Seniors Days Are at the Health Centers Next Week, May 12-15
The annual Seniors’ Days health awareness event will take place at the Health Centers Tuesday, May 12 through Friday, May 15.
This will be the 15th consecutive year the Health Centers are sponsoring this popular event. It takes place over four days — one day in each of the four Health Centers. Many retired members of our Union who have attended Seniors’ Days in the past have reported that they have found it to be a very beneficial experience. We expect the there will be an equally enthusiastic reaction this year.
As we said, Seniors’ Days will take place one day at each Health Center. The event is open to all senior members of our Union who are eligible to use the Health Centers. No appointments are necessary, but eligible seniors must attend the event at the Health Center they use regularly.
Seniors’ Days will be held on Tuesday, May 12th, at the Midtown Health Center; Wednesday, May 13th, at the Brooklyn Health Center; Thursday, May 14th, at the Harlem Health Center; and Friday, May 15th, at the Queens Health Center.
It’s no secret that staff members at the Health Centers look forward to Seniors’ Days every year. Representatives from the pension and retirement services departments will be on hand. So will representatives from FDNY, who will speak about safety for seniors. Medical, Nursing, Dental, Nutrition, Pharmacy and Physical Therapy staff will all provide brief presentations regarding matters that are directly relevant to the senior population. Health Center staff members will be distributing free souvenirs of the event such as pill boxes and other useful items.
Staff members are bust this week making preparations for Seniors’ Days. Again, no appointments will be necessary to attend the event, but members must be Health Center eligible and must attend Seniors’ Days at the Health Center they use regularly.
Like always, a major focus of this year’s Seniors’ Days will be taking care of the health and safety needs of members over age 55 and especially those over age 65. The chief goal of this very special event is to assist seniors in maintaining their maximum level of health, function and independence.
As in the past, this year’s Seniors’ Days will feature numerous items of interest to older members. Display tables, literature, samples and lectures will be offered. At Seniors’ Days 2015 members can meet up with old friends and learn about:
- Tasty, Nutritious Foods and Recipes
- Preventing Falls (the leading cause of injuries in seniors)
- Seniors’ Easy-to-Do Exercises
- Dental Health
- Medication Safety
- Important Preventive Screening Exams
- Advance Directives, Wills and Selecting a Health Care Proxy
- Medicare and Your Health Care Coverage
- Pension and Legal Benefits
- Safety for Seniors
“We took a risk in 2009 when we made changes to an event that was already extremely popular,” Funds Office Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robert Greenspan tells Hotel Voice. “But the change has been a big success and we hope more members than ever will visit their Health Center for Seniors Days.”
Dr. Greenspan says the past success of Seniors’ Days was improved when the event was changed to make it a more personalized experience. “Holding the event at the Health Centers allows for smaller groups and more individualized attention. It even allows us to do some important health screenings.”
Indeed, staff members from the Health Centers will be on hand to screen many who attend for high blood pressure and other problems. Health Centers’ staff members will also make presentations that meet the specific health education needs of seniors. There will be other talks that seniors are sure to find helpful. As one example, the importance of having a primary care physician will be discussed. Members of the Health Centers’ medical staff will also explain to seniors how to make their health care easier and how to detect illness early.
“Seniors’ Days is a great format for retired members who are eligible to use the Health Centers,” Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward says. It should be noted that Ward’s column in this week’s edition of Hotel Voice talks about Health Center eligibility for those members who are on Medicare.
Seniors’ Days 2015 will not only provide valuable health, safety and benefit information to those who attend, it will once again provide many members with an opportunity to see former co-workers for the first time in quite a while. As always, it promises to be a very special event at each of the Health Centers.
Seniors are asked to remember that they must be eligible to use the Health Centers to participate in Seniors’ Days 2015. Seniors should also remember that they must visit the particular Health Center that they use regularly. Although neither registration nor reservations are necessary, seniors are urged to carefully examine the schedule for Seniors’ Days to make sure that they go to their respective Health Centers on the appropriate date to take advantage of this outstanding health awareness event.
