Mr. Gaymon has receivedhome delivered meals fromIona on and off for quite sometime. He moved into RegencyHouse 15 years ago after living in aboarding house, working as ahandyman. When he had twoheart attacks or needed helpmanaging his diabetes, he receivedthis vital service from Iona. So,when he had a knee replacementsurgery in September of 2011 andlost more than 30 pounds, he onceagain received home deliveredmeals and now a visit from MalikaMoore, the new Iona social workerworking specifically with peoplewho are receiving nutritionalservices from Iona.

When Malika knocked on his dooron a crisp November morning, shewas expecting to see Mr. Gaymon’stwinkling eyes and hear all abouthis weekend. Instead, she saw aman who was exhausted andoverwhelmed by the spiralingcomplications of the challenges of

aging. Mr. Gaymon, who just theweek before had been able to warmhis meals in his microwave,reported that his microwave hadbroken just the week before.Knowing that Mr. Gaymon neededto eat before he took his insulin,Malika asked if he had eatenbreakfast. He hadn’t. When shewent to put a meal in the oven, hesaid that she could see the ovengauge — he couldn’t. Oven on, mealin and hopefully ready soon,Malika sat down beside him to talk.

Malika asked how Mr. Gaymon’sconversation had gone with Iona’snutritionist, Rose Clifford. Rosewill get Mr. Gaymon the EnsurePlus nutritional supplement heneeds to help gain weight and willinvestigate the loss of appetite he isreporting. The loss of muscle massis making it more difficult for himto walk and he told Malika that afew months ago, he had fallen inthe hallway. Malika will check withRose when she gets back to the

Message from the Executive Director

Transportation is Key 2

A Legacy of Love 4

Aging Well 5

Calendar 6

WWW.IONA.ORG

202.895.9448

FA L L 2012

Dear Friends,

This holiday season, I’ve decided topractice Iona’s Consultation, CareManagement and Counseling team’sadvice for emotionally wellbeing,printed on page 5. I am trying to let go of things I can’t control. Everyyear, the demands for Iona’s vitalservices grow and become increas-ingly complicated, as you will readin the front page story about ourneighbor Mr. Gaymon. I try not toworry, knowing that friends andneighbors like you support Iona withyour time and your gifts so that weare able to meet these demandsyear after year. I extend my deep-est gratitude for your generosity.

But I also need to ask for your helpagain this year. We need to widenour circle of people who are con-cerned about older people in ourcity, especially in a time of shrinkinggovernment funding. We need yourvoice, network, energy, time, concernand yes, your generous donation.Come and bring a friend or neigh-bor to meet me and tour Iona, thesecond Wednesday of every month.Become engaged in the importantissues that are facing all of us, suchas transportation, detailed on page2. Increase your annual fund dona-tion and donate items on our wishlist,which will be given directly to peo-ple who are in need this holiday.

I thank you and wish you health andwellbeing.

Need a Headline for this Story

continued on page 3

Mr. Gaymon and Malika Moore

Darryl Simpson arrives atIona at 7:40 am, makes the first ofmany pots of coffee at Iona andbegins his day by welcomingparticipants and family members toIona’s Wellness & Arts Center.Each person who enters the frontdoor is greeted by name and abrilliant smile. No one knows thatbetween the door buzzing, the smalltalk about the weather and thecheery “Good mornings” to staff,supervising the volunteer greetersand processing reams ofadministrative paperwork, thatDarryl is already working outcomplicated transportation issuesfor the day and the rest of the week.

Iona is the place to turn forinformation about transportationfor older people in the area who are“driving dependent,” a technicalterm meaning that they no longerdrive their own vehicle. A call tothe Iona’s Helpline to seektransportation to and from amedical appointment yieldsinformation about the city’sWashington Elderly andHandicapped TransportationService (WEHTS), Metro Accesswhich serves the city, and Marylandand Virginia. WEHTS is at capacitymany days of each month now, andMetro Access can be too expensiveand unpredictable for many riders.Local neighborhood aging-in-community “villages” are pickingup some of the demand, offeringtransportation by volunteer drivers.Iona has been involved in thetechnical training for many villagevolunteers, and have several verydedicated volunteers who drive

members of Iona’s low visionsupport group to and from theirhomes twice a month. Iona is oneof the many locations that sell theSenior Smart Trip Cards for publictransportation and providesapplications and instructions tosign up for Metro Access andWEHTS. In addition, Iona hoststhe AARP driver education series atleast once a year — a session that isalways well attended.

