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.

JABA: Past, present, future

Even then, we delivered meals

JABA has been serving the needs of the aging community in the Thomas Jefferson Planning district (Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson Counties) since 1975. From its roots as a federally mandated Area Agency on Aging established by local governments in 1975, to its current position as one of the most innovative and successful aging organizations in the nation, JABA has never lost focus on the needs and desires of the community. Working with state and local government, educational institutions, private citizens, businesses, and other non-profit organizations, JABA has consistently risen to the challenge of its mission: adding dignity, comfort, security, independence, and fulfillment to the lives of older adults and their families.

A national leader in aging services

Dick Gibson with Josefina Carbonell

JABA has been recognized repeatedly as a national leader in providing services to the aging community. Thanks to JABA’s tireless efforts to plan and coordinate regional efforts on aging, Central Virginia was named as one of the top seven "Livable Communities for All Ages" in the United States by the federal Administration Aging in 2005.

Photo at right: JABA Board Chairman Dick Gibson receives the Livable Communities Award from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Josefina Carbonell in 2005

In order to meet demand beyond mandated services and attract funding to provide additional services, JABA Inc., a non-profit corporation, was created in 1986. JABA Inc. acts as an entrepreneurial wing of JABA, attracting private funding, controlling JABA property, and administering fee-based programs that add to JABA’s revenue. In addition, JABA formed Jefferson Elder Care, another affiliated non-profit to operate Mountainside Senior Living, JABA’s local assisted living facility. As JABA has expanded organizationally, it has consistently been a leader in offering innovative services to support seniors and their families. Along the way JABA has pioneered new services, creatively diversified its revenue base, built its own facilities to serve the aging population, and kept an eye on planning for the future.

Sharing the vision

Starting in March 2001, JABA collaborated with more than 500 individuals and 85 public and private organizations to develop the 2020 Community Plan on Aging, a clear vision for the future. This plan is being used to guide our communities to prepare for the doubling of the senior population that will occur within the next 20 years. The 2020 plan represents a comprehensive integrated approach to aging issues, including both predictions about the challenges that will be faced and solutions to those problems with clear steps to implementation. The plan is a blueprint for JABA to lead our communities forward as they age.

In addition to planning for future programs, JABA is actively working to ensure that its financial future is secure. In 2005 JABA created the Hovey S. Dabney Foundation for Elders in order to raise funds through an endowment process to support JABA in the long term, thus making our community a better place to age for everyone.

There are many challenges to supporting a growing population of elders, especially with limited funding from government, but JABA has shown that it can rise above this challenge and respond positively to the needs of our community. Going into the future, the people of Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson can be secure in the knowledge that as they age, JABA will always be there for them

Services

Sallie&Elmer Morris on their 50th anniversary

Adult Day Health Care: Adult day healthcare centers in Charlottesville, Louisa and Greene County offer a caring, safe environment for any adult who needs help with daily health or personal care activities. For more information, click here.

Assisted Living: In 2002, JABA took over management of Windham, now Mountainside Senior Living, a 118 bed assisted living facility in Crozet, to avoid its closure. JABA's goal is to ensure local access to affordable, high quality care. For more information, click here.

Case Management: JABA helps seniors stay at home by helping coordinate the variety of services and providing some at-home services. Case managers assure that the frail, at-risk elderly and their families have access to coordinated, cost effective and beneficial support, thus reducing the likelihood of families becoming over-stressed physically, emotionally and financially. Care Coordination offers similar services on a fee-based, sliding scale basis for those with some ability to pay. For more information, click here.

Club Pathway: The club provides an activities program for individuals in the early stages of memory loss, allowing them to stay productive. Club members provide mailing services to area non-profits. Club members are treated as the functioning adults they are. For more information, click here.

Cool Aid: JABA created the first such program in Virginia, providing donated cooling equipment to low-income people of all ages who are medically endangered by the heat. For more information, click here.

Health insurance counseling: JABA provides advice about Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Assistance, Long term care and other insurance issues. The program includes the Volunteer Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, through which trained volunteers help local seniors with insurance issues and claims, including enrollment in the Medicare prescription drug program. For more information, click here.

Health Services: Nurses offer health screenings, assistance with medication management and collaboration with other health providers at senior centers, community clinics and home visits. Focus is on increasing preventive health care services in medically underserved areas. This service received a "Model That Made It" Award from the Virginia Heath Care Foundation.

Home Care: JABA started Care Advantage Plus in 1997, as a public-private partnership to provide in-home care services as well as temporary workers for hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. For more information, click here.

Home Delivered Meals: Since 1975, JABA has served more than 2.5 million meals to the disadvantaged elderly through our senior centers and home delivered meals program. For more information, click here.

Housing: JABA now partners with the private sector to provide affordable housing for seniors:

• In 2001, JABA opened Woods Edge Apartments, a 97-unit affordable senior housing facility in Albemarle County -- a $7 million project
• The Ryan School in Nelson has been renovated to create a 31-unit affordable senior housing facility in Nelson County -- a $3.5 million project
• Park View Apartments, a $9 million project with 90 affordable senior housing rental units on Pantops Mountain
• Mountainside Senior Living, a high quality assisted living community in Crozet. Virginia

For more information on Housing, click here.

Information and Assistance: Anyone can call JABA with any question related to aging and be referred to the right place anywhere in the area or nation. This also includes a new toll-free senior information line: 1-866-91AGING (866-912-4464) -- done in concert with the Alzheimer's Association. For more information, click here.

Ombudsman Program: JABA was chosen by the Virginia Department on Aging to be one of its first two area agencies on aging to develop a local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Professional and volunteer ombudsmen act as advocates for residents if conflicts arise in nursing homes, assisted living and other long term care facilities or with homecare issues. For more information, click here.

Senior Centers: JABA built four multi-purpose intergenerational community centers in Planning District 10 at a total cost of $11 million. These and other locations now house senior centers that offer activities and a hot lunch for seniors in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Louisa, Nelson, Fluvanna and Greene. For more information, click here.

Volunteers: JABA operates the area's Retired Senior Volunteer Program, recruiting and working with more than 665 volunteers serving 3,900 clients of all ages, providing an estimated $1.2 million worth of services to this area annually. For more information, click here.

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Planning For the Future

2020 Plan: JABA led the development of the 2020 Community Plan on Aging, a multi-year initiative that will prepare our region for the the shift in demographics as the local senior population doubles by 2020. The plan has received national recognition by the Federal Administration on Aging, and in September of 2005 was awarded the National Administration on Aging's Overall Excellence Award for Mid-Sized National Livable Communities. The award recognizes promising practices that can be used by local governments throughout the country in preparing for the aging of the baby boom population. (For more information on the 2020 Plan, click here.)

Grants for planning work:

JABA was a recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to improve the local Long Term Care system, the LTC PATH program.

JABA staff also administers a CMS foundation grant that strives to improve living and working conditions in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Other initiatives and recognition:

JABA established the first Life Issues for the Elderly, a pioneer program in Virginia in which peer counselors help older adults cope with the challenges of aging. Our Peer Counseling Program received a Presidential Point of Light Award from President Bush in 1991.

JABA collaborated with University of Virginia's Darden Business School and the Chamber of Commerce to conduct a major industry study of the effects of elder care on employee productivity.

JABA developed strategic planning studies for Wintergreen and Lake Monticello communities to guide future housing and services for retirees.

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