Senior Day at the Illinois State Fair set for Monday         

Information and one-on-one counseling on Medicare and Illinois Cares Rx

Special portraits of Illinois' fallen soldiers to be displayed

[AUG. 8, 2006]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department on Aging will host Senior Day at the Illinois Building at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Monday. The air-conditioned building, which is near the main gate on the state fairgrounds, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission for people 60 years of age and older is free on Senior Day.

Each and every day of the fair, which runs Aug. 11-20, there will be entertainment and bingo. Officials with the Department on Aging will also be on hand to provide information to seniors and their families regarding the recent changes to the federal Medicare drug benefit and Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's newest prescription drug program, Illinois Cares Rx. Seniors and their families may sign up for same-day, individual, private counseling sessions about pharmaceutical benefits with professional counselors from the Department on Aging.

"We'll have people on-site to help seniors, their families and their caregivers get a better understanding about the changes to the Medicare program. It's very important that everyone understand the complex issues involved," explained Charles D. Johnson, director of the Department on Aging.

On Senior Day, special portraits of Illinois' fallen soldiers from the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan will be on public display in the Illinois Building. The sketches, which can also be viewed on Sunday, were created by 22-year-old Eastern Illinois University student Cameron Schilling to memorialize the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice while defending our country.

Also on Senior Day, Jim Karras, a nationally known fitness and weight loss expert, will speak at 11 a.m. in the auditorium. The special seminar is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.

St. John's Hospital, Illinois Pharmacists Association, the Lions Club and the Illinois Optometric Association will provide free health screenings each day, including these:

• Cholesterol

• Blood pressure

• Blood sugar

• Body composition

• Diabetic eye testing

• Height and weight

• Mental health

• Osteoporosis

• Overactive bladder

• Pulmonary function

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Skin cancer

• Stroke

Representatives from various state agencies and private companies will also be on hand during the entire fair to provide information about services provided to older people.

• Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

• Illinois Bee Keepers

• Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

• Illinois Department of Human Services

• Illinois Department of Public Health (Each day from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., the department will host a special seminar to educate seniors on healthy aging.)

• Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs

• Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn's office

• Illinois Optometric Association

• Illinois Pharmacists Association

• Prairie Heart Institute

• Scooter Bug

• Secretary of State Jesse White's office

• State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka's office

• U.S. Social Security

• Watkins Home Products

[Illinois Department on Aging news release]

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