30 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 7 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

May events4th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Washington Senior Wellness Center

presents the East of the River OlderAmericans Health and Safety Fair. Thecenter is located at 3001 Alabama Ave. SE.For more information, call Alice A.Thompson at 202-535-1321.

4th, 18th and 25th • 10:30 a.m. to noonThere will be a diabetes self-manage-

ment workshop at the Center for theBlind and Visually Impaired, 2900 NewtonSt. NE. For more information, call TinyaLacey, community planner/outreach co-ordinator, at 202-529-8701

8th, 15th and 22nd • noonMake an appointment to meet with

Bruce Rathbun of AARP Legal Servicesfor Older Adults at the Center for theBlind and Visually Impaired, 2900 NewtonSt. NE. For more information, call TinyaLacey, community planner/outreach co-ordinator, at 202-529-8701.

10th • 7 to 9 p.m.The D.C. Office on Aging will provide

information on its resources and servicesat the Human Rights Campaign EqualityCenter, 1460 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Formore information, call Alice A. Thompsonat 202-535-1321.

11th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Enjoy a “Community Senior Day Out” at

North Michigan Park, 1333 Emerson St.NE. The event is free for Ward 5 residentsage 60 and older. For more information,call Tinya Lacey, community planner/out-reach coordinator, at 202-529-8701.

11th • 10:30 a.m.Visit the Amish Market on Brown Sta-

tion Road in Upper Marlboro, Md., with thecongregate meal program of the Washing-ton Senior Wellness Center, 3001 AlabamaAve. SE. To learn more, call 202-581-9355

12th • 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.The 5th Annual CPDC and Emmaus

Aging in Community Health and WellnessFair will be held at the R.I.S.E. Demon-

stration Center, 2730 Martin Luther KingJr. Ave. SE. It is supported by the D.C. Of-fice on Aging. To learn more, contact Dr.Katrina Polk at 202-885-9575.

18th • 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.The D.C. Office on Aging will support

the first annual Robert L. Walker HouseOlder Americans Month “Age Out Loud”celebration. It will be held at 2201 Savan-nah St. SE. For more information, callAlice A. Thompson at 202-535-1321.

18th • 5 to 9 p.m.Take a whirl around the dance floor at

the annual Ward 7 Prom for Seniors.This year’s theme is “Sparkling Night —the Roaring ‘20s.” There will be dinner,dancing and a special guest. The event isheld in celebration of Older AmericansMonth by the Eas t R iver Fami lyStrengthening Collaborative. Music willbe played by WPFW DJ Nate D. Skate.For more information, call Robin Gantt at202-534-4880, ext. 110 or ChicquitaBryant, at ext. 125.

19th • 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.Terrific, Inc. holds its Older Americans

Month celebration with the theme “AgeOut Loud.” It will be at the NineteenthStreet Baptist Church, 4606 16th St. NW.For more information, call Alice A.Thompson at 202-535-1321.

20th • 1 to 3:30 p.m.The Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament

Catholic Church will hold its First AnnualResource Fair, sponsored by D.C. Officeon Aging. The fair will be at 3630 QuesdaSt. NW. Contact Pat Kavanaugh at 202-449-3987 to learn more.

26th • 2 to 3:45 p.m.Chevy Chase House presents its First

Annual Resource Fair at 5420 ConnecticutAve. NW. Learn more by calling Morganor Vicki at 202-686-5504

31st • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Model Cities Senior Wellness Center holds

its Older Americans Month celebration withthe theme “Age Out Loud.” It will be at 1901Evarts St. NE. For more information, callAlice A. Thompson at 202-535-1321.

VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE 5 A newsletter for D.C. Seniors May 2017

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging

Happy Older American’s Month!We at the D.C. Office on Aging areproud to celebrate how our olderresidents are redefining agingevery day. You’re proving that agingdoes not mean getting old; it meansliving your best life every day! Takea look at our community calendarfor Older American’s Month cele-brations happening throughout theDistrict. Last month, I had the pleasure to

present Mayor Muriel Bowser’s fis-cal year 2018 budget, “DC Values inAction, a Roadmap to InclusiveProsperity,” and the investmentsmade to support seniors, peoplewith disabilities and caregivers. Toview the full testimony, visit:www.dcoa.dc.gov.With an increase of nearly 11 per-

cent over this fiscal year, DCOA’sproposed budget will enable theagency to continue to combat isola-tion, promote wellness, supportaging in place, invest wisely and lis-ten to the community. These areour D.C. values, and I’m proud tosay that the Mayor’s budget exem-plifies these values in action.

