Dionne H. E. Polite is AARP Florida’s Director of State Operations, responsible for the oversight and management of all outreach initiatives, engagement opportunities and education efforts in the state of Florida to its 50+ communities. She relocated to Florida from New York nine years ago from AARP New York where she was the Associate State Director for Multicultural Initiatives.Dionne is known to be a passionate and committed servant leader, and currently serves on the Miami-Dade Board of Elder Affairs, is a member of Leadership Florida, the North Broward County Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, on the board of the American Heart Association South Florida and a member of the International Women’s Forum in Miami.Throughout her career, Dionne has received many honors and recognitions that include Legacy Magazine’s Top Executive of The Year, and ICABA’s South Florida’s Women of Impact. Her most recent accomplishment is being selected as the featured artist for Art Basel at The Broward College South Campus Art Gallery. Her artwork has been on exhibition at Island Space in Davie, Florida for Caribbean American month this year.Dionne is a graduate of CUNY York College in Queens, NY, and successfully completed AARP’s Executive Cohort program at Georgetown University. She is happily married to her husband Darryl, and together they have two adult children, and the most amazing grandson Hosea.
and
Erakal Goodman, CBHCMS, MBA, PhD
Agape Health and Wellness Center, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer/President
Living Life on Purpose-"Transforming Lives From the Inside Out"
(386) 283-2010
egood@ahawc.org
www.ahawc.org
and
Erakal Goodman, CBHCMS, MBA, PhD
Agape Health and Wellness Center, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer/President
Living Life on Purpose-"Transforming Lives From the Inside Out"
(386) 283-2010
egood@ahawc.org
www.ahawc.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to community viewpoints.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Is Jeannie feeling blessed and highly favored on this Sunday morning.
We are empowering our community, we are empowering a nation,
and we are empowering our elders. So today I have
on the phone with me Dion H.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Polite.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
She is AARP, Florida's Director of State Operations.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Dion, good morning, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Good morning, Shannie, and God blessings to you. I am wonderful,
thank you, and I'm so glad to be here with
you this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, you know, it's a blessing to talk to people
who we have commonalities, right, we have parents, we have
people who we love who are growing. And I've been
hearing this thing about everybody saying we're getting older or
we're old.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yes, it happens, right.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
So one of the reasons why you're here with me today,
we're celebrating art and brain health with AARP Jacksonville.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
But before we get.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
To that, I wanted the community just to learn a
little something about Dion and and just tell us a
little something about you.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I would be honored. So the h eighth, all of
a sudden, lets people know right away that I'm I'm
from someplace else. So most people in the Caribbean have
two middle ages, and I happened to be from Guyana.
So my full name is Dion has A Elion. My
maiden name was Abrahms. My married name is Polite. I've
been married for forty years. I fell in love with
(01:23):
the boy next door when we moved to America. We
lived in Queens, New York, and mister Polite and his
family lived next door to us. And my dad said,
when we moved in, he saw my husband, my then friend.
But my husband looking at me and he said, oh,
the boy got the yayama dot The boy got the
ayama doda. Well, so said so done. Neither one of
(01:43):
my parents are hear anymore. But my husband made such
an impression on them growing up that they were really
proud and elated that he became my husband. This is
my story, you know there there is it is because
of my faith. Let me say it has allowed me
to find peace in this statement, and that is that
(02:06):
I lost both my parents in twenty twenty one, within
six months of each other, so, and that was quite devastating.
My dad had been diagnosed with dementia. I would say
of late twenty nineteen, but we didn't see real signs
of it, you know, a little bit of memory loss,
but it progressed very quickly, and in February twenty twenty one,
(02:31):
he transitioned. My mom had been taking care of him.
He was at home hotice care, and Mom was a
clinical social worker and was just determined to, you know,
make sure she was there for her husband and all
that sort of stuff. And in the middle of all
of that, when I would talk to them, I'd say,
oh my gosh, Mom, this is driving me crazy. They
were in Atlanta and I was here in Florida, and
(02:54):
I said, Mom, this is driving me crazy. I don't
know what I want to do, y'all to take care
of yourself. And she would say, yeah, just said to
yourself and find something that gives you joy. And I
was like, what is that that's talking to you? That's
you know, you're telling me stories about you know, Guyana
that I don't remember. She said, well, what do you remember?
Capture what you remember? Put it down on paper. She said,
(03:15):
write a story, tell a story, or draw story. And
that was really the momentus that I needed to start drawing.
I'm a self taught artist. I've always been a doodle
in my brain is just always going. And so I
started sketching. And this this all happened during COVID, right,
(03:36):
So I started sketching, and my husband bought me canvases
and hate and then I started painting and I painted
the Caribbean scenes right like the home, you know, very
colorful homes, eat seed coconut trees. And I would send
them to my parents and my dad would really say, oh,
I remember this, Oh you remember that. You know, it
(03:58):
really did something, and so I encourage me. Every week
I've been producing more and more artwork and it really
became a thing for me. And after Daddy passed and
finally realized I had to take care of herself, she
went to the doctor and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
(04:19):
It was so far developed that she had months to live.
She found out in June, and she was gone by August.
And that tragedy. Really, it took a lot for me
to just lean on what all the words that she
had told me. And you know, my mom was so
brilliant in that she prepared us for this, right and
(04:40):
she said, you know, hold on to the things, you know,
hold on to your trust, and most of all, hold
on to your faith in God because God will never
ever stare you wrong. And so I said, you know,
this painting is a gift. I'm going to continue to
do that because it is one of the blessings that
I know my parents were able to enjoy, and I
continued to paint. I have since they've passed. The following year.
