Founded in 1975, JABA is Central Virginia’s leading provider of information and services for seniors

Our Mission is to add dignity, security, independence and fulfillment to the lives of older adults and their families.

Friday May 9th, 2008

To purchase tickets for Grillin and Chillin for Cool-Aid, click on this link

Welcome to Our website

Welcome to JABA's website. Our intent is to make it easy for you to find the information you need, and to enable us to update content regularly. This is a new type of website for us, and it is a dynamic and continuing project. We welcome your suggestions and feedback. Just click the "contact" page and drop us a note.

New Caregivers Support Group

Each Wednesday afternoon between 1:00 and 2:15 pm a small group meets at the Hillsdale Drive offices of JABA. Each group member is caring for a seriously ill adult loved one. And each of the sessions is designed to help these caregivers effectively deal with the stressful demands of being on call 24/7.

Leading the group is Lori Richardson, a JABA volunteer and caregiver, with Jean Bourbeau, Manager of JABA’s Adult Activity and Health Center in Charlottesville. “We begin each meeting by talking about care giving,” explains Bourbeau. “Then the group shares the problems they’ve been having. Finally, depending on the group’s needs, our staff provides information to help members address those problems.”

The meetings are free and open to any caregiver. As a bonus, JABA provides free adult care at its center during the meeting. Attendees do not have to be enrolled in the center’s regular program. An information form needs to be completed the first time. For more information call JABA at (434) 817-5222.

Help for the Nursing Home Bound

Medicaid beneficiaries and families searching for top quality long-term care services can find critical new information added to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Web site "Nursing Home Compare."

For the first time, information about nursing homes on the site will list whether a home is or has been on CMS’ special focus facility (SFF) list. The agency’s SFF initiative gives heightened scrutiny to nursing homes that have a history of poor performance or repeated violations of state and federal health and safety rules.

Nursing homes that have the SFF designation, including information about that designation, will now be noted on Nursing Home Compare, which can be accessed at www.medicare.gov.

The site helps families find nursing homes in their area. Information about the homes includes performance scores on quality measures, staffing information and a three-year history of the home's health, safety and fire inspection reports.

JABA’s Local Food Program Makes News

Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Bill Lohmann recently devoted a day to shadowing JABA’s Community Nutrition Manager, Judy Berger. The resulting article -- Eat local, think global -- perfectly captures the spirit and intent of JABA’s Local Food initiative You can read it, view a colorful slide show, and give your feedback on the article at the Richmond Times-Dispatch site.

JABA Volunteers Honored at 2008 Recognition Events

Volunteers -- over 800 of them -- are at the heart of JABA ... helping others in our facilities, schools, senior centers, more than 120 non-profit organizations, and by visiting the elderly and delivering meals to them. JABA volunteers provide an estimated $1.2 million worth of services to Central Virginia each year!

To honor these very special people, JABA will be holding a series of recognition events specific to each of the geographic areas it serves in 2008. Mark your calendar now--here is a list of what's happening where and when:

Charlottesville/Albemarle County

Garden Party

May 15, 4 pm - 6 pm

ADHC on Hillsdale Drive

Fluvanna County

Picnic/Cookout

June 25, Noon - 2 pm

JABA's Fluvanna County Center

Greene County

Luncheon

May 21, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

JABA's Greene County Center

Louisa County

Cookout

May 23, Noon - 2 pm

JABA's Louisa County Center

Nelson County

Luncheon

May 14, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

JABA's Nelson County Center

Photo Contest a Winner!

Our thanks go to everyone who entered JABA’s first ever Intergenerational Photography Contest. We received some wonderful images. The judges have done their work and we’ll be announcing the winners soon. In the meantime, mark your calendars for the first stop on the winning photos’ traveling show -- Monday, May 5 at Barnes & Noble in the Barracks Road Shopping Center, Charlottesville. Then start snapping photos for next year’s contest.

