Hospital showcases senior health issues

    Area seniors were treated to a buffet of information at Saturday?s health fair in the Washington County Hospital and Clinics. The event, known as ?Seniorfest,? featured 37 booths composed of local businesses and organizations dedicated to improving the health and well being of seniors.

    Hospital marketing coordinator Carrie Garman said that she was thrilled over the turnout ? well over 100 ? and looked forward to bringing the health fair back in 2010.

    ?The groups who set up a booth are really happy with the attendance,? said Garman. ?They all wish they had brought another helper.?

    Washington County Public Health was at the fair giving away seasonal flu shots. Lynn Fisher, a public health nurse, said that she had administered 31 flu shots in the first two hours of the fair.

    The Sheriff?s Department had a booth at the fair where they were handing out cellular phones. Deputy Lee Pfeifer said the phones were donated and reprogrammed to dial only 9-1-1. He said that the phones are useful for seniors who live alone or who don?t have landlines.

    ?A lot of old people cancel their phone service because they can?t afford it,? said Pfeifer. ?No one comes by to check on them because their family thinks that they?re OK.?

    Hospital physical therapist Breena Luers demonstrated how the Nintendo Wii could be used to improve balance. Seniors stepped onto a small platform that was connected to the console, and then moved a character on the television screen by shifting their weight from left to right and front to back.

    ?The Wii is a fun and interactive way for seniors to practice their balance,? said Luers. ?Not many people have heard of it, but they really enjoy it once they try it.?

For the full story, see the Oct. 19 edition of The Washington Evening Journal