Senior Expo Set for Nov. 3 in Jonesboro by UAMS Center on Aging-Northeast, Schmieding Program
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center on Aging-Northeast and UAMS Schmieding Home Caregiver Training program in Jonesboro will offer a free Senior Expo on Nov. 3 at Nettleton Baptist Church in Jonesboro.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the church (formerly Northeast Arkansas Fairgrounds), 7001 E. Johnson Ave., seniors, their families and caregivers can learn from vendors and presentations about the valuable resources available to them in the region.
Flu shots will be available at no charge as well as free health screenings, demonstrations and breakout information sessions. A panel of six doctors from adult medicine specialties will be available for a question-and-answer session from noon-1 p.m.
“Whether it’s financial planning or how to deal with grief, to learning how and whom to ask for assistance all the way to long-term care and even funeral planning, information will be available at the expo,” said Senior Expo co chair, Valerie Fielder, a certified dementia practitioner and program coordinator at UAMS Center on Aging-Northeast. “Many seniors want to live healthier lives and make sure they are not a burden on their families. Therefore, preparing for their golden years is important.”
Several community partners will be co-sponsoring the event including the presenting sponsor, St. Bernards Healthcare featuring their Senior Services.
If concerned about leaving a loved one at home while attending the event, an area of respite will be available on-site to provide a safe place for persons with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Certified dementia practitioners from St. Bernards Total Life Healthcare will staff the area. For more information about the respite area, call 870-207-7600.
More than 80 vendor booths will be set up representing about two dozen services and products geared to senior adults — from banking services and caption phones to mental health services, estate and trust planning, and travel.
“This event, held in conjunction with National Family Caregiver Month, is expected to be the first of many like this,” said Senior Expo co-chair Samantha Hollis, B.S.N., R.N., the center’s outreach education specialist. “We strive every day to help our senior adults live longer, healthier lives and this expo is just another way we can reach out. We all have grandparents, parents, friends or others in our lives who could benefit from the invaluable resources we will showcase all in one day.”
The UAMS Center on Aging-Northeast and Schmieding Home Caregiver Training in Jonesboro are programs of the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; northwest Arkansas regional campus; statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Myeloma Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,834 students, 822 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.