Seated at the front desk of an assisted living community in the Dumbarton area, a receptionist smiled when asked about one of the residents.
“Frances Bailey – she’s known as ‘101’ around here!” the staff member said.
Actually, Bailey is 102 and four months as of September. The “101” nickname stuck after her birthday last year. “Every month matters when you get to my age,” she said.
Henrico has more than 130 residents who have reached their 100th birthday, according to estimates. Seventeen were honored at the county’s second Centenarian Celebration, which was held Sept. 22 – National Centenarian’s Day – at The Springs Recreation Center. Among the guests, Bailey was one of three who also had been honored at last year’s celebration.
Henrico has been working with community organizations to enhance services and support for older residents and caregivers. That’s addressing a significant need, said Catherine MacDonald, a professor of gerontology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“We’re not always doing our best to look at the real story of old age, so we’re making a change,” she told guests at the Centenarian Celebration. “In elderhood, we have the opportunity to grow in new ways as we build our skills through experiences, social roles and milestones.”
Seated in her apartment several days later, Bailey said she tries to remain physically and mentally fit. A typical week includes visits from her children and grandchildren, lunches with neighbors, games of Rummikub, phone calls with friends, and physical therapy and exercise classes.
In her class, she’s often called on to demonstrate “the Frances,” a series of hand exercises to help maintain grip strength and increase dexterity.
For her sharp memory and hand strength, Bailey credits keeping a diary. “I started when I graduated from junior college, when my aunt and uncle gave me a five-year diary,” she said. “That was in 1945, and I kept on going.”
Her living room is filled with journals. They’re organized by year on her bookshelf and stacked neatly in piles on her desk, with a few sitting near a favorite armchair.
Bailey has kept meticulous records of her life for almost 80 years. She shares entries that include what she made her family for breakfast in 1956, how she got her hair styled at a beauty parlor in 1981 and details of vacations to places such as Europe and Florida.
She said she finds herself organizing and revisiting diaries more as she ages, and she savors how they offer snapshots from throughout her life. They also offer a quick way to settle family disagreements.
“We’ll say we did something on certain day, ‘No, we didn’t, yes, we did,’” she said. “I say, ‘wait a minute, let me go look it up,’ and I’ll find out.”
Bailey was even able to use her photo collection and diaries to write a memoir of her life. She and her late husband, Rolen, documented the history of their family, from their grandparents to their grandchildren.
Asked about memorable events from her life, Bailey recalls attending early Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades and a World’s Fair. However, one of her favorite stories hits closer to home.
Early in their marriage, Bailey and her husband were living in Roanoke when their house had to be moved. She laughed, remembering how the move caused a stir in the community.
“The local school brought out all the students to watch like it was fieldtrip!” she said. “The postman told us that his boss didn’t believe the story about our house being moved until he saw it in the evening news.”
Bailey said she’s reminded often of the importance of friendships and connecting with others. She and a group of friends regularly send each other sweet notes in handmade cards.
Henrico celebrated Active Aging Week (Oct. 6-12) with a series of activities, events and programs to promote health and well-being among older residents. The county’s efforts are guided by its advocate for the aging with the Outreach & Engagement Agency.
“It’s a great point of connection for residents who need information on programs that we have in the county, such as real estate tax relief, the phrasing of real estate tax payments, lawn care, assistance, recreation and social engagement opportunities, referral services and more,” County Manager John A. Vithoulkas said. “The list goes on and on.”
Residents can sign up for the EngAge Newsletter to learn more.
For her part, Bailey is already looking forward to next year’s Centenarian Celebration and being honored for a third year.
“I just do the best I can,” she said. “Keep on going and keep on going, and that’s the best thing to do. If I sat here and moped, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. There’s a lot to look forward to every day, if you look for it. You just have to look for it.”