essentials Life

Helping People & Transforming Lives

Life Essentials is the community leader in providing professional,

person-centered services to enhance the well-being of vulnerable adults.

November 2017www.LifeEssentials.org

Marjorie lived in the same room in the same nursing home for more than 10 years.

No one ever visited her, sent her a birthday card or called.

Linda’s Lines

Life Essentials Board of DirectorsPresident: Ted Gudorf, J.D., LLM, Gudorf Law Group, LLCVice President: Marion Jackson, Community VolunteerTreasurer: Julia M. Belden, MBA, CPA, CGMA, Community VolunteerSecretary: Lauren Williams, Dayton Children’sDirectors:Amita R. Patel, MD, Geriatric PsychiatristEli Sperry, J.D., Pickrel, Schaeffer and Ebeling, LPARoss E. Szlag, United States Air ForceJoe Szoke, Community Volunteer

Life Essentials StaffLinda Roepken, Executive DirectorMichael Beckner, Program CoordinatorKatelyn Cripps, BSW, LSW, Guardianship CoordinatorJulie Crusenberry, Development DirectorChristenna Day, BSW, LSW, Guardianship CoordinatorAndrea Green, Office Manager

Marisa Lovely, BSW, Guardianship CoordinatorRosalie Makridis, MA, LSW, National Certified Guardian, Programs DirectorCathy Shoup, BookkeeperJohnique Springer, BSW, Guardianship Coordinator

Dear Friends of Life Essentials:

I’ve been looking back over 2017, and I can honestly say, it’s been a pretty sad and tragic year.

This year’s hurricane season has left numerous communities devastated. The deadliest mass shooting in the history of this nation has just taken place in Las Vegas. The opioid epidemic has torn apart families, taken parents from children and brought children into this world addicted. And our country is more divided than ever before.

It’s sad, but I am still hopeful. I know this community, and I know you give generously to charities that make a difference. You’ll give, just as Jim and I have given, to

organizations helping with disaster relief, organizations that support your beliefs and organizations that go where you can’t to fix a problem. And I know you won’t forget your home community and that you will continue to support seniors like Marjorie.

Your donation, no matter how small, makes a significant difference in the lives of people who are struggling with mental illness, the fragility of aging and out living loved ones. Please give generously. Marjorie and so many others like her thank you for your kindness.

Sincerely,

Linda Roepken

THANK YOU!to our friends at

The Wandering Griffin for letting us crash their

restaurant and bar. We raised $466 as guest

bartenders and had a lot of fun. The raffle

prize of $25 worth of Ohio Lottery scratch

off tickets was won by Bob and Carol Ewald.

Thanks to everyone who came out

that night!

Even though Marjorie didn’t have any family who supported her, she had many relationships in the facility where she lived. The staff enjoyed her, she had a long-time roommate…and she had you. Thanks to your support and generosity, Marjorie is safe from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Due to the estrangement from her family, no one knew she would soon inherit money from her brother. Although they had no relationship, she was the recipient of a trust he left to her after he passed away. Working closely with bank officials and the trust officer, Marjorie’s guardian was able to ensure this money would be used to provide Marjorie with what she needed and protect her from unscrupulous people who might try to take advantage of her.

Marjorie has struggled with significant mental illness her whole adult life and needed a guardian to help her make decisions and keep her safe. Thanks to your donations, she has a Life Essentials guardian who has ensured security and stability in her life. Marjorie is lucky, but the majority of Life Essentials’ clients are poor in addition to having no one to oversee their care. If you didn’t contribute, what would they do?

So again, thank you! You are the reason they are safe.

Marjorie’s New Life

Guardianship Staff Go MobileThanks to two recent grants, the guardianship staff of Life Essentials will soon be spending more time with their clients and less time in the office. The Physicians’ Charitable Foundation of the Miami Valley and The Dayton Foundation’s Greenlight Grant will work in tandem to make it possible for us to purchase small laptops for the guardians and a cloud-based guardianship database. This will allow staff to work directly with their clients in the field while recording case notes, signing consents and accessing vital information as quickly as it takes to make a key stroke.

“We’ll essentially be able to do away with a paper chart,” says Linda Roepken. “This upgrade in technology will allow staff to be more nimble and responsive to address the needs for their clients.” Since the staff can now make case notes in real time, they can serve more clients in need by eliminating days in the office transcribing case notes and entering them into the system.

Thank you, The Physicians’ Charitable Foundation of the Miami Valley and The Dayton Foundation. We appreciate your support!

I got involved as a volunteer guardian because I had previously volunteered as a CASA GAL (Court Appointed Special Advocate Guardian Ad Litem for children) through the Juvenile Court. Following my retirement from Montgomery County, I was looking for a volunteer opportunity and that’s when I found the Guardian Angel Program through Life Essentials.

I get so much more out of being a Guardian Angel Volunteer than what it costs me in time and effort. What I get out of it is simply the satisfaction of knowing I am making a difference in someone’s life. As a volunteer, I can see the difference I’m making in the life of an individual.

At the end of the day, when I’ve visited with someone for whom I’m a volunteer guardian, or have completed a care conference about them, I know I’ve made a positive difference in their life. Most

Why I Volunteer By Kathie Burns

of the people who have a guardian have no one to advocate for them, no one to visit them and no one to give them a hug and let them know they are loved and important to someone. I give them respect, I listen to them, I laugh with them and yes, I love them. I make a difference.

This is a good program full of caring professionals. I am proud to be a part of the Guardian Angel Volunteer Program.

‘Tis the Season

essentials Life

Helping People & Transforming Lives

40 South Perry Street, Suite 130Dayton, OH 45402

How you can helpSocks for Seniors: Our annual Socks for Seniors sock collection has begun. If you’d like to collect new socks for men and women, simply decorate a collection bin, place it at work, church or a school and spread the word! Bring collected socks to Life Essentials by Monday, December 4th. Last year we collected 2,782 pairs of socks!

A Gift from the Heart: As the holidays approach and you decide what to give as gifts, consider making a gift to Life Essentials in honor of a loved one. Your contribution of just $40 ensures an adult under guardianship has a well-trained guardian for one week. Guardians advocate for the individual under guardianship by being their voice and their champion. What a wonderful gift to give!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017We’re hoping to beat last year’s total of $1,100. Watch the Life Essentials

Facebook page for more details.www.LifeEssentials.org