(05:04):
They've passed in twenty twenty one. The following year, my
father in law passed. And as I said, I grew
up with them, right, So my father in law passed
in twenty twenty two. My mother in law passed in
twenty twenty three. When my father in law died, my
mother in law moved in with us, and she had dementia.
And you know, brain health in your brain itself is
(05:25):
a tricky, tricky thing because sometimes their personality traits but
you don't necessarily can control, right, You can't necessarily control them.
So sometimes you see the real person, or sometimes you
see the person that was hidden, or sometimes you see
the person and you weren't supposed to see. All of
that comes out oftentimes when you're dealing with somebody with dementia.
(05:47):
And my husband was her main caregiver during the time
that she was with us, and she it was very
difficult for me because she sort of in her demented state,
out of my husband is hers and that I was
just somebody that should not be present. And so every
waking day that she was here, and she was here
(06:09):
with us for almost a year, she tried to make
my life as challenging and as difficult as she could.
I was killing my daughter yesterday as I was getting dressed.
I remember one day we were taking her to the
doctors and she gets in the car. She was a
very fatigue woman until my husband puts the you know
list her I will put to in a car and
I'm already sitting in the car and she goes, where
(06:30):
are you going? She was from Tallahassee, old school southern woman.
And I said, I'm going with you guys, and she
said why and I said, well, because I want her.
She goes, well, you stink, you stink, you.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Stink, you stink.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
And you know, I didn't know how to react, right
because I loved my husband, and you know, this is
my in laws, right and I've known them since I
was twelve years old, and I love that. But it
was it was quite challenging. And the only thing that
I found piece in besides interacting with my children was
(07:04):
in my art, and it really was leentree into my
finding an opportunity to express myself. And much of my
art really resonates with very bold colors and strong images
(07:25):
and that is a sort of representative of who I am.
I am I show up in a room boldly, strong, linque,
with confidence, and my art sort of reflects that community.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Shawnnie speaking too, dionne h e polite. She is here
to talk to us about celebrate art and brain health
with AARP Jacksonville, And what you just heard was her
story and what she has had to experience. And that's
what we wanted to bring to the table today was
for you to feel the energy of those that will
be at the event. Now, Dion, we know that music
(08:05):
and art are two ways to improve your brain health.
That's what helped you with your mother in law. Talk
to the community and how they can come out Thursday,
November seventh at the Ritz Theater Museum and what they
will be able to understand and actually feel at the celebration.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Sure, so it will be an experience, for sure, they'll
be community partners at the event that will share tips, information,
resources and tools around brain health. At AARP, I sit
on the Global Brain Health Cabinet, which consists of brain
(08:47):
experts from across the world, including staff at arp and
on the cabinet there are only two people that represent
states and I am one of those. And we talk
about six pillars of brain health and why these six
pillars help us help our brains no matter what stage
(09:07):
or age we're in. And those six pillars are being
social so interacting, and that event on the seventh will
allow us to do just that. Jill auld who is
the Associated State Director and a member of my team,
has really put together a schedule that will allow us
to learn and be social at the safe time. That
(09:27):
is one pillar. The other is engaging your brain. So
from some of the presentations that will be given, we
will be able to learn about in what ways we
can engage our brains. To make sure that you know,
our brain is a muscle, right, so how do we
keep it applying for How do we keep it where
it still works for us as we work. You know,
it's part of our body. How do we engage it
(09:49):
in a way that it keeps ongoing and like our
heart keeps on ticking. Another pillar is ongoing exercise. That's
a key component. We cannot be as we age because
you know, that's how things start to happen. So ongoing
exercise things like what's really big now, pickleball, cycling, walking,
(10:11):
If you can do ten thousand steps a day, that's ideal.
Manage stress is another pillar that's key to keeping our
brains healthy. How I do it is just like I
shared earlier, I started drawing. Music is another way in
which you can do that. Enjoying if it is that
you enjoy singing, sing if you enjoy listening, listen, whatever
(10:34):
it is, manage that you can utilize to manage your stress.
We want to encourage that. The fifth pillar is around
restorative sleep. Getting at least seven hours of sleep a night.
It is key to keeping our minds, our bodies healthy.
Seven hours of sleep, and that I know is challenging
(10:55):
for many. There are many people that I've spoken to
and they say, oh my gosh, I'm lucky if I
get four. You got to try harder. You got to
try harder if you want to be better. And the last,
but certainly not least, it's around eating healthy, making healthy
choices in the selections of what we put into our temples.
There's something called the Blue zones different parts of the
(11:17):
world where older adults live long and healthy because they
incorporate all of these pigments that I just mentioned, and
they also eat mostly a Mediterranean diet. For us from
the Caribbean, We've got all that we need in order
to keep ourselves healthy, but it is important that we
are intentional with what we put into our temple. Some
(11:40):
of the things that also add to that pushing away
the cigarettes, indulging in smoking. There's evidence that shows that
smoking increases the risk of cognitive decline. So quitting smoking
point black, that's it. It will reduce the risk of
brain health if we can at least do that for ourselves.
(12:03):
And then they're risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke,
things like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, those things negatively
impact our cognitive health as well. So take care of
your heart, take care of your brain, take care of
your lungs, and those will those will help contribute to
a better, stronger, more appliable brain, which makes your life
(12:28):
a lot better as you go along. Jill has got
as I said, She's working with many partners, including Mail
Clinic and some other brain health organizations that will be present.
