Tales from the ARVInn

Tales from the ARVInn: NAFARA

The National Association of Facilities for Age-Regressed Adults exists as an information conduit for residential facilities serving age-regressed adults and as an information service for governmental authorities and the general public about such facilities.  They have published a set of standards for the facilities and evaluate them each year for compliance.  The standards and evaluation are voluntary, as they are not established by law, but are given much weight by the public and by authorities.

Begun in 2074, NAFARA, headquartered in Parkersburg, WV, has a staff of 28 persons.  They collect and share information among AR-Adult residential facilities across the United States.  The headquarters building was donated by Porlis Home Goods in 2076.  Its current Executive Director, John Markedge (10/2021), is a former hospital administrator.  A self-perpetuating Board of Directors, composed of eleven members, governs the organization.  John Porlis served on the original Board of Directors for ten years.  ¹

Staff members travel around the country each year, visiting the member facilities in their regions.  They conduct workshops for staff training as well as for local, state and national governments on the needs and progress of the facilities and of AR-Adults in general.  Most of the staff are AR-Adults themselves and many of them live in one of the facilities. 

The Association is supported by membership fees from its member facilities, through ongoing support from a number of foundations, and by grants from public and private sources.

From a beginning of about a dozen facilities in 2074, in 2110 there were 173 facilities, with at least one in each state.  Sponsorship of the facilities varies.  Some, like ARVInn, are supported by charitable foundations.  Others are under the guidance of local, regional or state governments.  NAFARA visits are one way of maintaining the quality of such residential programs, through outside, independent evaluation.  Publicly released summaries of each visit allow the public to be aware of what is happening in each facility.  ²

The facilities vary in size from small rural units with ten or less residents up through major units like ARVInn’s two campuses, which house several hundred.  The largest facility in the country is located just north of New York City, sponsored by the city and several surrounding counties in New York and Connecticut.  Typically, it has a population of 800-900.  It resembles a mixed-use neighborhood, with a number of multi-story buildings interspersed with single family and duplex structures. The average size of facilities around the country varies between 60-80.  Some facilities are urban in nature, often taking the form of an apartment building.  A number are suburban or even rural, with a mixed community of single- and multi-housing units. A few are specialty units, serving those with issues such as the ‘child’ syndrome.  ³

Housing costs also are handled in a variety of ways.  Typically, residents do pay rent or work within the facility in lieu of payments.  Many residents also have outside income, working at businesses in the community, doing consulting work or producing creative products.  Donations from foundations, business partnerships and public assistance payments also support the work of the facilities.

NAFARA Staff, 2110

John Markedge, Executive Director*  ⁴

Jeffrey Stanley, CPA, Associate Director/CFO*

Mary Carnes, Administrative Assistant

Lena Hornsby, Secretary

Sandra Ernst, Secretary*

Eva Branston, Receptionist/Office Manager

LeMayne Brasinton, Personnel Director*

Doris Thomason, Field Personnel Supervisor

Dr. Jonathan Cleveland, MD, Executive Director Emeritus

                                                Field Personnel:⁵

Northeastern Region:                                                         Southeastern Region:

Eddward Peyrone*                                                              Evan Flemming*

Dwight Foreman                                                                 Tony Sparks*

Seth Cartner*                                                                      Martha Radisson

Ismail Rashani*                                                                   Thomas Smith*

Southwest Region:                                                             Pacific Region

Vera Flanders                                                                     Georgette Saunders*

Paul Davisson*                                                                   Rene Pasternak

Roberto Martinez*                                                              John Hakari*

                                                                                           Karl Donnant 

Central Region:

Mary Obergon

Cynthia Genet*

Anna Lea Napoli                                                                *ARV-Adult