A majority of Fairfax County’s senior centers have reopened, allowing residents to come in to workout, play games, and use the computers.

Eight of the county’s 14 senior centers opened their doors on June 29 for the first time since March 2020 for “self-directed activities,” meaning those that are not led by staff like card games, ping-pong, billiards, working out in the fitness room, and using the computer labs.

The centers that are now open are:

• Herndon Senior Center (873 Grace Street, Herndon)
• Kingstowne Center for Active Adults (6488 Landsdowne Center, Alexandria)
• Lewinsville Senior Center (1613 Great Falls Street, McLean)
• Lincolnia Senior Center (4710 North Chambliss Street, Alexandria)
• Little River Glen Senior Center (4001 Barker Court, Fairfax)
• Lorton Senior Center (7722 Gunston Plaza, Lorton)
• Sully Senior Center (14426 Albemarle Point Place, Chantilly)
• Wakefield Senior Center at Audrey Moore RECenter (8100 Braddock Road, Annandale)

Residents can use any of the centers, even if it’s not their usual one. Lunch and bus service can also be provided by calling the individual center.

However, the centers currently have limited hours, operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

Residents also have to sign a liability waiver prior to visiting. Masks are still required for those who are not fully vaccinated, but are optional for those who are.

The remaining six centers will reopen on Sept. 7, with the exception of Hollin Hall in Alexandria, which is undergoing renovations.

At that time, all of the centers will revert to “full capacity,” including bringing back instructor and staff-led activities, a spokesperson for the county’s Neighborhood & Community Services says.

The senior centers cater to residents 50 years and older.

Three quarters of the Fairfax Health District’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, and those rates are even higher for those residents over the age of 55. About 93% of residents 65 to 84 years old have received at least one dose.

Vaccination efforts have allowed more and more county services and facilities to open back up.

“The county’s senior centers are a lifeline for our older residents, providing them with opportunities to exercise, play games, take classes and most importantly socialize with each other,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said by email. “The pandemic was especially isolating for older adults, taking a toll on both mental and physical health. It is a very welcome step forward to open up several of the senior centers now and have the full reopening in September.”

Virtual activities, classes, and programs will continue to be offered throughout the summer for those who prefer to remain at home or want to participate in a staff-led activity. These include Tai Chi, crossword puzzling, and crafts.

Photo via Google Maps

Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna, a nonprofit that supports aging in place, recently expanded its programs to help seniors in Herndon and Reston.

The group assists the seniors by providing free rides, social outreach and other resources. The group decided to expand around October, a spokesperson told Reston Now.

Susan Garvey, the executive director of the center, lives in the area and noticed a lack of free resources for the elderly community, the spokesperson said.

“The uptick in ride requests have been promising,” the spokesperson said, adding that people who answer the phones are kept busy. “It was a wise step to take.”

The group announced its expansion to Reston and Herndon in its quarterly newsletter, which was published this fall.

Shepherd’s Center receives its funding from donations, fundraisers and corporate sponsors. Anyone who wishes to donate to the center can do so online.

Seniors or others interested in free rides, programs for veterans and various resources can call the center at 703-281-0538.

Photo via Sheperd’s Center/Facebook

An author, history buff and former journalist will speak in Reston next week about her recent historical novel.

Laura Elliott will be at Sunrise Senior Living (1778 Fountain Drive) on Tuesday (Oct. 1) to give a presentation on her novel “Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship,” which explores the friendship between American historical figures Peggy Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton.

The event is part of “Creative Conversations” at the senior living facility, with similar talks scheduled through 2020, according to Connection Newspapers. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

Elliott began her writing career as a journalist and was a senior writer with Washingtonian where she said she wrote about women’s issues. Later in her career, she decided to become a novelist and has written nine novels so far, she told Reston Now.

She said she decided to write the novel after learning about their friendship — Peggy helped Hamilton by acting as a “wingman” to help Hamilton court her sister, Elizabeth.

Elliott said that many of her readers first became interested in the topic after hearing about the popular Broadway musical “Hamilton.”

“It’s amazing how much history they fit into the musical,” Elliott said.

She will tailor the presentation to the audience, understanding that some of the seniors at the living community may be veterans, she said.

“The thing about seniors is that they know their history,” Elliott said. “I really do try to gauge what interest the audience most and leave time for questions.”

Looking forward to the future, Elliott said she is discussing with her publisher another book focusing on other prominent figures from the era. She told Reston Now she is considering writing a novel about John Laurens, who was a soldier during the Revolutionary War.

Photo via Facebook

The Fairfax County Planning Commission supported a plan to add an assisted living facility in Great Falls at its meeting last night (March 14).

The 62-unit assisted living facility would be run by IntegraCare at 1131 Walker Road — right above Leesburg Pike and close to Colvin Run Mill. Verity Commercial is partnering with IntegraCare for the development.

