Awards presented at AAA7 Annual Appreciation Brunch
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Giving thanks. That was commonplace at this year’s Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) Annual Appreciation Brunch, which was recently held at the Southern Ohio Medical Center Friends Center in Portsmouth.
During the special event, several individuals and groups throughout the Agency’s 10-county district were recognized for their service and dedication to not only the Agency as a whole, but more importantly, the communities and seniors served by the Agency. The Area Agency on Aging District 7 serves the following counties: Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton.
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Special awards that were presented at the event to individuals or groups included:
William A. Jenkins Award (Outstanding Contributor to Our Southern Ohio Aging Network):
This year’s Area Agency on Aging District 7 “William A. Jenkins Award” was presented to Bertha Scowden of the Pike County Senior Center/Community Action Committee (CAC) of Pike County. The AAA7 presents the award annually to an outstanding contributor to the southern Ohio aging network. The announcement of the recipient of the award is kept secret until the day of the Appreciation Brunch. The award is named in memory of William A. Jenkins, a native of Gallia County, who helped build the aging network in southern Ohio through the Area Agency on Aging District 7.
Scowden, who has been with the CAC of Pike County for the past 39 years, has been an individual the AAA7 has enjoyed working with for many years through her role at the Senior Center.
During the award presentation, Pam Matura, Executive Director of the AAA7, acknowledged Scowden for her many years of dedicated service to the aging network and seniors in Pike County. In addition to a special award from the AAA7, Scowden also received special commendations from Ohio Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger and Ohio State Senators Bob Peterson and Joe Uecker.
Lifetime Achievement Award:
This year, the AAA7 presented a special “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Janet Miller, Staff Accountant for Payroll at the Area Agency on Aging District 7. This special award was a first for the Agency, as it has not been presented before.
Miller, who will retire September 2016 after over 36 years at the AAA7, began at the Agency as a bookkeeper in February of 1980. During her employment, Miller has been involved in many Agency committees and has been very active with the local United Way chapter and American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
During the award presentation, Pam Matura, Executive Director of the AAA7, commended Miller for her many years of service to the Agency and noted that she will be the first to retire from the AAA7 with the number of years of service she accomplished. Miller also received special commendations from Ohio State Senators Bob Peterson and Joe Uecker and State Representative Ryan Smith.
Community Partnership of the Year Award
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 “Community Partnership of the Year Award” was presented to the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Chillicothe and National Church Residences’ Heritage Day Adult Day Care Center. Both facilities teamed with the Ohio Department of Aging and the Area Agency on Aging District 7 Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Department in a coordinated statewide approach to provide Music and Memory(SM) to Ohio’s Veterans, their caregivers, and others with cognitive impairment in home and community-based settings. Music and Memory(SM) is an innovative approach to care developed by New York social worker Dan Cohen that uses personalized playlists on digital music players to help people with dementia and other chronic conditions focus and reconnect with the world around them.
Nationally, the primary focus has been on implementing Music and Memory(SM) in nursing homes and other care facilities; however, Ohio’s effort has been the first effort of its kind in this country to make the program available to individuals and families in home and community-based settings.
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Shawnee State University’s Master of Occupational Therapy students, and the Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Program through the Chillicothe VA Medical Center provided on-site Music and Memory(SM) training for the staff of the Chillicothe VA Medical Center and Heritage Adult Day Care Center to enable the facilities to implement this program with their clients. Since the implementation of this grant program, the Chillicothe VA Medical Center has placed iPods and individualized playlists into the hands of 21 veterans, and Heritage Adult Day Care Center has provided this specialized approach to 20 individuals. Both agencies are continuing to work with these individuals and adding participants to the program.
The Ohio Department of Aging and the Area Agency on Aging District 7 is proud of this collective effort to improve the quality of care for all Ohioans, regardless of where they call home. Music and Memory(SM) has been shown to help individuals feel happier and more social, build stronger relationships between caregivers and care recipients, and may reduce the use of antipsychotic medications.
Educational Partnership of the Year Award:
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 “Educational Partnership Award” was presented to Christine Raber, Ph.D., professor with the Master of Occupational Therapy Program at Shawnee State University. The award is presented to an individual or group who understands the importance of continued learning surrounding home and community-based care in the lives of students who are working toward careers that support initiatives in this realm.