Bad News for Bad Checks

Scam artists are always dreaming up new ways to get their hands on other people’s money, and seniors are one of their favorite targets. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has two online resources that can help you stay ahead of these bad guys. The first if part of the Service’s general web site. Here you’ll find information about fraud aimed specifically at seniors. The second, http://www.fakechecks.org/, is an often entertaining site dedicated to scams involving counterfeit checks. Check them both out and you may save yourself a lot of money and aggravation.

Put Your Economic Stimulus Tax Rebate to Work with JABA

This past February, the President signed the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 with the aim of boosting the economy and avoiding a recession.

For most of us this $168 billion plan will mean tax rebates (aka “stimulus payments”) of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for couples filing joint returns, with additional payments for families of $300 per qualifying child.

Consider how much more those few hundred dollars can buy when put to work by agencies such as JABA.

A donation of $600 to JABA provides …

· 200 meals to isolated, frail, and at-risk seniors. JABA volunteers deliver food and friendship to high-risk, homebound elderly, providing an essential -- and, sometimes, the only -- source of nutrition through quality meals that include fresh milk, fruit, bread, and healthy protein.

· Or, 24 days of scholarships for Adult Day Healthcare activities that include daytime therapeutic and other support services to frail physically and/or mentally impaired adults of all ages.

· Or, 30 hours of accessible health care for low-income, elderly adults in rural communities through clinics, home visits, referrals and coordination with the client’s physician.

Donations to JABA support these and many other programs and services that add independence, fulfillment, security, and dignity to the lives of older adults…as well as those who love and care for them.

It's easy. You can donate on-line or mail a check to JABA, Inc., 674 Hillsdale Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22901. And remember -- all donations are tax deductible. What better way to use your economic stimulus rebate?

For details on the economic stimulus rebate and how to qualify, see this document

Don't Just Age ... Join JABA's SAGE-ing Circle!

People who allow themselves to simply grow old, tend to "disengage," becoming fearful, lonely, and despairing.

Those who learn to live by a different model, however, thrive ... as they continue to grow. "The second part of their journey becomes a time of real discovery, spiritual fulfillment, and joy," says SAGE-ing Circle Facilitator Drew Stevenson. "People who live by the SAGE-ing model thrive: physically, emotionally, and spiritually."

SAGE-inng Circles are small communities of "elders" who meet regularly to share and learn how to embrace the wisdom that years of living have given them. Together, they learn new models of thinking and being. Through facilitated leadership, they come to terms with the past so they can embrace the future. They help themselves -- and others -- dispel the negative myths about growing old. In short, they learn to SAGE ... rather than just age!

Following a non-denomination curriculum, a certified Sage-ing Facilitator will lead the group through 6, two-hour sessions at JABA's Hillsdale Drive headquarters. Beginning March 17 and running through June 9, the Circle will meet each Monday from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm in the JABA Board Room. Cost of the program is $120 for all 12 sessions (and a payment plan is available). The plan is limited to ten participants willing to commit to the full cycle and who are willing to help JABA assess this process as a continuing offering to elders of the Charlottesville community, the Thomas Jefferson District, and beyond.

For details, please contact Kay Jenkins at JABA by e-mail kjenkins@jabacares.org; or telephone 817-5238. Additional information about SAGE-ing Circles is available from Drew Stevenson. E-mail: admin@mediafarm.org; or telephone: 434-823-3636.

Food Lion Link Contributes to JABA

Every time you shop at Food Lion, you can be making a donation to JABA ... at no extra cost to you!

Here's all you need to know to link your Food Lion MVP Card for LionShop & Share with JABA:

• Click on http://www.foodlion.com/IntheCommunity/ShopAndShare/
• Register your card by entering the 12 numbers on your card and the personal information requested
• Enter "VA, Charlottesville" to find us
• Choose "Jefferson Area Board for Aging, Inc."

That's all there is to it! Now, everytime you shop at Food Lion, JABA can benefit.

Please remember that you must register every January ... so, even if you registered last year, you'll need to do it again.

