Army Distaff
  • ABOUT US
    • KNOLLWOOD
    • INNOVATORS IN HEALTHY AGING
    • HISTORY
    • DIRECTORS
    • CAREERS
  • OUR IMPACT
    • HEALTHY AGING
    • INFECTION CONTROL
    • DEMENTIA CARE
    • LIFE ENRICHING ART
    • AGING WITH DIGNITY
  • SUPPORT
    • ANNUAL APPEAL
    • GIVING PROGRAMS
    • PARTNERSHIP
    • VOLUNTEER
  • HONOR WALL
  • PARTNERS
  • LIBRARY
    • NEWSLETTER
      • NOV-JAN 2023
      • SEP-OCT 2022
      • JULY-AUG 2022
      • MAY-JUN 2022
      • MAR-APR 2022
      • JAN-FEB 2022
      • NOV-DEC 2021
      • SEP-OCT 2021
      • JUL-AUG 2021
      • MAY-JUN 2021
      • MAR-APR 2021
      • JAN-FEB 2021
    • PUBLICATIONS
      • COVID-19 HISTORY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
      • COVID-19 HISTORY CASE STUDY
      • VISION FOR THE FUTURE
      • OUR MISSION TO INNOVATE
      • 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
      • 2019 ANNUAL REPORT
      • 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
      • ADF AND EKSOGT
      • ADF AND FALL PREVENTION
    • VIDEOS
      • TIME MAGAZINE
      • PURPOSEFUL LIVING
      • A BETTER LIFE
      • A BETTER LIFE THROUGH COMMUNITY
      • A BETTER LIFE THROUGH INNOVATION
      • A BETTER LIFE FOR ONE…AND ALL
      • TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
      • HELLO, STEVIE
    • PRESS
      • PRESS RELEASES
      • NEWS ARTICLES
    • RESEARCH
      • PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIALLY ASSISTIVE ROBOTS
      • APPLYING ETHICAL CANVAS FOR HRI APPLICATIONS
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
Select Page
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS

BUILDING AND COMMUNITY FUND

Building Community Fund Icon
As a non-profit, we rely on your giving to help provide affordable, safe, secure community living for more than 250 men and women after a lifetime of serving our nation.
Sustain our community through donations to our Building and Community Fund.

Donate

HEALTH AND WELLNESS INNOVATION FUND

Health and Wellness Icon
Your support brings new health and wellness innovations to our community. For 60 years, we have been leaders in healthy aging services and a model for serving older adults who served our nation.
Fuel our programs through donations to our Innovation for Health and Wellness Fund.

Donate

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND

Financial Assistance Icon
Your generosity ensures people in financial hardship will age with dignity. About 10% of our residents require support. We will never turn away a resident for financial reasons.
Support those in hardship through donations to our Financial Assistance Fund.

Donate

Preventing Falls Using

Smart Technology

Challenge

Falls are the leading cause of injury for people over age 65, which can seriously degrade health and shorten life spans. Nearly 3 million seniors are treated annually for falls. Many falls happen at night, which can be prevented, in part, through lighting improvements. Many falls also occur due to weakness caused by illness, which can be detected, in part, through improved monitoring.


Our Response

We are the first facility in the United States to pilot test Aladin, a new technology that provides in-home lighting and monitoring. Aladin is a device that illuminates progressively when movement is detected. Further, it monitors sleep patterns and detects signs of fatigue, which may indicate illness. While fall prevention is the goal, Aladin also functions as an alert system, immediately notifying caregivers if a fall is detected to ensure immediate response.


Projected Impact

Based on system capabilities, we expect residents with this technology to:

 

  • Move more safely during the night due to the presence of automatic, optimal lighting.
  • Be evaluated and treated more promptly for illness due to system capability to analyze and report sleep patterns.
  • Receive immediate attention in the event of a fall.

Learn More Button - News & Events

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Manage the system in 42 Assisted Living apartments
  • Analyze fall rates pre- and post-deployment
  • Disseminate our data nationwide so others can learn from our work

Enhancing Brain Health with

Cognitive Therapy

Challenge

Many older adults suffer from cognitive decline, causing them to lose their independence as they age, which can trigger depression, anger, stress, and frustration—further degrading cognitive functioning.