There's a family that's also going to be sharing about
their experience, their care giving experience as I share mine
(12:48):
with somebody with dementia Alzheimer's. We're going to talk about
resources that are available, whether it's through AARP and web
pages you can go to to learn more so that
you could be for be more for yourself as well
as well as for those that you take care of.
Then there's you know, there's going to be at the time,
(13:08):
They're going to be two artists. I'm one and the
other is going to be actually paint Cake Live. I'm
just going to tell my story, share some of my
art work, and I'm hoping and I'm positive that it
will be a really amazing experience community.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Seannie's speaking to Dionne h E Polite.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
She is here to share her experience, but I know
so many in the community who are caregivers who are
caring for elderly parents and or family members. This is
an event where you can join AARP Florida for an
incredible celebration of the arts at Cultural Expression the Arts
and Brain Health if you would like to attend, We'll
(13:49):
have the flyer on our website. It will be at
the Risk Thursday, November the seventh. But Dionne, I know
that this was a difficult time for you, especially with
mother in law because she changed. As you said, dementia
either brings another person out. How did you handle that?
And I understand you were painting. Did that help your
mental health?
Speaker 3 (14:09):
And absolutely helped my mental health. It also helped that
I know the word, and so it helped that I
was able to even on those days when I felt
because I have to be quite truthful with you, there
were days that I sent to my husband, I'm done
bro this. You know this. I can't. I'm not going
to compete with your mama. She thinks you know you're
(14:29):
her husband. She thinks I'm an intruder. I'm not going
to do that. But I'm held on that. It was
this is during the time of where Mustard teed. Faith
really got me through because I held on to the word.
I knew what I knew what I knew, and I
asked the Lord to just give me the strength that
I needed in order to get through. And I didn't
(14:50):
try to say Lord, let me get through this year.
I said, Lord, let me get through this moment. Lord,
let me get through this afternoon. Lord, let me get
through this morning. It was step by step, my step
and that's what saw me through. Also my husband, you know,
he was also very intentional. When my mother in law
would say, oh, you have to say that she was
in our guests room. You have to stay downstairs with me,
(15:11):
and he would say, no, I have to go upstairs
to my wife. And so having his support is really important.
And together, you know, he would come upstairs, we would pray,
and we would ask God, give us the strength, and
we need Lord to make it through this. This is
a journey that is filled with peaks and valleys of O. God,
but give us what it is that we need in
(15:32):
order to make it through. That's what's it. That really
is what did it. The partnership between us, knowing what
we had been to as far as a couple and
as far as you know, for each other, and seeing
that through, seeing that through even to the end, you know,
And he asked, I was saying to a colleague just yesterday,
(15:53):
he still mourns. He still mourns, right, And I get it.
She had a pulinary embolism and died. And in the
day after she died, I got a black garbage bag
and I started packing all the stuff up and I
packed it all, putting in the garage. And he's like,
what are you doing? And I said, Garrel, she's not
coming back. And he said, but you can't do that.
(16:14):
I'm not ready. And I, you know, I had to
pause because I was so ready. I was ready, you know,
for quite some time. But I had to really think
about the emotional right that he too had been on.
And I had to be empathetic because when my parents
were going through, you know, I mean the house they
(16:35):
instead my parents bedroom as still as it was when
my mother passed, you know, we haven't done anything. And
so I lacked compassion and empathy. When I just said, okay,
let me get all this stuff, was just put in
the garage and got away. It was I didn't stop
and paused the thing about what he was going through.
And I think that's important as well. It's particularly for
(16:57):
people a married couple who may have an in or
another family member that they are both taking care of.
It is important to stop and pick by.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
The other person understood community Seannie speaking to Dionne Polite.
She is here and we want you to join us
celebrate art and Brain health with aa RP Jacksonville. The
event will be Thursday, November the seventh, starting at five
point thirty for a social hour, and of course we
want you to come out because as we move through life,
(17:29):
we get older, our parents, our children, their children. It's
a cycle and this is the start of us having
open conversation and a cultural celebration so that we can
understand the toil that is taken on family members when
you take care of your elderly parents going through dementia.
(17:50):
Community get out, you'll hear key players in the nonprofit
and healthcare industries, gain the essential resources on how you
and your loved ones could take care of your own
mental health and wellbeing, and also meet dion So community
be sure to check out our website. Dean, is there
anything else that you'd like to share with us?
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Oh, you said, Seannie, it's gonna be it's gonna be enriching,
it's going to be educational, it's going to be empowering,
but it's going to be entertaining and we all need
that and it's a good way for us to show
up in a community because quite friendly, it takes a village.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
It takes a village.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Thank you so much for joining us today, Dion. I
appreciate it, and I appreciate us opening the door to
this because we tend to always think in the moment,
but we don't think about our seniors enough to understand
that we have to start. So thank you for your
time today. Let's connect again in the new year so
that we can keep everybody in the know about our
(18:48):
brain health and what we need to do to keep
focused and love on each other.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
So thank you man, thank you, Shannie, thank you for
the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And we're back with community Viewpoints.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Shawnee speaking to Erica Goodman. She is the CEO president
of a gape health and wellness center in Jacksonville, here
to talk to us and empower us this morning.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Erica, how you doing?
Speaker 5 (19:12):
I am doing well. Thank you for.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Asking you know, I think we need to ask everybody
last quarter. Sometimes just asking someone how they're doing helps.
One of the reasons why we're talking today is about
health and wellness. But first, if you would just tell
us a little something about yourself.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
I am Erica Goodman, I am and she's stating the CEOs,
I gotta be health.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
And well in the center.