And don't forget to tell your friends, relatives, and co-workers about LionShop & Share. Every bit counts toward JABA's annual campaign.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Featuring 16 pages loaded with "glimpses of how JABA cares in the community," our newest issue of the JABA Connection will be printed and distributed in the middle of February. But, if you have Adobe's free PDF Reader installed on your computer, you can have an advance copy now!

"I truly believe this is the biggest and best issue of the JABA Connection we've ever published," says Director of Communications Bruce Joffe. "Anyone who may have ever wondered about the many, many ways and the many, many people involved with JABA needs to take a look at this colorful newsletter about JABA's programs, services, special events ... and people." Special thanks to all the donors and volunteers listed in this issue, who contributed so much to make all these good things happen!

Amazing Feats of Aging

Here's a great idea for a day trip: Visit the Virginia Museum of Natural History at 21 Starling Avenue in Martinsville between May 24 and September 7 for a colorful, carnival-themed exhibition featuring a fascinating look at the mysteries of why and how animals -- including humans -- age.

Designed for families, adults, and school groups (grades K-8), this highly interactive health science exhibition focuses on the biology of aging, aging across the animal kingdom, healthy aging, and aging of the brain.

Materials promoting the museum's Amazing Feats of Aging exhibit are exciting, themselves: "Look into the future as you watch your face up to 25 years. Track the U.S. population's incredible increasing life span. Search for the biological secrets of aging--what causes aging and is there a way to slow down the process? Stare at the astonishing giant tortoise that never seems to age. Marvel at the wonders of the human body and 'see' which cells are older and which are younger. Analyze the human brain and discover how normal aging of the brain differs from changes caused by Alzheimer's disease. Can you affect the aging process? Find out in the fun and informative exhibit about biology, aging, animals ... and you!"

Developed by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry with the support of the Center for Healthy Aging at the Oregon Health & Science University, the exhibit was funded by a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health. The exhibit's national tour is sponsored by MetLife Foundation.

Virginia Caregivers Grant: Do You Qualify for up to $500?

The Virginia Caregiver's Grant Program provides an annual grant to caregivers who provide assistance to a relative with a mental or physical impairment. Approved applicants will receive their grants on or before December 31 in one payment of up to $500 if funds are approved (yearly) by the General Assembly. The funds may be used at the caregiver's discretion and are considered taxable income. Both the caregiver and the relative receiving the care must meet the criteria.

Applications are accepted between February 1 and May 1 each year. To be eligible, both the caregiver and relative must meet all of the criteria.

A caregiver must:

• Provide unreimbursed care for a relative who has a mental or physical impairment;
• Have an annual Virginia adjusted gross income of not more than $50,000;
• Reside in Virginia; and
• Provide care to the relative for more than half the calendar year.

The relative receiving care must:

• Require assistance with two or more activities of daily living;
• Require assistance during more than half of the calendar year;
• Not be receiving Medicaid reimbursed long term care services, except on a periodic or temporary basis; and
• Reside in Virginia.

For full details and an application, go online to www.dss.virginia.gov or call Tishaun Harris-Ugworji at 804-726-7560.

Charlottesville City Council Vision 2025: Green City

Charlottesville citizens live in a community with a vibrant urban forest, tree-lined streets, and lush green neighborhoods.

We have an extensive natural trail system, along with healthy rivers and streams. We have clean air and water, we emphasize recycling and reuse, and we minimize storm water runoff. Our homes and buildings are sustainably designed and energy efficient.

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is a process or a state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely.

In other words, it means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

It means working within the community to create an attractive, clean area in which to live, and to protect the natural resources upon which all life is dependent.

Being a Green City is also defined by using our resources wisely by using energy more efficiently, recycle more, producing less waste, and reducing pollution.

For more information about Charlottesville's sustainability efforts and Green City projections, visit the city's Web site online at: http://www.charlottesville.org/index.aspx?page=2098. Also, check out JABA's 2020 community vision here on our own Web site.

JABA and the University of Virginia: An Intergenerational Partnership

JABA plays an active part in the educational process at the University of Virginia. In return, local seniors benefit from one-on-one interaction with future service providers.

