'Senior Day' at the Illinois State Fair

Free admission Monday for those 60 years & older

[August 11, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department on Aging will host activities for seniors and their families to attend during the Illinois State Fair, which runs Aug. 10-19. The Department on Aging is offering a lineup of special events in the senior center, which is the air-conditioned setting of the Illinois Building, located near the main gate of the fairgrounds. Attendees 60 years of age and older will be admitted to the fair for free on "Senior Day," which is Monday.

(For a full list of Department on Aging activities at the state fair, click here.)

"Department staff and our partners are excited to host this year's activities during the state fair," said IDoA Director John K. Holton, Ph.D. "We look forward to the fun while also offering information and services to benefit older adults and their families."

Some of the programs include the Community Care Program, elder abuse prevention and more. Additional information will be offered to seniors and their families during the fair, including presentations about Medicare, presented on Saturday by Blue Cross Blue Shield and on Monday by Humana.

Seniors and their families gear up for fun when they compete in time-proven favorites. On Senior Day, couples 50 years of age and older test how much they really know about their spouse in the "NOT SO Newlywed Game." And the "Grandparent Grandchild Contest" returns Aug. 16, when judges score participants on resemblance, costumes, talent and interviews. To preregister for the contests, call 217-785-3390.

Free screenings are offered each day during the fair by St. John's Hospital, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and the Illinois Lions Club. Free screenings include:

• Body composition

• Blood pressure, stroke

• Blood sugar, glucose

• Cholesterol diabetic eye testing

• Health, weight

• Hearing

• Heart risk assessments

• Mental health

• Overactive bladder

• Pulmonary function

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Skin cancer (DermaScan)

The Illinois Department on Aging thanks representatives from the state agencies and private companies that will be on hand during the entire fair to provide information about services to help older adults. They include:

• The Office of the Attorney General

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

• Humana

• Illinois Assistive Technology Project and Battery Specialists

• Illinois Bee Keepers

• Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

• Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

• Illinois Department of Employment Security

• Illinois Department of Human Services

• Illinois Department of Public Health

• Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs

• Illinois Emergency Management Agency

• Illinois Lions Club

• Illinois State Employees Retirees Association

• Illinois State Treasurer's Office

• Logan County Senior Center bingo

• Prairie Heart Institute

• The Office of the Secretary of State

• Susan G. Komen for the Cure

• United States Social Security Administration

• Watkins Home Products

For more information about the Department on Aging, call the Senior HelpLine at 800-252-8966 or, for hearing-impaired, TTY 888-206-1327, or visit www.state.il.us/aging.

[Text from Illinois Department on Aging file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]