Our Response

To help sustain cognitive function, in August 2018, we introduced a cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary therapy platform that few other Life Plan communities have yet to adopt. Called Bioness Integrated Therapy System, or BITS, it improves a broad range of cognitive, coordination, memory, visual, auditory, motor, and other functions.


Projected Impact

Based on BITS capability, we expect a broad range of safety, cognitive, physical, emotional, and social benefits. Examples include:

 

  • Improved assessment of cognitive and physical abilities to perform certain activities that can be harmful, such as driving, cooking, bathing/ showering, and moving with an assisted device.
  • Improved ability to carry out daily tasks (grooming, toileting, dressing, bathing / showering, cooking) through integrated cognitive and physical therapy that addresses task sequencing, working memory, attention, awareness, standing, reaching, leaning, and weight-shifting.
  • Enhanced emotional health due to preserved independence, greater confidence, lower stress, and stronger mental capacity.

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Expand program delivery to provide the best possible care to our residents, as well as offer out-patient services
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes
  • Disseminate our data nationwide so others can learn from our work

Exploring the Potential of

Interactive Robots

Watch Now - Blue ADF

SEE THE ROBOT IN TIME MAGAZINE

The Challenge

Robots are poised to dramatically improve quality of life for older adults. From easing feelings of loneliness to providing everyday support, robots are increasingly researched and developed as an important new technology to help older people.


Our Response

We partnered with Trinity College, a top-ranking, research-intensive university in Dublin, Ireland, on a research study to determine the impact and benefits of interactive robots on life plan communities. Based on the conclusions of that research, we are exploring ways to bring customized robot companions to our community.


Projected Impact

Potential benefits of robot companions may include:

 

  • Decreased loneliness through intelligent interaction
  • Support for daily living through reminders, information, music, cognitive games, and more
  • Better health by detecting behavior changes that may signal illness
  • Improved safety by detecting and reporting falls

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Continue exploring how robotics and artificial intelligence applications can be used to improve the quality of life for older adults.

Maintaining Health and Wellness through

TELE-HEALTH PROGRAMS

Challenge

Older people need reliable access to top-quality medical care to protect their health and well-being. But for many older people, it is logistically challenging, emotionally stressful, and physically dangerous to travel to appointments. Physical and cognitive decline, the threat of falls, and the risk of virus exposure make on-site visits impossible or impractical.

 

Our Response

We are investing in robust tele-health programs so that people can see top-quality doctors from the comfort of home, including:

 

  • Psychiatrists
  • Cardiologists
  • Neurologists
  • Pulmonologists

Projected Impact

Wide-ranging benefits from bringing tele-health programs to our community include:

 

  • Regular, reliable access to top-quality care
  • No stress, transportation costs, or fall risk from traveling to on-site appointments
  • No exposure to germs at healthcare facilities
  • Lower risk of hospital re-admission because of more consistent follow-up care

Learn More Button - News & Events

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Purchase tele-health equipment
  • Cover program administration costs
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes
  • Disseminate our data nationwide so others can learn from our work

Providing Community for Life

Maintaining A Safe And Welcoming Community

Challenge

Knollwood Military Life Plan Community includes 16 acres of grounds and 380,000 square feet of facility space. Ensuring the campus remains safe, secure, and welcoming requires a significant annual investment in repair, replacement, modernization, and beautification costs. As a non-profit, charitable organization committed to offering residents affordable, top-quality housing with innovative health and wellness care, regardless of their ability to pay, devoting resources to facility and grounds improvement, modernization, and repair is challenging.

 


Our Response

We established a Building and Community Fund to ensure the availability of resources for modernization, improvement, repair, and replacement.

 


Projected Impact

Your investment will:

 

  • Improve the community through capital improvements, upgrades, and repairs.
  • Ensure our facility is safe, modern, efficient, and environmentally friendly.
  • Enhance the beauty of our community—both inside and out.
  • Honor the sacrifice and preserve the dignity of our residents by enabling them to spend their remaining years in an inviting, safe, secure, and well-maintained home.