To enhance their learning, each semester students from the UVA’s School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and Department of Nutrition Services schedule rotations throughout JABA programs.

In their “Social Issues in Medicine” study, for instance, first-year medical students gain an understanding of the social, economic, political, and cultural issues that affect the practice of medicine—and the health care system.

One-on-one interaction with JABA clients gives students insights to our elderly population, allowing students to develop their own strengths and career goals. Their rotation includes visits in the Adult Day Care Center, Mountainside Senior Living, Club Pathway, as well as home visits with JABA nurses, and nursing home visits with JABA’s Ombudsman.

Students from the School of Nursing work directly with JABA’s Nurse Practitioner and other nurses, both at senior center sites and in individual client homes. Future nurses spend time with clients to gather medical information, provide screenings and education.

Dietetic interns visit JABA’s senior centers, too, where they assess each client’s nutritional status while observing the cultural differences that determine how the population understands food. In addition, interns interview clients for their menu preferences, plan menus, and analyze existing JABA menus for nutritional content.

“Group presentations are a favorite with the Dietetic Interns,” notes Community Nutrition Manager Judy Berger, “because it gives clients a chance to learn which foods are best for treating their medical conditions.”

Why is JABA’s partnership with UVA so beneficial?

Clients interact personally with younger individuals who listen and care about their concerns and conditions. Students experience first-hand knowledge of the elderly population and develop appropriate attitudes toward their care. And, in the long term, our communities benefit from professionals who are trained in caring for the nation’s fastest growing population.

Cancelling a Purchase in Virginia

In Virginia, there is no general three-day or other right of cancellation on most consumer transactions, such as buying a car.

However, consumers in Virginia do have three days to cancel a purchase made through a telemarketer through the Virginia Home Solicitation Sales Act. The code puts telemarketers in the same category with door-to-door sales because they both come to your "door" rather than you going to theirs.

Here is a list of other Virginia laws that include a right of cancellation:

1-day right of cancellation: Payday Loan Act

7-day right of cancellation: Virginia Travel Club Act

3-day right of cancellation: Virginia Health Spa Act

Questions or concerns? Contact Virginia's Office of Consumer Affairs toll free: 1-800-552-9963. On the web at: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/consumers/index.shtml

Fluvanna to Get Its Own Meals on Wheels

It was high time that his county had one, so Wil Blackford got to work.

He and his wife, Marian, had been running the shuttle for Albemarle County’s Meals on Wheels for the past five years. He said that, about twice a month, he would receive calls from people in their own Fluvanna County who needed help—but, not being in Albemarle, they couldn’t receive meals.

Soon, the new Fluvanna County Meals on Wheels will be on its way.

Morrison’s Foods, which operates the food service for the University of Virginia Health System, and the Albemarle County Meals on Wheels, will be providing the food.

Referrals for meals come from churches, the Department of Social Services, and JABA.

According to Blackford, the program still needs more money and, of course, volunteers. So far, about 40 people have agreed to help.

For more information and/or to volunteer, please call 842-1338. Read the complete story from the Thursday, December 6 issue of the Daily Progress.

Do You Qualify for $500 Livable Home Tax Credit?

The 2007 Virginia General Assembly voted to expand the existing Home Modifications Tax Credit program.

Virginia’s expanded $500 “visitability” tax credit, renamed the Livable Home Tax Credit, now applies to new homes that meet three key requirements:

(1) A step-free entrance must be no more than a half-inch higher than a driveway, sidewalk, or other firm route into a step-free living area;

(2) Passage space between rooms must be ample and doorways no less than thirty-two inches wide; and

(3) The main floor must include no less than one bedroom, a kitchen, some entertainment area, and at least one full bathroom with sufficient maneuvering space.

The tax credit also applies to the retrofitting of existing residential units to make them more accessible, regardless of whether an owner or resident has a disability requiring these visitability items.

