The latest blog posts and information.

In John Prine’s “Hello in There,” the singer talks about the challenges of loneliness on older age. Released in 1971, when the singer was a precocious 26 years old, the song tells the story of a couple whose children have grown up and fled the nest. In the final lines, the singer implores you to stop and say hello to seniors who might appreciate the company.The challenges of loneliness in older age are nothing new, but thankfully, today’s seniors have more options than ev...

One of the best things about retirement is you can finally spend your time doing what you want to do rather than what you have to do. For many of us, that can mean catching up on our backlog of reading and discovering new books. At Brandermill Woods, many of our residents participate in a monthly book club, offering the chance not just to read a good book, but to discuss it with friends.“The books offer new ideas and good conversation among the residents,” said Hope Bolger, the Brandermill Woods...

The winter solstice and the holidays are behind us, but we still have a few months of short days and cold weather before the first blush of spring. In this time of low gray skies, bare trees and blistering wind, many people suffer from “seasonal affective disorder,” or the winter blues, which is characterized by feeling depressed and a lack of energy.The exact cause of the winter blues isn’t known for certain, but one major factor is that the low level of natural light creates a drop in serotoni...

We’ve reached the end of another exciting year at Brandermill Woods. Perhaps our biggest milestone in 2017 was completing our four-year expansion project—a major investment in our community that offers our residents a wealth of new amenities and upgrades while preserving the small-town feel that we all cherish. The expansion includes a gorgeous new wellness center, additional dining options, events and activities spaces, and 93 new apartments for seniors to choose from.“This expansion project is...

2018 has gone by quickly for us here in Central Virginia, and it’s hard to believe the end of the year is upon us. As we look back to this time last year at Brandermill Woods, we’d just completed our Expansion Project, and we were making plans to upgrade our irrigation system and refurbish our on-campus wood shop—two projects we successfully completed earlier this year.This year, perhaps the biggest news is that our Executive Director Mira Pallotta is retiring after 29 years with our organizatio...

In his great novel, Howard’s End—a book filled with characters writing letters to each other—E.M. Forster writes, “Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon.