An overview of the auditorium on Thursday morning during a Senior Health Fair at North Side Senior Center. Representatives from the Ector County Health Department, local home health care providers and other vendors were on hand to speak to seniors during the fair. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
Margaret Green, Maria Garza, and Barbara Qualls attend a health fair for seniors on Thursday morning at the North Side Senior Center. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
By Melanie Thomas
Special to the Odessa American
Jerry Tyler, 65, of Odessa, said he usually doesn’t come to the North Side Senior Center on Thursdays, but he was among the more than 80 residents who attended the center’s annual health fair fundraiser.
Tyler, who recently lost his spouse of 40-plus years, said he has been coming to the Senior Center for four months to get out of the house and to keep his sobriety. He said he has been sober for three years.
Tyler and the other residents who attended Thursday’s event were able to get information from the 20 vendors on the many services provided to residents in their senior years.
Wanda Antoine gets information from a representative of MCH Pro Care during a Senior Health Fair on Thursday morning at the North Side Senior Center. Antoine said she moved here over two years ago from a larger city in Texas. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
The vendors included CaptionCall, a company that has phones that help people with hearing loss, the Ector County Heatlh Department, 211 Texas, several nursing home and hospice facilities, funeral homes, healthcare centers or companies, banks and at least one retirement home company.
Margie Martinez was at the event representing AARP. Martinez, who said she has been at each year’s health fair fundraiser event, said she was there to provide information about AARP’s program that helps residents 55 and older look for employment.
She said the event was important for the senior residents who attended because “the more these services are out, the more they are exposed to it, and the more they have knowledge of what’s going on in the community.”
Donna Greaves, the director of the Northside Senior Center calls out raffle numbers during the Senior Health Fair on Thursday morning at North Side Senior Center. Greaves has been the director of the center for over 12 years. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
Donna Greaves, director of the North Side Senior Center, said she was excited with the turnout of the event and said about half of those who attended received one of the 40 door prizes, which were donated by area agencies.
Cleopatra Callaway, of Odessa, commented that the door prizes were items the seniors could use.
Calloway added that the event was a great way for the seniors to obtain information about services available to them and said it was important for those who attended to obtain the information before tragedy happens.
Maggie Flores, an Odessa resident of over 30 years, speaks to vendors from Interim Home Health Care on Thursday morning during the Senior Health Fair at the North Side Senior Center. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
Wanda Antoine gets information from a representative of MCH Pro Care during a Senior Health Fair on Thursday morning at the North Side Senior Center. Antoine said she moved here over two years ago from a larger city in Texas. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
Margaret Green, Maria Garza, and Barbara Qualls attend a health fair for seniors on Thursday morning at the North Side Senior Center. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
An overview of the auditorium on Thursday morning during a Senior Health Fair at North Side Senior Center. Representatives from the Ector County Health Department, local home health care providers and other vendors were on hand to speak to seniors during the fair. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
Donna Greaves, the director of the Northside Senior Center calls out raffle numbers during the Senior Health Fair on Thursday morning at North Side Senior Center. Greaves has been the director of the center for over 12 years. (B Kay Richter|Odessa American)
