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ABOUT GLORIA HOFFNER, BA, ADPC

Gloria Hoffner earned a B.A. from Temple University in journalism with a minor in music and has graduate credits in astrophysics from West Chester University.  She has NCCAP activity director provisional certification and is working towards completing ADC requirements. She is a member of NAAP, NCCAP, COAP, and has her own business, Guitar with Gloria (GuitarwithGloria.com), providing live guitar music sing-a-longs at retirement communities, assisted living homes, nursing care facilities, adult day centers and senior club meetings throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region and Northeast Pennsylvania.

Gloria worked over 30 years as a newspaper reporter, the last 20 at The Philadelphia Inquirer.  In June 2006, Gloria entered the long term care profession by working part time playing music for residents at a long term facility once a week. After six months, she decided to get ADC certification and leave journalism to play music fulltime. Since then she has played at over 150 locations. In addition to guitar, Gloria plays baritone horn in a community band and has performed with Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center in New York City and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

Gloria has taken classes on dementia and written on the power of music and memory for Retirement Living Magazine, Healthy Aging Magazine, the National Center for Creative Aging, The Delaware County Daily Times, and The Philadelphia Archdiocese Senior Clubs publication and. She has been the subject of feature articles in Town Talk Newspapers, the Delaware County Daily Times Newspaper and Net-Care, a Pennsylvania organization of businesses and agencies devoted to senior care.

Science for Seniors began in October 2007 when while working as a musician at Sterling Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Media, Pennsylvania, Gloria suggested a celebration for the 40th anniversary of Sputnik. As a result of this program’s success, science became a monthly activity at Sterling.

Science for Seniors won first place in the 2010 NCCAP Best Practices Awards. Gloria wrote about Science for Seniors for Creative Forecasting Magazine, August 2010. She has signed an agreement to write a monthly feature on the program for the magazine beginning January 2011. She is working on a book on Science for Seniors for Idyll Arbor Publishing.

Further information on booking Guitar with Gloria sing-a-longs, featuring large print song books, handheld jingle sticks for all residents and themed programs from patriotic to holidays including St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween as well as information on Science for Seniors programs visit her website at: GuitarwithGloria.com; by email: GuitarwithGloria@yahoo.com.