Speaker 5 (19:36):
I've been working in this field for about twenty years.
One of the reasons that I became so involved with
this area of substance abuse, mental health, overall wellness is
I lost night uncle to substance of youth years ago,
and also my son was diagnosed as bipolar. So even
(20:00):
before I started this journey, I was exposed to a
lot as a young individual. But I've always had the
desire to help individuals because I know that if they
were equipped with the necessary too to be effective mental health,
(20:21):
physical health, that they will lead a more productive life.
So I've always wanted to be as supportive and assist
in any way possible. So not only did I go
to school for psychology and all of that, but I
was exposed to it earlier and wanted to make a difference.
So our mension at I got the Health and Wellness
(20:43):
Center is living life on purpose, transforming life from the
inside out, and our overall vision is to promote the health,
recovery and well being of those affective by both primary.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
And behavioral health. So putting it all.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Together from my personal life and then from my Professor
of Life. The overall goal is to make a difference
in the lives of those individuals in the community and
equips them with the necessary tools to be effective in their.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Day to day life community Shawnee in the community. Today,
our show is about just health and wellness and making
choices on how you can live a better life. So
Erico is here to invite us to their initial or
their formal fundraising gala. It's the Beautiful Minds Gala. You
(21:30):
never know what someone is going through, talk to us
about that.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
Thank you for that opportunity. So we are having our
Beautiful Mins Gala. It is being held on Saturday, November sixteenth,
twenty twenty four, at six o'clock PM at Deerwood Castle
at seventy sixth zero one Shankurion Parkway, Jacksonville, Flora three
two two five six. This formal fundraising gala is crucial
(21:55):
for dab's mission again living life on purpose, transforming life
the inside out. We provide a central premiery and behavioral
health services to the Jacksonville community, and your support allows
us to continue this vital work. Why should your opinions,
may ask, because what we're doing is we're celebrating individuals
making a difference in our community. We're hearing from our
(22:16):
keynote speaker, which is Judgment Bill Jaguar's legend mister Donovan Garius,
and you can also enjoy a night of exciting activities
and contribute to a worthy cause. We be very honored
to have you join us for the special evening. All
of the proceeds directly support a good base program and
services making a real impact on the lines of those
(22:37):
that we serve. And if you want to know how
you can get involved be an event sponsored. You can
purchase event tickets, a table, or make a general donation
and you can learn more about this at our website
which is www dot AHAWC dot org. We're very hopeful
you can join us for this meaningful evening. This is
our annual fundraiser and again all of the proceeds goes
(23:01):
back to the agency to assist those who are in
need of services for primary and behavioral health. So, just
as you stated, it's all about overall wellness.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
And I know that Eric called that mental health is
really big and something that we're talking about so much
more in the community. This event will also reflect around
mental health. Will there be resources there or is this
just a night of empowerment with us speaker.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
It will be a night of empowerment with the speaker. However,
the staff who works so that got Fay Health and
Wellness Center will be there, So this is an opportunity
if those in need from the mental health asset, may
be substance abuse and mental health services. We are there
to be able to navigate help you navigate to whatever
services you may need. So we will have the opportunity
(23:51):
when after Don and Darius and then the award ceremony
is over, all of the staff will be available to
assist with any question, any need, So whatever your need
may be, will be there to assist you and make
sure we'll assist you again with the navigation of receiving
those services.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Ericole Goodman Community Shawnee talking to Erico this morning. Erico,
I know that this is the last quarter, the holidays
are coming. What's something that we can do as a
community to empower each other as we move through the holidays.
Understanding this is one of the most trying times for
people who have mental health issues, possibly going through substance abuse.
(24:32):
What could they lean on at this time?
Speaker 5 (24:35):
It's so important for us to take time and to
check on our friends who we think are our strong friends,
those who are doing well.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
People have a tendency to.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
Suppress their feelings, their emotions, and they put on this footsow.
It's important for us to engage check on each other,
make sure that we offer any type of support that
we can. Make sure that even that family gatherings of
gatherings that we may have at our places of employment,
that we support one another. It doesn't matter if it's
(25:06):
through your ministry, doesn't matter if it's your friend. People
go through depression, anxiety, and stressed because they may not
have the financial needs that they so desire during this time.
But if we just make a phone call, we just
pick up the phone, or if we see someone, just
be kind, smile, be nice, provide any support and encouragement
(25:28):
that we can during this time because it's so vital,
even just like this month, this is the month of
even dealing with domestic violence. You know, so many individuals
are going through issues with domestic violence, and that's all
dealing with the support that we provide for overall mental
and physical health. Just being there and providing and listening here, encouragement,
(25:51):
being kind goes a long way. So it's all about
again transforming lives of being inside out and each one
of us can do that just us supporting and being.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
There for one another community.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Shawn, he's speaking to the CEO, Ericle good Man. She
is the CEO founder of Agape Health here in Jacksonville.
This is the formal fundraiser and understanding that last year
was just a tip. This year it's bigger and better,
and of course we want everyone to come out because
what the delivery is.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Is empowerment, right.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
The message last year was for us to keep going,
was for us to understand that everybody is going through something.
But there's a message, so please be sure to check
out our website.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
The flyer is on our website.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Saturday, November sixteenth, six pm, Dearwood Castle is the location.
