One of the county's Senior Center activities involves mural painting at a local school. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
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.
“It keeps them mentally engaged, it’s a very friendly atmosphere,” said Bauer, who lives nearby and puts in about 30 hours a week at the Kingstowne center.
Fairfax County’s senior centers are sponsored by the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services that offer classes, health and wellness programs, and internet access, as well as trips and tours. The activities provide seniors an opportunity to socialize with others and stay connected with the community. In 2014, the attendance at the senior centers was 277,342, according to program officials.
“Our participants consistently rank developing social connections and enhancing emotional and physical health and wellness as the top two benefits from attending senior centers,” said Evan Braff, one of the regional managers at the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. “We work to meet the needs and interest of our participants.”
According to the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), senior centers are valuable resources in communities across the nation. Many centers sponsor Meals-on- Wheels programs and provide volunteer opportunities, as Bauer has found. According to Ginger Thompson, the associate state director of communications at AARP Virginia, “some programs in the center are funded through the Older Americans Act which AARP is urging congress to reauthorize. AARP is calling on Congress to prevent seniors from losing access to services they count on for their health and financial security by renewing the Older Americans Act.” The Older Americans Act supports services including Meals-on-Wheels, in-home care, transportation, elder abuse prevention and caregivers who make it possible for seniors to live in their homes.
“The OAA also helps save federal and state tax dollars by keeping seniors out of costly nursing homes and preventing unnecessary hospital re-admissions,” Thompson said.
In Fairfax County, officials are also trying a different approach, called Centers Without Walls. These are senior centers without a county building to gather in, and a alternate set of basic activities the other centers may offer. Two of these programs are in Burke/West Springfield and Great Falls. The Senior Centers Without Walls are developed through a public-private partnership between the county and businesses to create centers in churches. So far, the Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church, the Burke United Methodist Church and the Durga Temple were the first to support the Center Without Walls, but according to Braff, the county is looking at expanding that program. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is supportive of that effort. “As additional needs present themselves, we stand ready to expand implementing the Centers Without Walls in another location,” said Braff.
There is a fee to participate at the county centers, based on income, ranging from $24 to $48 a year and meals are provided “if they need it,” Braff said. A meal donation is suggested based on a sliding scale. Transportation to the centers is available through Human Services Transportation.
The Kingstowne Center for Active Adults is open during the weekday hours, and Bauer sees many participants that live with their adult children and come over to the center when the children are at work. On the weekends though, the center is occasionally rented for other activities such as board game events, or groups to gather. For example, on a recent Saturday, an instructional bee keeping lecture was held by a bee keeping group in one room, while a ‘gaming club’ was holding a benefit for wounded warriors in the main area.
The centers’ rental aspect came in handy for Bauer last year when his daughter’s rehearsal dinner picnic was threatened by tornadoes, and the outdoor location was suddenly nixed. Bauer stopped by the center, made a call, and rented the location for the group who got out of harms way just in time. “It worked out very nicely,” he said.
Center Locations
Bailey's Senior Center
5920 Summers Lane, Falls Church, VA 22041
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-820-2131, TTY 711
South County Senior Center
8350 Richmond Highway, Suite 325, Alexandria, VA 22309
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-704-6216, TTY 711
Fax: 703-704-6699
Herndon Senior Center
873 Grace Street, Herndon, VA 20170
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-464-6200, TTY 711
Hollin Hall Senior Center
1500 Shenandoah Road, Alexandria, VA 22308
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-765-4573, TTY 711
James Lee Senior Center
2855-A Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA 22041
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-534-3387, TTY 711
Kingstowne Center for Active Adults
6488 Landsdowne Center, Alexandria, VA 22315
Operating Hours: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-339-7676, TTY 711
Lewinsville Senior Center
1609 Great Falls Street, McLean, VA 22101
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-442-9075, TTY 711
Lincolnia Senior Center
4710 North Chambliss Street, Alexandria, VA 22312
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-914-0330, TTY 711
Little River Glen Senior Center
4001 Barker Court, Fairfax, VA 22032
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-503-8703, TTY 711
Fax: 703-653-3548
Lorton Senior Center
7722 Gunston Plaza, Lorton, VA 22079
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-550-7195, TTY 711
Fax: 703-541-2092
Pimmit Hills Senior Center
7510 Lisle Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22043
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-734-3338, TTY 711
Providence Senior Center
3001 Vaden Drive, Fairfax VA 22031
Operating Hours: Monday - Saturday, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Phone: 703-865-0520, TTY 711
Sully Senior Center
5690 Sully Road, Centreville, VA 20120
Senior+ Program
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-322-4475, TTY 711
Wakefield Senior Center at Audrey Moore RECenter
8100 Braddock Road, Annandale, VA 22003
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Phone: 703-321-3000, TTY 711
Fax: 703-764-2204
City of Fairfax
4401 Sideburn Road, Fairfax, VA 22030
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 703-359-2487, TTY 711
City of Falls Church
223 Little Falls Street (next to City Hall), Falls Church, VA 22046
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Phone: 703-248-5020, TTY 711