View on Web

Dear Friends,

At The Washington Home, we believe every older adult deserves dignity, comfort, and compassionate care. That commitment is at the heart of our newly announced Hospice Access Collaboration, a $328K investment bringing together four community partners to expand hospice-related training for 200 healthcare professionals and support specialty hospice care for 25 older DC residents. 

Community leaders Capital Caring Health - A Chapters Health^® Affiliate, Forest Hills of DC – By Goodwin Living, Joseph’s House, and Sibley Memorial Hospital – Johns Hopkins Medicine, will use the TWH grant to close gaps in care and build a stronger, more compassionate support system in our city.

This initiative continues to reflect our FY26 grant-making strategy: moving beyond individual programs to foster collaboration and lasting systems change. This year, The Washington Home awarded $4.5 million in grants supporting communities across all eight DC wards.

Read our Impact Report | Hear about the Funding Strategy

Thank you for sharing our commitment to improving the lives of older adults. Together, we can help ensure more people receive the care, comfort, and connection they deserve.

Welcome Cristina!

Please join us in welcoming Cristina Donoso to The Washington Home as our new Program Officer!

With 10+ years of experience across humanitarian assistance, international development, social impact, and community-based programming, Cristina brings considerable expertise in grant making, partnerships, social inclusion, and innovative workforce development.

Most recently, Cristina served as program manager at Jesuit Refugee Services/USA, managing an international portfolio spanning four regions.

We're delighted to have Cristina on staff and look forward to the experience and perspective she will bring as we advance our grant making and community partnerships in support of The Washington Home's mission.

📧 Contact Cristina

Crystal Attends Leadership Greater Washington's Economic Development Day

Our CEO Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA, spent an inspiring day with her Leadership Greater Washington cohort at the 2027 Leadership Greater Washington Economic Development Day, where she learned about marketplace strengths and opportunities for the Greater Washington region and ways to advance collaboration versus competition.

Patricia Meets With Her LeadingAge DC Leadership Academy Classmates

As she continues through the year-long LeadingAge leadership program, our Program Officer Patricia Ndimantang, MPP, is having valuable opportunities to connect with inspiring professionals across the aging services sector while exploring what it means to lead with authenticity, courage, and curiosity.

The program's four in-person meetings include member community visits, conversations with aging services leaders, and self-exploration of leadership styles through exercises and readings. Patricia recently attended the second meeting in the professional development series, which offered interactive sessions, peer learning, and thought-provoking discussions as the group explored key leadership concepts, including courageous leadership through Brené Brown's Dare to Lead, the importance of curiosity in fostering innovation and collaboration, and the role of empathy in building meaningful relationships.

Health Funders Work Group Retreat

As members of the regional group of healthcare leaders, our CEO Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA, and Program Officer Patricia Ndimantag, MPP, participated in the recent Health Funders Group Retreat, hosted by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.

The group focuses on ways to advance the health and well-being of DC residents, through learning, collaboration, and impact strategies.

Christ House Gala

TWH was pleased to join in a night of community and celebration at Christ House’s third-annual gala, “Turing Toward the Sun.”

We enjoyed an evening of powerful stories, delicious food, and live music together. Congratulations to Pillar of Healing award recipient Jim O’Connell, president of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Food & Friends: Volunteer Day

The TWH team enjoyed serving alongside the amazing leaders at our partner Food & Friends - including special help from our board member Keith Eig and his team at Greenberg, Wexler, & Eig LLC!

This special community-based organization provides home-delivered medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries and medical nutrition therapy to our neighbors living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other serious illnesses. 

The Washington Home committed a $1.5M investment to support Food and Friends’ vision for expansion and it is so inspiring to see the team in action and the high quality, and nutritious meals that are nurturing our community.

Iona’s 2026 DC Caregiver Conference 

The TWH team attended this special Iona Senior Services event that brought family caregivers from across the District together for learning, connection, and support.

Throughout the conference, attendees heard from experts on early memory loss and compassionate communication. Community organizations shared valuable resources, while a panel of older adults offered firsthand perspectives on living with memory loss. Caregivers also had opportunities to ask questions, exchange experiences, and connect with others navigating similar journeys.

LeadingAge's Annual Meeting

LeadingAge is a community of nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-driven organizations serving older adults.

Our CEO Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA, had the opportunity to attend their 2026 LeadingAge Annual Meeting in Philadelphia — a premier event for more than 5,000 aging-services professionals, featuring educational sessions, keynotes, the E2 Expo, networking, and global research showcases.

Thank you Makeda Vanderpuije, MPH, CPH, of our local LeadingAge DC for all the ways you lead us in Washington, DC!

National Spine Health Foundation Luncheon 

The Washington Home was proud to support NSHF's inaugural Stand Strong Luncheon: Supporting Osteoporosis & Women’s Longevity as a sponsor. Women's Health is Bone Health. Women comprise 80% of the $10 million Americans living with osteoporosis. 

The event brought together healthcare experts, advocates, and community leaders working to improve bone health and help women live longer, stronger, healthier lives. Representing our team were board chair Sharon Collins Casey, two board directors — Marijke Jurgens and David Canham, and CEO Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA. A big thank you to NSHF for bringing together so many passionate champions of healthy aging.

