I am honored to begin my term as board chair for Senior Services of Alexandria. This 46-year-old organization was founded by a group of dedicated and visionary people who saw a need and acted to create an association committed to improving the lives of seniors in our community.
Long known for delivering Meals on Wheels, responding to information requests, and dispatching transportation for the disabled, SSA has expanded its programs to meet the needs of today’s seniors, their families and caregivers. SSA now matches Friendly Visitors with seniors for weekly visits; and stocks Senior Information Corners at City libraries, recreation and community centers. It also presents Senior Law Day and a monthly Speaker Series about issues important to Alexandria’s senior community. SSA now produces Senior Living in Alexandria, a cable television show broadcast on the City’s Comcast Channel 70 and Youtube.
SSA’s cadre of over 300 volunteers and its strong ties to other local non-profits have led to creating several new joint programs such as “Library on the Go” with the City’s Library system, and the “AniMeals on Wheels” pet food delivery program.
Alexandria is clearly a dog lover’s city. Research has shown that animals can play a large part in a senior’s life to ease loneliness and enhance the quality of daily living. SSA is co-sponsoring AniMeals with the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. It is a natural extension of what we do already – deliver food and provide companionship to seniors. SSA’s AniMeals volunteers deliver cat and/or dog food once a month to lower-income seniors who enroll in the program.
The Animal Welfare League also sponsors a senior-to-senior pet adoption program in which any resident at least 65 can adopt a dog or cat 8 years or older for free. This is a win-win program for Alexandria’s seniors and its “senior” dogs and cats. For more information about this and other senior service programs, please call Senior Services at 703-836-4414 or the Animal Welfare League at 703-838-4774.
David P. Baker is Chairman of the Board of Directors, Senior Services of Alexandria.