involve people over sixty and under twenty years old that are
beneficial to both groups. The mini-grant funded a conference and a directory of
organizations that undertake intergenerational projects.
The conference was held on March 30, 1996, at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and 35
individuals attended. The directory has been distributed to over 500 interested agencies
throughout the community.
National Aging Program Information System (NAPIS)
The 1992 reauthorization of the Older Americans Act directed the Administration on
Aging (AoA) to develop new reporting procedures for use by State and Area Agencies on
Aging. In response to this mandate, the AoA issued new reporting guidelines to create a
National Aging Program Information System (NAPIS) which was initially started in FY 1995.
All service providers that receive Title III, Older Americans Act funds are mandated to
report information required by NAPIS. The Office of Aging is currently working closely
with both the State Executive Office on Aging and our service providers to develop a data
collection system to meet the NAPIS requirements.
Caregiver Resource Center
The Office of Aging's Kona office continues to serve as the headquarters for the
Caregiver Resource Center which provides caregivers of older persons with support,
training, and referrals to available resources. During this period, a total of 11 training
sessions were offered island-wide with over 230 caregivers attending.
Hawaii Community Caregiver Network
Several caregiver-related issues were raised at the 1995 Area Plan on Aging hearings.
In response to these issues, the Office of Aging assisted in establishing a planning group
for caregivers called the Hawaii Community Caregiver Network (HCCN). The HCCN is comprised
of various sectors of the community and has adopted the theme, "It takes a whole
community to care for our elderly" in its initial planning stage. The HCCN is a
grassroots, pro-active organization which includes former and current caregivers.