APA News

We don’t have to go far to enjoy the qualities that make each of our members special. Read on to learn more about our July featured member: Amy Antro, Senior Care Advocate at Amada Senior Care.

APA: Describe what your business provides to the community and how you do it.
Amada Senior Care provides services to older adults through in-home care and management of long-term care insurance policies.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home?
I have lived in the Cincinnati area since 2008. I am originally from Centerville, Ohio. I studied at The Ohio State University and graduated with a degree in social work with a focus on gerontology. After college, I moved to the Akron area for my first professional position. It was there I met my husband and had two wonderful children.

APA: Thinking of your professional life, what are you most proud of?
I am extremely proud that I have been honored throughout my career to help our aging population and their families throughout difficult situations.

APA: If we were to ask your best friends about you, what would he/she say?
After reading this question, I actually DID ask my dearest friend. And she stated I was steadfast, honest and loyal to summarize it.

APA: What, or who, inspires you, and why?
My father is my greatest inspiration. He grew up with limited means and worked extremely hard to be where he is today. My father overcame many challenges in life, and still remains the most humble individual I have ever known. His love is unwavering.

APA: It’s often said that we can learn a lot from our elders. What’s the most important lesson you learned from an older adult in your life? 
I have learned to talk less, listen more, respect differences and, most importantly, that age is no barrier to friendship or love.

As you enjoy the warm temperatures, please take a few minutes to get to know our June featured board member, Tiffany Strah, Outreach Director at The Law Practice of Dennison Keller, LLC.

APA: Describe what your business provides to the community and how you do it.
We are a law firm that specializes in Elder Law and Life Care Planning. Our attorneys help families put legal documents in place to protect their assets, while our elder care coordinators are a resource in navigating care options for aging individuals and their families. Overall, we provide peace of mind for older adults and their loved ones as they age.

APA: Please describe your involvement with APA.
I recently joined the APA board in January and am excited to be part of this great organization! The Law Practice of Dennison Keller is a media sponsor, and we host an APA Happy Hour event each May.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home?
I have lived in Northern Kentucky for the majority of my life; I spent five years in Lexington (Go Cats!) and four years in Anderson Township.

APA: Thinking of your professional life, what are you most proud of?
The connections I’ve made with co-workers, peers, and the people I have served in the positions I held.

APA: If we were to ask your best friends about you, what would he/she say?
I think they would say that I am loyal, caring, funny, probably loud, and game for any challenge.

APA: What, or who, inspires you, and why?
My daughters. Seeing them navigate challenges as they grow up has made me much more understanding and empathetic to all of the underlying obstacles people face that we have no idea they are dealing with. You really never know what someone else is going through.

The APA has recognized four very deserving people for the incredible work they do in our community. The 2023 APA Award Winners are:

Outstanding Leader, Elizabeth Bangel-Stehlin

Outstanding Service Provider, Suzanne Piper-Baird

Outstanding Project: Creative Connections in Collaboration with Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio, Kristin Cooley (Creative Connections); Angie Homoelle (Catholic Charities)

This is the third of a series of profiles to feature the winners. Read on to learn more about our Outstanding Leader – Elizabeth (Liz) Bangel-Stehlin.

The reasons Elizabeth (Liz) Bangel-Stehlin highly deserves the APA Outstanding Leader award are many, but here are a few:

First, Liz is very involved with the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. She was invited to represent the organization at the Community Leadership Summit in New Orleans in January and served as Vice Chair for their Spring Gala, Era of Hope, held May 16 at Music Hall.

Second, along with her partners Ali Puckett and Rachel Hodesh, she leads a non-profit called SAAG (Senior Advocate Action Group) which helps to provide many items to lower income older adults. With her leadership, SAAG has extended their Blessing Boxes locations from the East side to the West side of Cincinnati.

Third, Liz is very involved with Meals on Wheels and is a major player raising funds for them and supporting their organization. As a matter of fact, she  danced in front of hundreds at the Dance Our Heart Out in November to raise funds for Meals on Wheels of Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

And this is just a slice of what she’s involved in.  It’s no wonder she’s an award winner!

