Composting is Alive and Well at Collington

Submitted by Terry McGuire

Composting at Collington started in November 2018. For variety of reasons, that initial attempt failed. In 2020, the Compost bins located near the greenhouse had to be shut down. All compost operations were moved to the Hilltop Gardens. In April 2021, all of the commercially available plastic bins were replaced by four custom-build wooden bins. Each of these bins holds about 160 gallons of kitchen and green waste.

I have recently given talks about composting at several District meetings. It has become apparent that many residents believe that there is no composting remaining at Collington. Nothing could be further from the truth. Behind the black fence in the 5000’s is the Hilltop Garden. In the Hilltop Garden are four active compost bins that produce 100’s of gallons of rich compost each year.

All residents may use these bins. Add kitchen waste to the bins marked with green dots. There is a metal tool which you may spread out your waste into thin layer. You dig a hole in the existing leaves or add a handful of dried to cover the waste. You are done. The compost committee will take it from there.

As of April 1, 2022 residents in the apartments may deliver their kitchen waste to the green buckets (pictured above) in the recycling rooms on the first floor of the apartments. The collected waste will be delivered to the Hilltop Gardens on Tuesday and Fridays.

This post is available as a handout: Composting

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Women’s History Month 2022 UPDATED EVENT TIMES

The theme this year is “Our Bodies/Our Lives.” There will be two speakers and three classes throughout the month. All presentations will be by ZOOM.

Speaker #1 Mrs. Doris Crump Rainey – Wednesday, March 9, 1-3 PM. Resistance: Life as a Black Woman in Segregated Virginia.

Class #1 Girls & Young Women, Wednesday, March 16, 11-12:30 PM. This class will explore cultural expectations and lived realities.

Speaker #2 Lea Eisenstein, Saturday, March 19, 3-5 PM. Contraception Then and Now

Class #2 Middle Ages, Wednesday, March 23, 11-12:30 PM. This session will share insights about different American Women’s maturation and varied experiences.

Class #3 Older Women’s Lives, Wednesday, March 30, 1-2:30 PM. Today more women live longer and have different attitudes unwilling to simply sit in rocking chairs!

A Graduation Tea will be held Wednesday, March 30, following the class from 4-5 PM.

Heather Huyck and Judythe Alston are co-chairs of Women’s History Month. They request that those interested in participating in the classes submit a profile in advance.

Medstar to Cover the Health Center

Collington CEO, Ann Gillespie, and Collington COO, Megan Barbour, announced on January 7 that the MedStar Center for Successful Aging will be overseeing ALL health care at Collington by April 2022. MedStar’s Dr. George Taler will be Collington’s Medical Director for the campus. The MedStar Clinic at Collington Team: Dr. Pinky Singh, NP Caroline Shirima, Maracca Snowden and Lawanda Charles, will remain.

Dr. Taler is a clinical Geriatrician and one of the founding fathers of the MedStar House Call Program at Washington Hospital Center and Vice President Medical Affairs of MedStar Home Health.  He received his MD and residency training at University of Maryland- Baltimore and completed a clinical fellowship in Geriatrics at Parker Geriatric Institute in Hyde Park New York. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has received several “Best Doctor” awards over the years.

This an expansion of Medstar’s relationship with Collington to include Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Memory Care in the Creighton Health Center as well as the current Medstar Clinic for Independent Living at Collington.  A critical component of this model is continuity of care. Collington’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan includes goals focused on transforming our model of care and service away from a “siloed” approach, where a transition through the continuum is disjointed, to a more integrated, seamless experience.

The Medstar expansion will replace the Adfinitas team: Dr. Jennifer Riedinger, Dr. Cecilia Kim, and Physician Assistant Erin McEnany, that provided care in the Health Center and previously, the Clinic.

Pottery Class in Collington

Submitted by Dorothy Yuan

A few of us were lucky enough to participate in a pottery class offered by Judy Young, an enthusiastic newcomer to Collington.  She went to the trouble of acquiring all the essentials for us to start making pinch pottery.  The lesson started with a short introduction of what to expect but she also allowed time for us to get our hands wet.  We can’t wait till the new kiln can be set up and start firing.  All and all we had an exciting time.