The 33,429-square-foot-facility aims to fill a growing need in the community — about 35 percent of the Great Falls population is age 55 or older, according to Verity Commercial.

The new facility would also serve the local community in another way. “One of the problems in Great Falls is we have a limited amount of meeting space,” Dranesville District Planning Commissioner John Ulfelder said.

He requested that small groups have access to the facility’s meeting space when it is not being used for the facility’s programming.

The building’s design is meant to have an intimate feel, with short corridors and scattered communal areas.

The facility also plans to include a theater with a system for the hearing impaired, a demo kitchen and auto door opening where residents wear a bracelet that only lets them open their own doors.

Outside, a 10-foot trail along the front of the facility would connect to Colvin Run Road so that the residents may enjoy nearby eateries.

“It’s an outstanding proposal, an outstanding facility,” Ulfelder said.

Herndon PD Plays Soccer with Students — In what has become an annual tradition, on Monday the Herndon Police Department took on eighth-grade students from Herndon Middle School in a soccer match. HMS led 2-0 at halftime and was able to stave off an HPD comeback effort to win, 3-2. [Herndon Police Department/Facebook]

Changes Possible for Section 8 Program — The Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development will host a listening session tonight from 6:30-8 p.m. at Reston Regional Library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive) to discuss how current and future federal budget reductions are expected to have a significant impact on the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. [Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority]

‘CarFit’ Helps Seniors in Vehicles — A Fairfax County Police Department program provides a checklist to help older drivers be more comfortable and safe as they drive. In an 8-minute video, the program is explained and demonstrated. [Fairfax County Police Department/Facebook]

RSVP Seeks New Volunteers — The region’s largest volunteer network for people 55 and older will hold an orientation event for prospective volunteers on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 1:30 p.m. at Reston Regional Library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive). [RSVP Northern Virginia]

Buses Will Be on Holiday Schedule Monday — If you plan to ride the Fairfax Connector on Columbus Day, make sure you’re aware of any route changes that may be in effect. [Fairfax Connector]

Image courtesy Herndon Police Department on Facebook

Several years in the making, work will soon begin on construction of a 230,000-square foot senior living facility at a former site of the United Christian Parish church.

Ground is scheduled to be broken on the IntegraCare facility at 2222 Colts Neck Road on March 30. The project, expected to be completed by 2020, will include 91 independent-living units along with 79 assisted-living units, 24 memory-care units and 16 units for high-acuity patients.

The 4.3-acre site was first approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for 210 independent-living units in 2007, but the plan was later amended to the current design. The new plan was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in May.

The building is to be constructed in two wings, one along Colts Neck Road and the other along Reston Parkway. The former church building still stands on the wooded site, the entrance to which is roughly across from the entrance to Hunters Woods Village Center. A permit application to demolish the building was filed March 9 with Fairfax County.

This will be Wexford, Pennsylvania-based IntegraCare‘s first facility in Virginia.

Illustration via Fairfax County; Map via Google

Reston Community Center has joined the NV Rides network to offer a new transportation program that offers reliable, personalized transportation to Reston adults 55 years and older who cannot drive.

NV Rides Reston will provide door-to-door rides to help get older adults to important engagements, ranging from social and enrichment activities to medical appointments.

Rides are provided by volunteer drivers, free of charge, to anyone age 55 or older who resides in Reston Community Center’s Tax District boundaries. The map is available on our website at http://goo.gl/W4TYRH. There are no income-level requirements.

“I am thrilled to see RCC address the critical need of affordable and accessible transportation for the growing population of older adults in Reston,” said Beverly Cosham, Chair of RCC Board of Governors. “The RCC Board and staff team have been studying this program for many months and we are very happy to bring this volunteer driver approach to Reston.”

NV Rides is a network of service providers that coordinates volunteer driver transportation programs throughout Fairfax County. The development and administration of NV Rides is a unique partnership between Fairfax County, the Jewish Council for the Aging, and the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia.

The program partners use cloud-based software, “RideScheduler,” to assist staff in posting and assigning rides. This user-friendly system allows drivers to accept a ride with a click of a button; it also generates route maps and sends drivers reminders of upcoming appointments, says RCC.

RCC is in need of volunteer drivers to make the program a success, says Eileen Boone, RCC Director of Leisure & Learning.

All volunteer driver applicants will undergo a thorough DMV and background check, as well as training on how to use the web-based scheduling system, RideScheduler, where they will be able to freely choose the appointments that best suit their personal schedule – no minimum number of rides required.

Volunteer drivers will also receive a mileage report for their annual tax filings. Interested volunteer drivers can apply on RCC’s website.

For more detailed information, contact Karen Brutsché, RCC 55+ Program Director and NV Rides Reston Coordinator, at 703-390-6198 or [email protected], or visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com/nv-rides-reston.