Marie & Classie’s Story

When Marie’s uncle passed away from COVID-19, her 81-year-old mother, Classie, who had been living with her brother, was now left alone in New York State, while dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. The situation was unsustainable, and Marie made the difficult decision to move her mother to Washington, D.C. and into her home.

“I was working from home for over a year with my mother just there, wandering around. I removed her from her comfort zone, so she had some major setbacks. But I was also experiencing a lot of frustration because it was just too much  to have to work and caregive at the same time without any outlets because of COVID.”

Marie called local organizations for help and got connected with Iona, where she learned about our adult day health services at the Washington Home Center in the Congress Heights neighborhood in Southeast D.C. After visiting the program with her mother, she says, “I was very impressed with Iona and the level of care and  the  energy  of  their facility and  the  people  there.  The  programming  is  one  thing  on  paper,  but  [in-person]  the  energy and the care  that  these  individuals provided was very impressive.”

Classie also enjoyed her visit. Marie explains, “There was an immediate connection. We set up everything and basically it changed our whole life.” Classie now attends the adult day health services program Monday through Friday every week, connecting with her peers and engaging in enriching activities in a safe environment with compassionate professional care.

But Iona offers more than just services and support for older adults. We also provide support to family caregivers to help prevent the burnout that so often comes with caring for a loved one.

In 2022, Phyllis Barge, the social worker at the Iona Washington Home Center, launched a Caregiver Support Group to address the ongoing needs of caregivers, like Marie, who found the day-in and day-out caring for someone with memory loss to be challenging and isolating.

Between work and caregiving, Marie rarely had a moment to herself. Phyllis connected her with respite care and encouraged her to attend the Washington Home Center Caregiver Support Group, which meets every second Tuesday of the month. The group does various activities together, including sharing conversation and fellowship.

“When they come in, it’s on  their  faces  that they are tired and  weary.  They  have  a  lot going on because they have  their  own  lives and issues they are dealing with,” Phyllis shares.

But at the end of the support group meetings, it’s a different story. “Sometimes the group doesn’t end for an hour after I stop the conversation because they are still talking and engaging with each other.”

Marie says she looks forward to every support group meeting. “I learn something valuable at each meeting, and I never miss them.”

Reflecting on her whole experience with us, she adds, “I can’t say enough about what Iona has done and what they are doing for our population.”