Unity Health Care Gala

Congratulations to Unity Health Care on their Night of Unity Annual Gala, which raised more than $100,000 to expand access to essential healthcare at a critical time for many DC residents facing the loss of coverage. 

It was an honor to celebrate Radha Muthiah, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, and Unity’s joint Food Pharmacy program, as well as Claire Rosche Matzzie, PA-C, MPH, MSCP, and Tom Matzzie for their longstanding dedication to Unity’s mission through their time, talent, and financial support. 

The Washington Home is proud to invest in Unity’s dental and Food Pharmacy programs for older adults and in the Capital Area Food Bank’s efforts to provide 5,000 older DC residents with access to healthy food.

Cleveland & Woodley Park Village's

New Gathering Place

Congratulations to the Cleveland & Woodley Park Village on a beautiful evening of celebration of the new gathering space.

The Washington Home is honored to have recently committed a 5-year investment to create the Big Ward, Local Squares space in Ward 3 to address the need for a location for older adults to come together for connection, wellness programming, and support. 

Thank you to the incredible collaboration partners — Cleveland & Woodley Park Village, Northwest Neighbors Village, Palisades Village, and Glover Park Village, and community partners — Christ House, Story Tapestries, and Wild Tech. Together, they will expand access to programs, screenings, and essential health and housing services while reducing isolation and barriers to care. 

📰 Read more about the investment

Volunteer Opportunities for Community At-Large

Receiving calls from community members looking to volunteer? Kingdom Care Senior Village is seeking both established service providers and volunteers to support its administrative team. Prospective volunteers could provide home repair, auto repair, or in-home support, help with administrative tasks, and event planning.

Interested individuals can contact Kingdom Care Senior Village directly via email to express their interest and receive a prompt reply.  

Medicare Open Enrollment

October 15 – December 7

This is an annual opportunity for older adults to review Medicare coverage and make changes for 2027. Switches can be made between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, changes can be made to Medicare Advantage plans, or enrolled individuals can join, drop, or change a Part D prescription drug plan. Changes made during Open Enrollment take effect January 1, 2027.

Free Memory Screenings

The Howard University Division of Geriatrics is offering free memory screenings. Call 202-865-3776 to schedule a screening today and learn more about memory, aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease prevention.

iCanConnect Program in DC

The iCanConnect (ICC) is a federally funded program for people with combined vision and hearing loss. Eligible individuals can receive telecommunications equipment and in-home training at no cost.

To qualify, a person does not need to be totally blind or deaf. For example, someone with macular degeneration, glaucoma, or another cause of vision loss who is also hard of hearing may be eligible.



Equipment is based on the individual’s needs and may include iPhones, tablets, computers, amplified or captioned phones, accessible keyboards, and other adaptive technology.

Eligibility does not need to be determined before referring someone. If you think someone may qualify, send the person’s name/phone/email, or the contact information for their designated point of contact, to the program administrator, TCS Access, and they will follow up. Referrals to TCS Access can also be made via email, or phone/text 240-428-1828.

📺 Watch the brief program overview

Capital Area Foodbank (CAFB)

For anyone interested in learning about Capital Area Food Bank's many senior food programs, they can call 202-644-9880 to find out what's available. A "real-life human" will answer the phone or return the call promptly.

Spotlight - CAFB Enrollment Location
Ward 8: Grocery Plus​
Accepting applications (Bring ID to show proof of ID and residency)​
East Capitol Walk-In Center
5601 East Capitol St SE, 20019 (located inside DC Scholars)​
Monday, 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM; Tuesday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM​
202-644-9880​

Virtual Programs & Equipment

TWH partner, The Wilderness Technology Alliance, hosts a YouTube channel WildTech (@WTAlliance95) that showcases their community training initiatives – one of which is their Senior Digital Inclusion Program, that highlights their weekly virtual programming on Zoom.

With more than 600 videos, the channel resources include: 

• Presenters: DMV-based Senior service providers which present extensive resources and contacts in the Senior support community;
• Advanced Tech Training: Various apps and technology concepts are covered, mainly on the Apple platform but applicable to other devices;
• Lunch Club: Travel Edition: Virtual trips with WildTech’s Executive Director, Lou August, to many locations in the world (countries, cultures and continents);
• iPad Modules 1-6: iPad basic concepts such as buttons and useful applications used on the Apple platform; and
• Special Events: Exciting and interactive experiences such as holiday celebrations, guest speakers and social events.

WildTech also offers free refurbished laptops, virtual technology classes three or more times per week, in-person training at senior wellness centers, and resources that help partner organizations deliver their own technology programming.

Looking ahead to 2026–2027, WildTech has committed to providing 125 additional free laptops to seniors who do not currently own a device.

DC residents 60+ can register via email

How to create a social plan for retirement

Saving for retirement is only part of the equation. Prepare for a fulfilling social life with these expert-recommended tips.

The Washington Post

Read more and share with your network

Addressing the Need for Accessible Brain Health Resources for Older Adults

Washingtonian Magazine

Read more and share with your network