Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Franconia ❖ Kingstowne ❖ Newington

Springfield

OCTOBER 2013OCTOBER 2013

SeniorLivingSeniorLivingSeniorLiving

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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THURSDAY/OCT. 3Evelyn Mo Plays Piano. 2:15 p.m., at Reston

Community Center, Center Stage, 2310 ColtsNeck Road, Hunters Woods Village Center,Reston. Evelyn Mo is a 14-year-old pianoprodigy and sophomore at Thomas JeffersonHigh School who has already won awards. Sheplays in the third of six Thursday afternoon“Meet the Artists” concerts cosponsored byOsher Lifelong Learning Institute at GeorgeMason University and Reston CommunityCenter. 703-503-3384, olli@gmu.edu orwww.olli.gmu.edu.

TUESDAY/OCT. 8Caregiver Support Group. 7-8 p.m. Fairfax

County’s free family caregiver telephone supportgroup, meets by phone. Register beforehand at

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/caregiver.htm or call 703-324-5484, TTY 711.

Family Caregiver Seminars. 7-8:30 p.m. atPohick Regional Library, 6450 SydenstrickerRoad, Burke. “Financial Issues for Caregivers.”To register, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/OlderAdults and link to Register Now forCaregiver Seminars, or call 703-324-5205, TTY711.

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 9Health Expo. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at U.S. Patent and

Trademark Office, 600 Dulany St. Free. Featureshealthy cooking demonstration, heart healthyinformation, health screenings, booths andmore. Registration is preferred, but notrequired. Call 1-855-My-Inova (855-694-6682)or visit inova.org/expo.

Medicare 101. 3-4:30 p.m. at Chantilly RegionalLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road, Chantilly.Fairfax County is offering Medicare 101 — atwo-three hour program on Medicare basics.Information and registration at

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/vicap.htm or call 703-324-5205.

Oktoberfest Tour and Tasting. 5:30-8:30 p.m.at Port City Brewing Company, 3950 Wheeler

Ave., Alexandria. $50. Register atwww.seniorservicesalex.org.

THURSDAY/OCT. 10Medicare 101. 10 a.m.-noon at Shepherd’s Center

of Oakton-Vienna, Unitarian UniversalistCongregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road,Oakton. Fairfax County is offering Medicare 101— a two-three hour program on Medicarebasics. Information and registration at

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/vicap.htm or call 703-281-0538.

NARFE Meeting. 1:30 p.m. at the ViennaCommunity Center 120 Cherry St., Vienna.National Association of Federal and ActiveRetired Employees, Chapter 1116 Vienna-Oakton presents Gayle Nelson from Blue Cross,Blue Shield. Also Del. Mark Keam andchallenger Leiann Luse. Free and is open to allmembers and their guests. Call 703-938-7346.

TUESDAY/OCT. 15Medicare Open Season Workshop. 10:30 a.m.

at Lincolnia Senior Center, 4710 N. ChamblissSt., Alexandria. Fairfax County is offering freeMedicare Open Season workshops. Informationand registration at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/vicap.htm or call 703-914-0223.

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 16Navigating the Local Transit System. 10

a.m.–12:30 p.m. at Reston Association, 12001Sunrise Valley Drive. Learn to read busschedules and route maps, pay the fare and howto signal the driver to stop, as well as other bustravel skills. The bus will deliver participants toa Metrorail station to learn how to determinethe fare and purchase Metrorail fare cards, loadSmarTrip cards and read the system map. 55years and older. Free. Call 703-435-6577 toregister.

Medicare Open Season Workshop. 11 a.m. at

Senior Living Calendar

See Calendar, Page 7

Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By John Byrd

Russ Glickman was a traditional full-service remodeler until the late1990s when he abruptly added a

host of accessibility certifications to a longlist of building industry credentials. Theservice extension was less about opportu-nity than a personal call to apply what he’dlearned from personal experience in help-ing his son, Michael, who was born withcerebral palsy.

“As a professional builder and a parent, Iwas fascinated with the challenges entailedin helping people with mobility issues makeuse of their homes, and really eager to ab-sorb the evolving strategies and technolo-gies that were then beginning to evolve,”Glickman said. “I spent several years acquir-ing new certifications while continuing toexecute full-scale remodeling projects.”