This past year, Dr. Raber and Shawnee State University’s Master of Occupational Therapy Students teamed with the AAA7 to bring Music and Memory(SM) into the lives of nursing home residents as well the lives of veterans and adult day care clients. Dr. Raber and her students worked with the AAA7 to provide on-site Music and Memory(SM) training to the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center staff as well as to the staff of Heritage Adult Day Care Center in Chillicothe. After the trainings were completed, Shawnee State OT Masters students worked one-on-one with veterans and adult day care recipients by interviewing them to identify their individual playlists, purchasing the music for them on iTunes and downloading the music onto the participants’ iPods. Dr. Raber and her students provided 374 hours of volunteer service or $8,700 of in-kind contribution.
In addition, Dr. Raber and her students have worked with the AAA7 on numerous projects through the years, including the Senior Home Information Project (SHIP) in Ross And Scioto Counties; the Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program’s Person-Centered Care Project; the showing of the Music and Memory(SM) documentary, “Alive Inside” at Shawnee State University; and having students trained as community coaches with the AAA7’s Matter of Balance Falls Management Program.
Caregiver of the Year Award:
The Caregiver of the Year Award was presented to Luronda Thacker of Vinton County.
Informal caregivers are those unpaid individuals such as a spouse, partner, family member, friend or neighbor who are involved in assisting others with activities of daily living or medical tasks. Sixty-five million caregivers make up 29 percent of the adult population providing this care in the United States.
A Gallup survey in November 2012 found 72 percent of caregivers were caring for a parent, step-parent, mother-in-law or father-in-law, with 50 percent of these caregivers being employed full-time. Working caregivers often must rearrange their work schedules, decrease their work hours or take unpaid leave to care for their loved ones.
The Caregiver Support Program at the Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) was created in 2001 through Older Americans Act funding to assist informal caregivers with information about caring for themselves and their loved ones, providing respite services and linking caregivers to other needed services.
Legislator of the Year Award:
The Legislator of the Year Award was presented to State Representative Doug Green, who represents Brown and Clinton counties in Ohio.
Through the Older Americans Act legislation, the Area Agency on Aging District 7 is charged with advocating for older adults and programs that help them live safely and independently in their communities for as long as possible. Educating legislators about important programs and the impact they have on our older population is important in order to ensure proper funding is available to run the programs successfully and make them available to the populations who need them.
Adult Protective Services is a program that helps vulnerable adults age 60 and older who are in danger of harm, are unable to protect themselves, and may have no one to assist them. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services supervises the state’s Adult Protective Services program with county departments of Job and Family Services receiving and investigating reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults and evaluating the need for protective services. Last year, the AAA7, along with the Ohio Association for Area Agencies on Aging (o4a), conducted advocacy requesting increased funding in the state budget for this important service throughout all of Ohio’s 88 counties.
State Representative Doug Green was one legislator who stepped up to support an amendment to increase the funding for Adult Protective Services. Although the final budget did not include the increased funding as requested, it did provide additional funding for this important service, and the AAA7 applauded Representative Green for his leadership, foresight and awareness of the needs of seniors in our area.
Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Volunteers:
Ronda Bivens, Carol Carter, Lynsi Eason, Beverly Flowers, Betty Gilpan, Sharon Hallam, Jeannette Hayburn, Rachel Inlow, Dena Morris, Debra Neal, Maryellen Pratt, Lavon Shields, Donna Thompson and Karen Vlaskamp were recognized.
Wellness Coach Volunteers:
Cher Bellar, Judy Bright, Libby Brisker, Daniel Charlebois, Etta Charlebois, Debbie Dailey, Ashley Daniels, Don Davis, Brittany Farley, Cindy Goodman, April Greer, Sue Jackson, Kim Johnston, Tami Jolly, Shelley Lyons, Dee Meddock, Terri Pearson, Dawn Richards, Ashley Salyers, Cathy Shipley, Patty Snyder, Elizabeth Welch and Sandra Williams were recognized.
Art Show and Essay/Poetry Contest Volunteers:
Joan Arrowood, Shelia Arrowood, Rita Baker, Kathy Bays, Bill Bond, Connie Bond, Jane Bragg, Alice Chinn, Jack Chinn, Dennis Crabtree, Penny Crabtree, Diana Evans, Doris Evans, Phyllis Fulk, Bonnie Harris, Joyce Haag, Jeri Ingles, Mary Maxson, Rushie McAllister, Calvin Minnis, Maudine Minnis, Carolee Lewis, Bob Powell, Vickie Powell, Joan Shasteen, Nancy Shaw, Lavon Shields, Irena Skaggs, Jim Skaggs, David Summers and Don Swisher were recognized.
