Superintendent's Report

 

Ballston Spa School District Superintendent Dr. Gianleo Duca was our speaker on Thursday. 

He started by describing the expanding construction trades program, which among other things builds "tiny houses" behind the high school. When completed they are moved and donated to area veterans.

The physical education program is changing, with students choosing "strands" such as lifetime sports or fitness. 

Musical productions included Beetlejuice Jr. in February, and Catch Me If You Can is coming up March.

Problem areas include mental health issues, homelessness, food insecurity, and absenteeism, all of which the district is trying to address.

Ballston Spa is planning to buy its first electric school bus, as mandated by the state. "I'm OK being late to the party," he said of the vehicles, which cost about $480,000 each.

Zim Smith Trail

 

We detoured for one meeting to the Round Lake Fire House, where Steve Haydon spoke about the Zim Smith Trail in south-central Saratoga County. In Malta, the trail extends from Round Lake northwest through the Shenantaha Park.

It also goes well beyond Malta, with the most recent extensions to Mechanicville in the east, and northwest to Ballston Spa. Cynthia Young confirmed plans at the county level to extend the trail north to Saratoga Springs, and possibly at some point beyond that.

Steve mentioned sights to be seen including a golf course and train depot near Mechanicville, a turtle crossing, the Ushers Road loop through a patch of state forest, and, in Malta, benches donated and installed by our club.

This week we return to our regular meeting site at The Ugly Rooster diner.

Concerns about long-term care

 

At the center of this photo on Thursday were our speakers, Lynn and Peter Young (not to be confused with Doug and Cynthia Young on left; the two couples are not related to each other). 

Lynne and Peter recently retired from careers in senior care, at places including The Eddy in Troy and the New York State Department of Health. They recommended planning for old age, eg having a health-care proxy, making your directions clear, and considering purchase of long-term care insurance.

 Hospice care, said Peter, "is dramatically under-utilized in the US," while some people find themselves receiving "aggressive care" in hospitals which they may not want. At the state policy level, staffing levels are "extremely low" in nursing homes, while reimbursement rates (eg for Medicaid) are also "extremely low," and the two problems are connected.

They recommended websites for research including www.medicare.gov/care-compare/ .

RIP Paul Perreault

 

Paul Perreault, who is seen at the center of this photo taken at our meeting last November 21, was an outstanding Rotarian and a friend to most of us. We mourn his recent death at the age of 82 and send condolences to his family. Paul exemplified the ideal of a gentleman and a scholar. His obituary, along with information about calling hours, can be found here. At this morning's meeting, we named our annual scholarship in his honor.

Also this morning, Town Supervisor Cynthia Young discussed water districts, police funding, and a "budget crunch." She said a pedestrian crossing will be constructed across Route 9 from Town Hall to Ellsworth Commons.

Last week, our speaker was Joyce Crawford, RN, manager of clinical operations for The Community Hospice in Saratoga, Washington and eastern Montgomery counties.  

Not all patients die in hospice, she said. Some recover and "graduate" from the program, which is mostly funded by Medicare and free of charge. Some younger patients are covered by private insurance. Most are at home or in a nursing home. She also mentioned Mary's Haven and The Gateway House of Peace, two small local facilities where patients are usually in their last months of life. While hospice is professionally run with doctors, nurses, aides and social workers, it is also supported by volunteers, along with private donations which fund "extras" such as massage.