March 11, 2025
10:30 a.m.
PKS Town Hall

Call to Order: Cindy Schersching

Agenda: Old Business

The PKS Council on Aging needs help to:

Expand benefits to the community and status of new opportunities for the group to engage more people. Our list of recommended service people and medical professionals is unique and underutilized. Let’s focus on updating/adding to these lists in 2025, raising awareness they exist, and getting/publicizing feedback.

It’s been 1 – 1.5 years since we put these lists together. We need to review them for accuracy and update the information before they can be published and promoted on our website.

Confirm contact numbers for county nonprofits and publish these as volunteer opportunities in the Shoreline, Facebook, our website.

• Continue the discussion of Time Banking. Is this something we want to pursue?
• Continue the discussion of creating an Assistive Devices closet. Is this something we want to pursue?

New Business

• Upcoming forums.
• Evaluate/rate the accessibility of handicapped rest rooms in local restaurants and publish our findings.
• Care giver placement.
• Promoting our website – PKS has established a link to us.

Other possibilities?

• Organizing a ‘cook’s night out’ or a progressive dinner.
• Should we have specific offerings that could benefit those who are living alone? Ideas?
• Bring a friend to meetings, forums, PARC activities.
• Promote ‘socials’ at local locations.
• Different meeting format?

Minutes

We reviewed our recent efforts:

Reiterated the unique value of recommended service people and medical professionals asked for help to update this list – especially to confirm the recommended individuals were still in place. Also hope to expand the lists with additional references. Once done, we will push to raise awareness of the lists and our website.

Shoreline publication

Confirmed the currency of county nonprofits for publication/publicity as volunteer opportunities in the May Shoreline, current Facebook, our website.

Time banking

Continued the discussion of Time Banking. Is this something we want to pursue? It was decided that the idea had merit and that Kathy Driver to present more information on the software requirements to set this up.

Assistive devices closet

Concluded the discussion of creating an Assistive Devices closet. The First Presbyterian Church in Morehead City has an Assistive Devices closet already successfully established. While this was not on the island, it was determined there was no compelling reason for us to set up our own closet when our residents had access to the church’s.

Group social engagement

We continue to stress the need to attract those who are living alone and want more social opportunities. No specific events were suggested though emphasis should be on Bring a friend to meetings, forums, PARC activities and help promote ‘socials’ at local locations.

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be April 8, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. in the Betty Carr Room of the A.C. Hall Municipal Building.