Recently, we recognized four very deserving people for the incredible work they do in our community. The 2023 APA Award Winners are:

Outstanding Leader, Elizabeth Bangel-Stehlin

Outstanding Service Provider, Suzanne Piper-Baird

Outstanding Project: Creative Connections in Collaboration with Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio, Kristin Cooley (Creative Connections); Angie Homoelle (Catholic Charities)

This is the second of a series of profiles to feature the winners. Read on to learn more about our Outstanding Service Provider – Suzanne Piper-Baird.

APA: What is your name and tell us a bit about what you do.

Suzanne Piper-Baird, Certified Senior Advisor, Elder Care Coordinator and Certified Laughter Yoga Instructor.

APA: How long have you lived in the tri-state area? Where else have you called home?

I grew up in Northern Kentucky and now live in Perry Park, Kentucky (Owen County)

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

 My love for older adults.

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

Hopefully that I love deeply.

APA: What, or who, inspires you?

 Jesus! Is there anyone else?

 

Recently, we recognized four very deserving people for the incredible work they do in our community. The 2023 APA Award Winners are:

Outstanding Leader, Elizabeth Bangel-Stehlin

Outstanding Service Provider, Suzanne Piper-Baird

Outstanding Project: Creative Connections in Collaboration with Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio, Kristin Cooley (Creative Connections); Angie Homoelle (Catholic Charities)

This is the first of a series of profiles to feature the winners. Read on to learn more about our Outstanding Project winners.

APA: What is your name and job title? Tell us a bit about your organization.

Kristin Cooley, Program Director – Giving Voice Foundation
We are a grassroots non-profit that offers creative opportunities for support and engagement for local individuals with a dementia diagnosis and their care partners. Creative Connections is our music & movement program that has a caregiver support group that occurs simultaneously. We also offer monthly floral arranging classes (Brains in Bloom), ballroom dancing classes (Dancing to Remember), guided caregiver writing workshops (Caring for the Caregiver). In addition, we offer free consultations with licensed social workers to access local resources, dementia education, and comprehensive care planning (Purposeful Planning Program).

Angie Homoelle, Caregiver Assistance Network Coordinator – Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio

We serve and empower people through God’s love in their times of vulnerability. We do this through a full range of local services that engage the community in building solidarity.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home? 
Kristin: I’ve lived in Cincinnati since 2010. I am a born and bred Hoosier that ultimately jumped the state line…My hometown is Batesville, IN.

Angie: I was born and raised in Cincinnati. I know you’ll ask – so I went to McAuley High School. I’ve also lived in Nashville and Chicago. There are lots of wonderful places in this world, but Cincinnati is hard to beat!

APA: Thinking about your professional life, what are you most proud of?
Kristin: I’ve always been fueled by genuine connection with others, so I’m very proud of the community programs I’ve helped to create over the years.

Angie: I’m most proud of the growth of our caregiver support program. We’ve tripled the number of hours served per year since I started coordinating the program seven years ago. Creative Connections is a significant part of that!

APA:  If we were to ask your best friend about you, what would they say?
Kristin: I would hope they would say I’m loyal, loving and supportive. But I really think my besties would say “that girl is WEIRD!”

Angie: She cares for everyone she comes in contact with.

 

Please take a minute to read our first APA member profile of 2024. Read on to learn about Jill Grissom, Hospice Liaison – Queen City Hospice.

APA: Describe what your business provides to the community and how you do it.
Queen City Hospice provides symptom management for people with a limited life expectancy. We can not cure the diagnosis but we can work with the symptoms that arise so the person has the best quality of life possible.

APA: It’s often said that we can learn a lot from our elders. What’s the most important lesson you learned from an older adult in your life?
I have always said that by sitting at the feet of an elder, listening to their experiences, you will hear the best life stories. My Aunt Nora, I called her Aunt Norie, never had children of her own and she was the youngest of six or seven siblings – all of whom had different personalities. When she told me stories, she would usually preface by saying, “I will tell you about your uncles and aunts but I want you to promise you will not act like them!” That would intrigue me even more!

APA: How long have you lived in Ohio?
I have always lived in Hamilton, Ohio. Hamilton is where I was born, raised and married. I live in an area of Hamilton called Fairfield Township.

APA: Thinking about your professional life, what are you most proud of?
I am most proud of providing 35 years of Hospice education in many roles. My grandchildren sometimes don’t get it. They often skeptically say, “When you talked about what you wanted to be when you grew up, did you say ‘hospice educator?’”  I laugh and then share with them that life takes many twists and turns and I landed where I needed to be.

