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Since 2015, Rapp at Home, a nonprofit organization that supports Rappahannock County’s seniors in choosing their own paths in aging, has continued to grow its membership and programs. To respond to this growth and the current needs of the community, the organization has recently reorganized its staff.
The Rappahannock Lions Club and Rapp at Home have teamed up to provide broader outreach and support for the county’s Loan Closet. The service provides hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, shower benches and chairs, and raised toilet seats and other convalescent equipment for those in need. Space for the Loan Closet is provided free of charge by the Virginia Farm Bureau.
Many Rappahannock residents need caregiver support in their homes, but finding those caregivers has been difficult, according to a recent survey Rapp at Home conducted among its members.
Sitting in his car in what he called “the county’s best WiFi hotspot,” author, travel writer and TV host Andrew Evans led about 30 Zoomers on travel adventures past, present, and future.
The nonprofit fills a big need: Seniors make up more than 30 percent of the county’s population, more than double the state average
Thank you, Rappahannock, for being a part of this, and supporting the seniors who give back so much to our community. Your help makes a strong Rappahannock community stronger still.
This past week, the school district sent an email to the parents of all of its students to gauge their interest in something called the Phone Pal Program, a new initiative meant to connect generations here during this time of stress and uncertainty.
While the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread across the region, many people — especially those among the older population — are needing access to information and resources more than ever.
‘The group met for the first time this week, and the response was described as enormous’
‘The median age is 50 and roughly a quarter of the population is 65 or older’
Due to the threat of COVID-19, the Rappahannock Senior Center in Scrabble closed today.
Carol Simpson, executive director of Aging Together since December 2016, is retiring — replaced by Ellen Phipps, who for the past 18 years has been with the Central and Western Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in Charlottesville.
Rod Kirkpatrick, who lived in Rappahannock County for many years, was known far and wide simply as “Groundhog,” a nickname he acquired in his early teens when local farmers asked him to take his trusty rifle out in their fields and go after the destructive rodents.
The Aileen Factory in Flint Hill employed as many as 500 workers. Joyce Pullen, who spoke in a Rapp at Home “Local Voices” talk on Jan. 22 at the Rappahannock Senior Center, was one of them. She worked at the Aileen plant for 29-plus years, nearly the entire time it was open.
The PATH Foundation has awarded a $68,000 grant to Hero’s Bridge, a Fauquier based non-profit that specializes in meeting the needs of older veterans. The grant was awarded as a strategic initiative investment as it relates to the Foundation’s mission to strengthen the health and vitality of…
Video of the community discussion co-sponsored Oct. 8 at the Washington fire hall by the Rappahannock News, Foothills Forum, Aging Together and Rapp at Home to assess the findings of “A Troubling Diagnosis,” the recent three-part explanatory journalism series published in the Rappahannock News.
The Rappahannock County community runs smoothly because of many people — elected officials, business owners, front-line staff workers, and many more. But behind the scenes, there are hundreds of volunteers who contribute thousands of hours to making this county a better place to live. These …
New call center helps Rapp seniors find transportation
“Sitting is the new smoking,” former NASA scientist says at Second Friday at the Library talk. “No, it’s worse.”
We often read and hear about the daily pressures and obstacles faced by an aging Rappahannock community, with many of our seniors described as lonely if not completely isolated in an extremely rural county.
So much for 93-year-old Lois Snead “retiring” from the Rappahannock County Library’s one-of-a-kind Book Barn.
What started out as a glimmering hope for the county by Hal Hunter and a desire by Denise Chandler “to pay it forward” has now taken root as a community volunteer effort called RappRespite.
Telephone fraud is rapidly increasing across the country. As in Virginia, where the number of telephone fraud reports ranks the state 11th in the country, it’s also happening in Rappahannock County.
Many people have asked us if Rapp@Home is still around. And we are glad to report that Rapp@Home is alive and well. You haven’t heard much from us in the last few months because we have been preoccupied with the sausage-making of creating a nonprofit organization. It is a messy process with …
Staying safe and healthy into our senior years is the mission of several local nonprofits, Aging Together being one of them. A regional alliance of more than 100 organizations and individuals from Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties, Aging Together is helping meet t…
The Rappahannock Senior Center at the Scrabble School held a “Glamour Shots” Day last week, with makeovers by Cynthia Stamps and photography by Joy Canton. The participants had a grand time (as you can see) with accessories on loan from Myra Williams and her daughters, Brenda Watkevich and C…
A number of interesting recent developments could have some impact on Rappahannock County’s economic future.
Last week’s front-page story highlighted how rising property taxes in Rappahannock County are causing big problems for middle-aged and senior citizens living on fixed incomes. “This continued tax rate increase is killing us, and frankly, we have to make a decision about whether we can stay h…
The senior population of Rappahannock County, as in many other communities around the country, is growing. According to census data, 21.7 percent (1,616) of Rappahannock’s residents are 65 or older and facing a common challenge — how to live in our homes longer before moving to assisted livi…
Ask longtime Rappahannock County resident and community activist Hal Hunter what he’s been up to lately and he’ll be quick to tell you: Rapp at Home. It’s a new county-wide senior support program he is organizing to help area seniors share resources so they can remain in their homes as they …
Among the many benefits from the increase in older folks living in our community is their decades of community service. Aging Together honors local citizens who have a long history of contributing to their communities on Saturday, April 11 at the State Theatre in Culpeper — and one of the or…
Reports of disagreement and dispiriting behavior by humans around the world — including right here in Rappahannock — are ever harder to avoid. If you have a smartphone, in fact, you can probably find several apps that will notify you 24-7 of repugnant events in your area, with a pleasant bel…
Many senior citizens and people with disabilities find they may need help with activities that once came easily. One such activity is managing their personal finances.
On Feb. 11 in Staunton and Feb. 25 in Falls Church, the Ms. Virginia Senior America Pageant holds free orientations on how to become a contestant and prepare for the event.
Posing with the ladies of the Rappahannock Senior Center after delivering the club’s donation check before Christmas are Rappahannock Lions President Gordon Axelson (second from left), member Bob Anderson and secretary Jim Manwaring.
Rappahannock County is in the midst of a type of growth that cannot be controlled by zoning, or any other way: the numbers of gray-haired folks are zooming upwards.
Elderly people, in Rappahannock County as elsewhere, are being taken — with increasing frequency, according to local authorities who hope to provide help and raise awareness of the problem.
Nearly everyone you ask is in favor of affordable housing in Rappahannock County, where community-action organization People Inc. has proposed for the second time in two years to build some — or, actually, to build more than anyone’s ever proposed here before.
We are in the midst of an age wave: By 2020, the number of people over 60 will more than double. But this trend has real benefits. When you look around, the contributions of people over 50 have impacted our community in a very positive way.
To our senior citizen angels: Thank you so much for your wonderful donations to the Rappahannock Senior Citizens Center.
Jennifer Schmehl and her daughter Ginger Mae (foreground) were among a number of people who attended the Community Concert and Lunch last Wednesday (Nov. 20) at the Senior Center in the Historic Scrabble Schoolhouse in Castleton. The popular local trio Mandalele — otherwise known as Lorraine…
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