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1996 End of Year : REPORT ON 1996 NEW YORK STATE RECREATION & PARK SOCIETY CONFERENCE First we would like to comment on the benefits of going " to a conference specializi~g in recreation. The opportunity to network w~th others in the reoreatiop fi~ld is 'one of the most important aspects .pf the conferen~~ There really are others who share the .ame concerrts an~~roblems as well as positive solutions, ideas and approaches to recreation and senior centers. We are grateful for the opportunity to . attend these conferences and to share the experience with our Recreation Committee and those involved in recreation. There are so many seminars.that are helpful, it's always difficult to choose which to go to. Those of oourse on aging were Kathi's choices, while playground safety, legal updates on summercamp were Peggy's choices. The knowledge will be disseminated at the Recreation Committee meetings. Also, over all a lot of useful information is received by visiting and talking to vendors. This year in visiting a vendor, Peg found a reusable I.D. bracelet which could be used for our swim program to identify swimmers from non-swimmers. This is a new mandatory ruling from the Dept. of Health. In talking to vendor, Peg was able to get free shipping on arts & craft orders. Many new arts and craft ideas are available. There are also new ideas available for new surface treatments required by law to be used under playground equipment. Just a few notes on some of the seminars follows that Peg and Kathi attended: THE OTHER AGING ALTERNATIVE-WELL ELD$RLY AS A CAREER: 95% of today's elderly are well and_active. Only 5% are in institutions and cllhical s~~tings. (Do we wonder why there are 179 seniors on our waiting 1~st2~ ,There are over 31 million over the age of 65. The fastest growing group are 85 + with more and more living into their 90's. The Baby Boomers are turning 50 this year bringing an Elderly Boom in the next 15-20 years. With this growth today and in the future, quality of life must aooompany this growth. There will be a demand for services, quality of life recreation and much more. These growing needs are and will continue to put more demands on 1 .. municipal settings. Looking ahead 15-20 years while planning today can help accommodate seniors today as well as the future. Monies budgeted today for improvements and expansions of facilities must consider the Elder Boom. It has been proven that a healthy leisure life style can help keep seniors out of the 5% that are in clinical settings. The impact of providing heal thy, social settings"'" reaches beyop..d today and our own towns., Th~nk of the impact on Medicare 'alone! Acq~ss to educatio~l information on health, nutrition along with other iss~s of concern to seniors is important. Programs must consider the older senior who may have special needs as well as the younger senior who desires more active leisure programs. Programs need to be developed with no age barriers. Intergenerational programs keep seniors in tune with the younger generation and gives the younger generation a different insight to the elderly. The "Graying of America" is here! This is a large and powerful portion of our population. Their needs for recreation and leisure are increasingly in demand. Senior Centers are already bursting at the seams. Leisure activities outside "Centers" such as travel, educational seminars, intermunicipal recreation and much more needs to be developed. This seminar was so valuable and informative. There is so much to know, so much to learn in this fast growing recreational field for senior citizens. It was a great opportunity to network with those working in senior centers. ARTS AND CRAFTS: A super workshop! Many of the arts and craft projects can be adapted for the seniors at the Senior Center. However, the projects are bette~ suited for the summer day camp program. The workshop leaders demons~r~ted several of the crafts and handed out directions for over 30 different craft projects. A copy of these have been given to Bernie Reimer the Recreation Director for the summer program. INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAMMING: This seminar focused on a program called V.E.S. (Vouth Engaged in Service) Program. Very interesting and a program 2 ~ worth considering for students 12-18 years old. Students engage in activities that benefit the community. Ex: going to nursing homes, making gifts for Meals-on-Wheels trays, working at community functions doing face painting or working at community booths, health fairs, tree trimming. They work with the well-elderly encouraging mutual activities and/or volunteer work. This is an extensive program run by the students with adult advisors. Has many benefits. For the student it fulfills special school requirements, career exploration and develops talents and people skills. > For Senior~ it uses their talents and experience, ilt's an alternative to thect4ily>lgrind and uses their free time. It benefits both stud~h~ and senior by remo~ing the "generati~n gap", provi~es~ocialization, fulfillment, fills a family void (grandparents or grandchildren)and boosts self-esteem. ~ CREATIVE PROGRAMMING: Some fun and interesting recreation programs. The seminar host was Recreation Director for a municipality. Spoke about some programs such as a lawn mower and/or tractor race, roller blading derby and some other fun races. He spoke on using corporate funding by using the 800 phone book and asking for the marketing dept. He was quite successful using this for his roller blading derby. A great tip that is worth trying for specific events. Networking with other communities provide opportunities for better and more programs. Public relations and publicity for the town, making the town visible. Residents love to see positive press about where they live. This was an informative seminar, lots of good ideas and. hints. WHAT IS RISK MANAGEMENT? This seminar focused on several risk management issues: supervision-what is it ~egally?; what is professional and what is an "expert"?; and what h'appens if you get sued. On the playgrounds recreation personnel are the professionals in place and should know what is going on regarding facilities, equipment and those using them. 3 Duties include: 1. Duty to warn and inform participants of possible risks. 