Senior Services of Alexandria (SSA) and At Home in Alexandria (AHA) cosponsored a speaker series event about Senior Housing: New & Innovative Solutions at Charles Beatley Library last Wednesday. The overflow crowd heard from a panelist of experts on the different types of senior housing options ranging from the “Village” concept, to modifying your existing home, to moving into a senior complex that provides needed amenities. Deciding to make a change in your housing situation can be very stressful, and this session offered straight talk about viable options.

Jane King, chair of Alexandria’s Commission on Aging and an AARP representative, kicked off the discussion with highlights from AARP’s “Home Fit Guide.” Every attendee received a copy of this valuable booklet, which contains information and tips for a comfortable, safe and livable home. Katharine Dixon, Rebuilding Together Alexandria’s executive director, then talked about how lower income Alexandria residents can apply for home modifications for free or a modest fee. This includes things like installing wheelchair ramps or grab bars in bathrooms.

Cele Garrett, AHA’s executive director, discussed how they serve seniors 55+ who reside in the eastern side of Alexandria. Members pay an annual membership fee for access to a pool of volunteers who can assist with transportation, chores, and grocery shopping, and also enjoy regular social gatherings. Keesha Dillingham from the Alexandria Code Administration Office talked about the need to make sure any home modifications meet current city codes.

Lori Krause, a Realtor with Building Bridges Partners, addressed the important considerations for those contemplating selling their home, and how “rightsizing” our lives can give everyone more control over their time and money. Finally, Heidi Garvis from Caring Considerations provided an extensive overview of the types of senior residential communities in our area, and the main benefits of each.

This event was a first for SSA’s Speaker Series, as the session was delivered using Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART) transcription service, which simultaneously translates and projects presentations on a screen. Thanks to the Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), who provided this service as a demonstration of the way that it enhances everyone’s ability to fully understand the presenters.

Highlights from the event will be featured on the March Senior Living in Alexandria program, which airs every Sunday at 2 p.m. on Alexandria Comcast Channel 70, via Youtube or on Senior Services of Alexandria’s website, www.seniorservicesalex.org

You may contact the organizations that presented at the event at the following websites:

• AARP – www.aarp.org

• At Home in Alexandria – www.athomeinalexandria.org

• Building Bridges Partners – www.buildingbridgespartners.com

• Caring Considerations, LLC – www.caringconsiderations.com

• Rebuilding Together Alexandria – www.rebuildingtogetheralex.org

• Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and hard of hearing Persons - www.nvrc.org

SSA’s March Speaker Series program will focus on activities for Alexandria’s seniors. It is being cosponsored by the City’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities on Wednesday, March 12 from 9:30 a.m. - noon at the Chinquapin Recreation Center at 3210 King St. These events are free but space is limited, so register on line at www.seniorservicesalex.org or by calling 703-836-4414, ext 10.