When Marlouise Chiviges lost her husband, she knew it was time to move from her home in Florida to be closer to her daughters in Virginia. But as someone who had maintained an active lifestyle, Marlouise needed to find a place to live where she could maintain her independence while also enjoying a wealth of social activities and support services.

 

Her daughter Deborah Calhoun started researching communities where Marlouise wouldn’t be too far from her home in Spotsylvania, or her sister’s home in Alexandria. One year ago, Marlouise moved into Jubilation by Silver Companies. Jubilation is a community of 207 maintenance-free luxury apartment homes for individuals 55 and over located in Fredericksburg’s Celebrate Virginia development.

 

Members of the Jubilation community enjoy countless resort-style amenities and activities.  With a 20,000-square-foot clubhouse, heated indoor and outdoor saltwater swimming pools,  a spa,  fitness center, a 4.5 acre park with pickleball, four hobby clubhouses, an amphitheater, raised gardening beds and more, not to mention an entertainment coordinator putting together social and cultural activities to fit every interest, Jubilation makes it easy to stay physically and socially active.

 

Staying active at any age

 

Marlouise says she particularly enjoys the live music after dinner at the clubhouse—she has found a breakfast crew and another group of friends with whom she regularly eats dinner. Her great-grandchildren made the trip from Richmond recently to enjoy a Grandparents’ Day celebration at Jubilee that included a Good Humor ice cream man riding up on a bicycle.

 

She has tried exercise classes, art classes and many other activities since moving in. She played bocce ball for the first time at a Jubilation tournament and participated in a putting contest.

 

“When I call her to arrange a time to come have dinner with her, she has to look at her social calendar first,” her daughter Deborah says.

 

Deborah and her sister like that the activities at Jubilation —with the exception of some off-site excursions that may require pre-purchased tickets and carry a nominal transportation fee—are all included in the price of membership.

 

“Mom was raised during the Great Depression, and we know she watches her pennies—she wouldn’t take advantage of these activities if she had to pay extra,” she said.

 

But Marlouise recently learned that her efforts to stay so active at Jubilation have had a very tangible benefit on her health. She recently had aortic valve replacement. After the surgery—which went well—her doctor told her that her active lifestyle was the reason she was a candidate for the surgery at her age.

 

“They don’t do this surgery on a lot of older adults,” Deborah said. “You have to be in good shape, and they have to know that you can do the rehab.”

 

Peace of mind for adult children

 

For Deborah and her sister, Jubilation has eased the process of moving their mother from her longtime home with her husband to a brand-new state, giving Marlouise many opportunities to make new friends.

 

“We didn’t want her to be alone, and we didn’t want her to rely solely on us to be her human connections,” she said.

 

Marlouise likes the fact that Jubilation has garages where members can keep cars on-site. She also appreciates the proximity to Wegman’s, and to Mary Washington Hospital.   Jubilation has an on-site medical concierge in partnership with Mary Washington Healthcare who can help answer healthcare questions for members.

 

Deborah likes the fact that whenever she comes to visit, the staff at Jubilation have almost always seen her mom earlier that day or have an idea of how she’s doing.

 

“I knew that Mom had babysat for another resident’s dog the other day because they told me,” she said. On another visit, the dining coordinator came out to tell Deborah her mom was in the workout room riding the exercise bike.

 

“Everybody there is so caring, and I feel like if anything happened, they’d let me know,” she said.

 

Come out to learn more

 

Jubilation by Silver Companies is hosting a series of luncheons during the month of April to help families learn about the community and the active and full lifestyle residents lead. Every Thursday in April at 11:30 a.m., Lifestyle Lunch events will take place at the Jubilation Clubhouse. To RSVP, call 540-573-2126. Visit Jubilation.com for more information.

 

 

 

Jubilation Community Amenities

• 20,000-square-foot clubhouse
• 24-hour concierge services
  
• Gated community with 24-hour security
  
• Indoor and outdoor heated saltwater pools
• Poolside cabana with grills and fire pits
• 4 1/2-acre park with pickleball and bocce courts, raised gardening beds, four hubby clubhouses, walking paths, and car wash
  
• Amphitheater
• Dog park
• State-of-the-art fitness center and yoga studio
• Group workout classes
• Coffee bar and WiFi café
• Weeknight cocktail hours
• Demonstration kitchen
• Tapas restaurant
• Wine bar with bartender
• Daily  breakfast included with membership fee
• Library and gaming room
• Card room
• On-site medical concierge
• Access to home care (partnership with Visiting Angels)
  
• Access to on-site therapy services (partnership with Aegis)
• On-site entertainment director and daily resident events
• Garage parking
• WiFi access