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Fund repairs, replacements, and improvements to our facility and grounds

Engaging Those with Dementia

Improving Care Through Communication

Challenge

Older adults living with dementia lack the ability to properly communicate their feelings, experiences, and needs to caregivers. This limits and compromises caregiver response, causing stress, agitation, and reduced life quality for the patient.


Our Response

We understand the importance of person-centered care. When caregivers understand the unique life experiences of their residents, they are equipped to provide better care. To this end, we are pursuing communication programs that promote well-being, empower caregivers, and personalize care to anticipate resident needs.


Projected Impact

We expect residents may:

 

  • Receive higher quality, more personalized attention because their caregivers will have a broader, deeper understanding of their preferences, experiences, practices, and needs.
  • Experience reduced levels of stress and agitation, because caregivers will be better prepared to implement strategies for calming and redirecting.
  • Adapt better to environmental or situational transitions, such as caregiver turnover, schedule changes, and other life events.

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

 

  • Support contractor costs, program management, and staffing
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes

Preventing Infection through

Health Entry Screening

Challenge

Because of COVID-19, health screenings are the new norm for entering many types of buildings. For communities like ours, this is the first line of defense for keeping our campus infection-free. Proper screening is essential to determining if people have a temperature, symptoms of illness, or known exposure to sick people.

 

Our Response

Because traditional paper and pen screening is cumbersome, time-consuming, and not fully effective, we are implementing a new Health Entry Screening Program. Using an advanced automated kiosk with facial recognition and biometric capabilities, our program will make it safer for the people living, working, and visiting our community.

 

Projected Impact

Benefits of our new Health Entry Screening Program include:

 

  • Faster building entry
  • Reduced infection risk since person-to-person contact is eliminated
  • Increased safety since people who pose health risks will not remain on campus
  • Improved contact tracing through automated data collection

Learn More Button - News & Events

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Defray equipment costs
  • Support program and administrative costs
  • Document and share program benefits with other communities

Preventing Infection through

Testing Laboratory

Challenge

Many people have active cases of COVID-19 but never display symptoms. Unknowingly, they spread the virus to others. Through testing, communities like ours can detect and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Most testing is accomplished through outside labs, but turnaround time to process tests can approach a full week.

 

Our Response

Because on-the-spot results are often needed to contain the spread of illness, we built an in-house lab to deliver rapid results.

 

Projected Impact

While not a substitute for outside testing, our in-house lab is a critical infection control tool, offering the following benefits:

 

  • Rapid detection of COVID-positive status
  • Lower risk of community-wide infection spread
  • Earlier delivery of care
  • Improved health and wellness
  • Greater peace of mind

Learn More Button - News & Events

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Defray equipment costs
  • Support program and administrative costs
  • Document and share program benefits with other communities

Preventing Infection through

Sanitation Robot

Challenge

Living areas must be properly cleaned and disinfected to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, influenza, and other illnesses. Dangerous germs can remain on surfaces for several days. Keeping our community clean is critical, but manual cleaning methods can be inefficient and ineffective.

 

Our Response

To prevent the spread of illness, we are investing in a robotic cleaning program to ensure our community is properly disinfected. It is an advanced, tech-savvy system that uses pulsed Ultraviolet C (UVC) light to disinfect surfaces in the home and community living spaces.

 

Projected Impact

Our advanced sanitation program will keep people healthier through the following benefits:

 

  • Fewer germs on high-touch surfaces
  • Reduced exposure to harmful pathogens
  • Lower risk of infection and illness

Learn More Button - News & Events

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Defray equipment costs
  • Support program and administrative costs
  • Document and share program benefits with other communities

Enriching Life through the Arts

Healing Through Mask-Making

Challenge

Older adults are prone to withdrawal, depression, and isolation as they lose their independence as they age, especially those who spent their earlier lives as leaders and decision-makers. Often, they lack the ability to express their feelings to others, creating tension and further withdrawal. This emotional distress often leads to physical distress, exacerbating existing health care challenges.

 


Our Response

Mask-making is an innovative form of art therapy currently being used to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. In partnership with Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Walter Reed Hospital, we have explored the capability of this therapy to help aging veterans, and older adults generally, process the difficulties of the aging process.