Iona offers our own transportationthanks to Darryl’s management anda rapidly aging Iona bus which seats16 passengers. Once a week, theIona bus begins with pick up ofIona’s exercise participants. About10:30 am each day, the bus makesstops at area apartment buildingsand completes a circuit to areastores. Now that the Glover ParkGiant is closed, it takes participantsfrom Iona’s Active WellnessProgram at St Albans to local storeswithout the hassle multi-bustransfers on public transportation.In addition, Iona has helped agroup of people who live at theFriendship Terrace RetirementCommunity get to and from their

22

Sharon L. Smith PRESIDENT

Debra YogodzinskiVICE PRESIDENT

Rita KillianSECRETARY

Sam KilpatrickTREASURER

Gwendolyn Aqui-BrooksNanci BanksLouis Davis, Jr.Rita KillianSusan LinskyMary Frances McGuinessVanessa SegarsAnn Marshall SchweitzerRobert Todero Jim Williams, MD

Sally S. WhiteEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

www.iona.org

BOARD OF D I R EC TORS

Don't miss the currentexhibition of Artist inResidence Jenne Gloverand Special Guest ArtistDavid Brinkman, nowthrough the beginningof September.

Transportation is Key to Aging in Community

Agnes and Jessica, Jenne Glover

Darryl Simpson and Fran Forman

continued on page 4

33

Cover Story cont’d from page 1

When Jackie McGeehan was hired as Iona’sfull-time art therapist in Iona’s Weinberg Wellness& Arts Center, she already knew that the positionincorporated an exciting new partnership with ThePhillips Collection. Jackie had volunteered at Iona whenshe was a George Washington University art therapymasters student when The Phillips Collection came toIona with an idea that would positively impact the livesof people with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.

“I was excited about stepping into this role as the arttherapist at Iona — and then to know that Iona’sparticipants would benefit from one of the mostamazing art resources in the city: The PhillipsCollection. It has been such a pleasure to work on thisproject with Brooke and her staff,” Jackie says.

Brooke Rosenblatt, Manager of Public Programs andIn-Gallery Interpretation at The Phillips Collection,had initially approached George WashingtonUniversity’s art therapy program faculty with an idea ofworking with people with memory loss. Having placedan art therapy intern at Iona every year for the past fiveyears, the GWU faculty referred her to Iona.

Formally launched in the fall of 2011, the collaborationentails Wellness & Arts Center participants, caregiversand Jackie visiting the Phillips on Mondays every othermonth. At the Phillips and then every other month atIona, Brooke leads a discussion about two or threeparticular pieces of artwork from the collection. Thesediscussions are open ended and focus on what a viewersees and feels in the work, eliciting a personal response

to the piece.“Our mission inthe educationdepartment atthe Phillips is toconnect therelevant ways inwhich artpositively impactsindividuals’lives,” Brookesays. She explainsthat Duncan

Phillips, founder of the museum, understood thehealing power of art. The sudden deaths of both hisfather and his brother caused him to turn his collectioninto a beneficent force in the community in 1921.

After the discussion, Jackie then continues to work with these themes in individual and group art therapyin the Wellness & Arts Center. The program continuesat Iona where individuals create works that reflectthemes identified during the conversations at thePhillips such as peace, movement and loneliness, whichprovide them with additional avenues to communicatetheir responses on a more personal level. Thiscollaborative project has now culminated in its first everexhibition of participant art, on display at The PhillipsCollection from November 1–30.

For more information including exhibit hours, go towww.phillipscollection.org.

caption

office about the delivery of the Ensure, knowing thatMr. Gaymon will need some help getting the case ofthe product put away in his small kitchen.

As they talk more about his medications, it is clear toMalika that Mr. Gaymon needs more from Iona thanjust meals. She asks him about this — does he needsome more help from Iona? The answer is aresounding yes. He is very worried about being aburden to his daughter, who lives across the city. Shehas a chronic and debilitating medical condition of herown, and is caring for a special needs child. “Mydaughter is my heart,” Mr. Gaymon says, his facebrightening for the first time. “If I don’t answer thephone, she’ll come here all the way over here on thebus, she’s that worried about me,” he says.

