Seniors pack fair
By Tara Rack-Amber For The Herald-Standard
More than 350 seniors gathered at the second annual Senior Expo held at the Uniontown Mall on Friday. From end to end, the mall was packed with 125 federal, state, county and local agencies that offered numerous information about senior health, living and awareness.
“The main thing is trying to get the information to the seniors,” said state Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Uniontown) whose office organized the event. “There is so much information that is available to them (the seniors).”
After the inaugural 2009 expo, the decision was made to look for a bigger venue to hold the growing event.
“Our office as a whole is pleased with the turn out. We are pleased with Pam Moore (the general manager of the Uniontown Mall),” said Jennifer Jefferies, a legislative assistant for Mahoney. “We do the event so the seniors are aware of what is available to them. We hope they take away information that they didn’t know about.”
Seniors were able to walk the entire length of the mall to meet with representatives from various agencies and businesses to ask questions, receive health screenings and to gather information.
One agency available to the seniors was North Western Human Services (NHS) represented by Julie Durbin.
NHS is an organization that addresses a variety of issues including children, mental health and the elderly.
NHS has offices in Allegheny, Washington, Greene, Beaver and Fayette counties.
The Fayette County office is located at Oliver Square in Uniontown. “Out of the Fayette County office, we focus mainly on the elderly,” said Durbin.
NHS services include home support, personal assistance, in-home counseling and peer counseling.
After meeting with the seniors, Durbin hopes that she was able to pass on valuable information about NHS that will assist seniors.
“I hope they (the seniors) are aware of the resources that are out there, not just our agency, but the other agencies as well.”
For more information about the services that NHS offers, call 724-434-5440.
One issue that seniors and their loved ones may struggle with is the decision to find an assisted living facility or senior living community.
Debbie Adamson, of the Marquis House located on Cherry Tree Lane in Uniontown, wants to change people’s opinions of assisted living and senior communities.
“We want people to see that it (the Marquis House) has an at-home feel,” explained Adamson. “The residents are like family.”
At the Marquis House, 40 different apartments are available to singles, couples and even siblings who wish to live together.
Marquis House offers scheduled activities, regular trips to stores and restaurants and will even assist with pet care if the residents are in need of help caring for their furry friends.
For more information about Marquis House or to schedule a tour, call 724-430-7258 or visit www.alcco.com.
Prescription medication often becomes a part of everyday life for senior citizens. Joe Augustine of Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission shared with seniors the importance of taking the proper dosage of medicine to keep them healthy.
“You don’t want to cut the pills (dosage) to save money,” explained Augustine.
Augustine also went on to explain that some seniors think that because you cut the dosage in half, it would be all right to have a drink, which could lead to dangerous side effects.
“I have had a couple people stop by and ask if we can help with smoking cessation, and we can,” he said.
“I would like them (the seniors) to take away the basic knowledge that we are here to help, no matter what age you are.”
For more information about the Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission, call 724-438-3576 or visit www.fcdaa.org.
Another organization that was on hand to assist with the health of seniors was Cornerstone Care, a nonprofit agency that is comprised of community health centers and practices.
Cornerstone Care, located at the Fayette County Community Action Agency on North Beeson Avenue in Uniontown, offers a full range of primary medical and dental services.
Cornerstone accepts Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. Additionally, those that are uninsured can receive services with a sliding fee scale.
Jane Bowser, a medical assistant with Cornerstone, was one of the staff members available to perform blood pressure screenings and distribute information about the agency.
“If they (the seniors) need a family doctor, we are here for them,” said Bowser.
Seniors in attendance were appreciative of the numerous agencies, information and screenings the expo offered to the community.
“You learn a lot of things,” said Jerrie Mazza of Vanderbilt. “There is always something new,” echoed her husband Ralph Mazza.
Molly Rosenberger of Farmington said she attended the fair under the urgency of her friend. “We wanted to get general information that might help us in the future,” she said.
“The fair (expo) gets better and better each year,” commented Joe T. Joseph of the War and Veterans Committee Inc.