 


Projected Impact

Mask-making therapy helps people:

 

  • Identify and reveal hidden thoughts and emotions to others, generating opportunities for counsel and healing.
  • Engage with others, reducing isolation, and experience joy through a new creative outlet.
  • Reduce their levels of stress and anxiety through tactile stimulation and opportunities for self-expression.

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Support program management and staffing
  • Engage Art Therapists
  • Purchase supplies
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes

Improving Mobility and Strength through

Exoskeleton Therapy

Watch Now - Blue ADF

Challenge

Many older adults suffer from lower body weakness, improper balance, and unsteady gait, which limits mobility, decreases activity levels, reduces independence, and increases the risk of an accidental fall.

 

Our Response

In February 2018, we implemented an enhanced physical therapy approach that uses a robotic exoskeleton, the EksoGT™. This therapy improves gait, balance, mobility, and muscle strength better than traditional therapy, according to our preliminary data. Examples of results to date on a small sample of patients include:

 

  • Patients unable to ambulate 100 feet without severe fatigue are able to ambulate 500 feet with only minimal fatigue.
  • Patients unable to stand unsupported can stand independently.
  • Patients with abnormal gait have normalized gait patterns.

Projected Impact

We expect prolonged and expanded use to offer dramatic potential across the physical, emotional, and financial spectrum. With increased gait, balance, mobility, and muscle strength, older adults can:

 

  • Bathe, groom, toilet, prepare meals, and perform other daily tasks, which prolongs their independence, protects their dignity, and enhances emotional health and well-being.
  • Engage confidently in physical activity, reducing stress and anxiety from decreased fall risk; be more active, which mitigates illness and disabilities; and avoid depression and isolation by being active and social.

Learn More Button - News & Events

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Defray the cost of the exoskeleton device
  • Expand the program to deliver the best possible care to our residents, as well as offer out-patient services
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes
  • Disseminate our data nationwide so others can learn from our work

Maintaining Health and Wellness through

Medical VR/AR

Challenge

Virtual and augmented reality technologies offer enormous potential to improve health and wellness for older people. Initially used for entertainment and gaming, medical VR/AR can be used to increase social engagement, reduce anxiety, stimulate memory, manage pain, and improve mobility. And all from the comfort of one’s home.

 

Our Response

We are working to bring this cutting-edge technology to our community. Medical VR/AR is particularly critical when COVID, weather, or other conditions make on-site medical appointments impractical or impossible. Applications we are exploring include:

 

  • Physical Therapy
  • Pain Management
  • Stress Management
  • Support Groups
  • Memory Decline
  • Respiratory Recovery

Projected Impact

Medical VR/AR is a safe, effective, drug-free therapy that can easily be done at home with the potential to:

 

  • Improve mood
  • Stimulate brain activity
  • Strengthen social connections
  • Improve mobility
  • Reduce pain

Learn More Button - News & Events

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Obtain equipment
  • Cover program administration costs
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes
  • Disseminate our data nationwide so others can learn from our work

Camaraderie Classic Golf Tournament

The Camaraderie Classic Golf Tournament is an annual event held at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia that raises awareness and generates support for veterans in need of secure, safe housing and specialized health services.

Click here to register now for our annual golf tournament! The 3rd annual Camaraderie Classic will be held October 26, 2020 at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. Co-sponsored by the ADF and Homes For Our Troops, the event raises awareness and generates support for veterans in need of secure, safe housing and specialized health services.

01_59_DSC4489
02_61_DSC4494
03_74_DSC4499-e1525462690848
04_80_DSC4511
05_82_DSC4519
06_105_DSC4588-e1525462895903
07_127_DSC4680-e1525472910276
08_138_DSC4721
09_184_DSC4874
10_201_DSC4937
11_202_DSC4939
12_210_DSC4967
13_241_DSC5072
14_315_BEL1497
16_319_BEL1518
17_323_BEL1539
PlayPause
previous arrow
next arrow

Annual Eisenhower Awards Gala

Every Fall, the ADF holds its most important fundraiser of the year – the Annual ADF Gala.

