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2008 SESSION

084877516
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 446
Offered February 20, 2008
Commending “Our Place” Shenandoah.
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Patron-- Gilbert
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WHEREAS, “Our Place” Shenandoah, a respite center established by the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging (SAAA), has been honored with the 2008 Anne McKinley Rural Aging Award by the National Council on Aging and the National Institute on Community-Based Long-Term Care; and

WHEREAS, the award recognizes individuals, as well as projects in rural areas that have “plowed new ground” in serving the needs of older citizens; and

WHEREAS, the “Our Place” program was started with a small seed grant by the Brookdale Foundation and the support of the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors and the Shenandoah County Department of Social Services; and

WHEREAS, “Our Place” Shenandoah, located in Edinburg in Shenandoah County, is a respite center that provides persons with dementia or in the mid-stages of Alzheimer's disease with a friendly and safe place to interact with other adults and experience acceptance, camaraderie, humor, and fun; and

WHEREAS, participants in the outstanding “Our Place” Shenandoah program enjoy many activities in a caring environment and benefit from music therapy, memory exercises, physical exercise, and mental stimulation; and

WHEREAS, our most cherished elderly citizens have many opportunities to reminisce with their peers, visit with children and pets, or just share a hot noon meal or a snack among friends; and

WHEREAS, the dedicated staff and volunteers of “Our Place” Shenandoah provide activities for both men and women and care plans to meet the needs of individuals; counseling and guidance are also available from the respite center and SAAA to help participants and their families achieve a greater quality and enjoyment of life; and

WHEREAS, in addition to “Our Place” Shenandoah, the SAAA currently operates two other respite centers located in Clarke County and Warren County; and

WHEREAS, the SAAA’s Director of Community Care Coordination, Pam Dodge, will receive the award on behalf of “Our Place” Shenandoah at a luncheon on March 29, 2008, during the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging national conference, Aging in America, which will be held in Washington, D.C., March 26 - 30, 2008; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate “Our Place” Shenandoah as the recipient of the 2008 Anne McKinley Rural Aging Award by the National Council on Aging and the National Institute on Community-Based Long-Term Care; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to “Our Place” Shenandoah as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and gratitude to the respite center’s commitment to the health and well-being of our older citizens of the Commonwealth.