‘Your Life Is Today and Tomorrow’
Residents of local senior living communities share their experiences.
“I didn’t want to come here,” said Bill Woessner, referring to Brightview Assisted Living Community in Great Falls. “That’s right,” agreed Sheila, his wife of more than 50 years, with plenty of her native Scottish brogue to be heard in her voice. “He really didn’t. We have a lovely house here in Great Falls and I don’t think he was ready to budge. But how long after we got here did that change?” she turned to her husband and asked. “At least a day,” he laughingly replied. “Seriously,” said Bill Woessner, “it probably wasn’t more than the first 48 hours.”
Bridge Reconstruction on Route 27
The Virginia Department of Transportation has begun a $29.3 million project to improve the Route 27 (Washington Boulevard) bridge over Route 110 (Jefferson Davis Highway) in Arlington.
Creative Aging Festival Coming in May
Includes 114 performances, poetry readings, art exhibits, lectures, classes and more.
A Creative Aging Festival will take place throughout the month of May at 100-plus local venues in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria. The month-long festival includes 114 performances, poetry readings, art exhibits, lectures, classes and more.
County Adult Centers Offer Seniors Activities, Social Interaction
In 2014, the attendance at Fairfax County senior centers was 277,342.
At the Kingstowne Center for Active Adults, volunteer Frank Bauer sees zumba and yoga classes “flowing into the main room sometimes,” he says, revealing how popular those classes are at the center, which caters to seniors 55 and older. This Kingstowne center, one of 14 senior centers throughout Fairfax County, offers classes and activities to keep seniors active.
Fit for the Golden Years in Potomac
Fitness programs for seniors are part of a trend
One night each week, Sue Thompson can be found dribbling a basketball down the court, leading her team, the Nova United, to victory. Thompson, who is in her 60s, is one of the youngest players in her league, the National Senior Women’s Basketball Association.
Column: Manifest Destiny
I wouldn’t say I have symptoms (why would I say that? If I said that, I’d have to admit that cancer is having an effect on me.
Fit for the Golden Years
Fitness programs for seniors are part of a trend.
One night each week, Sue Thompson can be found dribbling a basketball down the court, leading her team, the Nova United, to victory. Thompson, who is in her 60s, is one of the youngest players in her league, the National Senior Women’s Basketball Association.
Nysmith School Students Interview War Veterans
Richard Graff didn't hesitate to describe his darkest days while serving in World War II. "Every combat soldier has to get used to the bodies," he said. "Whenever I think back to that one day when I didn't think I would have another day, you bet, I'm glad to be here," Graff said.
72-year-old Filmmaker Debuts Alzheimer’s Documentary
When Barbara Klutinis’ husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s she had no idea how she was going to get through the ordeal ahead of her. After joining a support group and hearing the stories of others going through the same thing, Klutinis realized she was not alone. Inspired by the experience, she decided to make a documentary about the lives of couples coping with the disease. The film, “The Sum Total of Our Memory: Facing Alzheimer’s Together,” will screen at the NOVA International Film Festival Friday, April 17, 1 p.m., at the Angelika Film Center in Fairfax.
Helping Hands
Senior Services of Alexandria
Five years ago, Mary Lee Anderson was asked if she could help Senior Services of Alexandria set up an information database. Since that time, what was supposed to be a part-time commitment has turned into a second career for the international telecommunications corporate executive.
Arlene Hewitt Sets the Pace for Seniors in Alexandria
A recipe for activism at any age.
She is four feet 10 inches tall and 84 years old. She tutors children who cannot read; she champions health insurance for the uninsured in Alexandria; she meets with mayors and senators; she takes 90-year-old gentlemen out to dinner; she wants to reduce the teen pregnancy rate in Alexandria; and she never lets more than a few days go by without chatting with her children or grandsons, usually via email or skype.
Aging in Place
Finding out about the latest services and programs.
Alexandria is a great place to be a senior – there are so many different services and organizations with programs designed to help older residents remain in their homes and age in place safely and in a healthy environment.
Life at Culpepper Garden
Award-winning retirement community celebrates 40th anniversary.
It is St Patrick's Day at Culpepper Garden in Arlington, and there is a party underway downstairs. As the accordionist touches the black and white keys, Marilyn Jarvis stands up and makes her way to the aisle, grabs a partner, Adrianna Bustamante, and begins tap dancing to "The Sidewalks of New York."
Lee Senior Center in Arlington Is a Creative Hub
Painting, pottery, rock bands, and social dance are big hits.
A passer-by at Lee Center in Arlington stopped in to see the country music players the other day and left feeling this group of musicians was worth staying to hear for the whole hour.
Inclusive Camaraderie for Seniors in Alexandria
Class offers a place to chat and get balanced.
Margaret Lewis got things going for seniors at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center, starting the first Tai Chi class, knitting group and square dancing classes about 15 or 20 years ago. “It all started with Margaret Lewis,” says Donna MacDonald.
Getting Dirty for a Good Cause
Staff and volunteers plant native grasses along Big Rocky Run.
Wearing sturdy boots and wielding shovels and wheelbarrows, some two dozen people recently left their comfortable offices to dig in the soil at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. When they were done, a variety of native grasses had been planted to beautify the Big Rocky Run stream valley and help stabilize the banks there. Participating were staff members and volunteers from Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES), Stormwater; Park Authority; and the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD).
Fairfax One: ‘Ambulance in the Air’
A close-up look at Fairfax County’s police helicopter.
Members of the Sully District Police Station’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) recently toured Fairfax County’s heliport, got to speak with a pilot and saw the Fairfax One helicopter up close. It’s a twin-engine, Bell 429 and does both police and medivac missions for the county. And one of its pilots, PFC Nick Taormina, is a paramedic as well as a police officer.
Chantilly Boys’ Lax Bounces Back from First Loss
The Chantilly boys’ lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season on March 26, falling to Robinson, 7-4, in a matchup of state powerhouses.