2. Offer proper instruction 3. Offer proper supervision 4. Supply proper and safe equipment & facilities 5. Offer post injury care 6. Duty to condition proper~y. There is much~more; copies of duties and~exa~ples of potential risks have been given to Comm~~!ee;members. . - ~ Information regarding injuries must be kept forever!! Four years of injury reports must be available immediately. Even if a parent has signed off his part on an accident, a child can still come back at a later date. This seminar certainly focused on the necessity of well trained staff and safety. THE AM. RED CROSS LIFEGUARDING TRAINING NEW PROGRAM-THE IMPACT ON RECREATION DEPARTMENTS: This was a presentation on the new program changes as well as the impact on Recreation When the State Sanitary Code requires "lifeguard supervision" or a "qualified lifeguard" at a bathing facility, approved lifeguard certifications specific to that aquatic environment is required. All lifeguards are required to possess American Red Cross Basic Life Support for the Professional Rescuer CPR noted in the 1996 CPR fact sheet. All CPR certificates must be renewed annually. Children's camp lifeguards must be at least 17 yrs. of age. Lifeguard training is approx. 33 hours of time invested As of 1996, lifeguards must have a new card showing Lifeguard training and Community First Aid & Safety. 1996 Fact sheets and Code standards have been given to Bernie Reimer, Recreation Direbtor' to Update him on the new standards. Each year brings new rules, regulations and standards. This seminar informed us of these new rules. NEW YORK STATE CHILDREN'S CAMPS-WHAT"S THE RISK? This was an overview of reportable incidents occurring in NY State children's camps. A discussion of the types of 4 ~ ~ ~ i . activities and contributing factors which most frequently resulted camp injury and illnesses. Lyme disease and other serious illnesses can be spread by ticks. This continues to pose a health risk in the state. Focus of this discussion was on training staff and the campers on how to avoid tick bites and how to use repellents safely. . ~ Safety of~facility and equipment was,str~ssed. Also the importance of staff training and supery.-i~.ion; of chi Idren. ~ - MANDATORY DEDICATION-MAKING IT WORK IN YOUR COMMUNITY The process of mandatory dedication was altered in NYS by court decision Bayswater vs. Lewisboro which ruled that planning boards must present findings which show that the influx of population caused by a new subdivision will be due cause to request either parkland or a fee in lieu of parkland. The fee in lieu of land must also be the product of finding that there is a need for parkland, but suitable land does not exist within the proposed subdivision. Parks should be a part of the Town's infrastructure just as roads and sewers. Standards should be developed for parks & recreation just as police, fire, water. there are standards and guidelines for Recreation, Parks and Open spaces: 1. Town should analyze existing parks and open spaces and create a standard. There should be 10.5 acres of developed open space per 1,000 population. 2. NRPA Open Space Standards is an excellent resource for guidelines. 3. Once standards are created they should be adopted by Town's Planning Board. **We should not base fIgures 9n percentage of land in subdivision, but base them on potentia-I population to be served** r PROPOSED WORKSHEET 1. Evaluate current status of Town rec facilities and adopt a standard for parks. ex. 10 acres per 1000 population. 2. Is current parks system adequate to handle growth caused by planned subdivisions? 3. If not, evaluate potential population of proposed 5 subdivision ex: 120 housing units: about 400 persons. 4. Is there suitable parkland proposed to handle growth-at least 4 acres. 5. If land is not suitable, what is the per housing unit fee in lieu of land? Must determine value of an acre of susitable parkland: ex. $15,000 per acre x 4=$60,000i $60,000/120 units = $500 p~r unit. Standard in step 1 & 5 must be predeter~ined & be part of v ' ~ the Town's policy. Thi,s must be reevaluated as conditions change. Monies must be used forcapit~1'expendituresi it cannot be used for operational and maintenance purposes. Very informative seminar. Backup info has been given to Rec Chairman for further study. .~ ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: HOW YOU COMMUNICATE IS IMPORTANT Dementia is not organic and it is not always caused by Alzheimers. Some dementia is caused by thyroid, Vitamin B Deficiencies, strokes etc. Alzheimer's is a slow process whereby the nerve cells do not reproduce and therefore they cannot process information correctly. This seminar explained how to communicate and also how to recognize the signs of Alzheimers. The communicating skills can be easily applied to the many seniors in the Senior Center. This is a very quick overview of some of the workshops and seminars Peg and Kathi attended. The conference was informative, beneficial and very motivating. If any there are any questions or further info needed, please feel free to ask Peggy or Kathi. Peggy Roe Kathi DeLisa - ~a~M 6 \ "