2019 WELLNESS
MAGAZINE

Community Wellness Expo offers a wealth of health information, guidance and care
By Angela Reiners

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[February 18, 2019]  The 2019 Community Wellness Expo on Saturday, February 16th, drew over 550 people to the Lincoln Park District.



The Wellness Expo is co-sponsored by Logan County Department of Public Health and ALMH Community Health Collaborative, as well as the Park District As in past years, each group had several exhibitors providing information on health and wellness resources in addition to strategies for healthy living.

As guests walked in the front door, they were given a bag to hold the goodies handed out by vendors and a sheet with trivia questions to answer and turn in for a prize.

With 72 vendors, there were resources for people of all ages.

As in previous years, there were health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood typing, and more.



Healthy eating is an important part of wellness and there were three cooking demonstrations using healthier ingredients. For example Heather Cosby, owner of Flossie’s and Delzena’s Gourmet Grind & Gifts, prepared a ‘faux-tato salad' using cauliflower in place of potatoes, and guests were able to sample the finished product.

A kids’ cooking demonstration showed kids how to make healthy snacks and gave them a chance to try healthy food such as homemade granola mixes and kale chips.



To burn off some energy and get exercise, kids could bounce, jump, play, and crawl around in one of the large inflatables.

There are many resources for seniors in the county, whether it be home health care, assisted living, or nursing home care.

Representatives from the Christian Village/Christian Horizons, Timber Creek Village, Copper Creek Cottages, St. Clara’s Manor, and Generations were there to share what they can provide for seniors who can no longer live independently.

Other resources geared toward seniors included the Oasis Senior Center, Community Action’s Senior Nutrition Program, Audibel, and the Alzheimer’s Association.


Making it easier to keep loved ones at home are Memorial Home Care Services, Carelink, and Lifeline.

For those dealing with cancer, the SIU School of Medicine Simmons Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society can help.

Providing help for addictions are places like the Tazwood Center, Chestnut Health Systems, and Illinois Helpline.

Some of the other organizations providing resources in times of need are the Salvation Army, the Pregnancy Resource Center, Resilient Cleaning, and the Logan County Humane Society.

Answering questions about insurance needs were representatives from Health Alliance, Meridian, Illini Care Health, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Several groups and small businesses had supplements, essential oils, skincare products, and even cleaning products for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.


One new vendor this year, Wink Natural, offers probiotics, prenatal supplements, lotions, and other all-natural products for stress relief, sleep and anxiety.



ALMH had exhibitors from various departments that included rehab, sports care, and diabetes management education.



There were also a couple new ALMH exhibitors this year. ALMH Echo technicians Tonya Matthews and Amanda Pollice provided information about Echocardiograms. Echocardiograms, or Echos, are tests that use an ultrasound with high frequency sound waves to make pictures of the heart’s chambers, valves, walls, and blood vessels.

Matthews and Pollice use a new up-to-date machine for the tests, which doctors review to check the heart function and see if there are any heart problems.

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Eddie Smith, Lead Technologist at ALMH’s Sleep Center, tests people for sleep apnea, a sleep disorder affecting 20 million Americans by interrupting their sleep.

Warning signs and symptoms include loud snoring, gasping or choking during sleep, morning headaches or grogginess, excessive daytime fatigue, and depression and irritability.

Sleep apnea puts people at risk for developing a variety of conditions, but special dental appliances or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines increase the air pressure in your throat so your airway does not collapse when you breathe in.



Juliann Papesch of Schneider Chiropractic had resources for those seeking chiropractic care. She had a list with five phases of chiropractic care:

  • Wellness care for those wanting to be at their “best.”

  • Maintenance care to prevent “future problems” and keep “old ones from returning.”

  • Supportive care to people maintain their “progress” through “continuing care.”

  • Corrective care to fix “spinal dysfunction” and retrain “muscular weaknesses.”

  • Pain relief to help people become “pain free as quickly as possible.”

Hot tubs may also provide pain relief and Andrew Gonzalez of P and W Pools and Spas, along with Nathan Whiteman, brought in a Tuff Hot tub/Spa and had handouts showing how spas relieve stress of the mind and body by reducing pain.

In addition, Spas can lower blood pressure, boost digestion and weight loss, increase blood circulation in affected areas of the back, improve blood flow to sore muscles and joints, relieve arthritis symptoms, and reduce nerve pain in the feet.



To provide awareness about another health issue, Kimberly Janssen of the Epilepsy Foundation shared facts about what epilepsy is, what causes it, who has it, and how it is diagnosed and treated. Janssen said the Epilepsy Foundation advocates, educates, and does case management for those who have epileptic seizures.



Erin Domonousky, medical and legal advocate for the Prairie Center for Sexual Assault, works out of the Taylorville office, which serves Logan County and several other counties.

Domonousky said the center offers free services, counseling, advocacy, professional training, crisis services for recent victims and adult survivors of sexual assault. They also have a 24-hour hotline.



Moms Who Care is a recently created non-profit group that started in Lincoln in 2017 and collects donations of school supplies, healthy snacks, hygiene products, and clothing from the community and take them to LCHS and LJHS every Thursday.

Students referred by the school nurse, counselors, teachers, or office staff “shop” for the items, which are placed in a gift bag. Financial donations are used for lunch money, graduation items, shoes, and other essential items. This program is about helping with self-esteem and improving graduation rates.

At the Wellness Expo, adults and children had an opportunity to talk to these and in all over 70 exhibitors and vendors to learn about many different health and wellness resources right here in Logan County.


[Photos by Mitch Douglas]

 

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