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By Anna Bedell | Sponsored by Westminster at Lake Ridge
As seniors look toward their next chapter, everyone has a different idea in mind on how to live out their retirement years. Some may stay in their existing home, while others choose a place to live that offers a fun and engaging atmosphere.
One such place is Westminster at Lake Ridge.
Built in 1993, Westminster at Lake Ridge is a not-for-profit Life Plan Community, set on 62+ acres against the backdrop of the natural forested beauty of Northern Virginia, according to its website.
A cottage at Westminster at Lake Ridge
Offering unparalleled services and amenities, residents can choose to live in an atmosphere that feels like they are part of a greater community.
“This charming neighborhood, with the ambiance of a historic village—yet a short drive from the culture of the capital—you can create the vital, engaged retirement life you have always envisioned,” according to its website.
The community includes 235 independent living, including cottages and apartment homes, assisted living and skilled nursing residences, with over 379 residents living on site.
Standing apart from other communities
Westminster is an all-encompassing community, with a continuum of care on one campus including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, home care and an outstanding social day program.
Coming later this year, the community will offer memory support assisted living.
The SAGECare, nationally CARF-accredited Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), is the only Ingleside community with cottages, providing the widest variety of living environments.
Their state-of-the-art Center for Healthy Living offers a multifunctional studio where art, fitness and other classes are held, a heated saltwater pool with hot tub, and an indoor greenhouse and gardening areas for the entire community.
Certified since 2019, the senior living community recently recertified the SAGECare Platinum-level lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) cultural competency credential.
The dining room at Westminster at Lake Ridge
Services and Amenities
With the community offering something for everyone’s taste and lifestyle, it provides an atmosphere where people can make friends among their fellow residents. Services and amenities are as follows:
A variety of dining options, including an all-day bistro with al fresco seating and lounge bar; an elevated dining room; and a wine bar plus two private dining rooms
- Interfaith Chapel, staff chaplain and on-site spiritual services
- Salon/Day Spa
- Extensive library
- Computer room, as well as Wi-Fi hotspots extending throughout the campus
- Gift shop
- Woodworking shop
- Two fishing ponds
- Multifunctional lounges
- Pickleball court
- Easy access to the charming village of Occoquan
- Medical clinic with onsite physicians
- Onsite rehabilitation services
Positive Community Impact
Westminster has positively impacted its community by fostering a holistic environment that prioritizes the well-being of its residents. Through comprehensive wellness programs, diverse amenities, and inclusive initiatives, the community offers an enhanced quality of life for its members.
In addition to a multitude of comprehensive wellness programs, there has been an introduction of the Ingleside Engaged social day program that provides structured activities for residents with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia.
This initiative not only supports cognitive health but also offers respite for caregivers and is open to both residents and members of the greater community. \
Affordability
The community provides various pricing options for residents with different needs; sizes range from one-bedroom apartments to two-bedroom cottages with a den. The Westminster Ingleside Foundation offers further assistance to residents who outlive their financial resources through no fault of their own, ensuring they are not asked to leave due to financial constraints.
The foundation also provides financial support through both an Employee Scholarship and Citizenship Endowment Fund.
Welcoming and Belonging
Westminster has achieved the SAGECare Platinum-level LGBT cultural competency credential, demonstrating a commitment to creating an inclusive environment that respects and celebrates diversity among its residents.
Ingleside communities are also designated as a “LGBTQ+ Long-Term Care Equality High Performer” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and SAGE’s Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI).
The community actively partners with local organizations, such as StreetLight Community Outreach Ministries, to provide food and transportation services to homeless families, reflecting a dedication to broader community inclusivity.
Project Search Community Outreach
Westminster at Lake Ridge has partnered with Project Search, a national professional development program with Americans with IDDs supported by the Department of Aging and Rehabilitation Services, is aiming to connect young adults with professional experience onsite at the community’s campus, according to McKnights- In Focus online forum.
“For students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, finding employment is a common way to cultivate more independence,” according to a recent article in McKnight’s- In Focus.
Their mission is to have students aged 18 to 21 transition from school into the work force, offering them the opportunity to participate in an unpaid internship.
While students get to work in three different departments in the community over the course of the year, they will then be able to decide which area might be their best fit.
“This project serves a valuable need in an industry plagued by workforce shortages; it also infuses a little youth into the community while reducing the staff’s workload. Not to mention the new friends that come with it,” according to In Focus.
Craig Turner, Westminster independent living administrator, said he believes that “programs such as Project SEARCH are crucial in shifting the narratives surrounding senior living as they help expose young people to reality in such communities. For many, these buildings may become future workplaces,” according to his statement in In Focus.
Check out the Westminster at Lake Ridge’s website for information at inglesideonline.org/westminster-lake-ridge/.
Anna Bedell is a freelance journalist and writer for Prince William Living Magazine. In her free time, she travels abroad and has a passion for exploring new places while meeting new people.
