Issues in Aging Radio Show - 4th Monday of each month, WSVA 550 AM or 92.1 FM at 9:15 AM
Hosted by VPAS Director of Senior Services in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Beth Bland.
Listen to a podcast of the Jan. 29 show, featuring special guest and VPAS Executive Director, Jeri Schaff.
VPAS Presents: Cooking for One or Two, Wed., Feb. 13, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Braithwaite Studios, Dayton
One and two person households are the fastest growing segment of the population, yet most recipes are still created for families of 4-6. In this interactive (and delicious) workshop, you'll learn how to cook for one or two people -- and enjoy the financial and health benefits that come with it!
Bonus live food prep demonstration and sample tastings, plus culinary tips you can use right away to keep those new year's resolutions and improve your daily life.
Presented by Diane Roll of Dayton Tavern and Mama's Caboose, and Joyce Nussbaum, VPAS health and wellness coordinator.
$10 Program fee includes a beverage and a scone or a brownie. Held at the charming Braithwaite Studios Coffee Shop and Cafe in Dayton, where you can peruse beautiful custom glass-work or sign up for glass etching lessons. Bring a friend for this empowering morning out!
Songs of Love: Mrs. C's Pickers, Singers, and Kickers Concert - Feb. 22, 12:00 p.m. - Maury River Senior Center
VPAS Presents: Design Solutions for a Healthy Future, Wed., March 13, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Braithwaite Studios, Dayton
Aging in place is more than just installing a grab bar in the bathroom! Charles Hendricks, local architect and Certified Aging in Place specialist, will discuss design options for creating a healthy future in your home for a lifetime. He will cover ideas to make a home adaptable for people of all abilities, accessible for mobility challenged friends, energy-efficient for fixed incomes and how technology is making homes safer for occupants and their caretakers.
$10 Program fee includes a beverage and a scone or a brownie. Held at the charming Braithwaite Studios Coffee Shop and Cafe in Dayton, where you can peruse beautiful custom glass-work or sign up for glass etching lessons. Bring a friend for this empowering morning out!
Cask for a Cause - Friday, March 15, 2019, 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m., Brothers Craft Brewing, Harrisonburg
The next time you reach for a good brew, you can do some good for others! Join us for the VPAS Cask for a Cause at Brothers Craft Brewing. You can enjoy a pint of a yet-to-be-named exclusive brew and bid on an original framed event poster. All proceeds benefit VPAS senior services.
Friday Evening in the Park - Friday, June 14, 2019, 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Heritage Park, Broadway
Back by popular demand! Join friends and family for this special summer celebration hosted by Rotary Club of Broadway-Timberville.
All the fun from last year plus more food! Live music, inflatables, food trucks, wine, beer, arts and crafts and more! Event benefits Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS).
Take Charge of Your Health! Exercise, pain prevention, and chronic disease management workshops forming now.
Commonwealth Council on Aging Presented Award on May 30, 2018
Caregivers Community Network (CCN), a caregiver respite program, won a $3000 second place “Best Practices” award from the Commonwealth Council on Aging for its efforts to pair college students with family caregivers to provide intergenerational care and respite services.
CCN is a collaboration between Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS) and James Madison University’s Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services. The partnership matches pairs of students with families that are caring for a frail older adult through the CCN course. Enrolled students provide weekly visits to provide social interaction with the care recipient while the caregiver takes a much needed break for appointments, errands, or personal care.
Locally, as many as one in three residents will be older adults by 2030, and demand for older adult caregivers is increasing rapidly. The strain on caregivers can negatively affect their health, careers, finances, and parenting. Caregivers are more likely to suffer health problems as a result of the chronic stress they experience providing often around-the-clock-care for a frail older adult. CCN eases this strain and creates opportunities for enriching intergenerational bonding.
“As the number of caregivers in Virginia grows, we need to ensure we have supports in place to keep them safe, healthy and productive,” said Kathy Guisewite, CCN coordinator. “We are thrilled that the Commonwealth Council on Aging has recognized the immense value CCN brings to families in this community.”
Each year, the council, which advises the Governor on issues affecting the 1.6 million Virginians age 60 and older, acknowledges organizations whose innovative programs can be replicated across the Commonwealth. Nominees are judged on seven criteria, including community impact potential for replication, innovation, outcomes and promotion of aging in the community.
CCN representatives accepted the Best Practices award from the Commonwealth Council on Aging during a presentation Wednesday, May 30 at JMU’s Leeolou Alumni Center.
VPAS empowers adults 60 years and over with the resources and opportunities they need to lead engaged lives. With information and referral services, Medicare counseling, senior transportation, recreational programming, meal delivery, and in-home personal care available throughout five counties in the Shenandoah Valley, VPAS has been serving older adults and their families for more than 40 years.
