Resources for Seniors

Area Agency On Aging Senior Group Projects

703-324-5407
SERVING FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
The Area Agency on Aging sponsors, a volunteer program with special projects for senior groups in residential facilities, senior centers, and nursing homes. Seniors participate in projects such as helping with mail-outs, making craft items for hospitals and nursing homes, putting ribbons on cards for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and more.

Cameo Jewels
703-481-1715
BASED IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
The Cameo Jewels, the entertaining traveling troupe of Ms. Virginia Senior America, are available to perform for your group. This exclusive group of women who have competed in former pageants have performed at the White House and for Metro Washington area retirement communities, senior centers, veterans hospitals and community events. The troupe highlights the reigning Queen and former Queens, who have showcased at casinos in Las Vegas, Reno, Biloxi and Atlantic City, as well as on cruise ships and on television. The multitalented performers entertain with tap dance, inspirational and spiritual monologues, ballet, song and dance routines and audience participation. No fee is charged, but donations are welcome and can be made payable to Ms. Virginia Senior America Pageant. To book the Cameo Jewels for your special event, contact: Pinky O'Neil.

Connect-A-Ride
703-323-6494
SERVING ARLINGTON / FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
The Jewish Council for the Aging offers free transportation for seniors in Arlington and Fairfax counties through the Connect-A-Ride program. JCA works with local providers, county governments and the business community to match seniors with available transportation.

County Senior Centers
703-324-5528
Fairfax County residents age 55 and older may join any of the many county senior centers in the area. Admission is free and a wide variety of programs (free and low-cost) are available. A hot lunch may be purchased for a nominal cost at most centers with a reservation one day in advance. Transportation is available to some centers. Centers include: Bailey's, Devonshire, Falls Church, Groveton, Gum Springs, Hollin Hall, Lewinsville, Lincolnia, Little River Glen, Lorton, Pimmit Hills, Reston-Hernon, Springfield, Sully and Wakefield.

Elder Crafters of Alexandria
703-683-4338
BASED IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
Elder Crafters of Alexandria provides a not-for-profit shop for the marketing of hand-crafted articles made by women and men age 55 and older. Items include quilts, pottery, jewelry, children's clothing, artwork, baskets, toys and dolls, infant gifts, sweaters and scarves, wooden boxes, needlework and more. New crafters can bring in their handiwork for evaluation by a selection committee. For more information call or go online.

Fairfax Area Agency On Aging
703-324-5411
SERVING FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
The Fairfax Area Agency on Aging offers a fully operational Web site offering a wide variety of information of interest to seniors. Topics available on the site include Area Agency on Aging programs, adult protective services, care network for seniors, employment services, Fairfax Area Commission on Aging information, senior center information, frequently called numbers, home care, Pets on Wheels, regional programs, volunteer opportunities and more.
For more information call or go online.

Fairfax County Animal Shelter Pets For Seniors
BASED IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
Owning a pet has been proven to lower blood pressure and reduce stress. The Fairfax County Animal Shelter has a pet adoption program for senior citizens, with adoption fees and fees for start-up veterinary care (including sterilization, health tests and preventive medication and vaccinations) waived.

Golden Gazette
703-324-5411
The Golden Gazette is a monthly publication dedicated to informing and serving people age 60 and older in the county and cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. It contains a calendar of events for area senior centers, information on programs of interest to seniors and much more. The publication is available at public libraries, senior centers and by subscription (donations accepted). Call to subscribe.

GraceFul Care's Seniors Helping Seniors
703-904-3994
GraceFul Care's "Senior Helping Seniors" program offers part-time jobs to senior citizens in the areas of providing companionship in the home, providing transportation, running errands and preparing meals. GraceFul Care offers flexible schedules, extra income and the satisfaction of knowing you've helped someone.

Grandfathers Group
703-549-1607
You can make a difference in the life of an African-American boy, age 6-10, whose father is not available for support through the Grandfathers Group. The project recruits and trains African-American men to serve for a minimum of one year as a "grandfather" mentor, to offer their life experiences, knowledge, instinct and abilities to their young charges.

Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington, D.C.
703-425-0999
The Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington, D.C., (JCA) nurtures the positive side of aging. The organization serves older men and women of all faiths and from all walks of life. Since its founding in 1973, the Jewish Council for the Aging has had a single and enduring mission: to help older people remain in the homes of their choice and in life's mainstream as long and as independently as possible. Now, as then, the organization develops and runs programs that ensure dignity, self-determination and independent lifestyles for Jewish elders and others in the Greater Washington community.

Learning In Retirement
703-503-3384
BASED IN RESTON/FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA
The Learning in Retirement Institute at George Mason University, an adult learning center affiliated with the Elderhostel Institute Network, has a site at Washington Baptist Plaza Church in Reston and GMU's Tallwood campus in Fairfax. LRI offers daytime courses, lectures and special events for seniors. Call for a catalog and application.

Legal Services Of Northern Virginia
703-532-3733
BASED IN FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
Legal Services of Northern Virginia offers a free program to draft and execute basic documents for eligible senior citizens. The documents include wills, general durable powers of attorney, medical powers of attorney and living wills. You must 60 or older and meet income requirements. The program is held once a month. Call for an appointment.

Miracle On Wheels
800-749-8778
Miracle on Wheels makes available power (electric) wheelchairs to non-ambulatory seniors age 65 and older, usually at no out-of-pocket expense if they qualify. The electric wheelchairs are provided to those who cannot walk and cannot self-propel a manual wheelchair. The service also may be available to the permanently disabled of any age. Call or visit the Web site for more information.

Ms. Virginia Senior America Pageant
703-481-1715
BASED IN RESTON, VIRGINIA
The Ms. Senior America Pageant is the world's first and foremost pageant to emphasize and give honor to women who have reached the "age of elegance". It is a search for the gracious lady who best exemplifies the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of all senior Americans 60 years and older.

Northern Virginia Senior Environmental Corps
703-549-1607
The Northern Virginia Senior Environment Corps is looking for volunteers age 55 and older who are interested in making a difference in their community. The SEC is a statewide program designed to study and protect the environment. Members have already been involved in a variety of environmental projects including a riparian buffer project, watershed and water source protection, wildlife mapping and a garden project. You can volunteer once a week, once a month or at a schedule that best suits your time.

Northern Virginia Senior Olympics
Senior adults are offered the opportunity for competition and fellowship through various athletic, recreational and social events. We promote health, fitness and psychological well-being of senior adults by offering the opportunity for participation and achievement. While making the public aware of the capabilities existing in our senior population we also promote awareness among the seniors of the available recreation facilities in Northern Virginia.

Retired & Senior Volunteer Program
703-549-1607
BASED IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
Make a difference in your community! The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) matches volunteers age 55 and older with non-profit organizations that need their talents. Volunteer once a week, once a month or sporadically based on your interests. RSVP enrollment is free, and offers volunteers helping matching skills and desires to community needs, free accident and supplemental personal and auto liability insurance while volunteering or en route, partial travel reimbursement, monthly social and cultural offerings and a quarterly newsletter.

Salvation Army Seniors Program
703-385-8700
BASED IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
The Salvation Army sponsors bingo, socials and a devotional group for seniors 9 a.m.-noon every Monday and Wednesday. Call for additional Information.

Senior Academy
703-476-4500
BASED IN RESTON, VIRGINIA
The Senior Academy in the Reston Community Center offers a wide variety of classes-including computer courses; programs, including movies and current events; and other activities for seniors. Call for program information and costs.

Senior Employment Resources
703-750-1936
BASED IN ANNANDALE, VIRGINIA
Senior Employment Resources, a private, non-profit organization, matches seniors age 50 and older with a host of full-time and part-time jobs throughout the Washington area. "We have more jobs than people right now," says Sue Allan, executive director. "I have about 200 unfilled positions." SER's placement service is free for the first three months. It also offers a resume service for $10, as well as training in basic computer skills. Since 1983, it has placed 7,700 seniors and full- and part-time positions.

