Q: My mother no longer is able to drive and I am looking for opportunities for her to remain active. Aloha to Aging came across my search. Can you give me some information on this organization?
A: Based in Marietta, Aloha To Aging provides a number of services through targeted programming for older adults as well as caregiver support founded by Dawn Reed, who has over 25 years in the healthy aging industry. Due to COVID-19, they are able to serve nationally.
As one door closed, another one opened for certified senior advisor Dawn Reed.
As she was telling people they were closing, one family asked her what she was going to do. Reed said she was going to get a full-time job with benefits. "They looked at me seriously and said, ‘No, I mean, what about us?’
“It gave me pause, and I knew there wasn’t anything out there like this,” she said.
Extension is the key to responding to the “golden years” and empowering those in the community.
“The Ahola day club, an adult respite along with the care, support groups, wellness and education programs is a really big piece to ATA,” the founder said.
Classes are broken up into one-hour chunks. Seated exercise, music, art, trivia, Bingo, cooking, stress management and technology are among the offerings.
“Many of the things we are providing, are also therapeutic your entire life, not just in aging. And sometimes it’s about reminding that we need to be more playful,” she noted.
Taking a proactive approach, their educational programs run the gamut, from “Aging 101” for middle schoolers and up - extending to presentations on wills and trusts. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” Reed said.
With the expanded life expectancy, Reed said they are seeing grown children who have never encountered a parent with limited capacity, such as a hip replacement or diminished vision asking ‘What do I do?’
Care partner support group opportunities are offered including Parkinson’s support groups.
People wait for the services but Reed says, “Be proactive rather than reactive, and now is a really good time.”
For more information, visit https://alohatoaging.org or call 770-722-7641.
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