Reconnections offers opportunities for creative expression, among many other benefits!

Growing the Ways our Early Stage Participants Reconnect

When you hear the hustle and bustle of our early stage program, Reconnections, starting up at 10:00 am, it’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since we slowly re-opened our center doors. Right now, we have five Reconnections groups meeting – in-person, virtually, and a hybrid summer session!

Reconnections is a regular gathering of individuals who have mild cognitive impairment or who are in the early stages of dementia. Together with professional staff, a small group of club members participate in recreational activities with the opportunity for peer support and socialization in a safe, non-judgmental setting.

Our longest running program at our main location in Fairfax is back to our pre-pandemic schedule. Twelve or thirteen participants meet in-person four days a week for cognitive activities, creative pursuits, movement and exercise, and most of all – social time with peers in a similar situation. The virtual group that began meeting during the pandemic is also still going strong. Even program participants that have since moved out of the area can still regularly connect with friends they’ve made through the program.

As our region is more and more vaccinated and everyone is ready to reconnect, we’ve seen a huge growth in our early stage program interest over the past few months. So we’re growing the program, and the ways our early stage participants can reconnect!

This summer we re-launched Reconnections at Goodwin House Alexandria. Meeting once a week in-person, the program gives residents and opportunity to connect and maintain important cognitive skills. We’re also partnering with the Kensington Reston to offer a special 8-week summer series of the program that began just last week. Participants meet twice a week in-person and three days a week virtually, engaging in a variety of activities around a summer travel theme. The small group will be able to learn together, build cognitive skills, and have time for creative and self-expression with the group.

Last but certainly not least, our Loudoun group has been meeting virtually once a week, and based on interest, we are planning to begin offering more days in-person later this year. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting expansion!

Interested or want to learn more? Read more about the Reconnections program.