Combating Isolation: The FY 18budget will ensure seniors and peo-ple with disabilities most at risk ofisolation have access to social,health, and wellness activities withan additional $459,000 invested toexpand transportation services toSenior Wellness Centers. The budg-et will also enable us to continue tohost events to celebrate Districtseniors, including the CentenarianSalute, Ms. Senior D.C., the SeniorSymposium and the Mayor’s Annu-al Holiday Celebration.

Promoting Wellness: Thanks tothe Mayor’s $350,000 investment to-ward senior wellness, we will be

supporting additional senior activi-ties in Department of Parks andRecreation (DPR) sites through theSenior Fit & Well program. We willalso be piloting a Virtual SeniorWellness Center in wards that donot currently house brick-and-mor-tar sites. We are looking forward toworking with our community part-ners, advocates and providers to de-velop this model, and hope to ex-pand it in all eight wards after learn-ing what works.

Supporting Aging in Place: Wewill continue the successful Safe atHome program with $3 million allo-cated in our baseline budget.Through this program, we are serv-ing nearly 600 residents, installingpreventative adaptations such asbathtub cuts, chair lifts and furni-ture risers, enabling them to contin-ue living safely in their own homesas they age. In addition, $300,000will be committed to senior villages.We will be looking for input fromthe community on how we can bestsupport the senior village model asan effective and sustainable com-munity-driven solution for aging inplace.

Investing Wisely: We will contin-ue to make smart spending deci-sions and ensure that our local dol-lars are invested effectively, our pro-grams are meeting the changingneeds of our community, and thatwe are accountable and transparentwith our funds. This means thatwhen we make decisions, no matterhow small, our decisions are drivenby the answer to one question:What’s best for the community weserve?

Listening: Our most important

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’SMESSAGEBy Laura Newland Executive Director, D.C. Office on Aging

Community Calendar

See DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE, page 31

WASH I NG TON B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 7 Say you saw it in the Beacon 31

D.C. OFFICE ON AGING NEWSLETTER

SPOTLIGHT ON AGINGSpotlight On Aging is published by the In-formation Office of the D.C. Office on Agingfor D.C. senior residents. Advertising con-tained in the Beacon is not endorsed by theD.C. Office on Aging or by the publisher.

500 K St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002

202-724-5622www.dcoa.dc.gov

Executive DirectorLaura Newland

EditorDarlene Nowlin

PhotographerSelma Dillard

The D.C. Office on Aging does not discrim-inate against anyone based on actual or per-ceived: race, color, religion, national origin,sex, age, marital status, personal appear-ance, sexual orientation, familial status,family responsibilities, matriculation, politi-cal affiliation, disability, source of income,and place of residence or business.Sexual harassment is a form of sex dis-crimination which is prohibited by the Act.In addition, harassment based on any ofthe above protected categories is prohibit-ed by the Act. Discrimination in violationof the Act will not be tolerated. Violatorswill be subjected to disciplinary action.

The Office on Aging is in partnership with the District ofColumbia Recycling Program.

The DC Brain Games is a city-wide trivia competition — inspiredby Tennessee’s Senior Brain Games— to promote brain health andaging. The Games will commencein May in honor of Older AmericansMonth, and continue through June,which is Alzheimer’s and Brain

Health Awareness Month. If you would like to sign up to be

on a team, or if you would like toregister your team of three to fourpeople to participate in the BrainGames competition, contact yourLead Agency or Senior WellnessCenter director.

Join in the Brain Gamesvalue is listening to the community —not just when decisions need to be made,but every day. How else can we answerthe question of what’s best for the com-munity we serve, if we don’t listen? Weneed seniors and people with disabilitiesto drive the conversation on what itmeans to age well in this city. And we

need to be adaptable and open to change,when necessary. We will continue advo-cating on behalf of our community, work-ing closely with our sister agencies to en-sure that your voices are amplified andyour needs are appropriately addressed. These are our D.C. values, and these

are the values that make D.C. the bestcity in the world to age! We’re proud ofthe work we’ve done, and we’re especial-ly proud of what we can accomplish to-gether with these shared values.

Director’s messageFrom page 30

May is Older Americans MonthEach May, the Administration for Community Liv-

ing (ACL) leads our nation’s celebration of OlderAmericans Month (OAM). ACL designed the 2017OAM theme, Age Out Loud, to give aging a newvoice — one that reflects what today’s older adultshave to say.This theme shines a light on many important

trends. More than ever before, older Americans are

working longer, trying new things and engag-ing in their communities. They’re takingcharge, striving for wellness, focusing on inde-pendence, and advocating for themselves andothers. What it means to age has changed, and OAM

2017 is a perfect opportunity to recognize andcelebrate what getting older looks like today.

Happy Older Americans Month!DC older adults are “Aging Out Loud!” They are advocating for themselves and making their voices heard, volunteering in their communities, performing for their peers and others in the community, and making a difference overall.