APA News

Isn’t it nice to feel the cooler temperatures outside? While you’re getting ready for all-things-fall, take a minute to learn about this month’s featured members – Chris and Shauna Beiler, owners of Oasis Senior Advisors Cincinnati West and NKY.

APA: Describe what your business provides to the community.
We are committed to making senior living transitions that were once difficult, simple and stress-free. With a team of local certified advisors who have done extensive research on senior housing and assisted living centers throughout West Cincinnati, you can trust in us to make recommendations that reflect your loved one’s needs and interests.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home? We have lived in Cincinnati since 2002. We moved here right after we graduated from college.  Shauna grew up outside Boston, Massachusetts and I grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

APA: What are you most proud of?
We are most proud of our family, our marriage, and our daughter. Controlling what we can control and letting everything else fall into place.

APA: If we were to ask your best friends about you, what would he/she say?
We are quiet but great listeners, caring, sympathetic, understanding, laid back, and with a good sense of humor.

 

This month, our featured APA member is fluent in government relations and is fiercely passionate about her family. Read on to hear more about Nan Kohnen Cahall.

APA:    What is your name and job title?
Nan:     Nan Kohnen Cahall, Director Government Relations – Council on Aging

APA:     Tell us about COA…
Nan:     Council on Aging (COA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing quality of life for older adults, people with disabilities, their families and caregivers. We promote choice, independence, dignity and well-being through a range of services that help people remain in their homes for as long as possible.

APA:     Is Council on Aging a sponsor of the APA?
Nan:     Yes. COA is an Education Sponsor. The educational programs offered by APA such as the recent Unpacking the Research Behind Current Alzheimer’s Treatments are tremendously helpful to the professionals caring for aging clients. We are strong supporters of continuing education and awareness among our staff and APA provides strong educational opportunities to support our mission.

APA:     How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home?
Nan:     I have lived in Cincinnati for most of my life. I have also lived in Washington, DC and Columbus, OH.

APA:     Thinking about your professional life, what are you most proud of?
Nan:     My career has focused on public service and I have been on the front lines of many important public policy changes and national, state & local emergencies. There are two things I’m most proud of: past and present. I am most proud of the work I did as a staff member in the US House of Representative and the US Senate during the recent COVID pandemic and following the attacks on 9/11. However, I am now most proud of my opportunity to work with COA to more directly help support individuals and families in my home region.

APA:     If we were to ask your best friend about you, what would they say?
Nan:     That’s a tough question but I think they would say I am compassionate, passionate, empathetic and I love my family.

This month delivers a twist on the APA Member Profile. The featured APA-er this month is not an official member, but a critical force of APA nature!

Jane Vanderhorst is President of Vanderhorst Consulting, Inc. (VCI) and we are fortunate to have her in the APA corner as marketer extraordinaire. In her own words, VCI is a strategic marketing firm that works with service companies and nonprofits that want to grow but aren’t sure of the next steps. She gets to know each organization’s vision and goals, helps them develop a focused path for success, and works with them to make the plan a reality. Sometimes this is growth and marketing-related, and other times it's helping HR departments restructure roles and teams. 

Read on to learn more about Jane.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home?

Jane: I grew up in St. Marys, a small town in Western Ohio. After college at Miami University and a year of living in Cincinnati, I moved to Atlanta for a few years before returning to Ohio. Cincinnati has been my home ever since.

APA: Thinking about your professional life, what are you most proud of?

Jane: Being a part of my clients’ successes over the past 20 years. It’s such a wonderful feeling to see a company and its team transform as they make the progress that they aspired to. Seeing people’s faces light up as they realize what they can truly accomplish is amazing.

I love working with the APA board and members! It’s delightful to meet new people at every event and watch the organization thrive. I have worked with the APA since 2019, and have seen the membership grow from 40 to a real community of more than 160. Kudos to all of you who have made a contribution to the APA and are dedicated to the aging population!

