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Caring for Our Community
Ms. K was a weekly regular at the Van Ness branch of Chevy Chase Bank, stopping in to deposit a check, make a small withdrawal, or just sit in the lobby sipping coffee and chatting with the staff. Last spring, when Ms. K didn’t appear for several weeks, the bank employees became concerned. Worried, branch manager Austin Isemann phoned her at home to check on her, putting their relationship on a new footing that would change both their lives.
Deb Rubenstein, Iona’s Director of Elder Care Services, comments “We depend on caring people like Mr. Isemann to reach out to seniors who might be vulnerable. These relationships benefit not only the senior but those who open their hearts and take the time to see how they might help.”
When Isemann phoned Ms. K, she insisted that she was all right. “But I suspected she wasn’t. There was just something about the tone of her voice that seemed different,” he says. Indeed, Ms. K had fallen and wasn’t doing too well at home. Isemann’s pastor suggested that he contact Iona Senior Services. At the mention of Iona, a bell went off: “In several conversations, Ms. K had mentioned that Iona had called her, trying to schedule an appointment. I had thought Iona was a female friend!” he says. In contacting Iona, Isemann learned that Ms. K already had a social worker, Lisa Rindner, who had been consistently calling and trying to visit.
“Lisa was a breath of fresh air and sunshine,” Isemann says. “She and Ms. K connected immediately.” By building trust, Lisa was able to talk to Ms. K about the future and even got Ms. K to submit to her first medical examination in many years. When Ms. K decided to move out of her apartment into an assisted living residence, cleaning out more than forty years of accumulation in her small apartment preparing Ms. K for the move required Lisa’s professional and compassionate expertise. Lisa evaluated what Ms. K would need in a new living situation so that she would have the quality of her life improved, and Lisa researched and visited each place with her.
Mr. Iseman, the professional and caring staff at Iona and people who support Iona through their charitable giving embody the spirit that led to Iona’s founding more than 33 years ago. Compassion, respect for the individual and a genuine sense of friendship keeps our community thriving and beautiful.
You make a difference – to your neighbors and to our community.
To make a gift to Iona or for more information, please contact:
Meg Artley
Director of Development
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202-895-9401
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"Making a legacy gift to benefit Iona was an easy decisiion for us. We couldn't think of a better way to show our commitment."
Jim and Minna Nathanson
Volunteer
Thank you for your support of one of Washington’s best small charities! Your donation to Iona makes a difference to your neighbors, their families and our whole community.
Just consider that it just takes $100 to deliver excellent, compassionate one-on-one counseling to a senior who is all alone and vulnerable because of illness, disability or grief. That one hour of counseling is the difference between a life that continues to be lived in independence, or a life lived in unnecessary and expensive institutionalization.
Your $1,000 gift means the world to a family facing the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. Your contribution to Iona helps them receive case management, support groups and participation in Iona’s award winning Adult Day Health, Wellness and Arts Center. Their loved one receives person-centered care during the day with exercise, art therapy, fellowship and stimulation while they receive a much needed respite from the responsibilities of caregiving.
The Voice (Spring 2009)
The Voice (November 2008)
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