City of San Diego Retired Employees Association
March Meeting Minutes by Treasurer Brad Jacobsen
Vice-President for Advocacy Ramiro Gonzalez informed attendees that REA will be conducting an online survey about programs and lunches. It will only be four questions and will take very little time to complete.
Natasha Collura of SDCERS reported that the SDCERS call center has been very busy and they are working on improving the wait time. She also reported that the SDCERS Scoop newsletter is transitioning to an electronic/email format. Members who wish to continue receiving a hard copy should contact SDCERS.
PROGRAM
The program was Jonathan Schwartz, founder of Partners in Aging. He began his presentation with a history of how and why life expectancy increased through history. He presented some challenges to aging, primarily loneliness and personal safety.
He then informed members of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help seniors remain independent and able to stay in their homes. Wearable devices such as FitBit can record health metrics and transmit them to a physician’s office. Robots can do some simple housekeeping tasks and some can provide social support. Devices such as Alexa can remind seniors when to take their meds. And telemedicine along with personal wearable devices can provide “virtual” in-home medical care.