Tony Wright is Publisher & Owner of Wright Choice Marketing, LLC – Regional Manager for Decided Excellence Catholic Media. In his words, Tony explains that Wright Choice Marketing publishes monthly magazines mailed directly to Catholic families focusing on the good and positive.

His magazines give businesses, nonprofits and schools the opportunity to market their services and write content within this niche Catholic community to grow and promote their business, fundraising and overall mission. In fact, his magazines are the fastest growing non-diocese run Catholic magazines in North America.

Read on to learn more about Tony.

APA: Tell us about your sponsorship of APA events.

Tony: I am a relatively new Networking-level Sponsor. (I started as a sponsor in early 2023.)  Many of our business and nonprofit organizations are sponsors in my magazines as we reach decision makers for the aging community.  I am very honored and happy to support the efforts of APA.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati?

Tony: I am a proud life-long Cincinnati Westsider – 48 years. I graduated from Oak Hills High School. I  have a degree from the University of Cincinnati in Accounting and a Master's from Northern Kentucky University in Mathematics Education.  I have worked as a CPA, CFO and business owner for 24 years on Cincinnati’s west side.

APA: Thinking about your professional life, what are you most proud of?

Tony: Passing the CPA exam on my first try. It wasn’t an easy test.  I’m also most proud of starting a new business during COVID – in 2020.  These Cincinnati Parish magazines have helped bring the community together in very uncertain times when there was a large amount of negativity in our mainstream media.  We are making a positive impact every month in the community and for our business sponsors.

It’s true…APA members are alike yet different. They are alike in that all share one very important interest: providing support for the aging population. Their differences are in their stories – each is unique. We’re fortunate to tell one of those here.

Dennison Keller is the Owner/Managing Member of the Law Practice of Dennison Keller, LLC. In his words, Dennison explains that his firm is an elder law firm that practices the Life Care Plan Model.  That means we have a team of health professionals that incorporates care advocacy alongside the traditional legal advocacy of a law firm. Read on to learn more about Dennison.

APA: Thinking about your professional life, what are you most proud of?

Dennison: I am most proud of building a firm from the ground up that has not only safeguarded the life savings of countless senior citizens, but also advocated for their care, quality of life, and dignity in their last days.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home?

Dennison: I grew up in Ripley, Ohio, and have lived in Cincinnati most of my adult life.  Prior to my work as an attorney, I was a television journalist and that career took me to live in Youngstown, Ohio, Daytona Beach, Florida, and Orlando, Florida.

APA: If we were to ask your best friend about you, what would they say?

Dennison: Ha! I’m afraid that might not be suitable for print! But I’d like to think he’d say even though I can be irreverent, I have a good sense of humor. Most importantly, he’d say I’m loyal.

One of our newest Board members is Valorie Frantz. Here's a little more about Valorie.

Tell us what you do and how you help the community. 

I currently work at Seasons Retirement Community, where I am the Director of Sales and Marketing. Seasons provides senior independent and assisted living apartments for people 62 years and older. 

Are you from Cincinnati?  If not, where are you from?

I am originally from Toledo, and I moved to Cincinnati in 2012.

If you could travel anywhere in the world (with money being no object), where would you go?

I'd love to visit New Zealand for a month.

What is your biggest inspiration in life or in your job? 

My inspiration is my family and friends. With working at Seasons, I love providing an excellent place to live so residents may age in place, with no worries. I am also a nurse; I love to help people anyway I can.

Tell us about yourself and family.

I am married to my husband, Rick. We have two daughters. Alexis is a pediatric nurse who is married to Clay, a pediatric neurosurgeon. They live in Colorado Springs with Landon, who is almost two years old. My other daughter is Maya, who is 23 and a Cincinnati firefighter. Our daughters are our pride and joy and we try to see them as often as we can. We also have two dogs, Moose and Rio. 

What is your “go-to” restaurant?

Meritage in Glendale

 What was the last book you read?

The Quarry Girls 

 If you could see one musician/act in concert, who would it be?  

The original lineup of Grateful Dead. 

 What do you do when you’re not working?