As Malika leaves, she assures Mr. Gaymon that she’llmake sure that one of her social worker colleagues will start visiting him regularly and make sure he getsthe regular help in the home he clearly needs. Shemakes a mental note about the microwave, glad thatthe staff has put small microwaves on the Iona wish-listfor the holidays.

Then she is off to visit with another five people in thebuilding who are receiving home delivered meals tocheck in with them, knowing that very soon Iona’sintensive assistance will enhance Mr. Gaymon’s healthand safety and marveling at the fact that this will notonly improve the quality of his life, but also the abilityof his daughter to care for herself and her child.

The Phillips Collection and Iona Partner

4

CORPORATE PARTNER S POT L IGHT

Transportation is Key cont’d from page 2weekly swimming sessions at Wilson High School poolevery Monday and local trips are provided eachWednesday for local groups. In a year Iona helps over150 driving dependent people remain in their homes and communities by helping them get to the grocery, pharmacy and just out and about,combating the isolation that comes from living in asociety that is so dependent on the car.

Without adequate transportation, people miss criticalappointments, experience unsafe conditions andbecome increasingly isolated. The DC Senior AdvisoryCoalition, a group of over 20 organizations from thecity co-chaired by Iona’s Executive Director, SallyWhite, and Iona’s Citizens Advisory Coalition havemade transportation one of their priority issues thisyear to improve the lives of older people in the city.This past summer, at a workshop on the subject hostedby Iona, participants learned from advocate MarleneBerlin that pedestrian safety is the first priority inaddressing senior transportation. “The number onealternative to driving for older people in the city iswalking, but unfortunately we don’t have a very safeenvironment for walking,” according to Marlene.

Marlene and a group of concerned citizens are workingwith city leaders and the Department of Transportation

to improve pedestrian safety in Ward 3 by targetingsidewalk gaps that make walking from one point to theother dangerous or even impossible. An example is thesidewalk gap on Albemarle Street between 38th and39th streets, very close to Iona. This is a busy street forcar traffic, a walking route between Connecticut andWisconsin Avenues, and two blocks from a Metro stop,Wilson Senior High School and the public pool.

Given that the fact that 17% of the city’s population is now over 60, a percentage that will continue to growin the next decade, addressing a growing demand formedical and grocery transport and creating walkableneighborhoods will help people live as independently,safely and inexpensively within the community for aslong as possible. If you are interested in advocating for more and better transportation options for peoplewho are driving dependent, or participating in thepedestrian safety initiatives that affect our entirecommunity, please call Lylie Fisher, Director ofCommunity Engagement at Iona at (202) 895-9425. Ifyou would like to support Iona’s transportation serviceswith a financial donation, please call Meg Artley,Director of Development at (202) 895-9401.

If you need help with transportation, please call Iona’sHelpline (202) 895-9448 [option4].

When my mother began exhibiting signsof dementia, my father assured me that he wouldbe able to take care of her at home. A family member(in particular, a spouse) who serves as a caregiver isnot uncommon and my dad seemed up to thechallenge. But when I started noticing changes —mom and dad’s phone service was cut off, the foodin their refrigerator was spoiling — I knew it was timeto explore other options for both of them.

In order to truly understand what adult children andfamily members are going through, it is necessary tohave first-hand experience as I do. I am proud tohave been able to safely and appropriately place myparents in an assisted living facility that best mettheir needs, and I know that Forest Side’s family

members feel the same.

At Forest Side Assisted Living a specialized care teamprovides a supportive and safe environment for individualswith Alzheimer’s and dementia.Call (202) 696-1923.

Emotional wellbeing is asimportant as physical health aswe age. Maintaining emotionalhealth requires the sameintentional work and discipline webring to an exercise and nutritionalregimen that keeps our bodiesactive and healthy. Compiledbelow is a “how to” age well —emotionally — gleaned from yearsof wisdom from the people weserve and those who serve with usas volunteers:

Let Go: If possible, try to limitworrying about the future andregretting the past — things thatyou have no control over. Instead,focus more on the presentmoment. A technique that somepeople have employed to releaseanxiety about things outside oftheir control is to write theirconcerns down and put themphysically in a box, giving up theircares to a higher power or to theuniverse.

