The Connection

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