Senior Navigator.com
SeniorNavigator is a non-profit organization providing free information about the health and aging resources available to Virginians. The information focuses on senior related issues such as health and aging, financial concerns, legal questions, health facilities, assisted living and housing, exercise programs, support groups and more. The information is organized on this website, and allows you to search using your ZIP code to identify the resources available in your community. In addition to the website, SeniorNavigator works with a volunteer network that brings the information on the website to our friends and neighbors without computers or Internet access.

Safe Places for Senior Citizens to Walk

By Sarah Goodyear on April 8, 2009

Today on the Streetsblog Network, we're talking sidewalks. Specifically, Greater Greater Washington is talking about the lack of sidewalks in many parts of DC where there is a concentration of people who are particularly in need of them: senior citizens.

At a recent hearing on DDOT's budget, Marlene Berlin, head of the DC Senior Transportation Initiative for IONA Senior Services, presented maps showing the sections of DC with the most senior citizens, many of which are also the most lacking in sidewalks.

Berlin explained that many seniors rely on walking for transportation (as do many non-seniors), and missing sidewalks, especially between their homes and the nearest shops or bus stops, create dangerous situations for people already more vulnerable to being hit and killed by vehicles. She urged the Council to fund sidewalks and close the gaps.

DDOT's general policy calls for adding sidewalks when reconstructing a road without them. However, neighbors don't always agree.

Recently the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) joined the Transportation for America coalition, saying, "America is aging rapidly and transportation policy and spending must acknowledge this demographic shift. The upcoming transportation authorization can help the nation prepare both for its graying years and a greener future by making roads safer for drivers of all ages and also offering more user friendly options for pedestrians and transit users."

Sidewalks and other "complete streets" measures are an important way to help people stay active, healthy and happy as they age. Their opponents should maybe think about the possibility that some day they might no longer be able to drive and would like a place to walk other than the gutter.

Elsewhere around the network: California High Speed Rail Blog writes about a new poll that shows Americans favor high-speed trains; Livable Streets West Palm Beach looks at the power of ciclovías; and Tom Vanderbilt considers "the efficiency paradox" of higher gas mileage on his blog, How We Drive.

Source: StreetsBlog.org

Senior citizen anti-scam bill introduced

WASHINGTON (WKOW) -- Three Congressional representatives, including Wisconsin's Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), introduced a new bill today to protect senior citizens from scams, fraud, and abuse.

The representatives involved say more than 5 million seniors are targeted by scammers and con artists each year. The bill would give state and local governments more resources to combat elder abuse.

They hope to bring some federal legislation to help protect them.

The written documents from the representatives outline some measures included in the bill:

• Establish an Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the coordination of activities of the Federal, State, local and private agencies and entities relating to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
• Improve the quality of information and research related to elder abuse.
• Create new forensic expertise in elder abuse (similar to that in child abuse) that will promote detection and increase the capacity to prosecute offenders. New programs will train health professionals in both forensic pathology and geriatrics.
• Establish penalties and prosecution for failure to promptly report crimes in long-term care facilities. The act will require reporting of crimes in nursing homes on an official federal website.
• Provide a first-time direct funding stream for Adult Protective Services (APS) - $100 million a year for four years.
• Establish an advisory board to create a short- and long-term multidisciplinary strategic plan for the developing field of elder justice.
• Authorize $72.5 million over four years for national organizations or states that represent or train long-term care ombudsman representatives to provide training, technical assistance, demonstration programs and research to improve ombudsman effectiveness in addressing abuse and neglect in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
• Authorize $67.5 million over four years in grants to enhance long-term care staffing through training and recruitment to establish employee incentives including career and wage benefit ladders and programs to improve management practices.

Source: WKOWTV.com