Gathering sought to give older adults valuable tips on how to maintain quality of life.
By BOB HERPEN
The Sun
An often-neglected, but ever-growing, segment of the population in Cherry Hill Township and beyond are seniors, those considered to be 55 years of age or older.
As years progress, the challenges of maintaining an active, healthy and information-rich lifestyle become greater, and older adults — who may not be fully aware due to increased reliance on information produced through advanced technology — require reminders there are numerous pathways to increase quality of life.
To that end, the township held its annual fair targeted at older adults in the Carman Tilelli Community Center on March 13. It primarily featured professionals from the Jefferson Health system, but also included representatives from the township, local businesses, police and active senior groups.
“Every year, we have a senior festival and all kinds of vendors. But we don’t have any space for speakers. So last year, we decided that we would try to bring out some speakers. And we had just health-centric representatives from one of the hospitals. It went over really well, but I’ve been getting so many questions about housing and other things, so this year we decided to change it to information and health, so people could get that extra information that they asked me for, and we have experts here from the county,” said Gaye Pino, senior services program coordinator for Cherry Hill Township’s Recreation Department.
Safety and security are chief concerns among the aging population, and members of the Cherry Hill Police Department also spoke about how to access its new electronic alert system, Nixle. Cherry Hill’s Super Seniors — a group that meets every Wednesday from Noon to 4 p.m. and that features activities ranging from bingo, card games, road trips of various lengths, and a covered dish luncheon every fifth Wednesday — were also active in meeting and greeting those in attendance.
Representatives from Senior Citizens United Community Services, Inc. made those in attendance aware that it seeks to help older adults and people with disabilities who are living independently and are active in the community and to prevent unnecessary institutionalization by offering an array of services to address the needs of consumers and provide support for their caregivers.
Staci Safady, from Ascent Audiology and Hearing, was on hand to give free ear examinations, providing the patient, and anyone within 20 feet, an intimate picture of the inside of their ear canal. Jefferson’s Stephanie Biggs gave a brief talk about diet and nutrition, Avital Goldwasser spoke on the importance of exercise, while Brian Duffy engaged the audience on the subject of bone health in regard to his colleagues’ talks on exercise and diet.
“I was (pleased with the turnout). We didn’t have people signing up, so we really didn’t know how many people would be here. We set up 150 seats and I think we took up about 130. And for the middle of the afternoon, it was good, because a lot of our seniors are still working. They’re now working into their late 70s and unfortunately can’t come. If we have events in the evening, the people who can do this in the daytime don’t like to come out at night. We did it this way, I’m pleased. I’m pleased with the speakers, and with the response that we’ve gotten.”
Pino revealed several ways township seniors can stay connected: a newsletter called “Active Adult Living” is printed and also can be found on the township website. Any senior who lives in Cherry Hill is eligible to sign up for the “gold card program” with an email address and can also receive any online notifications. The township also produces a community magazine that is sent out to residents once every quarter throughout the year.
A comprehensive list of organizations targeted toward Cherry Hill’s older adults can be found at: https://www.cherryhill-nj.com/116/Senior-Citizens-Advisory-Board. Pino can be reached at (856) 661–4800 or at [email protected].