Starting initially as a helpful neighborwith sound advice, Glickman, who has op-

erated Glickman Design Build for more than30 years, eventually recognized that thedemand for accessibility solutions waslarger than he had thought.

“I was offering feasibility studies in spe-cial needs situations mostly on referral, butthe inquiries pretty quickly became abouthalf of my work,” he said. “It wasn’t thatthere weren’t other practitioners in thisfield. But I soon discovered that the needfor original solutions was as pronouncedamong people with mobility requirementsas it is in remodeling — may be more so.”

His conclusion: an accessibility solutionthat’s tailored to an individual is alwaysbest, especially when designed to accom-modate both current and probable futureneeds.

“Mastering guidelines and practices spe-cific to a particular condition is a good start-ing point,” Glickman said. “The Americanswith Disabilities Act, for instance, publishesrecommendations everyone should know.

But the reality is that every disability is alsouniquely personal, and every house presentschallenges that must be fully understood ifa solution is to work well.”

On top of this, Glickman said, there arealways code and budget issues, emergingtechnologies and, often, collaborative inputfrom therapists, engineers and other spe-cialists.

In the end, it is field experience thatmakes a mobility or access solution practi-cal.

“This is an enormous societal issue, witha significant and growing practice literaturethat must be absorbed,” he said. “Havingsaid this, I find that the best solutions arisefrom effectively collaborating with some-one facing challenges who’s really passion-ate about making the most of their situa-tion.”

IF THERE’S ONE TREND that’s well un-derway in Northern Virginia, it’s that seniorsare consistently deciding to age in place —even when a major retrofit is called for.

In McLean, for instance, a retired execu-tive and his wife recently hired Glickmanto develop a plan for installing a three-story

See Diverse Needs, Page 6

Seniors increasingly seek innovative plansthat embrace both the present and the future.

Diverse Needs, Desires Drive Mobility Solutionselevator in their 10,000-plus-square-foothouse. “The owners are in their in their late60s, and walking without assistance. Thestairs have gradually become a chore, how-ever, a situation that was unlikely to im-prove.”

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Jim Harkin, 81, and his wife,Phyllis, 80, have little free timethese days. Jim spends his daysprotecting and photographing

wildlife on the 60-acre campus at TheFairfax, a Sunrise Senior Living Community,in Fort Belvoir. He helped build, refurbishand maintain more than 20 birdhouses onthe grounds, including homes for tree swal-lows and purple martins.

Phyllis Harkin manages a small gift shopand runs marathon bridge games. Thecouple moved to The Fairfax more than two-and-a-half years ago from their home inFairfax because they wanted the freedomto pursue their interests and live amongpeople with similar lifestyles without theresponsibility of maintaining a household.

“We were getting older and keeping up ahouse and yard in Fairfax was gettingharder,” said Jim Harkin, a retired Navy cap-tain. “We also wanted to make our owndecisions about where and when we movedand not have that left up to our busy chil-dren.”

Phyllis Harkin, a former real estate ap-praiser, said, “We did it in time, but afterliving at The Fairfax, we wish we’d done itearlier. You have no idea how much fun itis over here.”

Kathy Aust, 67, has lived at Heritage HuntGolf and Country Club, an independent liv-

ing retirement community, in Gainesville,Va., since 2001. She moved there fromBurke, she said, for social reasons. “I wantedto move into a community where there werepeople who had lifestyles that were similarto mine,” said Aust, a retired federal em-ployee who has no children. “I like living in

a community with people in simi-lar situations. It is very activehere. There are indoor and out-door pools, tennis and golf. Thereis so much to be done here.” Austvolunteers on the Heritage Huntcommunity task force and with the

community’s women’s group.

THESE TRANSITIONS were smooth andlogical for them, based on their own choice.

But the decision to move out of one’shome and into a retirement community isoften complicated and can be fraught withanxiety. Experts in geriatrics say that rea-sons to relocate to a retirement communityusually boil down to three factors: socialconnections, physical condition and per-sonal safety.

“It’s like a trifecta or a three-legged stool.It is hard to be stable if one leg isn’t work-ing” said Andrew Carle, an executive-in-residence at George Mason University’s pro-

gram in senior hous-ing administration inFairfax. “A personmight be physicallyhealthy, but if they areisolated in their homeand not driving orhave lost touch withfriends, they couldbecome depressed.”

