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Community Connections: Supporting Local Seniors Within and Beyond our Walls

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At WSL, our vision is to be an active participant in a community dedicated to ensuring seniors are fully engaged in living better lives longer. With a long history (more than 100 years, in fact) of serving seniors in the Greater Portsmouth area, we understand that community extends beyond the walls of our building.

To best address the issues that impact our residents, as well as all local seniors, we believe in supporting local nonprofits that share key elements of our vision.

Here are just a few of the local organizations and activities we’re honored to support:

Senior Transportation

This service is a collaboration between WSL and the City of Portsmouth. The program provides Portsmouth’s senior residents (and WSL residents) with rides to and from medical appointments, senior activities, meals, volunteer positions, and in-town shopping. Interested riders of this curb-to-curb transportation program are encouraged to call 603-570-7791 for more information. The schedule can also be found here.

Luncheons at the Senior Activity Center

With time to socialize before and after lunch, the monthly buffet luncheons hosted by WSL and the City of Portsmouth at the Portsmouth Senior Activity Center are popular events for our residents and the local senior community. Lunches cost $5.00 per person following the first lunch, which is complimentary.

End 68 Hours of Hunger

WSL staff members and residents enjoy supporting End 68 Hours of Hunger. Established in New Hampshire in 2011, End 68 Hours of Hunger is a volunteer-based effort to confront the 68 hours of hunger that some school children experience between the free lunch they receive at school on Friday afternoon and the free breakfast they receive at school on Monday morning. Whether it’s raising money or hosting a bake sale, we have been able to find new, fun ways to support the organization’s mission. To learn more, visit end68hoursofhunger.org.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s

We see firsthand how Alzheimer’s and other dementias effect our residents and their loved ones. For this reason, we believe wholeheartedly in the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association. In 2016, the WSL team worked together to raise more than $7,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. With a series of events, including our first-ever Plank-Off Challenge against Portsmouth and Rye police departments, we exceeded our goal of $5,000 (and had fun in the process). To learn more and view upcoming events, click here.

Strawbery Banke Museum

Strawbery Banke Museum is not only a local landmark and community staple, but also an organization WSL is proud to partner with to help enrich the lives of our senior community. In addition to an annual monetary contribution, WSL team members and residents enjoy attending events and participating in various volunteer opportunities throughout the year.

Portsmouth Rotary Club

The Portsmouth Rotary Club is one of the largest Rotary Clubs in the Northeast. With more than160 members, the group strives to make the community a better place to live, one person at a time. You can learn more about the Portsmouth Rotary Club, here.

Portsmouth Care Transitions Taskforce

The Portsmouth Care Transitions Taskforce brings medical community leaders together to discuss the safe, effective transition of patients from Portsmouth Regional Hospital to other locations within the community (home, skilled nursing or rehab facilities, assisted living, and memory care communities).

Advanced Directives Subgroup

Formed by a WSL staff member, the Advanced Directives Subgroup is a subcommittee of the Care Transitions Taskforce at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. This group meets monthly and recently completed a Community Needs Assessment, which helps determine the current needs of education, for both practitioners and community members, about the importance of having an advance directive or living will on file.

At WSL, we believe we’re more than just a senior residential community—we’re an active piece of Portsmouth’s history, present and future. For 2017, we have a mission to continue improving the lives of seniors within our local community. To learn more about our senior living community and upcoming plans, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.