Over 200 guests attended our 2019 Annual Gala. The critical proceeds raised help fund our mission and programs, which include funding for the Financial Assistance Fund and investment in innovative technologies to improve health and wellness for all older Americans.

PREVIOUS DWIGHT D. AND MAMIE EISENHOWER AWARD RECIPIENTS

Donate

  1. Secretary William S. Cohen
  2. Honorable Norman R. Augustine
  3. Senator Roy Blunt
  4. Senator Thad Cochran
  5. Senator Lindsey Graham
  6. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson
  7. Senator Daniel K. Inouye
  8. Senator Joseph Lieberman
  9. Senator John McCain
  10. Senator Sam Nunn
  11. Senator Jack Reed
  12. Senator Richard Shelby
  13. Senator Ted Stevens
  14. Congressman Norm Dicks
  15. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen
  16. Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon
  17. Congressman John P. Murtha
  18. Congressman Hal Rogers
  1. General Tommy Frank, USA (Ret.)
  2. General Barry R. McCaffrey, USA (Ret.)
  3. General John W. Vessey, Jr., USA (Ret.)
  4. Stephen E. Ambrose, Ph.D.
  5. Lee and Penny Anderson
  6. Tom Brokaw
  7. Nicholas D. Chabraja
  8. Jerry DeMuro
  9. Marillyn Hewson
  10. Andy Hove
  11. Michael W. Laphen
  12. Dennis Mullenberg
  13. Mark S. Newman
  14. Phebe Novakovic
  15. Ronald Perelman
  16. Alma Powell
  17. Michael T. Strianese
  18. Dr. Ronald D. Sugar
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-03
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-08
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-02
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-01
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-04
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-05
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-06
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-07
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-09
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-10
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-11
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-12
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-13
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-14
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-15
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-16
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-17
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-18
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-19
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-20
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-21
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-22
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-23
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-24
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-25
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-26
previous arrow
next arrow

Content that accompanies

ANNUAL EISENHOWER AWARDS GALA

ANNUAL EISENHOWER AWARDS GALA

Every September, the ADF holds its most important fundraiser of the year –the Annual ADF Gala. The critical proceeds raised help fund our mission and programs, which include funding for the Financial Assistance Fund and investment in innovative technologies to improve health and wellness for all Older Americans. On September 25, 2018 we honored United States Senator Lindsey Graham and Andy Hove, CEO of AM General. Please check back in August 2019 to register online for our September 2019 gala.

PREVIOUS DWIGHT D. AND MAMIE EISENHOWER AWARD RECIPIENTS

  1. Secretary William S. Cohen
  2. Honorable Norman R. Augustine
  3. Senator Roy Blunt
  4. Senator Thad Cochran
  5. Senator Lindsey Graham
  6. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson
  7. Senator Daniel K. Inouye
  8. Senator Joseph Lieberman
  9. Senator John McCain
  10. Senator Sam Nunn
  11. Senator Jack Reed
  12. Senator Richard Shelby
  13. Senator Ted Stevens
  14. Congressman Norm Dicks
  15. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen
  16. Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon
  17. Congressman John P. Murtha
  18. Congressman Hal Rogers
  1. General Tommy Frank, USA (Ret.)
  2. General Barry R. McCaffrey, USA (Ret.)
  3. General John W. Vessey, Jr., USA (Ret.)
  4. Stephen E. Ambrose, Ph.D.
  5. Lee and Penny Anderson
  6. Tom Brokaw
  7. Nicholas D. Chabraja
  8. Marillyn Hewson
  9. Andy Hove
  10. Michael W. Laphen
  11. Dennis Mullenberg
  12. Mark S. Newman
  13. Phebe Novakovic
  14. Ronald Perelman
  15. Alma Powell
  16. Michael T. Strianese
  17. Dr. Ronald D. Sugar

Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-03
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-08
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-02
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-01
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-04
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-05
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-06
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-07
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-09
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-10
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-11
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-12
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-13
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-14
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-15
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-16
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-17
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-18
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-19
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-20
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-21
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-22
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-23
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-24
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-25
Annual-Eisenhower-Slider-Image-26
previous arrow
next arrow

General Maxwell D. And Lydia Taylor Society

GENERAL MAXWELL D. AND LYDIA TAYLOR SOCIETY

Established in 1996, members of the General Maxwell D. and Lydia Taylor Society are individuals and couples who demonstrate their commitment to our mission with a gift of $50,000 or more to the ADF (achieved over five years).

