General Archives - Ardenwoods

Active Aging Week: Showcasing the positive process of aging

Ardenwoods celebrated Active Aging Week, October 3-9 by showcasing the positive process of aging. Residents participated in activities like water volleyball, finger looping, storytelling, and a Baker’s Showcase among other fun and engaging events.

Active Aging Week started in 2003 by the International Council on Active Aging® to celebrate the contributions of older adults in society, and promote the benefits of a more active lifestyle as people age. This year’s celebration focuses on wellness and promoting activities that help generate a sense of well-being for whole-person health.

Melanie and Jimmy Hensley with their dog Sasha

Melanie and Jimmy Hensley joined in a pet blessing ceremony with their dog, Sasha. Pet blessing coincides with the traditional Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi and promotes the blessing of pets and animals.

Anna Echter tried her hand at finger looping. Similar to knitting or crochet, finger looping uses a special type of yarn that allows crafters to create knitted-type items without using traditional knitting needles or hooks. “I love finger looping,” said Echter. “It’s an easy and fun activity, and lets me talk with my friends while we knit”.

Anna Echter shows off her finger looping handiwork.

Water volleyball was also a big hit with the residents. “Not only is water volleyball a great way to get some exercise, but offers lessons in teambuilding and problem solving”, said instructor Liz Ridley. Water volleyball is a great low-impact exercise, and a way to foster some pleasant competition among friends.

Water Volleyball. From left to right: Debbie Lee, Kathie Neiley, Janet Mitchell, Joy Clark, and instructor, Liz Ridley

While Ardenwoods promotes the concept of active aging all year long, Active Aging Week is a great time for residents to try new opportunities, exercises, and pastimes. Kari Schrader, Ardenwoods’ Community Life Services Director, encourages residents to learn more about the opportunities available to stay active and engaged with the community.

Fun Fall Faves

September 22 marks the Autumnal Equinox and the first official day of fall. Temperatures in western North Carolina begin to drop, and the trees begin their brilliant transformation covering the whole region in a blanket of yellow, orange, and red. It’s a magical time in the mountains and a great time to get out and explore the area. We’ve put together a short list of favorite activities in and around WNC. Plus, most of these activities can be enjoyed whether you are an avid outdoor enthusiast and hiker, or are dealing with personal mobility challenges.

Here are some of our fall faves:

Enjoy a colorful drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. With plenty of beautiful vistas and overlooks, the parkway is a great way to enjoy the splendor of fall, even if you don’t want to get out of the car to do it.

Take an afternoon stroll around the 42-acre WNC Nature Center, and see some really adorable animals along the way.

Get your waterfall fix without long arduous hikes. Area photographer Kevin Adams has put together some great suggestions 100 Disabled Access NC Waterfalls.

Scratch your artistic or historical itch with a visit to some of the great museums WNC has to offer, like the Antique Car Museum, the Asheville Pinball Museum, and the Museum of Science.

Explore the NC countryside in a Defender

Go off the beaten path with Land Rover Experience or Asheville Jeep Tours. Experience fall in the mountains with an off-road driving experience.

Catch of the day: Land the big one at some of the area’s best handicap-accessible fishing piers.

Forage for your supper with No Taste Like Home. Learn to identify wild edible plants on these no-strenuous hiking tours.

The Dog Days of August

Here at Ardenwoods, we love our four-legged residents just as much as we love our human ones. This August, for National Dog Month, we’d like to introduce you to a few of our friendliest (and fluffiest) friends, Ardenwoods’ resident dogs. But first, some facts:

Dogs make perfect companions, especially for seniors. Not only is it nice to have a friend around who loves you unconditionally, but it’s also beneficial for your health, as dogs provide much-needed exercise, stability and comfort.

A study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health shows that, on average, dog owners walk approximately one hour more per day than those who do not have dogs. It’s even been discovered that senior dog owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels than their dogless counterparts.

If the physical benefits of dog ownership are not reason enough, then consider the added, often life-changing benefits to one’s mental health. Taking care of someone else, especially on a routine, can improve a person’s mental health drastically, and dogs are the perfect recipients of this type of care — always tail-waggingly excited for attention from their best human friend. Dogs are also excellent at reading emotions and can comfort you when you’re anxious or upset, providing a friend exactly when you need one.

And bringing these wonderful benefits and more to our Ardenwoods residents are the following phenomenal pups:

Sasha loves her daily walks on the trail.

Sasha is a 13-year-old Shih Tzu who loves living at Ardenwoods, because it means she gets more attention and pets from her parents — and she also gets to walk through the woods every day. While she’s not the friendliest dog around strangers, she’s certainly one of the cutest. Her dad, Jimmy, takes Sasha on long walks around the community, and he gets in some great exercise from taking her out every day. She provides great and loving company to her mom, Melanie, who praised Sasha for her excellent ability to communicate — like picking her paws up when asking to get up on the couch, which also makes the boost a bit easier on her parents. Sasha, Melanie said, “is as precious as my grandchildren.”

Next meet Mica, a Maltese who just celebrated her 10th birthday. Mica loves exploring outside and meeting new friends, and Ardenwoods is the perfect place for both. One of her favorite things to do is to sit outside her building with neighbors. Mica’s human, Linda, said that she could not live without her. Always a consistent alarm clock, Mica is someone to talk to and a friend, making Linda laugh all the time. “She’s the most important part of my life,” Linda explained. While Mica is our newest four-legged resident, she has adapted well to community life — and already knows her way around her building.