Carle, who hasmore than 25 years of

Senior Living

See Choosing a Home, Page 4

Many options for retirement communities in the region.

Choosing a Home for the Golden Years

Phyllis and Jim Harkin are active residents of the Fairfax, aSunrise Senior Living Community, in Fort Belvoir. Jim, 81, runsthe facility’s birding club and Phyllis, 80, manages the campusgift shop. The couple wanted to live among people with similarlifestyles without the responsibility of maintaining a household.

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Where to FindHelp for SeniorsFAIRFAX COUNTYSERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTSTel: 703-324-7948 TTY: 711www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/

“We wish we’d[moved] earlier.You have no ideahow much fun itis over here.”

— Phyllis Harkin

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4 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

executive-level senior housing and healthcare experience, adds that if a person hashad a stroke or another condition that af-fects mobility, living alone is challenging.“If you need assistance with dressing andbathing that would make it difficult for youto stay in your home alone,” he said.

Safety issues, such as a risk of falling ormedication management, are other reasonsthat one might not be safe living alone, saidCarle. “If you fall and hit your head andnobody comes, you could die,” he said.“There is also the medication issue. Theaverage 75-year-old is on between seven to12 medications each day. The number onecause of hospitalization in people over 75is medication error. The number one causeof death due to injury in seniors is falls.”

Not everyone who leaves their home doesso willingly. Gail, who has no children orfamily in the area and asked that her lastname be withheld, moved to Potomac Val-ley Nursing and Wellness Center inRockville, Md., after her close friends anda social worker determined that she was nothealthy enough to live alone. “I want to goback to my house,” she said. “That is whereI want to be.”

Linda Gulyn, Ph.D., a professor of psy-chology at Marymount University in Arling-ton, who teaches aging psychology, says thatdespite the amenities and services thatmake retirement communities a good fit formany people, a feeling of losing the abilityto make decisions about one’s life makesmany seniors resistant to leaving theirhomes.

“One of the biggest psychological issuesfaced by the older person is the feeling theyare giving up control of their lives in somany ways and that can be depressing,” shesaid. “Engage the older person in the pro-cess as much as possible and respect theirchoices, whether it is how to decorate theirplace or what to bring.”

Andrew Carle said, “The very best strat-egy for a resistant parent is respite stay,which is essentially a short-term stay. Thefamily goes on vacation and lets the seniorstay at a retirement community for a weekor two. It gives the senior a chance to meetthe people, eat the food and participate inthe activities. Usually after about a week ortwo the senior realizes that living alone intheir home and watching television all dayisn’t all it is cracked up to be.”

WHEN ONE DECIDES that living aloneis no longer wise, there are plenty of op-tions. Local retirement communities run thegamut from independent living where aperson lives among fellow seniors, but doesnot need special care, to levels of assistedliving. Assisted living facilities provide dif-ferent levels of care for those who need helpwith small tasks such as medication admin-istration, to those who need help with dailytasks such as getting dressed or taking abath. Skilled nursing facilities, where resi-dents have greater medical needs, are an-other option.

Some facilities such as The Fairfax andthe Hermitage in Alexandria, are actuallycontinuing care retirement communitiesthat enable residents to transition from in-

dependent living to nursing care in the samefacility as conditions change.

“Independent living basically meets aperson’s social needs,” said Carle. “Assisted

living is for people who have physical needsor limitations. I don’t think of nursinghomes as senior housing. It is long-termhealth care or for someone who is recover-

ing from an injury or who needs physicaltherapy.”

Lynette Mitchell, director of marketingand community outreach at The Hermitage,explains that, “We have everything frompeople who are totally independent topeople who need help bathing and dress-ing. We can deliver all of those services.”

Debra Norberg, associate director of mar-keting at The Hermitage, said that in addi-tion to amenities on campus, which includea game and fitness rooms, there is supportthroughout the facility.

“There is a community aspect,” Norbergsaid. “If someone doesn’t show up for a

meal, we notice. We work as a team to makesure we all know the residents, and if theydon’t show up for something, someone isgoing to check on them.”

