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Senior Health Fair Will Reach Out To, Inform Area Retirees
By Bill McLaughlin
BERKELEY - Throughout his career in the health field, Larry Kaplan has seen more conventions, seminars and health fairs than he cares to remember.
One thing struck him about most of them: they were specific to the exhibitor's goods or services and short on different options.
"I went to a lot of expos and didn't see anything you can say gave a lot of references," Kaplan said. "There are a lot of things seniors have available to them they don't take advantage of. We hope to educate Ocean County seniors about programs available at little or no cost."
So Kaplan, who served as director of food and nutrition services at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, is coordinating a oneday health education fair August 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Holiday Heights auditorium on Prince Charles Boulevard.
The fair is sponsored by the homeowners association but is open to seniors throughout Ocean County, with exhibits of special interest to those over 55. About 50 government agencies and private companies will provide everything from osteoporosis screenings for women by Kimball Medical Center staffers, to blood sugar screenings to nutrition guides for those living alone.
"I feel very strongly about this," Kaplan said last week. "There are so many people who are completely unaware about help they are entitled to. My job in life was to take care of people and since I have time on my hands now, this is a perfect fit."
Among the exhibitors will be state Division of Motor Vehicle staffers who can help seniors straighten out paper work when they move from other parts of the state or from other states.
"We'll have a mobile health unit doing blood pressure screenings for vets and their spouses," Kaplan said. "At the same time, someone from the Veteran Administration will be on-hand to discuss any questions about benefits they might have. It's another step in making sure seniors get all they're entitled to but didn't know about."
Also available are programs on recognizing and preventing senior abuse, on sleep apnea and other problems that keep seniors up at night and a comparison of prices between generic and brand name medications.
"We'll have local police to talk about Neighborhood Watch programs and the Sheriff's Office to discuss senior scams, the Red Cross, MONOC ambulance service and local first aid squad members on handling emergencies."
There will also be representatives from the Lakewood BlueClaws, who have a number of special promotions for anyone 55 or older and Popcorn Park staffers will put on an animal clinic for grooming and taking care of pets.
Catholic Charities will demonstrate its fix-it program where they help with minor repairs and replacements in seniors' homes and also sign-up those interested in abuse prevention programs.
The entire program is free, with no registration required.
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