Also recognized were winners at this year’s Art Show, including: Pat Parsons of Gallia County – “Victor Potts Best of Show Award” in the Amateur Category; Mary Jo Copeland of Highland County – “Victor Potts Best of Show Award” in the Professional Category; Jo Ann White of Adams County - “Mary Peck Friend of Animals Award”; Dennis Crabtree of Jackson County – “People’s Choice Award” – R. Eugene Wallace of Ross County for “Best Overall Essay”; and Dorothy Strickland of Scioto County for “Best Overall Poem.”
Outstanding Seniors (As Selected by Each County Senior Center):
Adams County – Bobbi Kitchen; Highland County – Sara Burnett; Jackson County – Anna Mae Evans; Lawrence County (Ironton Senior Center) – Gregory L. King; Lawrence County (Sybene-Chesapeake Senior Center) – Ralph Kelley; Pike County – Logan and Kathryn Pendleton; and Ross County – Fred Saunders.
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 was pleased to host another successful Appreciation Brunch to extend its thankfulness and appreciation to all the individuals and groups who make the district so special.
Your local Area Agency on Aging District 7, Inc. provides services on a non-discriminatory basis in ten counties in Southern Ohio including Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton. These services are available to help older adults and those with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes through services paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, other federal and state resources, as well as private pay. The AAA7’s Resource Center is also available to anyone in the community looking for information or assistance with long-term care options. Available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., the Resource Center is a valuable contact for learning more about options and what programs and services are available for assistance.
Those interested in learning more can call toll-free at 1-800-582-7277 (TTY: 711). Here, individuals can speak directly with a nurse or social worker who will assist them with information surrounding the programs and services that are available to best serve their needs. The Agency also offers an in-home assessment at no cost for those who are interested in learning more. Information is also available on www.aaa7.org, or the Agency can be contacted through e-mail at info@aaa7.org. The Agency also has a Facebook page located at www.facebook.com/AreaAgencyOnAgingDistrict7.
During the special event, several individuals and groups throughout the Agency’s 10-county district were recognized for their service and dedication to not only the Agency as a whole, but more importantly, the communities and seniors served by the Agency. The Area Agency on Aging District 7 serves the following counties: Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton.
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Special awards that were presented at the event to individuals or groups included:
William A. Jenkins Award (Outstanding Contributor to Our Southern Ohio Aging Network):
This year’s Area Agency on Aging District 7 “William A. Jenkins Award” was presented to Bertha Scowden of the Pike County Senior Center/Community Action Committee (CAC) of Pike County. The AAA7 presents the award annually to an outstanding contributor to the southern Ohio aging network. The announcement of the recipient of the award is kept secret until the day of the Appreciation Brunch. The award is named in memory of William A. Jenkins, a native of Gallia County, who helped build the aging network in southern Ohio through the Area Agency on Aging District 7.
Scowden, who has been with the CAC of Pike County for the past 39 years, has been an individual the AAA7 has enjoyed working with for many years through her role at the Senior Center.
During the award presentation, Pam Matura, Executive Director of the AAA7, acknowledged Scowden for her many years of dedicated service to the aging network and seniors in Pike County. In addition to a special award from the AAA7, Scowden also received special commendations from Ohio Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger and Ohio State Senators Bob Peterson and Joe Uecker.
Lifetime Achievement Award:
This year, the AAA7 presented a special “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Janet Miller, Staff Accountant for Payroll at the Area Agency on Aging District 7. This special award was a first for the Agency, as it has not been presented before.
Miller, who will retire September 2016 after over 36 years at the AAA7, began at the Agency as a bookkeeper in February of 1980. During her employment, Miller has been involved in many Agency committees and has been very active with the local United Way chapter and American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
During the award presentation, Pam Matura, Executive Director of the AAA7, commended Miller for her many years of service to the Agency and noted that she will be the first to retire from the AAA7 with the number of years of service she accomplished. Miller also received special commendations from Ohio State Senators Bob Peterson and Joe Uecker and State Representative Ryan Smith.
