APA News

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.

The fall 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.

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.