Mountainside Senior Living Honored for Service Creativity & Innovation

JABA has been awarded Virginia’s 2007 “Best Housing Program or Service” Award for its Mountainside Senior Living facility located in Crozet.

The award was officially presented by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to JABA Trustee Rick Richmond at a special luncheon reception on November 15, during the Governor’s Housing Conference in Roanoke.

Mountainside Senior Living is an assisted living care facility operated by JABA.

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development spokesperson Shea Hollifield said a team of housing professionals from two state agencies evaluated all nominations and believed that the service program at JABA’s Mountainside Senior Living facility “demonstrated innovative and creative efforts” in providing services or assistance to citizens in need of help in meeting their housing needs.

In its effort to rescue Mountainside from closing, JABA pulled together a consortium of funding sources including local government grants, local businesses, individual donations, and contributions of services-in-kind including timely assistance from Sunrise Senior Living.

Today, Mountainside provides homes for 103 residents—about 55% are auxiliary grant recipients with incomes of less than $13,000 per year, while 45% are private pay residents at below market rate. The facility is the second largest employer in Crozet, a Virginia town of about 3,500. While 90% of the residents are now from Charlottesville and Albemarle County, less than half were local citizens under the former ownership.

‘My Home for Life’ Minimizes Routine Household Responsibilities

While common sense and research studies indicate that most long-time residents prefer to “age-in-place” rather than being shuttled about between relatives and elder care facilities, the sad fact of life for many seniors is that there eventually comes a time when they no longer can tend to routine responsibilities and domestic dilemmas.

A new JABA venture, My Home for Life, takes away much of the worry when older people want to “stay put.” A single phone call to My Home for Life conveniently connects the elderly or their families with experienced care takers and service providers whom they can trust.

All contractors have been evaluated, licensed, bonded, and insured. Screened and overseen by JABA, they undergo thorough background checks and must meet rigorous, pre-determined and ongoing service standards—including rapid response time.

Services coordinated and available through My Home for Life now include in-home health care; transportation; yard work; home office assistance; medical house calls; relocation; pet grooming, walking, and pet sitting; traveling veterinarians; financial advisors specializing in senior needs; errands; grocery visits; and other essential chores.

To enroll in My Home for Life or request more information, call 434-977-6435. E-mail: info@MyHomeforLife.og. On the Web at http://www.MyHomeforLife.org.

Countdown to Digital TV

Americans with older, analog televisions (which receive their signals by antenna) must switch to digital by February 17, 2009.

Subscribers to cable or satellite service should ask their providers if they need special equipment for digital reception. If you do't buy a digital model, a converter box can change digital signals back to analog. While these boxes range in cost from $50 to $75, U.S. households may request up to two $40 coupons to apply to the purchase of the boxes starting January 1, 2008.

For more information about how you may be impacted by the switch to digital TV, visit http://www.dtv.gov or call 1-888-225-5322 toll-free.

You Can Make a Difference in the Life of a Child

Volunteer tutors are needed for programs during the school day and after school. Even one hour a week can make a big difference to help improve the quality of a youngster's life and his or her academic performance. After school program tutors are needed on Monday OR Wednesday afternoons, anytime between 2:45 and 4:45. During school hours, volunteer to help children at a public school close to where you live or work. For more information contact Pat Severson by e-mail or call her at 817-5217.

Crafting Intentional Communities Symposium

We would like to thank all of our guests, volunteers, sponsors and speakers for making the Crafting Intentional Communities Symposium such a great success. Although the symposium is over, the JABA Intentional Communities website will continue to be a resource for those who are interested in the many issues that were discussed. We will be offereing a podcast with audio highlights from the symposium soon, in addition to some Powerpoint presentations that were featured at the Symposium and additional news, resources, and announcements. If you have any questions or comments, you can contact Karen Beiber at (434) 817-5224 or by e-mail.

Club Pathway Helps Non-Profits Save Money

If your organization needs help with mailing services and envelope stuffing, members of Club Pathway can help. Club members handle envelope stuffing and mailing tasks for non-profit organizations … at no charge! (For a modest donation, the Club will also work on mailings for for-profit businesses.)

