Anne Ryall Sylvester
Nordic walking
Dozens of Vineyarders gathered recently at Polly Hill Arboretum to learn about Nordic walking, a low-impact, full-body exercise that comes highly commended by doctors,...
Water Polo: Battle for the ball
Water polo is a tough sport, requiring a rare mix of stamina, strength, aerobic fitness, and the desire to win several dozen wrestling matches...
Serving up chair volleyball
The laughter is contagious, and giggles explode as I enter the large, well-lit activities room at the Tisbury Council on Aging. A chair volleyball...
Aging Greatfully
“Aging Greatfully Coffee Chat With Dr. Michael Jacobs is an informal group of seniors sharing the challenges of aging here on the Vineyard. This...
Merry lights
The chatter started in early December, chatter of a Christmas surprise. Vineyard Transit was to dedicate a special bus on a Saturday before Christmas...
Music as medicine
On the third Thursday morning of the month, a group gathers at the Center for Living to take their medicine. The medicine is music,...
Guinea pigs, rabbits, and birds, oh my!
The Supportive Day Program at the Vineyard’s Center for Living offers a long list of activities: exercise, art, music, yoga, drama, discussions, current events,...
Searching for steamers?
I was born a forager, a natural hunter-gatherer: Clamming, berrying, lobstering, crabbing, the first to spot the wild asparagus before it went to wispy...
More care for more patients
When I washed ashore on Martha’s Vineyard a couple of decades back, I considered myself lucky to find a doctor. But actually seeing that...
Crochet with a Cop
Part peace officer, part social worker, Oak Bluffs Police Officer Savannah Barnes is deeply rooted in the community she serves.
Early in life, Barnes wanted...
Start 2023 on a strong note
The top New Year’s resolution is exercise, with 52 percent choosing to hit the gym more often. Gyms fill up in January, but the...
This little pipe
Come Thanksgiving, Gregory West Drake thinks about “the pipe,” a hefty little metal object said to have crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower, been...
Yoga for Elders
Yoga provides the physical benefits of deep stretches, strengthening, and balance — all things which often become compromised as we age. That’s according to...
Mind matters
Editor’s note: The 55-Plus section of The MV Times lists dozens of activities and opportunities for readers each month. In this issue, we start...
Keeping your balance
Falls among adults 65 and older caused more than 34,000 deaths in 2019, making it the leading cause of death for that group, according...
Stretch the season
Gardens are at their end-of-season best, the Farmers Market full of beautiful produce and CSAs delivering an abundance of summer goodness. What to do...
Let it grow
The community garden on the Woodside campus of Island Elderly Housing (IEH) in Oak Bluffs produces food, flowers, exercise opportunities, and emotional wellbeing for...
Gardens among friends
Collaboration makes the Family2Family’s huge holiday food giveaways run smoothly, according to organizer Betty Burton. Three times a year, this Vineyard Committee on Hunger...
Up and running
This Saturday, April 30, YMCAs all over the country will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Healthy Kids Day, the Y’s national initiative to improve...
Taking care
Seemingly everywhere across the Island, the Vineyard’s two community health nurses fulfill a wide mandate. In private homes checking on the welfare of newborns...