I love the outdoors – hiking, white water kayaking, off-roading, spending time in Tennessee at our property or visiting Colorado and my kids.

If you had one superpower, what would it be?

My superpower would be flight, so I could get to Colorado fast and see my daughter and grandson whenever I wanted! I also would like to have the power to take away pain to help those suffering.

What is your current and/or past favorite television show?

For a good laugh, the Big Bang Theory. My all-time favorites are Friends and Golden Girls.

Any additional information you would like to share?

I am the Past Chair of Retention Committee for ALZ Association Walk for eight years. In addition to being an APA board member, I am also a SAAG member, Teepa Snow certified dementia trainer and Registered Nurse.

The spring edition of our quarterly newsletter is now available!

Catch up on upcoming APA events, as well as announcements and articles submitted by your fellow APA members.  

Click on the image to read the newsletter. 

If you would like to submit an article for consideration for future quarterly newsletters, or let us know of any newsworthy events, contact Mary Mendel at Mary@familybridges.com or Rob Jutze at rjutze@seniorimpact.com.

COVID-19 Vaccination Program for Homebound Older Adults
Ken Wilson, Vice President of Program Operations
Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council on Aging (COA) went above and beyond for the older adults in our community. Seeing that the 65+ population was the segment of the population most impacted by severe illness and death from COVID-19, COA acted quickly to implement programs for social and nutritional needs of older adults. When vaccines became available to older adults, COA partnered with local public health agencies, the National Guard and other providers to quickly vaccinate and protect our older adult population. They were also instrumental in helping older adults navigate technology and complex registration requirements – making sure no one was left behind from accessing lifesaving vaccines. 

COA established a process to receive homebound vaccination referrals from both internal clients and outside social service agencies. They created a standard protocol and database at the regional level, which incorporated a quality assurance process. This process ensured people who were added to the homebound vaccination list – actually received their shot. They consistently addressed the needs of a highly vulnerable population that was not being served or considered through other vaccination efforts. 

Because of the COA's efforts, no doubt many of our seniors were saved from contracting COVID-19.

Luda Gikhman
Director, Russian Jewish Cultural Center
Jewish Family Service of the Cincinnati Area

Luda’s story begins in the former Soviet Union where she was an educator. She met, fell in love, married and had a family with a Jewish man. As a result, Luda experienced discrimination due to anti-Semitism and was unable to advance in her career.  In the late 80’s/early 90’s the Soviet Union allowed those identifying as Jewish to immigrate to the United States. Luda’s family arrived in the United States with no housing, no jobs and little if any English skills. Jewish Family Service of the Cincinnati Area stepped in and provided what Luda’s family needed to resettle and be successful here in the United States.

Luda then paid it forward by coming to work for Jewish Family Service and helped other families from the former Soviet Union resettle here. As an educator, she taught citizenship and English to these families and provide care management to navigate the public and private benefit systems here in the US. Luda also became a professor of Russian language at the University of Cincinnati.

In 2017, Luda created, designed and successfully launched the Russian Jewish Cultural Center. Its purpose was to provide a culturally responsive place to gather for older adults from the counties of the former Soviet Union including Russia and Ukraine. The center borrows from the concepts of senior centers and adult day care service centers but the focus is on American, Russian and Jewish culture.

When it opened, the center served 50 clients and today it serves over 200. Almost half are age 80 and over. Luda partners with the Mayerson Jewish Community Center on transportation and lunch.

During COVID Luda switched quickly and successfully to virtual programming much of which continues today. They are back two days a week at the center in person and field trips to the symphony, ballet, area parks and movies have resumed.

One client named Mila says, “The Russian Jewish Cultural Center is like a home, it gives me life”. 

In 2022, Luda stepped up to help those fleeing the war in Ukraine, the country of her origin, to be able to be in the Cincinnati area often with family or friends. Each person/family’s situation is unique and the multitude of public and private systems to navigate through to be here legally is overwhelming and complicated.

Luda has done so much to help older adults in the Cincinnati area. She loves her county and is thankful to be able to do so while celebrating the culture of her birth.