Activities as simple as a meal in the din-ing room can become an opportunity forsocializing. “Some of these people werecoming from situations where they wereisolated,” she said. “This is a new chapterin their lives. We try to pair people up andgive them a buddy and we have activitiesevery single day of the week.”

Many assisted living facilities also offermental health counseling services. “We havea social work component that deals withthe psycho-social issues,” said Norberg. “Wecan provide grief counseling and we havepsychiatrists on staff.”

“Fox Hill’s... amenities, services and fas-cinating residents all combine to offer a dis-tinctive retirement lifestyle that is both very

From Page 3

See Choosing a Home, Page 7

Choosing a Home for the Golden Years

attractive and very accessible,” said JulieSabag, director of marketing at Fox Hill, inBethesda, Md.

Westminster at Lake Ridge in Occoquan,Va., another continuing care retirementcommunity, offers residents an array of ac-tivities that run the gamut from perform-ing arts to gardening.

“We have the Westminstrels, a choir andthe Westphalians, a drama group,” saidCarolyn Crosby, assistant administrator atWestminster. “We also have a resident gar-den, which the residents tend themselves.They grow vegetables and leave overflowproduce for other residents to take.”

SOME RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES,such as Great Falls Assisted Living in Reston,Brightview Senior Living in Great Falls and

Jim Harkin, a resident of The Fairfax in Fort Belvoir, helped build, refur-bish and maintain more than 20 birdhouses on the grounds, includinghomes for tree swallows and purple martins.

John Mutchler Dorothy LavoiePeg BixlerRetirement communities likeHeritage Hunt Golf and CountryClub in Northern Virginia offerseniors options for maintaining anactive lifestyle such as indoor andoutdoor pools, tennis and golf.

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“I wanted to move into acommunity where therewere people who hadlifestyles that weresimilar to mine.”

— Kathy Aust

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6 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Since elevator access within the home’sexisting structure wasn’t feasible,Glickman’s plan calls for a 60-foot towerdesigned to house an elevator shaft — asubstantial modification that will not bevisible from the front facade.

Inside, the tower will connect a finishedlower level, a study on the main level and athird floor sitting room. The owners are alsoconsidering an option to build-out thefourth floor as a guest room suite, a choicewhich will entail extending the tower an-other floor, finishing selected attic roomsand tying off the roof.

The execution is meant to be architectur-ally seamless, with the tower clad in brickto match the 25-year-old, original masonry.The new roof will then be tied into existingrafters, reframed and reslated.

Not surprisingly, professionals regardedthis as a highly specialized assignment.

“There aren’t lot of local contractors whocould execute a project like this,” saidAndria Gregory of Area Access, Inc, the firmthat will install the elevator inside the newshaft.

“The specifications are always exacting,so it’s important to us to work with peoplewho have a track record, ” Gregory said.

Gregory notes that Glickman’s experiencein mobility prescription puts him in a selec-tive class. “He’s among a handful of ourpreferred contractors in Northern Virginia,”Gregory said. “It’s critical to us that theproject satisfies the client in every respect.”

MEANWHILE, IN ARLINGTON, a mo-bility plan with incremental componentshas been implemented in the two-levelranch Jaime and Janice Marquez have oc-cupied for 24 years.

Jaime, 59, who had polio as a child but

walked without assistance for most of hisadult life, started intermittently usingcrutches again about 10 years ago.

“This wasn’t a surprise,” Janice Marquezsaid. “The research shows that polio survi-vors can have increased mobility challengesas they age, so we wanted a wheel-chairfriendly plan even though it’s not a neces-sity right now.”

The biggest obstacles: a curving, rug-gedly-steep front walk that links up with afront stoop; standard-width interior hallsand doorways that had proven restrictive;and a back deck inac-cessible to JaimeMarquez from theground.

“It had become dif-ficult for Jaime to ne-gotiate the house oncrutches, so we we’relooking ahead,” JaniceMarquez said. “Ini-tially, I wasn’t sure ifwe should remain inthis house, but I hadread about Glickmanand decided to get hisfeedback.”

Compounding the“move vs. improve”question was the couple’s mutual concernthat an accessibility solution might makethe house less functional for others, includ-ing two daughters away at college who arefrequent visitors.

