The VHA program Preparing to Live to 100 – Choosing your own Path drew more than five hundred and fifty people to the Savannah Center.
“I am completely blown away by the attendance,” said event organizer Joan Testa, VHA Vice President of the North Area. “I hoped we had identified an area of need and planned for an attendance of around 200. We certainly did not expect this. They kept putting out more chairs; we quit counting at 560.”
The program was divided into three areas: Preparing for the Challenges of Aging, In-Home Care Operations and Moving to a Facility. Vendors related to these topics surrounded the perimeter of the room available to give more in-depth information after the introductory program.
Joan Testa stressed the importance of having a Vial of Life, a small container that is universally placed in refrigerators that lists medications, medical conditions and other pertinent information that can help EMT’s treat you faster.
Her message was received by the audience. The Sumter County Sheriff’s table was mobbed at the end of the program. They gave out more than 250 Vials of Life. These can be obtained by going to the sheriff’s annex on County Road 466.
Community Watch wanted to make attendees aware of their Adult Watch program. This program schedules calls to residents of the Villages to check on their well-being. For more information on this program, call 352-750-8201.
The section on in-home care operations covered services such as medical equipment delivery by Helping Hands, meal deliveries from North Lake Presbyterian Church and agencies providing in-home care from housekeeping to nursing.
The moving to a facility section opened with the following numbers provided by David Wilkins, certified senior advisor with Care Patrol. Within 10 miles of Lake Sumter there are 1,191 independent apartments in seven locations, 1,641 assisted living beds in 30 locations and 1,151 skilled nursing beds in ten locations. Companies like Care Patrol and Your Key to Senior Living Options provide a free community service to assist people in navigating all of these options.
All of the information from the program will be put on the VHA’s website, www.thevha.net.