Community Partnership of the Year Award
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 “Community Partnership of the Year Award” was presented to the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Chillicothe and National Church Residences’ Heritage Day Adult Day Care Center. Both facilities teamed with the Ohio Department of Aging and the Area Agency on Aging District 7 Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Department in a coordinated statewide approach to provide Music and Memory(SM) to Ohio’s Veterans, their caregivers, and others with cognitive impairment in home and community-based settings. Music and Memory(SM) is an innovative approach to care developed by New York social worker Dan Cohen that uses personalized playlists on digital music players to help people with dementia and other chronic conditions focus and reconnect with the world around them.
Nationally, the primary focus has been on implementing Music and Memory(SM) in nursing homes and other care facilities; however, Ohio’s effort has been the first effort of its kind in this country to make the program available to individuals and families in home and community-based settings.
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Shawnee State University’s Master of Occupational Therapy students, and the Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Program through the Chillicothe VA Medical Center provided on-site Music and Memory(SM) training for the staff of the Chillicothe VA Medical Center and Heritage Adult Day Care Center to enable the facilities to implement this program with their clients. Since the implementation of this grant program, the Chillicothe VA Medical Center has placed iPods and individualized playlists into the hands of 21 veterans, and Heritage Adult Day Care Center has provided this specialized approach to 20 individuals. Both agencies are continuing to work with these individuals and adding participants to the program.
The Ohio Department of Aging and the Area Agency on Aging District 7 is proud of this collective effort to improve the quality of care for all Ohioans, regardless of where they call home. Music and Memory(SM) has been shown to help individuals feel happier and more social, build stronger relationships between caregivers and care recipients, and may reduce the use of antipsychotic medications.
Educational Partnership of the Year Award:
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 “Educational Partnership Award” was presented to Christine Raber, Ph.D., professor with the Master of Occupational Therapy Program at Shawnee State University. The award is presented to an individual or group who understands the importance of continued learning surrounding home and community-based care in the lives of students who are working toward careers that support initiatives in this realm.
This past year, Dr. Raber and Shawnee State University’s Master of Occupational Therapy Students teamed with the AAA7 to bring Music and Memory(SM) into the lives of nursing home residents as well the lives of veterans and adult day care clients. Dr. Raber and her students worked with the AAA7 to provide on-site Music and Memory(SM) training to the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center staff as well as to the staff of Heritage Adult Day Care Center in Chillicothe. After the trainings were completed, Shawnee State OT Masters students worked one-on-one with veterans and adult day care recipients by interviewing them to identify their individual playlists, purchasing the music for them on iTunes and downloading the music onto the participants’ iPods. Dr. Raber and her students provided 374 hours of volunteer service or $8,700 of in-kind contribution.
In addition, Dr. Raber and her students have worked with the AAA7 on numerous projects through the years, including the Senior Home Information Project (SHIP) in Ross And Scioto Counties; the Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program’s Person-Centered Care Project; the showing of the Music and Memory(SM) documentary, “Alive Inside” at Shawnee State University; and having students trained as community coaches with the AAA7’s Matter of Balance Falls Management Program.
Caregiver of the Year Award:
The Caregiver of the Year Award was presented to Luronda Thacker of Vinton County.
Informal caregivers are those unpaid individuals such as a spouse, partner, family member, friend or neighbor who are involved in assisting others with activities of daily living or medical tasks. Sixty-five million caregivers make up 29 percent of the adult population providing this care in the United States.
A Gallup survey in November 2012 found 72 percent of caregivers were caring for a parent, step-parent, mother-in-law or father-in-law, with 50 percent of these caregivers being employed full-time. Working caregivers often must rearrange their work schedules, decrease their work hours or take unpaid leave to care for their loved ones.
The Caregiver Support Program at the Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) was created in 2001 through Older Americans Act funding to assist informal caregivers with information about caring for themselves and their loved ones, providing respite services and linking caregivers to other needed services.
Legislator of the Year Award:
The Legislator of the Year Award was presented to State Representative Doug Green, who represents Brown and Clinton counties in Ohio.
Through the Older Americans Act legislation, the Area Agency on Aging District 7 is charged with advocating for older adults and programs that help them live safely and independently in their communities for as long as possible. Educating legislators about important programs and the impact they have on our older population is important in order to ensure proper funding is available to run the programs successfully and make them available to the populations who need them.
