By Adam Prudhomme
Staff Reporter
Lennox and Addington County General Hospital will host its first-ever Senior Health Fair on Sept. 21, which organizers hope will be a one-stop shop for seniors and caregivers to learn about resources in the community.
Held at the Westdale Complex from 2-7 p.m., there will be 16 vendors on hand to discuss what services they can offer local seniors.
“We find in the hospital lots of families and caregivers come in and don’t have a lot of information of where to go for community support,” said Emily Benn, a social worker with LACGH. “We figured it was timely to have an event where we pulled everyone together so that there’s one place that people can access the information.”
For many people, just knowing where to start can be the biggest challenge.
“It’s tough if you’re just using a Google search and you don’t really know what you’re looking for,” said Benn.
It’s also an opportunity for families to plan ahead before a crisis. Too often, people wait too long to discuss their wishes and aren’t able to voice their opinion when the time comes to move into a long term care facility.
The services that will be represented at the health fair will be all-encompassing, ranging from medical care to social activities for seniors. There will also be someone on hand to discuss volunteer opportunities for seniors in the community, to help keep them active and engaged.
“We’re going to have all the information related to our hospital included outpatients clinic information about our convalescent care program,” said Benn. “There’s going to be everything from L&A Seniors Outreach Services to the Southeast LHIN to Interval House.”
Tyendinaga Home and Community Centre will also be on hand as Benn says they play a big role in helping to care for seniors in this area as well.
Every vendor will have a staff member on hand to talk to those that attend the fair. “There will be information pamphlets they can take away but they can actually ask questions too,” added Benn.
LACGH hopes this year’s fair will be the first of many hosted at the Westdale Complex. Provided they get a good turn out, they’ll look to make it an annual event in the fall so seniors will know to plan ahead to attend.
The Westdale Complex is located at 12 Richmond Park Dr. in Napanee, just across the street from the hospital. No appointment is needed to attend the fair, as it will work as a drop in format.