Club Pathway meets twice weekly.

Contact Suzanne Brower at 434-817-5267 or by e-mail for help with your next mailing project.

Every ‘Senior Moment’ Counts!

Second Bank and Trust and The Charlottesville Newsplex television stations have teamed up with JABA and the Central and Western Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to provide area elders and those who love them with timely, important, and interesting information about issues dealing with aging.

’Senior Moment’ is presented on WCAV-TV during the noon news on Wednesday of each week … and repeated on the WVAW-TV news the next morning.

You can also catch ‘Senior Moment’ on streaming video via the Newsplex Web site.

Access to streaming video is recommended for those who have high-speed (DLS or cable) Internet connections; it doesn’t work well if you have a dial-up connection.)

The Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA)

Virginia Butler, 93, with a small friend

In 1975, JABA was designated by the Federal Government as the Charlottesville Area's official, non-profit Area Agency on Aging. Since then, JABA has gone beyond the AoA charter and expanded to become the area's leading resource for seniors and those who care for and about them. We serve residents of Virginia's Planning District 10, which includes the City of Charlottesville as well as Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties.

We know that most people would prefer to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. We strive to help them do that, no matter what their income level, and if that should become impossible, we can help with information about and referral to a number of living options.

How can we help you?

W. Minor at JABA's Mary Williams Senior Center

We also offer services ranging from free Senior Centers that serve hot lunches, to home delivered meals, to case management, where we help individuals in lower income brackets coordinate their care and needs. For elders who can pay, we can provide the same services on a sliding scale with our Care Coordination Service.

We also offer Adult Day Healthcare, which provides adults who should not be alone with a safe place to be during the day while still living at home or with loved ones, and allows those who care for them to work or handle other activites knowing that their loved one is safe and well cared for. Club Pathway @ JABA offers meaningful activities and camraderie for people in the early stages of memory loss, as well as much needed respite for their caregivers.

In addition, you'll find free health insurance counseling, information and referral services, moderate income rental housing for seniors and even an Assisted Living facility in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We also offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunties for both elders and others, so that if you don't need help but instead want to help, we can get you going in a place you'll like.

Whether you are a senior, or are looking for assistance for an elder you love, JABA would like to help. Please browse our website and let us know what we can do for you.

JABA Information and Referral

JABA is able to help you with a wide range of aging issues through our Information and Referral program. We can provide information about any program offered by JABA, as well as information about other programs and organizations in the local area that benefit seniors. You can call Joyce Gentry at (434) 817-5222 or you can send her an e-mail with any aging-related question. If you would like to look for an answer to your question on our website, you might want to look at the Frequently Asked Questions, or you might want to follow one of the following helpful links:

• About JABA (click here)
• List of JABA services (click here)
• Locations (click here)
• Housing Options (click here)
• News (click here)
• Volunteer Opportunities (click here)
• Donations (click here)
• Handicapped Accessible Housing (click here)
• Job Opportunities (click here)

About PDF files

In a few places on this website, you will be able to view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. PDFs allow us to offer sometimes lengthy information about a specific topic (for instance, the 2020 plan) or forms (for instance, the volunteer form) in a place where they can be read, but without taking up space on the site itself. To view a PDF document, your computer must have the Adobe PDF Reader. Many computers come with PDF readers, but if you don't have one, it is simple to get it, free, by clicking here - This takes you to the website that allows you to download Adobe Reader.

Go FISHing with JABA

“As a parent, grandparent, and former school board chair, I know the difference volunteers can make in our schools,” says JABA CEO Gordon Walker. “That’s why I volunteer with JABA’s FISH – Friends in Schools Helping – program.”

FISH matches volunteers of all ages with children in our public schools who need help with reading, English as a Second Language, or math. They also assist with after-school programs and are breakfast or lunch buddies to the kids.

Can you spare as little as one hour per week? Please call FISH today at 817-5217 for more information or to volunteer.