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DeKALB – About 40 vendors lined the DeKalb High School cafeteria from wall to wall Wednesday for the return of the annual health fair for older adults.
The event made a comeback after a three-year hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The senior health fair was put on by state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris; state Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Cherry Valley; House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, of Savanna; state Rep. Bradley Fritts, R-Dixon; and state Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore.
Keicher said the purpose of the event is simple.
“The senior fair is a way for seniors to get in touch with anything that they need to deal with in their life – from health care to services to activities in the community to nonprofits to work with to government resources and putting them all in one spot,” Keicher said. “Seniors have found a huge value because it’s all on one level. They don’t have to find a phone number. They don’t have to find a website. They can come talk to the person face to face. We don’t do that often enough.”
Keicher said people have responded well to the event and what it aims to achieve.
“The feedback that I get from seniors every year we’ve done it [is] they come here and they find resources that they may or may not know they need and they create a better awareness in the community,” Keicher said.
Sandwich resident William Stewart, 80, said he felt compelled to come out for the event.
Wednesday’s event was not Stewart’s first time attending the health fair.
“I can’t remember our representative’s name,” Stewart said. “He would invite us to the event.”
Stewart said he was looking forward to finding out what, if any, support is available for people with diabetes, such as himself.
“It is rather complicated, [and] you have to pay attention,” Stewart said.
Kira Jaghama, regional director of services for Elgin-based In Home Personal Services, said she and her team are glad they decided to set up a booth at the senior health fair.
“Senior fairs are always something we will attend in our service areas because everything that we do is for the benefit of the seniors in each local community,” Jaghama said. “As a resource to them, I know the Veterans Benefits had a booth here. We are a preferred provider for the veterans assistance. So, it really was perfect for us and all that we have to offer the area. We can provide non-medical home care assistance to anyone in need in the comfort of their home, whether that is a private home or whether that is a care facility, for one hour at a time up to a full 24 hours live-in caregiver just depending on what each client wants or needs.”
In Home Personal Services has a number of specialty services, including those equipped for Parkinson’s, post-hospitalization, diabetes, congestive heart failure, post-surgical, stroke and hypertension/hypotension.
Jaghama said she and her team consider their attendance at the senior health fair fulfilling.
“Anytime we’re able to spread the word onto those that we work with, being the seniors and veteran population, it’s always a success for us – and being able to network with other vendors in the area as an additional resource to whatever type of care they provide to the seniors as well,” Jaghama said. “We do all work hand-in-hand a lot of the time.”