DCOA E*News At-A-Glance
 This past weekend, DCOA's Community Outreach team participated in the District's popular H Street Festival by showcasing a table for DCOA's programs and services to the seniors in the community. The H Street Festival is an annual street festival designed to showcase the unique qualities of the vibrant Washington, DC community. The event is a part of the revitalization strategy to bring attention to the developing arts and entertainment district spanning 10 blocks of H Street NE. This year's festival featured
more than 500 artists and performances on 14 stages plus an array of local,
regional and international cuisine, shopping, arts exhibits, educational
events, seminars and conversations with local entrepreneurs, artists and
community organizations.
 Falls Prevention Week will be observed this week on September 22-25, 2014 to
raise awareness about how to prevent fall-related injuries among older
adults. Check the sites below where you can learn more about staying upright and safe!
September
22, 2014
Ward
1
Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center
3531 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 727-0338
Ward
4
Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center
324 Kennedy Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 291-6170
Ward
5
Model Cities Senior Wellness Center
1901 Evarts Street, NE
Washington, DC 20018
(202) 635-1900
Ward
7
Washington Seniors Wellness Center
3001 Alabama Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20020
(202) 581-9355
Ward
8
Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center
3500 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20032
(202) 563-7225
September
23, 2014
Ward
2
George Washington University Hospital
900 23rd St. NW Washington D.C.
20037
Kenyatta Hazlewood, RN BSN MPH
kenyatta.hazlewood@gwu-hospital.com
(202) 715-4210
Ward
3
Iona Senior Services Satterlee Hall
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church
3001 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 895-9448 or e-mail info@iona.org
September
24, 2014
Ward 6
Hayes Senior Wellness Center
500 K Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 727-0357
*** PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE***
Public is invited to offer input on framework of ADA
transition plan
The District Department of
Transportation (DDOT) will host two meetings to gather input from the public
for DDOT’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan. The plan will
craft a framework for making the District’s public rights of way accessible to
individuals with disabilities by identifying and prioritizing barriers. Public rights
of way typically include sidewalks, pedestrian paths, curb ramps, street
crossings, driveway crossings, crosswalks, median crossings, public transit
stops, and pedestrian-activated signal systems.
The meetings will provide an opportunity for the public to
talk with DDOT and Transition Plan staff about the project, and share input
about barriers to accessibility, and concerns regarding the District’s public
right of way. A short presentation will describe the Transition Plan work and
familiarize attendees with the process. Interactive activities will solicit
input on preferred ways of addressing concerns.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 30, 2014
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Mt. Pleasant Library
3160 16th St., NW
Metrorail: Columbia Heights (Green/Yellow Line)
Metrobus: Visit www.wmata.com
WHEN: Thursday, October 2, 2014
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, Lecture Hall
2616 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE
Metrorail: Anacostia Station (Green Line)
Metrobus: Visit www.wmata.com
Parking: Church parking lot available
The public is invited to attend both meetings. Each
location will follow the same agenda and host the same activities. For more
information about DDOT ADA Transition Plan and meeting updates, visit http://www.adaplanddotdc.com.
For those needing special accommodations or language
assistance services (translation or interpretation), please contact Shelley
Johnson, at 301-424-6133 or shelley@sharpandco.com, 72 hours
in advance of each meeting. These services are provided free of charge.
Society tends to have a negative
perception of aging that is perpetuated through stereotypes; the media
often depicts older adults as “slow” in both physical movement and mental
capacity. An unfortunately large percentage of people tend to think of
aging as a progressive process of loss—of loved ones, memory, flexibility,
hair, etc. However, while age may certainly bring challenges to the body
and brain, it also brings a number of noteworthy benefits such as increased
happiness, better control of emotions and wisdom. Here we take a look at
some misconceptions about aging with the hope of promoting a more positive,
celebratory view of growing older:
1.
Dementia is
an inevitable part of aging. While
it is true that an individual’s physical and mental faculties decline with age,
implementing healthy lifestyle habits can slow down the process. In addition,
dementia and other cognitive conditions are not characteristic of “normal”
aging but the result of the underlying disease.
2.
Aging means
that you will have difficulty learning new skills. In actuality, older adults tend to have high levels of
mental flexibility. For example, the use of Twitter among the ages 50-64 has
doubled since November 2010. Clearly it’s a misconception that older
generations are not able to adapt to technology.
3.
Older
people are lonelier. Despite
the common belief that seniors are lonely, older adults usually have close
contact with family and friends. More often than not it is the younger
generation, rather than older adults, that claims that seniors are lonely.
4.
If you
don’t exercise in your 20s, 30s and 40s, it’s too late to start at age 50 or
older. In a frequently cited study, 50 men
and women with an average age of 87 worked out with weights for 10 weeks and
increased their muscle strength 113 percent. Clearly you can reap the physical
and mental benefits of exercise at any age. Read our blog entry "7 Simple Starters for
Getting Fit and Staying Fit” for tips on starting and maintaining a regular
exercise regimen.
5.
You have no
control over your destiny. According
to a study conducted over a 60-year period and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry ,
"One may have greater personal control over one's biopsychosocial health
after retirement than previously recognized." After studying the lives of
more than 500 people, researchers found that "successful aging" was
largely dependent on seven factors within an individual's control, to a degree:
alcohol use, smoking, marital stability, exercise, body mass index, coping
mechanisms and education.
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DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE
ON AGING
NOTICE
OF SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 MEETING
OF
THE COMMISSION ON AGING
The
Commission on Aging will meet on Wednesday, September 24, 2014, at the Office
on Aging, 500 K Street, N.E. at 10 a.m. The agenda for the meeting will
include:
(1) Call to order and approval of the minutes of the June 25, 2014 retreat of the
Commission on Aging;
(2)
Office on Aging update; and
(3)
committee reports.
This
meeting is open to the public and public comments are invited.
 The Department of Human Resources has the
following position posted for the D.C. Office on Aging: Program Analyst - Vacancy Announcement No. 25985
Visit www.DCHR.dc.gov for a complete description and
details on how to apply.
|
 Che'Mere Jones
Social Work Assistant
ADRC
Che’mere is a student at Washington Adventist University, in
Takoma Park, Maryland. She is majoring in Social Work and Developmental
Psychology and is in her senior year. She was born in the countryside of Huntsville,
Alabama, at the age of ten she moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her
adopted family. She currently is an
assistant for the First Year Experience Program at Washington Adventist
University, as well as an active member and leader of the Black Student Union. Che’mere also works at a retail company where
she is transitioning into a managerial role.
Che’mere has a passion for helping others and advocating for
those in need. As a child she was exposed first-hand to the stress and chaos of
living within the Foster Care System. With this experience came a desire to give
back, assisting those who were in need. Through her internship at DCOA, Che’mere will be gaining new
insight and understanding of the system of home and community-based services
for older adults and people living with disabilities.
|
 Derrick Burke
Contracts Specialist
Office of Contracting and Procurement
Derrick has more than 8 years of experience in government and
commercial contracting working Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) and Booz Allen Hamilton. He is a published author and also volunteers helping at risk youth in District. Derrick enjoys working in the Contracting and Procurement field and looks
forward to having a long lasting career.
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