GIVE NOW

Email ADF

Rosamond Davis Legacy Society

ROSAMOND DAVIS LEGACY SOCIETY

This prestigious society recognizes any supporter who has pledged or made a gift to the ADF via a bequest or planned gift. Members of the Rosamond Davis Society have expressed their commitment to the ADF through a very special and important form of financial support.

GIVE NOW

Email ADF

Corporate Partnerships

Corporate partners from the military, health, senior care, and other industries have a crucial role to play and offer distinct value. Trusted leaders–including AM General, Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Calibre, The McKeon Group, and Api Group—are but a few of our many current partners. Your partnership will:

  • Offer insights and subject matter expertise into innovations and trends in Older Adult care.
  • Lend marketing, business, and technology expertise and support on a pro bono basis.
  • Provide financial support to ensure worthwhile projects and programs receive adequate funding.
  • Deliver in-kind support or donate products, including private-labeled goods.

Government Partnerships

Our Government partners lend credibility to study results and promote nationwide dissemination of best practices and proven approaches. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is among the nearby government entities with whom we have begun pursuing partnerships. Your agency’s partnership will:

  • Offer ideas, advice, and counsel on new and promising approaches to healthy aging.
  • Financial SupportProvide financial support through grants.

 

  • CredibilityLend credibility to study results and promote nationwide dissemination of best practices and proven approaches.

Academic Partnerships

Academic partners from universities, both local and beyond, are critical to mission success. George Washington University, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and Trinity University (Dublin, Ireland) are among the major academic partners contributing invaluable expertise. Your academic partnership will:

  • Ideas, AdviceOffer ideas, advice, and counsel on new and promising approaches to healthy aging.
  • Data CollectionProvide program development and implementation support, including data collection and analysis.
  • Formal Research ProjectsDesign and conduct formal research projects to be carried out at Knollwood and publish results so that transformational results are shared with others.
  • Resident and Student Rotation - ADFBring skill and expertise to Knollwood through resident and student rotations.

Non-Profit And Individual Partnerships

Many non-profits and individuals are uniquely positioned to provide financial and in-kind support, ensuring worthwhile projects are adequately funded. Army Emergency Relief and the Gia Maione Prima Foundation are among the organizations supporting our mission. Your partnership will:

  • Formal Research ProjectsProvide critical resources to support the research, application, and sharing of promising approaches to healthy aging.
  • Ensure retired veterans and family members with insufficient resources have the opportunity to age with dignity in a caring community.
  • Support Knollwood and its residents, ensuring the sustainability of a safe, welcoming community with quality health and wellness programming.

Providing Community for Life

Upholding Those In Financial Hardship

Challenge

Every year, approximately 10% of Knollwood’s residents need full to partial financial support. These are men and women who find themselves at the end of life with less than $10,000 in total assets and whose benefits are insufficient to meet basic living needs—a home, meals and medical and nursing care. Without financial support, these veterans and their families will no longer be able to receive optimal professional care in a five-star facility and in a community of dedicated Americans who gave so much for our country.

 


Our Response

We established the Financial Assistance Fund (FAF) to support people in financial hardship living in our community. Because we are a non-profit, charitable organization that delivers affordable housing and comprehensive, cutting-edge health and wellness care—regardless of one’s ability to pay—donor support is imperative.

 


Projected Impact

Donor investment in our FAF will:

 

  • Give the gift of opportunity to aging veterans and family members, allowing them to age with dignity and respect in an affordable, caring facility with others of similar background.
  • Extend compassion to financially impoverished men and women who lack the means to fund their basic needs of housing, meals, and health and wellness care.

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Fund the housing, health, and wellness expenses of those in need

Enriching Life through the Arts

Celebrating The Joy Of Music

Challenge

Withdrawal and depression are common in older adults. Caregivers require an arsenal of programs to engage residents according to their interests and needs.

