JCA Insights, August 2025

A Word From Shane
August is Make a Will Month

“Leaving a legacy is about planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”

August is National Make-A-Will Month, a time to reflect on the future and take steps to protect the people and causes that matter most to you.

At the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater

Washington, we know how important it is to have a plan that echoes your wishes. While caring for your loved ones is paramount, your will is also an opportunity for you to ensure your assets will be used according to your wishes and that your values will be expressed in your plans, extending support for the organizations you care about beyond your lifetime.

As you plan for the future, we hope you’ll consider including a gift of any size to JCA in your will. Your legacy gift will help us give lasting power to our community as we provide access, answers, and opportunities to older adults and family caregivers throughout Greater Washington, D.C., far into the future.

I invite you to use Make-A-Will Month as a moment to explore how powerful your will can be — and how easy it is to plan for your future.

You can multiply the impact of your investment in our work with a monthly gift. You support as a sustaining donor helps us meet ongoing needs and plan for the future.

No one likes to think they are getting old, and very few people plan for medical emergencies, moving out of a beloved home, or writing wills with end-of-life care decisions included. But unfortunately, the time may come when events move faster than you can handle, and carefully considered decisions are no longer in the cards.

The latest Senior Resources Guide in the Washington Jewish Week is designed to guide you through some of those difficult conversations and decisions. The time to think about the future is when things are going well, not when the world seems to be caving in.

Aging Well Series

For the past several weeks, JCA has been sharing the Aging Well series, highlighting its services and programs. The series has been sent by email and shared in blog posts and on social media.

The series presents in-depth stories that spotlight employment, early-stage memory loss, navigating Medicare, transportation, and volunteering.

Watch your email, social media, and the JCA blog for more from the Aging Well series.

The Jewish Council for Aging’s Opening Minds through Art program held another successful art show. Thanks to staff from Heyman Interages® Center and the Gorlitz Kensington Clubs, seniors with early-stage memory loss had the opportunity to express their creativity and then show the results to their loved ones.

The participant artists were paired with volunteers, including 12th grader Fabio Allegro and 10th grader Ayushna Kunwar.

Fabio described his partner, Renee, as funny but indecisive. He was able to push her just a little to come up with her four paintings. “She had some really great ideas. I would tell her to do it. She just needed a push.”

“Renee is really inclusive,” Fabio said, adding that she even wanted him to sign his name on her painting. He attends Walter Johnson High School.

Ayushna said she was “a bit nervous and excited” to join the program. Her love of art convinced her to volunteer.

“Right off the bat, Edith was really nice and welcoming,” said Ayushna, who attends Clarksburg High. Edith was fairly independent but needed assistance with adding glitter to her painting.

The next OMA session begins on January 30, 2026.

Career Gateway and 50+ Employment Expos Announce Schedules for the Upcoming Year

JCA’s Career Gateway and 50+ Employment Expos are set to launch a new year of helping jobseekers.

Career Gateway is a 30-hour intensive program for jobseekers. The program covers job search skills like resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and developing a job-search plan. Each participant is matched with a long-term mentor.

The 50+ Employment Expos are free, 4-hour sessions comprised of two job-search workshops and networking  with age-friendly employers with openings in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia.

Both programs are run virtually.

Visit the Career Gateway and 50+ Expos pages for more information.

JCA Jobseeker Book Club

The Jobseeker Book Club is well underway with the completion of two books. The first book, In Control at 50+, was a practical guide for older workers adapting to the post-pandemic workplace. The second, 55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal, was a compassionate look at the financial and emotional realities facing many 50+ individuals today.

October’s selection, 101 Ways to Rock LinkedIn, provides readers with wisdom on how to productively put this platform to work.

Register for the book club by email.

Montgomery College Offers Personal Finance Academy

Have you started to plan for retirement? Montgomery College is offering a group of classes under the heading of the Personal Finance Academy. Understand the difference and importance of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs. Learn to maximize your assets. Financial planning can make your life and retirement easier. Among the courses you will find:

The Heyman Interages Center is accepting applications for Fall ’25 programs.

Volunteers work with Montgomery County public school children in elementary, middle, and high schools.

Elementary School programs include support for students who are English learners, reading with 2nd graders, in-class support, and Reader’s Theater.

Middle and High School programs include discussions on current events and social studies topics, and a virtual Book Club.

Visit the Interages webpage for more informaton.

In addition to the most recent Senior Resources Guide and the Aging Well series, the JCA blog had a lot to offer in August. One writer asked if she was experiencing normal age-related memory lapses or “Is it dementia?” If you do suspect cognitive decline, ask your neurologist these 5 questions.

So many of us act as caregivers or receive care in one form or another. Understanding who the caregivers are will help us understand the

future of caregiving in America. How will the immigration crackdown affect the senior care workforce?

Before your doctor sends you for a costly or invasive medical test, ask them what the potential harm of the test could be. Do your best to protect your health with local, nutritious produce from the farmer’s market. The Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program may help. Give your brain a good workout using new tech tools.

Ever on the lookout for new scams, we present this tale of stopping a $40,000 scam. Always remember: When in doubt, consider it a scam until proven otherwise.

If you are a caregiver for an older adult, or you know one, check out the KC Blog as well.

In memory of Edna Hendler, to Kensington Clubs Kesher Café

Lisa & Danny Akman
Karie Falck
Joyce & Richard Franklin
Lily Groh
Holly & Dan Gross
Laura Gross
Carolyn Helfman
Colette Hyman

Sherry Johnson
Helen Niederman
Mark & Fran Pressman
Randi Schweitzer
Beth Swartz
Sharon Seigel
Sue & Howard Wilchins

Donald Berlin in memory of Betty Berlin
Robert Cohen in memory of Ruth K. Cohen
Carol & Alan Croll in memory of Ellen Cades, to Interages

Brenda Gruss & Daniel Hirsch in memory of Florence Richmond, to Kensington Clubs
Phoebe Joseph in memory of Larry Michael Joseph, to the Larry M Joseph Memorial Endowment Fund
Geraldine Quinlan in honor of Dr. Fred Cantor