Back for its third year in Westlock, the Trade Show for Seniors on June 15 went off without a hitch.
Put on by the Hope Resource Centre to help mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, within the first two hours nearly 100 people had come through the doors of the Westlock Memorial Hall.
“It’s had a good reception,” said HRC manager Heidi Magus. “We’re really happy with who’s come out.”
The show featured a number of vendors and service agencies that cater to the needs of seniors, including Westlock FCSS, the Westlock Foundation and Alberta Health Services.
In addition, just like last year’s show, there was a fashion show put on by Susan Adam, showcasing different outfits and how to wear them in order to get just the right look.
Among the agencies in attendance was the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which now goes by its acronym, CNIB.
Occupying the CNIB’s table was Mindy Bodnarchuk, who said the organization tries its best to make the trip up from Edmonton every year.
The CNIB works to assist those people who are experiencing uncorrectable vision loss, she said, and helps them continue to live as normal a life as possible.
“If they had 20/20 vision and now they’ve lost it, we want to help them keep their independence,” Bodnarchuk said. “Losing their vision can be devastating and in some people can lead to depression.”
It’s the CNIB’s goal to give those people the hope, skills and confidence to go on living life, she said.
Bodnarchuk also said there is a peer-support group set up in Westlock to help people who are experiencing vision loss, but it’s reached the end of its term for this year and won’t be starting up again until September.
Also in attendance were two women from Shoppers Drug Mart, there to answer any questions about skin care or blood work.
Britt Coffell was looking after the skin care end of the table, and explained that as people age their skin can change and needs to be cared for in different ways.
Occupying the blood work side of the table was Anna Bakanec, a pharmacy assistant at the store.
“We’re putting out there for seniors what we offer at the store and what we’re able to do for them,” she said.
“We’ve been really busy, but it’s great because people are very curious. It’s nice to provide the time to talk to someone.”
She spent a lot of her time checking the blood pressure and blood sugar levels of seniors who sat down at the table, helping them find out about their overall health.
Bakanec said regular blood pressure and blood sugar checks are key, because in a lot of cases those results can be the only strong indicator of problems like hypertension or diabetes.
