Life planning and health advice abound at the Blue Ribbon 50+ Expo
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Blue Ribbon 50+ Expo brought older adults and organizations offering important services under one roof on Wednesday.
The free event at the Muskingum County Fairground had 26 organizations under one roof, like The Center, Genesis Volunteer Services, and Hearth Brook Eagle Senior Living. Jennifer Bickle and Natasha Paynter ran the Hearth Brook table and explained how assisted living communities work.
“Assited living communities vary in levels of care. So, we’re really fortunate because a lot of our residents will come in with minimal care needs but we are able to allow them to age in place,” Paynter said. “So we can kind of age, like meet their care needs as they need them. So, our residents, for a majority of our residents, it is a final move.”
Another organization present at the Blue Ribbon 50+ Expo was the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department. Medical Director Jack Butterfield says they’re sharing information about vaccinations, tick-borne illnesses, and the use of naloxone. Naloxone is a nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses.
“We’ve had a number of people, it’s been surprising the number of people in this age range who volunteer at various places around town, where they might be at risk of encountering someone who has overdosed,” Butterfield said. “And a lot of people have taken these kits because they want to be prepared. So it’s been very enlightening to see that this population is that engaged with what’s going on in our community,”
Other organizations present at the expo included the Muskingum County K-9 Adoption Center, the Muskingum County Library System, and the Abbot Senior Living Center.
