If you haven’t heard of CROSSNET, you’re not alone. According to Forbes, it’s a new game that was conceived in 2017 and is a cross between four square and volleyball.

Jane Doty always dabbled in painting but it wasn’t until she retired in 2013 that she began to paint more and told herself, “I’m going to get a little more serious about this.”

Non-stop chatter overflowed into the hallways as students from Cedar Falls, Don Bosco and Wapsie Valley high schools met with residents of Western Home Communities for a final time in the fall semester as part of the CAPS program.

You can’t help but look across Jane Anderson’s array of candies and mini “gingerbread” houses with childlike wonder. She has nearly every candy you can think of, organized for a festive afternoon of decorating mini-houses made of graham crackers.

Laughs, encouragement, accomplishments. That may be the best way to describe what it’s like sitting in with the small group of knitters that gathers every Wednesday afternoon at The Market in Jorgensen Plaza.

An overhaul of décor throughout Windhaven Assisted Living, planned for 2020 and interrupted by the pandemic, is receiving rave reviews.

A villa couple proves you don’t need a professional degree in arts to become prolific creators – just a shared love of creativity and the curiosity to pursue new interests.

Harry’s passion for climbing began as a teenager when his family visited Colorado. Harry says, “I saw Pikes Peak and I told myself I was going to be on top of that one day.”

Just a few years ago, Marv Dillavou reintroduced himself to beekeeping. With experience as a youth, he introduced a colony of bees on his acreage and his apple tree produced three bushels of apples when it produced none before.

Bob chose the military as a career, enlisting on May 20, 1946, the day after his high school graduation, and heading to San Diego for boot camp. He retired as a commander 27 years later and insists he doesn’t deserve the status of veteran – he views veterans as those who made greater sacrifices than his.

When villa resident Mary Ellen Murphy organized a 12-day western tour primarily for fellow church members, eight others who are residents of Western Home Communities jumped at the chance to visit Utah’s five national parks: Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion.

A naturally talented and competitive villa resident ended the summer of 2022 with flair: In August, Margene Grady won her third Super Senior Women’s Amateur title at the 57th annual championship at Lake Panorama, and then her team overthrew the reigning champions to win the 61st IGA Women’s Club Team championship by one stroke.

Dementia care throughout Western Home Communities focuses on creating moments of joy for the person living with a dementia diagnosis.

An interest in Iowa’s native prairie grasses prompted villa residents Jerry and JoAnn Kramer to attend the open house when UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center first opened nine years ago.

Perhaps you already met a few of our international interns in Jorgensen Plaza. If not, we’d like to introduce you to a few new faces.

Watching their garden grow brought on several summer outings for residents of Thalman Square Assisted Living Memory Support.

Most of us have fond childhood memories of a favorite teacher, yet it’s rare to become friends and neighbors with them later in life.

Laura knows her story is unusual: Not many 26-year-old women spend months in a nursing home to recover from life-threatening complications of childbirth.