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Senior Health Fair a big hit with area residents

Area seniors enjoyed a complimentary lunch while learning about important topics including weight management and exercise, Social Security updates, gardening tips and food safety as part of the fourth annual Franklin County Senior Health Fair held Thursday, October 26 at the A.W. Todd Centre.

The event was jointly sponsored by the Alabama Cooperative Extension Franklin County Office and the Foster Grandparents Program. More than 250 senior citizens heard presentations by Sylvester White, district manager with the Social Security Administration office in the Shoals; Susan Hill, Regional Extension agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System; and Dr. Jeffrey Manord, general and vascular surgeon at Russellville Hospital.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Manord spoke about the disease with facts and information everyone should know.

The event also featured several vendors offering services and products important to seniors. Annette Wells with Village Square Apartments was on hand to share information about her facility.

“I try to get across the qualifications to move into Village Square and tell them about our specials,” Wells said. “A lot of people don’t realize you don’t have to be 62 to move in. You can be age 50 and disabled and still qualify.”

Regina Lawler and Briana Baker manned the table for the Cottage Assisted Living facility. Lawler said they were promoting the Veterans benefits available to veterans and their widows.

“All physical conditions are considered when determining if a veteran or spouse may be eligible for these benefits,” Lawler said. “They are based on the person’s needs in areas like administration of medication, bathing, dressing, eating and special dietary requirements.”

Franklin County Extension coordinator Katernia Cole-Coffey said she and Jessica Latham, Foster Grandparent Program director, work together with their staffs to plan the fair each year. Attendance continues to grow with each fair, both from seniors and vendors.

“We love our vendors, and they appreciate the direct contact the event allows them with seniors to share information on their services or business,” Cole-Coffey said. “And there’s a great chance to learn from our speakers. Even if you’re retired, there’s still a need to continue being educated about what’s going on in our society these days.”

Latham said she receives positive feedback from fair attendees after each event.

“They seem to enjoy it. We’ve done other fairs and always had good feedback, so we decided to do our own and help out our county,” Latham said. “It’s never too late in life to learn. It’s also an opportunity for our 80 volunteers in the Foster Grandparent Program go get to interact and visit with each other.”

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