 


Our Response

Music is well-regarded as therapeutic, emotional, and spiritual. Music unites people, brings joy, stimulates memory, and promotes general well-being. Some studies show it is even more effective than medication for certain conditions.

 


Projected Impact

We expect a broad range of benefits:

 

  • Opportunities for social interaction, engagement, and connection.
  • Memory stimulation for residents suffering from dementia.
  • Stress reduction through the proven relaxation benefits of music.
  • Increased joy and happiness from the simple pleasure of listening to music.
  • Increased physical activity from music programs that engage residents in movement.

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Support program management and staffing
  • Engage Music Therapists and performers
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes

Engaging Those with Dementia

Using Art For Self-Expression

Challenge

Older adults living with dementia lack the ability to communicate and express themselves, impairing their ability to engage socially, contributing to depression and isolation.

 

Our Response

We are using art as a therapeutic tool to help residents engage and communicate, facilitating the ability to age with dignity and peace. Art Therapy is a well-documented and studied therapeutic tool for helping people with cognitive challenges lead more rewarding lives. Art projects create a sense of accomplishment and purpose. They provide the person with dementia—as well as caregivers—an opportunity for self-expression.

 

Projected Impact

We expect residents may:

 

  • Strengthen communication and self-expression skills.
  • Receive encouragement through discussion of what the person is creating or reminiscence.
  • Increase activity. Whether the resident is painting or drawing, Art Therapy is a simple yet powerful program to help people living with cognitive challenges improve and age with dignity.

Funding Needed

Donate

We seek resources to:

  • Support contractor costs, program management, and staffing
  • Provide supplies
  • Document our transformational results and outcomes

Content that accompanies

CAMARADERIE CLASSIC GOLF TOURNAMENT

CAMARADERIE CLASSIC GOLF TOURNAMENT

The Camaraderie Classic Golf Tournament is an annual event held at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia that raises awareness and generates support for veterans in need of secure, safe housing and specialized health services.Last year’s event raised $60,000. Please check back in April 2019 to register online for our May 2019 tournament.

slider-img
slider-img
previous arrow
next arrow

Samples of bequest language

Unrestricted bequest
“I give (_______ dollars, a specific asset or ___ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to the ADF. Inc., the charitable, tax-exempt organization located at 6200 Oregon Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., for its general purposes.”

Bequest for a specific purpose
“I give (_______ dollars, a specific asset or ___ percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to the ADF. Inc., the charitable, tax-exempt organization located at 6200 Oregon Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., to be used for the following purpose: (state the purpose).

NOTE: If you wish to restrict your bequest to a specific purpose or program at the ADF, please contact jmichels@armydistaff.org in advance to make sure the language you use will accomplish your wishes and that it aligns with the ADF’s mission.

TAX Identification Number
The ADF EIN number is 53-0246852. Please contact us for a copy of our tax-exempt letter or for additional information to help you ascertain opportunities to support our mission with a planned gift.

With advances in medicine and senior care services over the past 60 years, we have prided ourselves on being at the forefront of change and moving swiftly to incorporate new technologies, best practices, and more expansive care models. The original view of our founders to provide a stable, secure, and safe community where residents could remain until the end of their days is still at the organization’s core. But, how one thinks about the aging community and how we define comprehensive services have evolved to a new environment.

Those of us who are professional caregivers to the elderly recognize a much more comprehensive set of health and wellness requirements that should be made available. To be at the forefront of services, we have always expanded and modified our facilities, incorporated new programs and services, and, just as important, added the highest quality professional staff. Today, our Knollwood facility is fully prepared to accommodate every stage of aging. Over the years, we have added assisted living, advanced nursing, rehabilitation, long-term care, and memory care services, coupled with whole person wellness services, to ensure all residents have access to the best care available. Operating as a full Life Plan community, we offer a complete continuum of care so that residents can age in place under one roof—and always regardless of their financial status.

From the day the facility opened, a number of residents lacked the financial means to support themselves through the end of their lives. Our ADF founders recognized this need and knew they would have to create an assistance fund for these residents. They also anticipated the necessity of a permanent fund to continue providing support in the future. Accordingly, they established a formal Financial Assistance Fund (FAF) shortly after the facility opened in 1962.

