We began the new year at Iona Senior Services by hosting our first Memory Café of 2024. The evening provides only a handful of times during the year for people with memory loss and their loved ones to unwind together in a judgement-free, fun, and supportive environment with good food, live entertainment, and a welcoming community. On that night, one of our family caregivers requested the song Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. He and his wife began slowly dancing to the lyrics “They asked me how I knew my true love was true oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, I, of course replied, ‘Something here inside cannot be denied.’”   

That special moment reminds us today that while there are undoubtedly complex challenges caused by aging with and caring for people with memory loss, love gives us the power to transcend our obstacles.  

As CEO, I often reflect on the deep sense of privilege that comes with the work of advancing Iona’s mission which contributes to the dignity of our aging community. I’ve felt a special connection to our work during the past two years as I have been able to support my mother as she cared for her mother with aphasia, mild dementia, and ultimately, my grandmother’s end-of-life journey, and the grief process that followed.  

Thousands of unique and important experiences are happening in our community every day. At Iona, we remain focused on the vision of a society where everyone’s basic needs throughout their aging journey are met and those who are vulnerable and living in the margins of society have the support they need. 

As the new senior service Lead Agency in Ward 2 and continuing Lead Agency in Ward 3 designated by the DC Department on Aging and Community Living (DACL), we’ve expanded our service delivery model first piloted at the Regency House over a year ago to four additional low-income senior housing facilities in Ward 2. They represent a diverse community of over 500 older adults with an average annual income of less than $15,000. We’ve incorporated community dining, resource navigation by licensed social workers, and added health and wellness programs to address their food insecurity and isolation. Since the expansion of our programs in October 2023, Iona has served more than 12,000 meals in just three months to hundreds of food-insecure older adults; and, to reflect the city’s diverse aging population, we’ve also increased our citywide programs to meet the needs of low-income Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) older adults with language barriers. A tremendous amount of work has gone into the transition of our role as the Ward 2 lead agency and I want to thank the DACL team and all of our staff for making the transition a success. I’m especially thankful for our Ward 2 team at our community dining sites, Oasis Senior Center, and AAPI Senior Center for hitting the ground running to ensure the people we serve receive the care they need.  

An issue of deep concern for many of us is the rising population of older adults who are experiencing homelessness. Nearly 40% of the city’s unhoused are our older neighbors. According to the District’s annual count of unhoused persons, there are 383 unsheltered seniors living in the area, up from 118 counted in 2022. Three of the unhoused people counted last year were older than 90, while more than two-thirds were 70 or older. Iona’s new Oasis Senior Center is the only program in the District that provides a safe space for unhoused older adults to find a warm nutritious meal during the day while receiving supportive services and a community that welcomes them. The data is clear that many older adults in the District are in crisis and we will work to develop the solutions to ensure no one ages without a place to call home. 

With 11,000 people turning 65 every day, we’re expected to see a significant increase in the number of people living with dementia. At Iona, we are building an ecosystem of care for people with memory loss through our adult day health centers, dementia navigation, and money management. We’re expanding on Iona’s legacy volunteer program, the Friendly Visitor, with the launch of the Age Well/Live Well volunteer and respite program. This initiative seeks to support older people living alone with cognitive and physical impairments and family caregivers of neurodiverse individuals aging with dementia by providing respite through volunteers under the guidance of a clinical social worker.  

To learn more about our new locations and programs, please visit: www.iona.org  

Whether they are moments that remind us of the power of love or the simple acts of compassion and kindness we see in our community, I am thankful you are walking alongside us to advance Iona’s mission to ensure all people have the opportunity to live and age well.

With gratitude,

Joon Bang
Chief Executive Officer

In October 1994, John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth, addressed his colleagues at the US Senate with the story of Mrs. Jones (told to him by then-Iona Executive Director Elizabeth Fox). At 87 years old, Mrs. Jones was a former government employee and a member of the naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest DC. She lived alone, did not have any savings, and her osteoporosis made it difficult to prepare meals or do light cleaning. More than anything, Mrs. Jones was afraid that her situation would require her to move to a nursing home and leave her home of the past 40 years.

That’s when her apartment manager put her in touch with Iona. Soon, Mrs. Jones began receiving home-delivered meals seven days a week. An Iona volunteer visited her weekly to check on her, and she received the care and support she needed to remain in her home. Most importantly, she found a new community in Iona.

During my first year as Iona’s CEO, I had the honor of meeting many individuals similar to Mrs. Jones. And much like her, I too have found a new community in Iona. From cake recipes, poems, life stories, hugs, and even the occasional American Sign Language lesson, I have received so much more from the people we serve in a single year than I can ever return.

In Senator Glenn’s message to the Senate, he shared: “Mrs. Jones’ story has a lot to teach us about policies and programs which will help our country cope with its growing older population. The government alone cannot give Mrs. Jones the quality of life that we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. Rather, the government needs partners to mobilize volunteers… to be part of the solution… Iona Senior Services is an outstanding example of this partnership.”

This past year has generated many successful partnerships that have allowed Iona to serve older adults and the people caring for them throughout the city in new ways. We worked with Iona’s Citizens Advisory Group and partnered with DC Villages to host a Ward 3 DC City Council forum to hear candidates speak about older adult-specific issues. To bridge the digital divide faced by our older adults in Southeast DC, we partnered with Comcast to provide free high-speed Internet access and digital skills training by becoming a community Lift Zone. Through a partnership with the DC Department of Aging and Community Living, we launched a citywide In-Home Peer Support program to provide supplemental income for older adults trained as Peer Support Workers to help reach isolated older adults in need of socialization and light assistance at home, making it a true “for older adults, by older adults” program.

I begin my second year as CEO of Iona this week with a deep sense of gratitude for every person we have the privilege of serving because of the trust given to us. Our listening sessions will continue throughout the year for us to hear and learn from you. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure that all people have the opportunity to age and live well.

With deep gratitude,

Joon Bang
Chief Executive Officer