Sentara celebrates local centenarian’s health journey to 106th birthday

Music and chatter filled the room as Dorothy “Dottie” Southall sat in front of her birthday balloons, which spelled out “1-0-6”.

“I could just bounce like a ball, you know? Bounce up and down with the way I feel," said Dottie, who wore a sparkling birthday tiara. "In other words, I’m happy."

Dottie was born in the Whaleyville neighborhood of Suffolk, Virginia, in 1918, two years before women gained the right to vote and two months before the end of World War I. 

Shortly after, she moved to Pennsylvania, where her father found work. This was during the First Great Migration, when African Americans in the south traveled west and north for better opportunities. 

In 1959, as the Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum, Dottie started as a licensed practical nurse at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City, where she would work for 20 years. 

She moved back to Virginia in the late 1980s and lived on her own in a high-rise apartment building, still managing her own bills and finances until she was 103.

“I enjoyed dancing and doing the Foxtrot. Now I’d break a leg trying to do it,” laughed Dottie as she thought back on her younger days. 

After an emergency room visit for a fall in 2022, Dottie was referred to the Sentara Quality Care Network (SQCN) by her physician for support. 

“I was so amazed at her age, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m honored to be guiding and helping care for her,’” said Karen Spencer, integrated care manager with SQCN. “I just find it inspiring, and even more so that she was a nurse.”

Spencer helped Dottie and her family with care coordination and navigation, while also providing education on community resources and the available levels of care, which include long term, private duty, Medicaid personal care, assisted living, and the federal Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. 

In addition, she gave information on hospice and respite services as well as assisted with grant applications for caregiver support.

“Not only was she very knowledgeable and experienced, she knew how to balance that with encouragement,” said Voncier Kelly, Dottie’s great-niece and primary caregiver at the time. “She could pick up when I was stressed and would encourage me while letting me know the facts.”

“I've had so many families who get overwhelmed and they just shut down and don’t act on our resources,” said Spencer. “That's really where our job is so valuable, is making the information digestible.”

Dottie celebrates her 106th birthday with the Sentara Quality Care Network (SQCN) team. Directly behind her is Karen Spencer, integrated care manager with SQCN, and to her right is Voncier Kelly, Dottie’s great-niece.

In August 2023, while living with Kelly, Dottie was discharged from hospice at the age of 104 because she was deemed too healthy and no longer met requirements. 

She eventually went to live in a nursing facility and in July 2024, she was transported to a residential care home in Norfolk, Va., with hospice support. 

“When they brought her in on medical transport, we sat down and she looked at me and said, ‘You know, it feels like I’ve come back home,’” said Kelly, who visits her great-aunt a few times a week. “She’s still alert and she’s talking and has a great sense of humor.”

According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau, of more than 8.6 million people in Virginia, fewer than 200 were 105 or older, a mere 0.0021% of the population.

Dottie said she has no secret to living a long life. When asked what she thought about society’s changes over the years, Dottie said, “Well, you have to go along with it. I enjoy life.”