Explore: Pursue your intereststhrough study, hobbies and othermeaningful activities that arechallenging, enjoyable and/orcreative. The old saying “you can’tteach old dogs new tricks,” is one

of the biggest fallacies of aging.Research by Dr. Gene Cohenproved that older adults are moreopen to new ideas as they growolder, and there are tremendousphysical health benefits fromcontinuing to be creatively engagedas you age.

Widen the circle: Stay sociallyactive with people whose companyyou enjoy and seek out ways tomeet new people in new settings.Programs like Iona’s ActiveWellness program at St. Alban’soffer good opportunities to widena social circle, as do book clubs,new aging-in-community “village”gatherings, and the multitude ofvolunteer opportunities throughnon-profit organizations in the city.

Give back: An important part ofsuccessful aging is feeling asthough you have left yourcommunity better off because ofyour unique gifts. Even people whocan no longer get out of theirhomes to volunteer at anorganization can practicecompassion and kindness andshare their wisdom through notes,letters and phone calls.

Ask for help: Know your limitsand reach out to family, friends,neighbors and communityresources for guidance and supportwhen you need it. Iona offerssupport groups for people withParkinson’s, those who areexperiencing low vision or caringfor a family member who isexperiencing the challenges ofaging.

Practice gratitude: Feeling andexpressing appreciation for people,health and other things that areimportant to you will help you letgo, explore, widen your circle and

give back. Many people Iona hasserved have kept a gratitudejournal to help them in thisdiscipline — now there is even anapp for your smart phone thatallows you to chronicle the goodthings in your life. Spending timeeach day being thankful can giveyou a perspective on the challengesyou might face.

If you are interested in finding outhow to navigate a change andmaintain a positive outlook on life,or learn more about youremotional wellbeing, Iona’sconsultation services can help.Issues like the emotional readinessfor retirement after a long andsuccessful career, or how tomaintain a lifestyle of volunteeringif driving a vehicle is no longer anoption, or ways to widen a circle offriends after close friends havemoved away, can be discussed andplanned. An ounce of planning is apound of prevention when itcomes to emotional wellbeing aswe age.

And just as occasionally we see adoctor when we feel physicallyunwell, aging well emotionallymeans seeking guidance when weare feeling emotionally unwell. Ifyou find yourself feeling depressedor anxious; having difficultydealing with a medical conditionor navigating uncharted anddifficult territory with grief of loss,you may want to consider visitingIona, one of the few practices inthe region that takes Medicare andspecializes in working with olderadults and caregivers.

Practicing gratitude – there’s an app for that.

15

Aging Well in Mind, Spirit, and Body

November 19, November 26, December 3Living with Early Stage Alzheimer’s for CaregiversLiving with Alzheimer’s for People with Alzheimer’sIona and the Alzheimer’s Association partner to provide two new educational series. Both groups meet simultaneously. Registration is required.6-7:30 pm

Iona Offers Aging in Place and Community Seminars At Live and Learn Bethesda

4805 Edgemoor Lane, 2nd Floor(301) 740-6150

November 28, 2012How to be an Effective Caregiver1:30-3 pm

November 30 Health and Wellness11 am-12:30 pmFREE Light Lunch provided by Live and Learn Bethesda

Stay in ChargeFor more information call (301) 740-6150.1:30-3 pm

December 8, 2012Holiday Gift Shopping, featuring Iona’s past and present senior artists in residence who are selling theirart, prints, notecards, jewelry and more.10 am-2 pm

December 9, 2012Booksigning with Jean D. Moody-Williams, author ofTransitions, Trust and Triumph2-3 pm

4125 Albemarle Street, NW Washington, DC 20016-2105

TEL 202.895.9448 [select option 4]TTY 202.895.9444

www.iona.org

United Way #8833CFC #52489

EVENTS FALL/WINTER 2012Call 202-895-9448 [select option 4] for more information and to register for:

Part of the Senior Service Network Supported by the D.C. Office on AgingPart of the Senior Service Network Supported by the D.C. Office on Aging

Iona’s Holiday Wish List 5 Kenmore table top microwaves, .7 cubicfeet, 17 inches for clients who are receivinghome delivered meals.

Chocolate, strawberry and/or vanilla EnsurePlus or a donation of $22.50 towards the purchase price of a case of Ensure Plus fromIona’s supplier.

$25 Safeway or Giant grocery cards

Call (202) 895-9416 to arrange donations.

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