Rudy loves meeting new friends and getting belly rubs.

Finally, there’s Rudy, a 10-year-old cocker spaniel. He loves meeting new people and getting belly rubs, and Ardenwoods is a great place for both of those things. Even as a senior himself, he keeps his human, Chet, on his toes. Chet finds that, most of the time, Rudy takes him for a walk rather than the other way around. (Talk about good exercise!) Rudy has a feisty personality and will often put himself to bed if Chet stays up too late, and he’s no stranger to time out. But, rambunctious as he is, Rudy adores Chet and prefers to be always near him – even at the dog park with other dogs around. Chet said he is grateful to have a friend like Rudy around.

The next time you’re out and about and spot Mica, Sasha or Rudy on a walk with their humans, remember to wave and say hello to these fantastically furry neighbors to whom you’re now acquainted. And for the rest of Ardenwoods’ resident pups: Happy National Dog Month!

Ardenwoods Provider Spotlight: Christy Hull of Premier Home Health Care

At Ardenwoods, we strive to provide the care you need as you need it, and home care is an excellent way to give you that customized care and attention. Enter Premier Home Health Care Services. With more than 30 years of experience offering home health care to clients in the community, Premier empowers you to enjoy high quality of life in the comfort of your own home.

Premier’s office, situated in the Ardenwoods’ Clubhouse, offers a unique opportunity for both residents and staff. With CNAs on-site seven days a week, Premier gives residents flexibility that one cannot get from most home care providers. At Ardenwoods, Premier does not require a minimum visit or deposit, and it offers anything from 15-minute medication reminder appointments to hourly services like personal care, cleaning, errands, laundry and more.

Christy Hull of Premier Home Health Care.

Operations Coordinator Christy Hull does more than just building schedules, coordinating staff and payroll: She works closely with Ardenwoods’ executive director and wellness director to make sure our residents are receiving the best possible care to live their lives fully. Christy has been at Premier for four years and loves working with and building relationships with our seniors. Outside of work, she enjoys music, theater and film.

Premier regularly works with about 30% of residents in independent and assisted living, but its staff is also familiar with the residents who do not need home care. Christy and her staff know the residents well, making Premier an integral part of the Ardenwoods community.

Craft, creativity, and connection — Social networking, Ardenwoods style

Living in the artistic epicenter of North Carolina, it’s no wonder many Ardenwoods residents share a passion (and an undeniable talent) for the arts. Of course, with so many crafters in the community, creation often leads to connection — whether you prefer painting with gouache in groups or talking textile techniques on the trail.

In early 2019, two residents saw the need for one such social group, and with help from Ardenwoods staff, the Stitchery Club officially cast-on its first stitch, going on to host an open house in early 2020 to showcase the works of its members.

Though the pandemic lockdown temporarily put group gatherings on hold, the weekly meetup was reborn in 2021 as Craft & Chat, expanding to include artistic endeavors of all mediums and abilities — from knitting to needlework, crochet to coloring books. Each meeting is an invitation for residents to work on in-progress pieces, ask for advice on creative direction, share patterns and ideas for future projects, and encourage one another to keep going.

One Craft & Chat member, Sally Farmer, has been knitting since childhood, originally learning the skill from her grandmother. In college, she became interested in weaving, and attended a weeklong weaving course at Penland School of Craft. Though she set her loom aside to pursue a career in psychology, she picked the trade back up in retirement — and, recently, she hosted an open house in her apartment to show off her impressive woven work.

Currently, Sally is spending her weekly Craft & Chat sessions working on a knitted sweater — as is fellow club member Lynn Black, who is knitting a matching garment using the very same pattern. Lynn first learned to knit in 1957 during her husband’s deployment. Working at the time in downtown Charlotte, Lynn would spend her lunch breaks with a knitting circle that met inside the knitting shop at Ivy’s Department Store. Each day, the shop owner would guide her through the process bit by bit, and, eventually, Lynn completed a pair of argyle socks for her husband.

He only wore them one time before they shrunk in the wash, Lynn recalled. But his mother happily claimed them instead — and wore them for the next 20 years.

Like Sally, club member Dianne Nutty began her knitting journey as a child, learning the craft in Girl Scouts at age 9. After moving to Sylva in 2012, Dianne joined the Dogwood Crafters Shop co-op, where she’s sold her knitted and cross-stitched creations ever since. Often working on her wares at Craft & Chat, Dianne’s biggest hit at the shop is her knit stuffed animals, and she can easily make several animals per week — though bunnies are her favorite, she said.

While many residents choose to craft (and chat) in groups, others at Ardenwoods, like David Zimmerman, choose to hone their skills at home — even outfitting extra rooms in their apartments into personal hobby studios.

David Zimmerman loves sharing his enthusiasm for basket-weaving.

A self-professed “jack of all trades but master of none,” David spent much of his childhood assembling model railroads and painting army figurines. In the mid-to-late ‘80s, he became interested in wood carving and signed up for a class at his local community college. But, when the course was canceled due to scheduling issues that semester, he switched to basket-weaving instead — and fell in love with the craft. Merging both of his artistic passions, David now works with a model kit manufacturer to help create instructions for products, and he also teaches basket-weaving to residents at Ardenwoods.