True to our founders’ expectation, the need for assistance has indeed grown over time as an ever-increasing number of people have outlived their retirement savings. In addition, over the years, we have expanded resident services and activities. For almost 60 years, our FAF has provided partial to full financial assistance for approximately 10% of our residents. No resident has ever been denied support nor has an application to enter ever been denied for financial reasons. All residents receive the same quality care and services, and to protect every resident’s dignity, all FAF support remains confidential.

Donor contributions to the Caring for Life Program ensure we remain leaders in the senior care industry by equipping us to:

  • Implement new initiatives to promote health, such as investing in specialist positions to coordinate memory care across all four service levels and introduce new approaches to infection prevention.
  • Employ innovative therapies and strategies to better support residents suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
  • Enhance our nursing team through professional development and training opportunities.
  • Ensure our medical and technology equipment is state-of-the-art.
  • Invest in our facility and technology infrastructures to provide a modern, well-kept, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly home for residents that is safe, secure, and welcoming.

Your support will save deserving men and women from

  • Low quality housing
  • Inadequate medical care
  • Loneliness, isolation, and depression
  • Premature onset of disabilities from lack of wellness programming

Donor contributions to the Wellness for Life Program allow us to take full advantage of emerging trends in wellness programs for the elderly so that we can:

  • Bring new strength to aging bodies by improving and expanding physical fitness and therapy options.
  • Enhance emotional and psychological wellness by enriching our counseling, treatment, and therapeutic programs.
  • Promote mental wellness by engaging residents in new, mind-stimulating intellectual and creative endeavors that sharpen thinking, improve cognitive abilities, and bring joy.
  • Offer a greater variety of social programming to prevent isolation, foster friendships, increase community, and build harmony among our residents.

In 1989, we revised our admissions criteria to extend residency to family members—and the veterans themselves—of all U.S. Uniformed Services, which include the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Public Health Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps. When demand for residency increased beyond capacity, we expanded our facility by building additional apartments and enlarging common areas. Today, 300 men and women live at Knollwood.

After World War II and Korea, it became apparent to a small group of Army wives that a large number of widows of U.S. Army servicemen, as well as their mothers, daughters, mothers-in-law, and sisters, were a forgotten group of heroes. These women had devoted their lives to supporting and bolstering the morale of those who were in uniform. Although they may not have had the uniforms, they “served” our nation with pride, foregoing a stable home-life to respond to the ever-changing demands and orders of the military. Playing a vital role in national defense, they sacrificed greatly but were forgotten as they aged.

Recognizing the lack of resources for this vulnerable group of women, two pioneering Army wives garnered worldwide support to call attention to their plight and build a residential facility that would provide security, companionship, and purposeful living for these women as they aged. For most, the new residence would be their first permanent home after a life-time of moving from one base assignment to another. Residents would pay only modest rent and those who lacked resources would be welcomed and supported through private, charitable donations. ADF was established as the non-profit organization to support this population, build the residential facility, and maintain it in the future.

With the strong support of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the personal involvement of First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower, our founders raised funds to purchase land and construct a first-class residential facility. Their efforts produced $38 million (in today’s dollars) to purchase 16 acres in Northwest Washington, DC and build Army Distaff Hall, renamed Knollwood, after the historic home, Knoll House, which is still located on the property.

Knollwood was the first residential facility of its kind in our nation. While ‘old soldiers’ homes’ existed to care for elderly war veterans, nothing existed to provide housing and care for their family members. Fifteen women moved in on opening day in January 1962, a landmark event celebrated with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony by a prestigious Guest of Honor—Mrs. Lyndon B. (Lady Bird) Johnson. By July 1963, 166 women called it home. President John F. Kennedy furthered our work through important legislation exempting us from real estate taxes and making donations tax-deductible.

It’s Not Too Late To Contribute!

There is still time to make a tax-deductible donation
to the Army Distaff Foundation!

We know that you have may options when it comes to your end-of-year giving. Why not choose the Army Distaff Foundation? We are using small and large gifts to provide housing and healthcare to retired veterans and their families. (All donations are tax-deductible, and we'll email you a receipt immediately.)

DONATE NOW