If you would like to be a part of Beautiful
Minds Gala, please be sure to empower Ericle and her
group of people as they empower the community.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Erico, anything else.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
I'd just would like to tell you thank you so
much for taking this time and allowing me to express
what is going on and the need for empowerment and
how each one of us can play a vital role
in making a difference within our community.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Thank you, Erico, Thank you for your delivery. Do not stop.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You have the vision, you have the power, and of
course you have the community behind you because everyone wants
someone to care. And thank you for caring, because this
is all about you bringing.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
This to us to empower our community.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
So thank you for understanding the assignment that God put
in your heart and thank you for sharing that with
us today.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
I greatly appreciate it. Support.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Thank you for listening to community viewpoints. Shawnie feeling blessed
and holly favored on this Sunday morning. Be sure to
check out our community calendar page. Lots going on in
the city and around our community. We are here to
empower and engage with each and every one of you.
Be sure to check out the upcoming events that are
(27:57):
coming to empower and to insists as we move through
the fourth quarter. Thank you again for listening to community
viewpoints and have a blessed day and be a blessing
Welcome to community viewpoints.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Is Jeannie feeling blessed and highly favored on this Sunday morning.
We are empowering our community, we are empowering a nation,
and we are empowering our elders. So today I have
on the phone with me Dion H.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Polite.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
She is AARP, Florida's Director of State Operations.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Dion, good morning, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Good morning, Shannie, and God blessings to you. I am wonderful,
thank you, and I'm so glad to be here with
you this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, you know, it's a blessing to talk to people
who we have commonalities, right, we have parents, we have
people who we love who are growing. And I've been
hearing this thing about everybody saying we're getting older or
we're old.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yes, it happens, right.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
So one of the reasons why you're here with me today,
we're celebrating art and brain health with AARP Jacksonville.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
But before we get.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
To that, I wanted the community just to learn a
little something about Dion and and just tell us a
little something about you.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
I would be honored. So the h eighth, all of
a sudden, lets people know right away that I'm I'm
from someplace else. So most people in the Caribbean have
two middle ages, and I happened to be from Guyana.
So my full name is Dion has A Elion. My
maiden name was Abrahms. My married name is Polite. I've
been married for forty years. I fell in love with
(01:23):
the boy next door when we moved to America. We
lived in Queens, New York, and mister Polite and his
family lived next door to us. And my dad said,
when we moved in, he saw my husband, my then friend.
But my husband looking at me and he said, oh,
the boy got the yayama dot The boy got the
ayama doda. Well, so said so done. Neither one of
(01:43):
my parents are hear anymore. But my husband made such
an impression on them growing up that they were really
proud and elated that he became my husband. This is
my story, you know there there is it is because
of my faith. Let me say it has allowed me
to find peace in this statement, and that is that
(02:06):
I lost both my parents in twenty twenty one, within
six months of each other, so, and that was quite devastating.
My dad had been diagnosed with dementia. I would say
of late twenty nineteen, but we didn't see real signs
of it, you know, a little bit of memory loss,
but it progressed very quickly, and in February twenty twenty one,
(02:31):
he transitioned. My mom had been taking care of him.
He was at home hotice care, and Mom was a
clinical social worker and was just determined to, you know,
make sure she was there for her husband and all
that sort of stuff. And in the middle of all
of that, when I would talk to them, I'd say,
oh my gosh, Mom, this is driving me crazy. They
were in Atlanta and I was here in Florida, and
(02:54):
I said, Mom, this is driving me crazy. I don't
know what I want to do, y'all to take care
of yourself. And she would say, yeah, just said to
yourself and find something that gives you joy. And I
was like, what is that that's talking to you? That's
you know, you're telling me stories about you know, Guyana
that I don't remember. She said, well, what do you remember?
Capture what you remember? Put it down on paper. She said,
(03:15):
write a story, tell a story, or draw story. And
that was really the momentus that I needed to start drawing.
I'm a self taught artist. I've always been a doodle
in my brain is just always going. And so I
started sketching. And this this all happened during COVID, right,
(03:36):
So I started sketching, and my husband bought me canvases
and hate and then I started painting and I painted
the Caribbean scenes right like the home, you know, very
colorful homes, eat seed coconut trees. And I would send
them to my parents and my dad would really say, oh,
I remember this, Oh you remember that. You know, it
(03:58):
really did something, and so I encourage me. Every week
I've been producing more and more artwork and it really
became a thing for me. And after Daddy passed and
finally realized I had to take care of herself, she
went to the doctor and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
(04:19):
It was so far developed that she had months to live.
She found out in June, and she was gone by August.
And that tragedy. Really, it took a lot for me
to just lean on what all the words that she
had told me. And you know, my mom was so
brilliant in that she prepared us for this, right and
(04:40):
she said, you know, hold on to the things, you know,
hold on to your trust, and most of all, hold
on to your faith in God because God will never
ever stare you wrong. And so I said, you know,
this painting is a gift. I'm going to continue to
do that because it is one of the blessings that
I know my parents were able to enjoy, and I
continued to paint. I have since they've passed. The following year.
(05:04):
They've passed in twenty twenty one. The following year, my
father in law passed. And as I said, I grew
up with them, right, So my father in law passed
in twenty twenty two. My mother in law passed in
twenty twenty three. When my father in law died, my
mother in law moved in with us, and she had dementia.
And you know, brain health in your brain itself is
(05:25):
a tricky, tricky thing because sometimes their personality traits but
you don't necessarily can control, right, You can't necessarily control them.
So sometimes you see the real person, or sometimes you
see the person that was hidden, or sometimes you see
the person and you weren't supposed to see. All of
that comes out oftentimes when you're dealing with somebody with dementia.
