Traverse City Record-Eagle

Kathleen Gest: Senior Focus

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May 7, 2011

Senior Expo has resources, infos

By Kathleen Gest, Local columnist ----

There has never been such a large percentage of older people in the United States. The generation even has three subcategories: the "young old" (65-74), the "old" (74-84) and the "oldest old" (85 and up).

Yet, even though tomorrow's older population will enjoy longer and more active lives and better health than previous generations, they still may face the challenge of maintaining their independence.

The 10th Annual Ideas for Life Senior Expo offers some answers.

The expo, sponsored by the Bay Area Senior Advocates, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at the Traverse City Civic Center.

"We needed to let seniors know what was available and the best way to do that was to ... bring all of the information under one roof -- kind of one-stop shopping," said Penny Hanks, residential marketing director for the Grand Traverse Pavilions and co-chairperson for this year's expo.

Debbie Banton, owner of County Pleasure's Assisted Living, is the other co-chairperson.

This year's theme is travel. Attendees will get a passport and, as they travel from booth to booth, they can collect signatures. A passport with 40 signatures will qualify for a door prize.

There's also a survey on the back of the passport that, when filled out, is good for another drawing.

Two seminars will deal with managing aging and end-of-life issues, a growing topic with the "young old." The 11 a.m. lunch seminar, with free box lunch, is called Lived to Ride.

"(They'll) learn about housing opportunities," Hanks said, "as well as medical and legal issues, things that give them peace of mind to put their house in order, decisions that they have been waiting to make -- the medical power of attorney, where to live and what they are going to do with the rest of their lives."

The popular Expo Game Show, with moderator Mike Sheehand, will be part of Live to Ride.

A 1 p.m. panel discussion, On the Road, deals with staying fit, with interactive parts, including ski walking and Zumba dancing.

The two seminars are right on target for baby boomers, but "baby boomers ... are dealing with a couple of things," Hanks said. "Their parents are living longer than they ever expected them to and their children may not have achieved adulthood quite as fast as they did -- they are sticking around home longer. So, the baby boomers are stuck in the middle."

As the older population grows locally, so does the need for events such as the Senior Expo.

"Because we are especially kind to seniors here in northern Michigan and have so many services to offer them -- not always available in other areas -- we will continue to attract seniors to this area for a long time to come," Hanks said.

For more information on the Senior Expo go to www.tcseniorexpo.org, or call the Senior Center at 922-4911.

For information on Bay Area Senior Advocates, go to www.basatc.org

Kathleen Bellaw Gest is a local freelance writer. For more about the Traverse City Senior Center, go to www.tcseniorcenter.com.

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