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The concept of the Senior Fair is to provide local
citizens with a one-stop-shop opportunity to talk to a number of
healthcare providers and professionals one-on-one without an
appointment and at no cost.
Oasis Director Nancy Cunningham noted the fair was
bigger and more spread out with several new vendors, making it all
the better this year.
Guests enjoyed really gooey donuts with fresh coffee and could also
grab a fresh banana or apple to enjoy.
Several vendors from Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital set up. The physical therapy department did the
sit-stand-test that tells seniors if they are maintaining a well
balanced body. The goal was to sit with arms across the chest, then
stand up and sit down as quickly as possible five times, without
losing balance. The technician timed the senior and at the end
talked with them about their scores. Typically, in the age range
between 60 and 69, a person should be able to do the five sit-stands
in 11.4 seconds. The time to complete increases with age so those
who are in the 80 to 89-year-old range are doing well if they can
perform all five motions within 14.8 seconds.
According to a document given to the seniors, those who are unable
to complete the exercise within a 15 second time frame are more apt
to be those who will suffer from falls in the future. The physical
therapy department at ALMH can assist seniors with increasing their
mobility and balance when they are at risk.
Also present was the ALMH Senior Life Solutions. This is a brand new
program at ALMH and the representative on hand said that it is going
very well and has been very well received by the senior population.
The program works mostly with helping seniors cope with life
changing events that can lead to depression and otherwise poor
mental health. Free depression screenings were available at the
table.
ALMH Dietician Jennifer DiPasquale spoke with visitors about
maintaining healthy eating habits as a diabetic. Diabetes is a big
issue for many older Americans, but can be managed through proper
medication, diet and exercise.
At another table, bone density tests were being offered by ALMH. As
we age our bones grow thinner and weaker. Understanding the bone
density helps seniors to know what their risks are for osteoporosis
as well as bone breaks. There are solutions, such as diet and
strength training, to help with declining bone density as we age.
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The ALMH Auxiliary spends a lot of its time
educating and assisting seniors with Life Line Medic Alert devices.
Jennifer Heidbreder was on hand to talk with guests about the medic
alert pendants, explaining how they work and why they are so
important to seniors in helping them maintain their independence as
they age.
Angie Whiteman was on hand to speak to guests about the ALMH Market
held at the Logan County Fairgrounds during the summer months, and a
representative was on hand to discuss the reason and advantages to
establishing advance directives.
A number of representatives were there to talk about the various
insurance programs.
The Illinois Treasurer’s Office was on hand doing lost asset
searches. Cunningham was very excited about this, especially when
she learned that thanks to the Senior Health Fair, one senior found
he/she had $200 that had gone unclaimed for a number of years. The
representative assisted the senior in doing the proper application
to get the money. For Cunningham that one event was well worth all
the effort put into the fair.
Other representatives included Dr. Paul Boatman
speaking to guests about Alzheimer’s Disease; representatives from a
number of the local assisted living facilities; representatives from
in-home help services and a representative from the Illinois
Department on Aging.
Dan Benedict and Joe Schaler were on hand to about veteran
assistance programs. Lincoln Assistant Police Chief Matt Vlahovich
visited with guests on a variety of topics.
A fun stop at the health fair was the table of the
Christian Village where the lesson of the day was laughter. With big
smiles representatives explained the concept with a handout. On the
page there are three bullets – the physical health benefits of
laughter, the mental health benefits of laughter and the social
benefits of laughter.
Under the first bullet there were some very interesting and very
good benefits. Laughter boosts the immunity, lowers stress hormones,
decreases pain, relaxes muscles, and prevents heart disease. That
alone should be a good reason to laugh at someone even if it is
yourself at least a few times a day!
Of course, with the event hosted by Brady and Butler, both were
present. The senator and representative each worked both rooms
visiting with guests and enjoying the time they had, though somewhat
brief, with the senior citizens of Logan County.
The health fair overall was a great success with a large number of
guests. The fair is still a work in progress that grew this year,
and will hopefully grow again in the years ahead. Most importantly,
as noted by Cunningham, the seniors were very interested in
everything offered. Cunningham noted that sometimes at events such
as this you see people going about picking up the freebies and
moving on. At this event, seniors were talking with representatives,
asking questions and getting answers, and taking advantage of the
free services. Cunningham was very excited by all this and looks
forward to offering the health fair for years to come.
[Nila Smith] |