(05:47):
And my husband was her main caregiver during the time
that she was with us, and she it was very
difficult for me because she sort of in her demented state,
out of my husband is hers and that I was
just somebody that should not be present. And so every
waking day that she was here, and she was here
(06:09):
with us for almost a year, she tried to make
my life as challenging and as difficult as she could.
I was killing my daughter yesterday as I was getting dressed.
I remember one day we were taking her to the
doctors and she gets in the car. She was a
very fatigue woman until my husband puts the you know
list her I will put to in a car and
I'm already sitting in the car and she goes, where
(06:30):
are you going? She was from Tallahassee, old school southern woman.
And I said, I'm going with you guys, and she
said why and I said, well, because I want her.
She goes, well, you stink, you stink, you.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Stink, you stink.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
And you know, I didn't know how to react, right
because I loved my husband, and you know, this is
my in laws, right and I've known them since I
was twelve years old, and I love that. But it
was it was quite challenging. And the only thing that
I found piece in besides interacting with my children was
(07:04):
in my art, and it really was leentree into my
finding an opportunity to express myself. And much of my
art really resonates with very bold colors and strong images
(07:25):
and that is a sort of representative of who I am.
I am I show up in a room boldly, strong, linque,
with confidence, and my art sort of reflects that community.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Shawnnie speaking too, dionne h e polite. She is here
to talk to us about celebrate art and brain health
with AARP Jacksonville, And what you just heard was her
story and what she has had to experience. And that's
what we wanted to bring to the table today was
for you to feel the energy of those that will
be at the event. Now, Dion, we know that music
(08:05):
and art are two ways to improve your brain health.
That's what helped you with your mother in law. Talk
to the community and how they can come out Thursday,
November seventh at the Ritz Theater Museum and what they
will be able to understand and actually feel at the celebration.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Sure, so it will be an experience, for sure, they'll
be community partners at the event that will share tips, information,
resources and tools around brain health. At AARP, I sit
on the Global Brain Health Cabinet, which consists of brain
(08:47):
experts from across the world, including staff at arp and
on the cabinet there are only two people that represent
states and I am one of those. And we talk
about six pillars of brain health and why these six
pillars help us help our brains no matter what stage
(09:07):
or age we're in. And those six pillars are being
social so interacting, and that event on the seventh will
allow us to do just that. Jill auld who is
the Associated State Director and a member of my team,
has really put together a schedule that will allow us
to learn and be social at the safe time. That
(09:27):
is one pillar. The other is engaging your brain. So
from some of the presentations that will be given, we
will be able to learn about in what ways we
can engage our brains. To make sure that you know,
our brain is a muscle, right, so how do we
keep it applying for How do we keep it where
it still works for us as we work. You know,
it's part of our body. How do we engage it
(09:49):
in a way that it keeps ongoing and like our
heart keeps on ticking. Another pillar is ongoing exercise. That's
a key component. We cannot be as we age because
you know, that's how things start to happen. So ongoing
exercise things like what's really big now, pickleball, cycling, walking,
(10:11):
If you can do ten thousand steps a day, that's ideal.
Manage stress is another pillar that's key to keeping our
brains healthy. How I do it is just like I
shared earlier, I started drawing. Music is another way in
which you can do that. Enjoying if it is that
you enjoy singing, sing if you enjoy listening, listen, whatever
(10:34):
it is, manage that you can utilize to manage your stress.
We want to encourage that. The fifth pillar is around
restorative sleep. Getting at least seven hours of sleep a night.
It is key to keeping our minds, our bodies healthy.
Seven hours of sleep, and that I know is challenging
(10:55):
for many. There are many people that I've spoken to
and they say, oh my gosh, I'm lucky if I
get four. You got to try harder. You got to
try harder if you want to be better. And the last,
but certainly not least, it's around eating healthy, making healthy
choices in the selections of what we put into our temples.
There's something called the Blue zones different parts of the
(11:17):
world where older adults live long and healthy because they
incorporate all of these pigments that I just mentioned, and
they also eat mostly a Mediterranean diet. For us from
the Caribbean, We've got all that we need in order
to keep ourselves healthy, but it is important that we
are intentional with what we put into our temple. Some
(11:40):
of the things that also add to that pushing away
the cigarettes, indulging in smoking. There's evidence that shows that
smoking increases the risk of cognitive decline. So quitting smoking
point black, that's it. It will reduce the risk of
brain health if we can at least do that for ourselves.
(12:03):
And then they're risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke,
things like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, those things negatively
impact our cognitive health as well. So take care of
your heart, take care of your brain, take care of
your lungs, and those will those will help contribute to
a better, stronger, more appliable brain, which makes your life
(12:28):
a lot better as you go along. Jill has got
as I said, She's working with many partners, including Mail
Clinic and some other brain health organizations that will be present.
There's a family that's also going to be sharing about
their experience, their care giving experience as I share mine
(12:48):
with somebody with dementia Alzheimer's. We're going to talk about
resources that are available, whether it's through AARP and web
pages you can go to to learn more so that
you could be for be more for yourself as well
as well as for those that you take care of.
Then there's you know, there's going to be at the time,
(13:08):
They're going to be two artists. I'm one and the
other is going to be actually paint Cake Live. I'm
just going to tell my story, share some of my
art work, and I'm hoping and I'm positive that it
will be a really amazing experience community.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Seannie's speaking to Dionne h E Polite.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
She is here to share her experience, but I know
so many in the community who are caregivers who are
caring for elderly parents and or family members. This is
an event where you can join AARP Florida for an
incredible celebration of the arts at Cultural Expression the Arts
and Brain Health if you would like to attend, We'll
(13:49):
have the flyer on our website. It will be at
the Risk Thursday, November the seventh. But Dionne, I know
that this was a difficult time for you, especially with
mother in law because she changed. As you said, dementia
either brings another person out. How did you handle that?
