Daryl Ruff of Destination Harley Davidson Tacoma surprises Wilma on her 105th at our Narrows Glen senior living community by rolling right into the lobby on a Harley Davidson Motorcycle! Wilma is no newbie when it comes to Harleys – our Narrows Glen staff surprised her a few years back with a ride around Tacoma on a Harley. Happy 105th Birthday Wilma!
Vintage proudly supports the Alzheimer’s Association in the fight to end Alzheimer’s. For the second year in a row Eric Dobner, Activity Director at Narrows Glen, rode his stationary bike from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on July 13th in order to raise money for the Walk To End Alzheimer’s. Donations provided the opportunity to soak Eric down with a Super Soaker. Resident Stan Allen was first in line! Eric raised $500 dollars for the Alzheimer’s Association. 
Thank you Eric! Call a Vintage Senior Living community near you. Join us in our efforts to end Alzheimer’s.
On Thursday, April 26, 2012 seniors from all over California gathered at Vintage Westwood Horizons in Los Angeles, CA to compete in the 2012 California Senior Championship of the NSL (National Senior League). This year, Vintage Senior Living had eleven teams participating in western regional tournaments in California and Washington including Vintage Cerritos, who captured the National Senior League’s 2012 Wii Bowling State Championship.
Vintage Cerritos, better known as the “Cerritos Falcons” were lead by 95-year-old Bill Burd who aided the team in successfully bringing home not only the California Championship title but a title of Western Regional Finalists.
“This significant win marks the end of a long journey that included an entire year of practice,” said Burd. “Bringing home the first place trophy was important for us old-timers who still believe one is never too old to compete and have fun.”
The Cerritos Falcons battled the South Bay Blasters from Front Porch Community in San Diego at Vintage Westwood Horizons in Los Angeles. Surrounded by cheering fans, the eight-member teams played two games resulting in the following scores: Game one: Falcons- 879, Blasters- 653 and game two: Falcons- 830, Blasters- 583.
“The team has mastered the electronic game to a degree that they see it as real bowling with all the rules and playing techniques,” said Tracy Cofield, Activities Director of Vintage Cerritos. “What they enjoy most from Wii Bowling is being together and experiencing camaraderie and competition regardless of their age.”
In today’s electronic gaming world, even seniors are having a blast in front of the big screen—reliving the glory days of the neighborhood bowling alley. Wii Bowling is giving Vintage Senior Living residents many thrills, especially after bowling a strike. From a health standpoint, Wii Bowling offers a new form of exercise, and more importantly, encourages seniors to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. The game has even inspired the forming of teams from retirement communities across the country.
The communities’ common areas have been transformed into an electronic-driven playground where players and spectators enthusiastically exchange tips and comments. The opportunity to be on a team and participate in a league creates camaraderie among residents who might otherwise have trouble socializing. Wii Bowling has even spanned across generations by encouraging young volunteers and grandchildren, who are no strangers to electronic games, to participate.
Bill Wylie has found his second childhood since moving into Vintage Brush Creek in Santa Rosa, CA. When moving into the community Bill brought along with him Brush Creek’s first community Ping-Pong table and the inspiration to buy a small fleet of adult tricycle bikes that Bill rides during daily walks. Along with the bundle of toys, Bill also has started traditions such as Friday night Ping-Pong and pizza. He has even taught residents how to make paper airplanes and how to ride a tricycle. Outside of the community, Bill has shown residents hidden spots in Santa Rosa like Flat Rock and Brush Creek trail.
Bill believes he found Brush Creek for a reason. With this belief come daily actions of goodwill toward his fellow residents. He is known to loan a friend a coat when they are cold, offer a backrub when someone is looking sad, or walk a friend to an apartment if they get turned around. Bill has made a positive impact in the lives of other residents and in the lives of the staff. He takes the time to know people as individuals and genuinely wants to help us all lead happy lives. Lately, Bill has been sharing inspirational books and is always on the lookout for special events that he thinks residents should attend in their spare time. Bill is an inspiration and we thank him for all that he contributes to Vintage!
Dr. Alvin Miller was born on April 30th, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, Dr. Miller worked in a grocery store owned by his family, played violin and took dancing lessons. At the age of 15 he won an award for his violin playing during amateur hour on a radio station.
In 1944 he joined the army and within the first week he ruptured his appendix and was unable to go overseas with his battalion. Instead, he ended up clerking for Eisenhower at the Pentagon. After being discharged in 1946, Dr. Miller attended medical school in Illinois and graduated in 1953.
He came to California to complete his residency at the L.A. County Hospital in Pediatrics. For the next 35 years Dr. Miller worked for Kaiser in the Neonatology unit, caring for premature babies.
In 1990 the government asked him to travel to Rumania to teach doctors how to care for newborn babies and he did that for 2 years with the help of a nurse. He believes it was the greatest thing he’s ever done.
Upon returning at the age of 66, he ran the L.A. Marathon with his son! Today, Dr. Miller continues to practice pediatrics 3 days a week and will only retire “when [he] is old!”
Dr. Miller loves the staff at Vintage Senior Living and he still enjoys playing piano, violin, harmonica and giving great ideas to the activity department. Vintage Simi Hills is proud to have Dr. Miller as a resident!
Wii bowling is taking over senior housing across the nation! At Vintage we have created bowling teams that practice on a weekly basis and even compete against other local senior housing communities. Recently, Vintage has graciously accepted the opportunity to host the 2012 California Championships for the Spring League that begins in February. The Championship event is slated for late April and will be held at Vintage Westwood Horizons. What a great way to help our residents connect and stay healthy in mind, body and spirit.
The team at Vintage Narrows Glen in Tacoma, Washington puts their legs on the line in the fight to End Alzheimer’s. Eric, a staff member at Vintage Narrows Glen, rode his bicycle for 8 hours and raised over $1,200 for the Alzheimer’s Association! Vintage Narrows Glen has wonderful staff; Eric is only one of many. Their community is nestled among 15 acres of delightfully landscaped grounds and offers Independent Living, Assisted Living and memory care for Alzheimer’s and other dementia. It has everything that one could wish for with a Jacuzzi, a fitness center and a large putting green. There is never shortage of things to do; Eric and his team lead the activity planning, which include social, educational, spiritual, recreational and exercise classes. Vintage Narrows Glen is everything you want senior living to be and more.