APA: If we were to ask your best friends about you, what would he/she say?
I hope they would say I am a caring, compassionate person that likes to help people and that I’m trustworthy, truthful and fun to be around!

APA: Share one thing that may be surprising for others to learn about you.
Prior to starting with Hospice, I taught tap and jazz dancing.

The first newsletter of 2024 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 full issue!

As the end of the year approaches, please take a few minutes to get to know our December featured member: Ann Sutton Burke, Chief Client Services Officer and an Advance Aging Life Care Professional at Jewish Family Service of Cincinnati.

APA: Describe what your business provides to the community and how you do it.
At Jewish Family Services (JFS), our mission is to strengthen lives and our diverse community by providing exceptional and transformational human services. JFS excels in providing care management and counseling.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home?
I have lived in the Cincinnati area for more than 40 years. I’m a true Midwest gal – born and raised in central Indiana.

APA: What are you most proud of?
Older adults are my jam and I love working with family caregivers. It has been my privilege throughout the past 20 years to meet and oversee services for area Holocaust Survivors.

APA: If we were to ask your best friends about you, what would he/she say?
Family is my everything. I’m a planner and try to be kind to everyone.

APA: What, or who, inspires you, and why?
This is easy – my mom. She became a widow with three children in her forties. She went back to work as a nurse, raised us and got us through college. She was a very strong and kind person.

Let’s learn a bit about this month’s featured APA sponsor – Kim Janky, Community Developer with RetireMed.

APA: Describe what your business provides to the community and how you do it.
At RetireMed, our dedicated team of local advisors and specialists provide partnership education, personalized guidance and extraordinary care in selecting health insurance coverage. We accompany our community approaching the age of 65 throughout Medicare journey so they can enjoy the freedom they’ve earned.

More than 1,500 organizations in the tristate area have entrusted their employees to ReitreMed when transitioning to Medicare.

APA: Please describe your involvement with APA; what you sponsor; and how long you’ve been a sponsor.
We started as an APA education sponsor in September 2023. This sponsorship goes hand-in-hand with our aim to provide education for our clients which ensures confidence in planning for their Medicare needs.

APA: How long have you lived in Cincinnati? Where else have you called home?
Ohio has always been my home. I was born in Cincinnati, graduated from Miami University, began my career at the University of Dayton and I currently reside in Washington Township.

APA: What are you most proud of?
Growing up in a family business instilled the value of providing an exceptional experience. Developing this best practice in my career has allowed me to build great relationships, create new growth opportunities and has resulted in leadership roles.

APA: If we were to ask your best friend about you, what would he/she say?
I strive to be an encourager and share a positive perspective! Our busy culture has daily challenges and we all need to pause for a smile, warm greeting, hug and caring minute for others.

APA: Share one thing that may be surprising for others to learn about you.
I’m a Gold Award Girl Scout that’s grateful for the inspiration of leadership from my adventurous leader that allowed our Troop to canoe in Maine and travel to Europe.

Let’s learn a bit about this month’s featured APA member – Kathie Currier, Seniors Real Estate Specialist with Coldwell Banker Realty.

APA: Describe what your business provides to the community and how you do it.
I focus my business on working with older adults who need to sell a home in order to transition into a retirement/care community. I also work with many who need to sell a home to settle an estate after losing a loved one. My goal is to make everything less stressful and more successful for them.

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

I consider myself a native Cincinnatian with a few side trips. I have also lived in Texas and Alabama. I returned home in 1981, and have been here ever since.

APA: What are you most proud of?
I am proud to say that my work with older adults was recognized at the Ohio Association of Realtors (OAR) level when they asked me to conduct a Continuing Education class on working with seniors at the last OAR convention that was held in Cincinnati. Also, during my work for a large Northern Kentucky developer, I chaired their in-house United Way campaign and secured 100% employee participation in donations – a company first!

APA: If we were to ask your best friends about you, what would he/she say?
Great question! I really don’t know but I hope they would say that I am very ethical and professional, fair-minded, reliable, and trustworthy. When I say I will do something, I mean it and it will get done.

APA: What type(s) of music do you like and why?
When I’m in my office, I like to listen to WGUC classical music because it relaxes me and doesn’t have words that would distract me and make me want to sing with it. In the car, I like to be young again and listen to oldie goldies from the 60’s - 80’s.