And I understand you were painting. Did that help your
mental health?
Speaker 3 (14:09):
And absolutely helped my mental health. It also helped that
I know the word, and so it helped that I
was able to even on those days when I felt
because I have to be quite truthful with you, there
were days that I sent to my husband, I'm done
bro this. You know this. I can't. I'm not going
to compete with your mama. She thinks you know you're
(14:29):
her husband. She thinks I'm an intruder. I'm not going
to do that. But I'm held on that. It was
this is during the time of where Mustard teed. Faith
really got me through because I held on to the word.
I knew what I knew what I knew, and I
asked the Lord to just give me the strength that
I needed in order to get through. And I didn't
(14:50):
try to say Lord, let me get through this year.
I said, Lord, let me get through this moment. Lord,
let me get through this afternoon. Lord, let me get
through this morning. It was step by step, my step
and that's what saw me through. Also my husband, you know,
he was also very intentional. When my mother in law
would say, oh, you have to say that she was
in our guests room. You have to stay downstairs with me,
(15:11):
and he would say, no, I have to go upstairs
to my wife. And so having his support is really important.
And together, you know, he would come upstairs, we would pray,
and we would ask God, give us the strength, and
we need Lord to make it through this. This is
a journey that is filled with peaks and valleys of O. God,
but give us what it is that we need in
(15:32):
order to make it through. That's what's it. That really
is what did it. The partnership between us, knowing what
we had been to as far as a couple and
as far as you know, for each other, and seeing
that through, seeing that through even to the end, you know,
And he asked, I was saying to a colleague just yesterday,
(15:53):
he still mourns. He still mourns, right, And I get it.
She had a pulinary embolism and died. And in the
day after she died, I got a black garbage bag
and I started packing all the stuff up and I
packed it all, putting in the garage. And he's like,
what are you doing? And I said, Garrel, she's not
coming back. And he said, but you can't do that.
(16:14):
I'm not ready. And I, you know, I had to
pause because I was so ready. I was ready, you know,
for quite some time. But I had to really think
about the emotional right that he too had been on.
And I had to be empathetic because when my parents
were going through, you know, I mean the house they
(16:35):
instead my parents bedroom as still as it was when
my mother passed, you know, we haven't done anything. And
so I lacked compassion and empathy. When I just said, okay,
let me get all this stuff, was just put in
the garage and got away. It was I didn't stop
and paused the thing about what he was going through.
And I think that's important as well. It's particularly for
(16:57):
people a married couple who may have an in or
another family member that they are both taking care of.
It is important to stop and pick by.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
The other person understood community Seannie speaking to Dionne Polite.
She is here and we want you to join us
celebrate art and Brain health with aa RP Jacksonville. The
event will be Thursday, November the seventh, starting at five
point thirty for a social hour, and of course we
want you to come out because as we move through life,
(17:29):
we get older, our parents, our children, their children. It's
a cycle and this is the start of us having
open conversation and a cultural celebration so that we can
understand the toil that is taken on family members when
you take care of your elderly parents going through dementia.
(17:50):
Community get out, you'll hear key players in the nonprofit
and healthcare industries, gain the essential resources on how you
and your loved ones could take care of your own
mental health and wellbeing, and also meet dion So community
be sure to check out our website. Dean, is there
anything else that you'd like to share with us?
Speaker 4 (18:11):
Oh, you said, Seannie, it's gonna be it's gonna be enriching,
it's going to be educational, it's going to be empowering,
but it's going to be entertaining and we all need
that and it's a good way for us to show
up in a community because quite friendly, it takes a village.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
It takes a village.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Thank you so much for joining us today, Dion. I
appreciate it, and I appreciate us opening the door to
this because we tend to always think in the moment,
but we don't think about our seniors enough to understand
that we have to start. So thank you for your
time today. Let's connect again in the new year so
that we can keep everybody in the know about our
(18:48):
brain health and what we need to do to keep
focused and love on each other.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
So thank you man, thank you, Shannie, thank you for
the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And we're back with community Viewpoints.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Shawnee speaking to Erica Goodman. She is the CEO president
of a gape health and wellness center in Jacksonville, here
to talk to us and empower us this morning.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Erica, how you doing?
Speaker 5 (19:12):
I am doing well. Thank you for.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Asking you know, I think we need to ask everybody
last quarter. Sometimes just asking someone how they're doing helps.
One of the reasons why we're talking today is about
health and wellness. But first, if you would just tell
us a little something about yourself.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
I am Erica Goodman, I am and she's stating the CEOs,
I gotta be health.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
And well in the center.
Speaker 5 (19:36):
I've been working in this field for about twenty years.
One of the reasons that I became so involved with
this area of substance abuse, mental health, overall wellness is
I lost night uncle to substance of youth years ago,
and also my son was diagnosed as bipolar. So even
(20:00):
before I started this journey, I was exposed to a
lot as a young individual. But I've always had the
desire to help individuals because I know that if they
were equipped with the necessary too to be effective mental health,
(20:21):
physical health, that they will lead a more productive life.
So I've always wanted to be as supportive and assist
in any way possible. So not only did I go
to school for psychology and all of that, but I
was exposed to it earlier and wanted to make a difference.
