We’ve had an amazing year at Branchlands Senior Living here in Charlottesville! In 2024, residents of Manor House Independent Living and Linden House Assisted Living and Memory Care have been new places, learned new skills, and joined their neighbors in fun events and activities. We’re grateful to have spent another year with the residents at Branchlands, who prove to us time and again that there’s no age limit on living life to its fullest.
While there’s plenty to look forward to in 2025, we first want to take a trip down memory lane and remember all the wonderful things we enjoyed together this year.
Senior Living in and Around Charlottesville
Branchlands is in beautiful Charlottesville, Va., at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. Surrounded by breathtaking nature and farmland, we also enjoy the cultural richness of Central Virginia as a deeply historic university city. We don’t take this wonderful location for granted, and neither do our residents!
Several times a month, our senior living residents hop on the bus for a local adventure. This year, they’ve taken in the fall leaves along Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive, sampled wineries in the heart of Virginia Wine Country, and picked their own fruit at area orchards. We’ve visited Monticello, Lake Anna, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and James Monroe’s Highland.
Not all trips have to be grand expeditions, though! Quick shopping trips, lunch or dinner at a favorite restaurant, or even dropping in at a local artist’s studio are close and fun day-to-day activities residents have enjoyed doing together this year. Everyone likes having an outing or trip to look forward to. Check the activity calendars for Independent Living and Assisted Living to find out where we’re going next!
Branchlands for the Holidays
Every holiday is an opportunity to celebrate together. Themed food, live performances, and festive décor all come together to make special memories all year long! We enjoyed authentic Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day, decorated pumpkins for Halloween, and listened to stories from residents who served on Veterans Day. It’s always thrilling to see residents share their important traditions with one another and make new ones.
And let’s not forget the most personal “holiday” of all: birthdays! We held birthday parties for residents born in each month, complete with (what else?) cake. Seniors living at Branchlands look forward to these opportunities to celebrate their neighbors’ rich and varied lives.
The Linden House Summer Olympics and the Fall Festival
While Americans were hooked on the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, a different “Team USA” was going for gold right here! The residents of Linden House Assisted Living competed for medals in a variety of sports, including speed walking, table tennis, basketball, cornhole, and golf. We even had an Olympic torch carried down the halls!
As inspiring as America’s athletes were at the official games this year, we think Linden House’s own competitors deserve a round of applause just as much.
Meanwhile, it was a little brisk at our Fall Festival this October, but some homemade chili warmed residents and their families up quick. Alongside hot drinks, goody bags, and dessert, we enjoyed the fall leaves together with live musical accompaniment. One of our favorite events, the Fall Festival is an opportunity for families and friends to join residents for a party surrounded by Virginia’s iconic autumn beauty. It’s just one of the unique Branchlands experiences that make senior living in Charlottesville so special.
Special Guests at Branchlands
Every week we’re treated to visitors who bring their unique talents and perspectives to residents. This year, our special guests ran the gamut from musicians and artists to experts in various fields.
We learned more about the natural world around us from resident and former teacher Nancy Newman, and from Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary’s Sarah Cooperman (aided by her adorable possum assistant!). We listened to live performances by guitarists, pianists, singers, an accordionist, a harpist, a jazz trio, and a barbershop quartet.
Visitors are also important for health and wellness in a senior living community. Guided exercise classes keep residents fit and active, while meditation exercises help with mood and emotional wellbeing. A number of alternative therapy practitioners visit Linden House Assisted Living regularly, including a music therapist and a pet therapist. There were a lot of smiles every time Lola the black lab, a certified therapy dog, came to visit!
Arts & Crafts
This year, our senior living residents made tie-dye tote bags, strung patriotic necklaces, practiced flower arranging, painted suncatchers, crafted decorative wind chimes, and more. So many Branchlands residents are creatively talented—and some of them didn’t even know it until they got here!
And that’s not all! We did so much this year, like indoor minigolf, nature walks, card games, and watching the eclipse right from the Manor House porch! It’s been a fun and memorable year, and we’re grateful to the Branchlands staff who made it possible. We’re also appreciative of the residents who brightened up our days and joined us for so many adventures. We look forward to even more wonderful memories in 2025!