“I’ve seen accessibility modifications thatbecome obstructive,” Janice Marquez said.“I wanted to see if we could make changesthat would enhance the property — func-tionally and aesthetically.”

To improve front elevation access,Glickman and team removed the existingfront walk, re-graded the front slope so thatit rises at the rate of one inch per foot andintroduced a “zero step” entry.

Inside, hallways have been widened from36 inches to 48; doorways from 30 to 36inches.

To facilitate Jaime Marquez’s access be-tween the rear deck and the yard, Glickmandesigned and constructed a wider, low-risestaircase that accommodates his crutches.

While focused and small-scale, thechanges have dramatically improved JaimeMarquez’s ability to move freely from drive-way to front door and throughout thehouse. They’ve also bestowed an unex-pected benefit.

“The interior now feels much more spa-cious,” Janice Marquez said, “and the widerdoorways allow more natural light.”

Also, she notes, the new front walk addsconsiderable curb appeal. “Honestly,” shesaid, “I wish the walk had been in placewhen I was still pushing the girls in theirstroller. It’s just a lot easier for everyone.”

Senior Living

From Page 3

Diverse Needs, Desires Drive Mobility Solutions

When Jaime Marquez began having difficulties gettingfrom the house to the driveway, Glickman Design Buildcreated a graduated front walk for the Arlington family.The new walk rises one inch per foot. The plan includedreplacing a front stoop with a “zero step” entry andwidening interior doors and halls.

A McLean couple in their late-60shad Glickman design a 60-foot 4-level elevator tower on the home’sright elevation. The tower will bere-clad in brick that matches theexisting masonry and will not bevisible from the front facade.

Arlington seniors Jaime Marquez and Janice Shack-Marquez on theirnewly designed accessible front walk.

OUT IN STERLING,the Saads, both in theirmid-60s, askedGlickman for a planthat would make lifeeasier for Mrs. Saad —who recentlytransitioned to a

wheel-chair — yet would preserve thehome’s resale value should the couple even-tually decide to move to a retirement home.

“It’s a three-level single-family home,”Glickman said. “So we first looked at op-tions for installing an elevator ... only tofind that the space required would obstructsome of the bathroom accessibility benefitsMrs. Saad was seeking.”

The couple’s desire to stay in place forthe near-term, however, soon inspired analternative vision: convert the 2,000-square-

foot lower level into a four-room suite com-plete with accessible bath, kitchenette andother amenities.

To facilitate access to the new one-levelliving area, Glickman designed a lift thatconnects the first floor to the new suite. Toplevel bedrooms are now reserved for guestsand storage.

To make it easier to see who has come tocall, the home’s front door has beenequipped with a security camera linked tothe couple’s laptop.

“Our goal was to satisfy immediate needswhile implementing a makeover that willadd resale value,” Glickman said. “In thissense, the house has simply been redefinedas a traditional single family home that in-cludes a full-size in-law suite. It’s a verymarketable improvement, yet meets all thepresent requirements.”

Photos courtesy of Home Fronts News

DetailsRuss Glickman periodically offers workshops

on accessibility solutions for seniors. Visitwww.GlickmanDesignBuild.com or call 301-444-4663

The original front walk — whichincluded stairs in several places— was too steep for Jaime, whonow requires crutches to getaround the house.

Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Senior Living

From Page 5

Sunrise At Fox Hill in Bethesda,Md., also offer memory care ser-vices for those with illnesses suchas Alzheimer’s disease and demen-tia.

Peg Bixler, an assisted living resi-dent at The Hermitage, said herdoctor advised her that she shouldnot live alone anymore. “And Ididn’t want to be a burden to mychildren,” Bixler, a retired oncol-ogy nurse, added. “I do miss mycareer and I miss traveling, but I’vetraveled all over the world.”

Bixler says living in an assistedliving community allows her tomaintain an active lifestyle andavoid isolation and lonelinesswhile still getting the help that sheneeds. She volunteers in the giftshop of the John F. Kennedy Cen-ter for the Performing Arts inWashington, and for the USO atWashington Reagan National Air-port, greeting veterans and pass-ing out flags.

“I’m busy 24 hours a day. I getout and walk every single day,”said Bixler. “I do a lot of reading.You socialize at meals here. I goout when they go on the shoppingtrips, which gets you out andabout.”