So our mension at I got the Health and Wellness
(20:43):
Center is living life on purpose, transforming life from the
inside out, and our overall vision is to promote the health,
recovery and well being of those affective by both primary.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
And behavioral health. So putting it all.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Together from my personal life and then from my Professor
of Life. The overall goal is to make a difference
in the lives of those individuals in the community and
equips them with the necessary tools to be effective in their.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Day to day life community Shawnee in the community. Today,
our show is about just health and wellness and making
choices on how you can live a better life. So
Erico is here to invite us to their initial or
their formal fundraising gala. It's the Beautiful Minds Gala. You
(21:30):
never know what someone is going through, talk to us
about that.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
Thank you for that opportunity. So we are having our
Beautiful Mins Gala. It is being held on Saturday, November sixteenth,
twenty twenty four, at six o'clock PM at Deerwood Castle
at seventy sixth zero one Shankurion Parkway, Jacksonville, Flora three
two two five six. This formal fundraising gala is crucial
(21:55):
for dab's mission again living life on purpose, transforming life
the inside out. We provide a central premiery and behavioral
health services to the Jacksonville community, and your support allows
us to continue this vital work. Why should your opinions,
may ask, because what we're doing is we're celebrating individuals
making a difference in our community. We're hearing from our
(22:16):
keynote speaker, which is Judgment Bill Jaguar's legend mister Donovan Garius,
and you can also enjoy a night of exciting activities
and contribute to a worthy cause. We be very honored
to have you join us for the special evening. All
of the proceeds directly support a good base program and
services making a real impact on the lines of those
(22:37):
that we serve. And if you want to know how
you can get involved be an event sponsored. You can
purchase event tickets, a table, or make a general donation
and you can learn more about this at our website
which is www dot AHAWC dot org. We're very hopeful
you can join us for this meaningful evening. This is
our annual fundraiser and again all of the proceeds goes
(23:01):
back to the agency to assist those who are in
need of services for primary and behavioral health. So, just
as you stated, it's all about overall wellness.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
And I know that Eric called that mental health is
really big and something that we're talking about so much
more in the community. This event will also reflect around
mental health. Will there be resources there or is this
just a night of empowerment with us speaker.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
It will be a night of empowerment with the speaker. However,
the staff who works so that got Fay Health and
Wellness Center will be there, So this is an opportunity
if those in need from the mental health asset, may
be substance abuse and mental health services. We are there
to be able to navigate help you navigate to whatever
services you may need. So we will have the opportunity
(23:51):
when after Don and Darius and then the award ceremony
is over, all of the staff will be available to
assist with any question, any need, So whatever your need
may be, will be there to assist you and make
sure we'll assist you again with the navigation of receiving
those services.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Ericole Goodman Community Shawnee talking to Erico this morning. Erico,
I know that this is the last quarter, the holidays
are coming. What's something that we can do as a
community to empower each other as we move through the holidays.
Understanding this is one of the most trying times for
people who have mental health issues, possibly going through substance abuse.
(24:32):
What could they lean on at this time?
Speaker 5 (24:35):
It's so important for us to take time and to
check on our friends who we think are our strong friends,
those who are doing well.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
People have a tendency to.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
Suppress their feelings, their emotions, and they put on this footsow.
It's important for us to engage check on each other,
make sure that we offer any type of support that
we can. Make sure that even that family gatherings of
gatherings that we may have at our places of employment,
that we support one another. It doesn't matter if it's
(25:06):
through your ministry, doesn't matter if it's your friend. People
go through depression, anxiety, and stressed because they may not
have the financial needs that they so desire during this time.
But if we just make a phone call, we just
pick up the phone, or if we see someone, just
be kind, smile, be nice, provide any support and encouragement
(25:28):
that we can during this time because it's so vital,
even just like this month, this is the month of
even dealing with domestic violence. You know, so many individuals
are going through issues with domestic violence, and that's all
dealing with the support that we provide for overall mental
and physical health. Just being there and providing and listening here, encouragement,
(25:51):
being kind goes a long way. So it's all about
again transforming lives of being inside out and each one
of us can do that just us supporting and being.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
There for one another community.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Shawn, he's speaking to the CEO, Ericle good Man. She
is the CEO founder of Agape Health here in Jacksonville.
This is the formal fundraiser and understanding that last year
was just a tip. This year it's bigger and better,
and of course we want everyone to come out because
what the delivery is.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Is empowerment, right.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
The message last year was for us to keep going,
was for us to understand that everybody is going through something.
But there's a message, so please be sure to check
out our website.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
The flyer is on our website.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Saturday, November sixteenth, six pm, Dearwood Castle is the location.
If you would like to be a part of Beautiful
Minds Gala, please be sure to empower Ericle and her
group of people as they empower the community.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Erico, anything else.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
I'd just would like to tell you thank you so
much for taking this time and allowing me to express
what is going on and the need for empowerment and
how each one of us can play a vital role
in making a difference within our community.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Thank you, Erico, Thank you for your delivery. Do not stop.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You have the vision, you have the power, and of
course you have the community behind you because everyone wants
someone to care. And thank you for caring, because this
is all about you bringing.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
This to us to empower our community.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
So thank you for understanding the assignment that God put
in your heart and thank you for sharing that with
us today.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 5 (27:35):
I greatly appreciate it. Support.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Thank you for listening to community viewpoints. Shawnie feeling blessed
and holly favored on this Sunday morning. Be sure to
check out our community calendar page. Lots going on in
the city and around our community. We are here to
empower and engage with each and every one of you.
Be sure to check out the upcoming events that are
(27:57):
coming to empower and to insists as we move through
the fourth quarter. Thank you again for listening to community
viewpoints and have a blessed day and be a blessing
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!