ALICE PALMER WELLS
by ADF Consultant | Apr 15, 2021 | 0 comments
ALICE PALMER WELLS
Preventing Falls Using
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.
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.
Based on system capabilities, we expect residents with this technology to:
Enhancing Brain Health with
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.
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.
Based on BITS capability, we expect a broad range of safety, cognitive, physical, emotional, and social benefits. Examples include:
Exploring the Potential of
SEE THE ROBOT IN TIME MAGAZINE
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.
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.
Potential benefits of robot companions may include:
Maintaining Health and Wellness through
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.
We are investing in robust tele-health programs so that people can see top-quality doctors from the comfort of home, including:
Wide-ranging benefits from bringing tele-health programs to our community include:
Providing Community for Life
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.
We established a Building and Community Fund to ensure the availability of resources for modernization, improvement, repair, and replacement.
Your investment will:
Engaging Those with Dementia
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.
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.
We expect residents may:
Preventing Infection through
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.
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.
Benefits of our new Health Entry Screening Program include:
Preventing Infection through
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.
Because on-the-spot results are often needed to contain the spread of illness, we built an in-house lab to deliver rapid results.
While not a substitute for outside testing, our in-house lab is a critical infection control tool, offering the following benefits:
Preventing Infection through
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.
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.
Our advanced sanitation program will keep people healthier through the following benefits:
Enriching Life through the Arts
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.
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.
Mask-making therapy helps people:
Improving Mobility and Strength through
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.
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:
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:
Maintaining Health and Wellness through
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.
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:
Medical VR/AR is a safe, effective, drug-free therapy that can easily be done at home with the potential to:
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.
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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).
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.
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.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.
Provide financial support through grants.
Lend credibility to study results and promote nationwide dissemination of best practices and proven approaches.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:
Offer ideas, advice, and counsel on new and promising approaches to healthy aging.
Provide program development and implementation support, including data collection and analysis.
Design and conduct formal research projects to be carried out at Knollwood and publish results so that transformational results are shared with others.
Bring skill and expertise to Knollwood through resident and student rotations.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:
Provide 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
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.
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.
Donor investment in our FAF will:
Enriching Life through the Arts
Withdrawal and depression are common in older adults. Caregivers require an arsenal of programs to engage residents according to their interests and needs.
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.
We expect a broad range of benefits:
Engaging Those with Dementia
We expect residents may:
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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.
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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:
Your support will save deserving men and women from
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:
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.
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.)
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