Most importantly, said Bixler,she’s still able to live in close prox-imity to her family, which includesa daughter who lives in Alexandriaand a son who lives in Maryland.

She also has a son in Pennsylva-nia and a daughter in Maine.

While Bixler has remained nearher family, relocating from a dif-ferent state to be close to familyas one ages is also a commonchoice. That was the case for 93-year-old Dorothy Lavoie, anotherresident of The Hermitage. “I don’thave any children, but I am closeto my niece” said Lavoie, a formernurse who served in World War IIand the Korean War. “I was livingin California, and my niece wholived here wanted me to live nearher.”

Another Hermitage resident,John Mutchler, a retired chemistwho has a daughter in Arlington,and a twin sister in Alexandria,moved from New Jersey to Alex-andria to be closer to his family.“It is no problem for me to visitwith my family often, which is nicefor me,” he said. “I keep busy here.I am the chairman of the execu-tive committee. I am also a mem-ber of the poetry group where weread poetry every week. I am amember of the current eventsgroup.”

“It is a great way to retire and agreat way to live,” said JaradSmith, director of marking andsales at The Fairfax. “Clients wantto be active, social and in a safeenvironment. As I walk around, Isee residents play poker or bridge.We’re on 60 acres. There are a lotof nature trails.”

Choosing a Homefor the Golden Years

Retirement communities such as Bethesda’s Fox Hill, agated luxury retirement community for those aged 60and above, offers independent living condominiumownership, as well as access to assisted living andmemory care.

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Senior Living Calendar

From Page 2

South County Senior Center, 8350Richmond Highway, Suite 325,Alexandria. Fairfax County is offeringfree Medicare Open Seasonworkshops. Information atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/vicap.htm.

Can I Afford That? 1:30 p.m. atAlzheimer’s Family Day Center, 2812Old Lee Highway, Suite 210, Fairfax.Free educational program. Afinancial manager will lead thediscussion on the cost of long termcare, options available, and steps toprepare for future care needs. Call703-204-4664 to RSVP.

NARFE Meeting. 7 p.m. Dinnermeeting for Federal EmploymentRetirement and Benefits Presentationat Neighbor’s Restaurant, 252 CedarLane, Vienna. There is a cost.Sponsored by NARFE Chapter 1116(Vienna-Oakton). If interested inattending, call 703-205-9041 or 703-938-7346 for reservations.

WEDNESDAYS/OCT. 16-NOV. 20Chronic Disease Management. 10

a.m.-noon at The Shepherd’s Centerof Oakton-Vienna, 541 MarshallRoad, S.W., Vienna. Free six-weekchronic disease self-managementprogram, held in partnership withDivision of Adult and Aging Services/Fairfax Area Agency on Aging/ElderLink. Learn strategies to copewith concerns and develop personalgoals. Caregivers and older adultswith chronic conditions alsowelcome. Registration deadline: Oct.11. Attendees must register at 703-281-0538. Contact Maureen Riddel,Shepherd’s Center volunteer at 703-481-2371 or Casey Tarr, SCOVHealth Advocate at 703-821-6838.

THURSDAY/OCT. 17Annual Seniors Fair. 9 a.m.-noon at

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, 2501Parkers Lane. Event will feature freehealth screenings, wellnessinformation and more. Free massages

are also offered. Registrationrequired. Call 1-855-694-6682 andpress 2.

Medicare Open Season Workshop.12:45 p.m. at Lorton Senior Center,7722 Gunston Plaza, Lorton. FairfaxCounty is offering free MedicareOpen Season workshops. Informationand registration atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/vicap.htm or call703-550-7195.

Vietnam Vets of America ChapterMeeting. 7:30 p.m., at Neighbor’sRestaurant, 262D Cedar Lane, CedarLane Shopping Center, Vienna. Allveterans, friends and the generalpublic are invited to hear JackConnolly, Army veteran and careerState Department Foreign Serviceofficer, who will share his personalexperiences of the battle ofVientiane, Laos in 1961, Saigonintrigue in 1968, and theassassination of an Americanambassador to Lebanon in 1976. 703-255-0353 or www.vva227.org.

8 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ Senior Living October 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com