Aging Joyfully

by | Oct 9, 2024 | Activities, Awards, Community

Today we observe Ageism Awareness Day! The American Society on Aging defines ageism as stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination toward others or ourselves based on age. Ageism can negatively impact our health, finances, and the economy. 

This year Forest Hills of DC was awarded an AARP Community Challenge grant so that we could create a large-scale mural titled, “See Me, Hear Me: The Art of Living,” featuring 70 portraits of our residents and staff to tackle ageism. This public art initiative was created in partnership with Marvin Bowser Photography, Art Against Ageism, and Tenleytown Main Street and was featured during DC Art All Night in September. This mural is a testament to the wonderfully wise, inspiring, resilient, endearing and beautiful “seasoned citizens” at Forest Hills of DC and the skilled, dedicated, empathetic and loving people who are their care partners. 

One of the portraits in our mural is of Memunatu (Mimi) who has been working in our beauty salon for more than five years. She has experience in nursing and cosmetology so this job blends those together, which she enjoys. “I enjoy working with the residents and hearing their stories. Just knowing that they feel good when I do their hair, that brings joy to me,” she says. Mimi is 43 years old and enjoys aging. “You grow and get to experience better things as you get older. There are pains and things along the way but it’s part of life. I enjoy life and aging is a part of it.” 

Another portrait featured in our mural is of resident Nancy who is 91 years old. She is from Virginia but grew up in Washington, DC. She has a strong network of family and friends and is a great connector of people. Nancy used to be a professor at Cornell University where she taught consumer economics. “There’s been a lot of good things in my life. I’ve been able to have a very good career,” she says. 

This theme of embracing aging also comes through in the story shared by our CEO Tina Sandri who is 60 years old. She has worked here for more than four years and likes how our community is able to blend systems and processes that require quality with creative freedom. She’s been working in this field for more than three decades. Working in long-term care is consistent with the values she had growing up as an Asian American. She understands the importance of respect for elders. “This exhibit is not just about displaying art; it serves as a gateway to the diverse array of stories, experiences and histories that define our community,” she shares. “We take pride in presenting the incredible lives of our residents and team members to the wider public, emphasizing their varied backgrounds, interests and skills.” 

To read all the resident and staff stories captured as part of our large-scale mural, visit our digital exhibit here.

Tina

Mimi

Nancy

Read more

Work and Play, Play!

Adele has lived at Forest Hills for one year. She likes having the opportunity to participate in a lot of activities. Her favorite activity is bingo because she is competitive. She has lived in DC her whole life and says it is a great city. She is very close to her...

A Chosen Family

Vicky has been the director of marketing and admissions at Forest Hills for three years. For her, the best thing about working here is coming to the community with a team she was already familiar with. She's worked with Tina, Crystal, and Anne-Marie before. Anne-Marie...

Gleeful Gardener

Bartley is a Forest Hills of DC assisted living resident who is an engaging, knowledgeable horticulturist. He leads the garden club once a week here. He has been gardening 60 out of his 83 years. "I gardened quite a bit during my life. I do the same here at Forest...

Culinary Creators

As part of our large-scale mural titled, “See Me, Hear Me: The Art of Living,” we highlighted portraits and stories of several members of our dedicated dining services team. Gerald is the director of dining services at Forest Hills, where he has been for four years....

Chipping Away at Ageism with a Camera

In a world seemingly infatuated with youth, older adults can sometimes become invisible. Even though older adults comprise a growing percentage of the U.S. population, they are not seen as such. One reason is that media and advertising disproportionally feature...

Subscribe

Leave your email address below to receive all the recent news and blog posts.

Subscribe

Follow Us

Comments

0 Comments

Skip to content