Adult Protective Services is a program that helps vulnerable adults age 60 and older who are in danger of harm, are unable to protect themselves, and may have no one to assist them. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services supervises the state’s Adult Protective Services program with county departments of Job and Family Services receiving and investigating reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults and evaluating the need for protective services. Last year, the AAA7, along with the Ohio Association for Area Agencies on Aging (o4a), conducted advocacy requesting increased funding in the state budget for this important service throughout all of Ohio’s 88 counties.
State Representative Doug Green was one legislator who stepped up to support an amendment to increase the funding for Adult Protective Services. Although the final budget did not include the increased funding as requested, it did provide additional funding for this important service, and the AAA7 applauded Representative Green for his leadership, foresight and awareness of the needs of seniors in our area.
Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Volunteers:
Ronda Bivens, Carol Carter, Lynsi Eason, Beverly Flowers, Betty Gilpan, Sharon Hallam, Jeannette Hayburn, Rachel Inlow, Dena Morris, Debra Neal, Maryellen Pratt, Lavon Shields, Donna Thompson and Karen Vlaskamp were recognized.
Wellness Coach Volunteers:
Cher Bellar, Judy Bright, Libby Brisker, Daniel Charlebois, Etta Charlebois, Debbie Dailey, Ashley Daniels, Don Davis, Brittany Farley, Cindy Goodman, April Greer, Sue Jackson, Kim Johnston, Tami Jolly, Shelley Lyons, Dee Meddock, Terri Pearson, Dawn Richards, Ashley Salyers, Cathy Shipley, Patty Snyder, Elizabeth Welch and Sandra Williams were recognized.
Art Show and Essay/Poetry Contest Volunteers:
Joan Arrowood, Shelia Arrowood, Rita Baker, Kathy Bays, Bill Bond, Connie Bond, Jane Bragg, Alice Chinn, Jack Chinn, Dennis Crabtree, Penny Crabtree, Diana Evans, Doris Evans, Phyllis Fulk, Bonnie Harris, Joyce Haag, Jeri Ingles, Mary Maxson, Rushie McAllister, Calvin Minnis, Maudine Minnis, Carolee Lewis, Bob Powell, Vickie Powell, Joan Shasteen, Nancy Shaw, Lavon Shields, Irena Skaggs, Jim Skaggs, David Summers and Don Swisher were recognized.
Also recognized were winners at this year’s Art Show, including: Pat Parsons of Gallia County – “Victor Potts Best of Show Award” in the Amateur Category; Mary Jo Copeland of Highland County – “Victor Potts Best of Show Award” in the Professional Category; Jo Ann White of Adams County - “Mary Peck Friend of Animals Award”; Dennis Crabtree of Jackson County – “People’s Choice Award” – R. Eugene Wallace of Ross County for “Best Overall Essay”; and Dorothy Strickland of Scioto County for “Best Overall Poem.”
Outstanding Seniors (As Selected by Each County Senior Center):
Adams County – Bobbi Kitchen; Highland County – Sara Burnett; Jackson County – Anna Mae Evans; Lawrence County (Ironton Senior Center) – Gregory L. King; Lawrence County (Sybene-Chesapeake Senior Center) – Ralph Kelley; Pike County – Logan and Kathryn Pendleton; and Ross County – Fred Saunders.
The Area Agency on Aging District 7 was pleased to host another successful Appreciation Brunch to extend its thankfulness and appreciation to all the individuals and groups who make the district so special.
Your local Area Agency on Aging District 7, Inc. provides services on a non-discriminatory basis in ten counties in Southern Ohio including Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton. These services are available to help older adults and those with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes through services paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, other federal and state resources, as well as private pay. The AAA7’s Resource Center is also available to anyone in the community looking for information or assistance with long-term care options. Available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., the Resource Center is a valuable contact for learning more about options and what programs and services are available for assistance.
Those interested in learning more can call toll-free at 1-800-582-7277 (TTY: 711). Here, individuals can speak directly with a nurse or social worker who will assist them with information surrounding the programs and services that are available to best serve their needs. The Agency also offers an in-home assessment at no cost for those who are interested in learning more. Information is also available on www.aaa7.org, or the Agency can be contacted through e-mail at info@aaa7.org. The Agency also has a Facebook page located at www.facebook.com/AreaAgencyOnAgingDistrict7.