Senior Wellness Fair attendance doubles from 2011

More than 650 people attended the Senior Wellness Fair at Timpany Center in San Jose on Oct. 24, including students and vendors. The annual event is put on by San José State University’s Center for Healthy Aging and Multicultural Populations and the Santa Clara County’s Department of Adult and Aging Services. Attendance increased from more than 300 visitors in 2011 and more than 400 visitors in 2012.

Students from seven San Jose State departments participated in offer screenings or healthy living advice to older adults at the event. Students from the following departments offered information on the following topics:

  • Social work – mood and wellness screening
  • Communicative disorders – hearing loss and communication tips
  • Nursing – blood pressure screening
  • Occupational Therapy – falls and balance
  • Nutrition, Food Science and Packaging – healthy eating and food insecurity
  • Health Science and Recreation – leisure interest screening
  • Kinesiology – fall prevention

Sadhna Diwan, a professor of social work in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts and director of CHAMP, said there were also many volunteers from other departments who helped to pull off the half-day event.

“The gym at Timpany looked fabulous and was buzzing with energy,” she said via email to many who helped plan the event.

Some of those volunteers included School of Journalism and Mass Communication students who took video footage and photos of the event. In addition to the health screenings, older adults and caretakers were able to visit with 50 exhibitors with information on topics ranging from medical care to legal help to cultural groups.

For more on CHAMP, visit www.sjsu.edu/champ.

 

 

Senior resources gather for Wellness Fair

San José State University’s Center for Healthy Aging and Multicultural Populations is a sponsor of the 21st Annual Senior Resource and Wellness Fair Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Timpany Center, 730 Empey Way, in San Jose.

The annual event is co-sponsored by the County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency Department of Aging and Adult Services and Friends of Human Resources. The free event will provide information on services, resources, opportunities, screenings and activities in the area that are available to older adults, their caretakers and other adult service professionals. During the event, SJSU’s College of Applied Sciences and Arts faculty members and students are planning to volunteer. Some of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts departments and schools involved with CHAMP include Health Science and Recreation, Kinesiology, Nursing, Nutrition and Food Science, Occupational Therapy and Social Work, with departments from other colleges on campus also involved.

The first 150 visitors will be able to receive a free flu vaccination. Other health screenings and education topics include:

Blood pressure

Nutrition screening and advice

Balance screening and fall prevention

Mood and wellness screening

Physical activity demonstrations

Hearing loss advice

There will also be community resources related to housing, legal advice, home care, transportation, health care, mental health, nutrition and elder protection.

The Center for Healthy Aging in Multicultural Populations has a mission of promoting healthy aging among multicultural and diverse populations living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The faculty involved come from all academic disciplines at San José State University to complete interdisciplinary aging research, education and training and create strategic partnerships with community-based organizations working with older adults.

For more information on the Wellness Fair, call 408-755-7600 or visit www.sccseniorwellnessfair.wordpress.com. For more information on CHAMPS, visit www.sjsu.edu/champ/.

Senior Wellness Fair – October 24th!

By: Sadhna Diwan, School of Social Work and Director, Center for Healthy Aging in Multicultural Populations

October 24, 2012 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Roosevelt Community Center, 901 E. Santa Clara Street (between 19th and 21st)

On behalf of the CHAMP faculty we would like to invite you to visit the Senior Wellness Fair co-hosted this year by CHAMP, CommUniverCity and the Santa Clara County Department of Adult & Aging Services (DAAS).

Students and faculty from Health Science, Kinesiology, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, and Social Work are participating to provide health and wellness screenings, education, and physical activity demonstrations to seniors from the East San Jose neighborhood.

Check out the great looking flyer designed by the Advertising students at the DBH agency run by the School of Journalism faculty and students. Please post the flyer in your departments and forward it to as many people as you can!

We invite you to come and support your students and faculty, and learn about how your department might participate in future CHAMP and CommUniverCity activities.

Remember healthy aging is for everyone – if you aren’t older already, soon enough you will be! And you’ll learn about important resources available in the community to promote healthy aging for us all. So come by and check us out on October 24th at the Roosevelt Center!