‘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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Police Captain Graduates from FBI Academy
Captain Graham H. McGowan is the Fairfax County Police Department’s latest graduate of the FBI’s National Academy, which has just completed its 259th session.
Girl Scouts Troop 3651 Raise Money for Honor Flights
Film and presentations explain the importance of getting veterans to Washington D.C. to see their monuments.
Girl Scout Troop 3651 organized a screening of the moving Honor Flight, and invited two World War II veterans, Howard Jester and George Hanna, to speak to the audience after the film.
Editorial: Good, Bad and Ugly
A look at recently ended session of the Virginia General Assembly.
The 2015 session of the Virginia General Assembly came to an end last week, and some of the biggest news was about what it did not do.
Letter: Too Much Talk of Lawsuits
Letter to the Editor
Can you believe it? Mayor Euille has declared another legal war.
Leibig of Alexandria Teaches Digital Evidence in Jamaica
Local attorney to lecture in Wales and Canada later this year.
In the fifth in a series of lectures at foreign law schools, local attorney and former Alexandria public defender Chris Leibig traveled to Kingston, Jamaica to speak at the Norman Manley Law School about digital evidence.
Column: Alexandria Recreation Center, Twist to St. Paddy’s Day
Commentary
The City of Alexandria’s Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center rocked the green on St. Patrick’s Day. From little leprechauns in tutus, green eggs and nuggets, not ham, marshmallows dripped in green chocolate and green popcorn, participants from Youth Achieving Greatness put a twist into St. Paddy’s Day.
Letter: Next Journey for Seaport Foundation
Letter to the Editor
Tucked away in Robinson Terminal Warehouse, where they have been building boats and changing lives, the Alexandria Seaport Foundation has been part of lower Duke Street’s landscape for over 10 years. Graham Holdings Company, landlord to ASF, has been helping the Foundation prepare financially for the move over the past year. ASF will relocate at the end of March to the James McIlhenny Seaport Center, its handcrafted timber frame perched along the Potomac River, adjacent to Founders Park.
Letter: Still Much To Be Done
Letter to the Editor
On behalf of Virginia Fair Share, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the City Council of Alexandria.