Our exercise classes were originally designed for Sibley Senior Association members. While we welcome non-members to attend, we recognize it does take time away from paying members. There is a $10 quarterly administrative fee for nonmembers to attend as many SSA classes as desired during the quarter.

Please read the class schedule carefully for class locations.

• Wear comfortable clothing.
• Payment must be received before your first day in class.
• Call 202-364-7602 for more information and to register for your desired class as soon as possible.
• No refunds after your first week in class.
• Make check payable to Sibley Memorial Hospital and mail to the Sibley Senior Association, or call 202-364-7602 to pay via credit card. Note: there is a $10 quarterly administrative fee for non-SSA members.
• Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen
• If the federal government or D.C. schools are closed due to snow, the classes at the Palisades Hub will be cancelled and make-up class(es) will be scheduled. If you feel weather conditions are dangerous, please do not attempt to drive.

Offered via Zoom.

Tai Chi uses gentle flowing movements to reduce the stress of a busy lifestyle and improve health. Often called “meditation in motion,” it promotes serenity and the connection of the mind and body.

$185 for the twelve week session (or $18 per class for late registrants)

Please call the SSA office (202-364-7602) for more information.

Join us once a month for a healthy walk in and around the lovely Palisades community, led by a staff member of the Sibley Senior Association. Everyone is required to wear a mask. We’ve enjoyed real estate walks checking out new construction, walking along the Capital Crescent trail, and identifying plants in neighborhood gardens. We meet in the lobby at the front of Building D, weather permitting. Please wear comfortable clothing and don’t forget to bring a water bottle. We usually meet the fourth Wednesday of each month (weather permitting).

Register online, email [email protected] or call 202-364-7602

Club Memory is a stigma-free supportive social group for people with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their care partners. Club Memory began with a small group of people coming together in Sibley’s cafeteria in September 2011. Since its inception, Club Memory has continued to grow exponentially, in response to members’ and community needs. Club Memory serves all wards in the District of Columbia through a combination of a grant from Department of Aging and Community Living (formerly DCOA) and private philanthropy. At each session we offer activities such as board games, puzzles, sing-alongs, trivia and challenges, sharing of resources and discussions.

At Club Memory, conversation, community and even laughter among peers who truly understand each other open the doorway to living life to its fullest in the face of a mild cognitive impairment or dementia diagnosis. Club Memory also offers support groups for people with a diagnosis of dementia and their family care partners. Support groups meet twice a month as well.

If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment or any other form of dementia, know that there is hope and support for you and your family. Please contact one of the community dementia program managers for more information about Club Memory and support groups:

Please contact Jihan Starr, Community Dementia Program Manager, for more information about Club Memory and support groups at [email protected].

Join us at the Sibley Senior Association Book Club and enjoy the company of book lovers. We have read books like:

• Mornings On Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough.
• Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
• Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson’s First Ladies by Kristie Miller
• Cleopatra by Stacey Schiff

The Book Marks club meets on the second Tuesday of each month. All are welcome,

For more information:

• Contact the Senior Association Office at 202-364-7602 for more details. 
• Find an upcoming meeting
• Register to attend (for newcomers)

Sibley offers two opportunities for Senior Association members, hospital staff, patients and visitors to learn and practice mindfulness-based stress-reduction techniques in a group setting. Drop-ins and all levels, including beginners, are welcome. Tuesdays and Thursdays. No cost.

Registration is required by calling 202-364-7602. View upcoming classes.

Facilitated by Leyla M. Kenny, Ph.D., L.I.C.S.W.

• Tuesdays (ongoing) from 11 a.m. to noon. Zoom link provided to registrants.
• Attendees will practice together for 20 to 30 minutes and will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences.

Facilitated by Patricia Ullman J.D., certified mediation instructor

• Thursdays (ongoing) from 1 to 2 p.m. Zoom link provided to registrants.
• Attendees will practice sitting techniques and learn how to bring mindfulness more fully into their lives. They will also have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences with other attendees. Drop-ins and all levels, including beginners, are welcome. No cost.

How Meditation Can Help

The clinical effects of meditation and mindfulness practices are well documented. Mounting research shows that numerous and almost immediate benefits to one’s physical and emotional state occur from just practicing simple meditation techniques on a regular basis. Meditation and mindfulness practices have been linked to the following results, from as few as four days of daily practice:

• Increased alertness
• Boost to the immune system
• Improved quality of sleep
• Decrease in emotional reactivity
• Decrease in stressful thoughts
• Relaxation of the mind and body
• Increased awareness of surroundings
• Increased sense of well-being
• Decreased feelings of loneliness
• Support for the grieving process