FRANKLIN
Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia will have their first Western Tidewater “Art of Healthy Aging Forum & Expo” on Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Paul D. Camp Community College Regional Workforce Development Center. The event is sponsored by The Village at Woods Edge and Keurig Green Mountain Inc., and will include speakers, health screenings, entertainment and exhibitors offering resources for seniors, their families and caregivers.

“We had requests to bring the resources that we provide each year at our larger Virginia Beach fall event, “The Art of Healthy Aging Forum and Expo” within easy reach of seniors living in our Western Tidewater cities and counties,” said Seniors Services’ director of development and community relations Debbie Schwartz. “We’re excited about the program we have planned on April 9, and hope people will come out. Our speakers will be addressing issues of health, wellness and safety, along with other relevant topics, all to support seniors staying healthy, active, independent and happy. Twenty to twenty-five exhibitors will offer attendees one-on-one opportunities to learn more about housing, long-term care options, insurance, nutrition, travel and recreation, alternative health products and more.”

Along with remarks from several other people, there will be three guest speakers: Ross Boone, Rhys Jones and Keith Rose.

Boone will be speaking on a presentation titles “SEX after 55 ‘Living your life to the fullest.’” According to his biography, “W. Ross Boone’s life has been a testament to giving back to the community. His career in education spans public schools, leadership academies, fraternities, colleges and universities throughout Virginia and farther afield. The Retired Dean of Academic Programs at Paul D Camp Community College has served on the board of directors for many of the region’s organizations and has received numerous awards including being named Suffolk’s First Citizen.”

Jones will be speaking on “Medicare 101: Getting the Answers.”

According to his biography, “Jones is Vice President, Medicaid Advocacy, at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a health plan industry association in Washington, D.C. He is an expert and frequent speaker on the Medicare Advantage/Part D programs, dual-eligible special needs plans (SNPs), Medicare/Medicaid integration and managed care. He has served on the board of directors of Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia and holds a Master of Public Health degree.”

The last guest speaker will be Rose. He will speak on “Safe and Savvy Seniors.”

“Deputy Keith Rose been in law enforcement for 18 years serving with the Franklin Police Department and now as Deputy Sheriff with the Southampton Sheriff’s Department,” his biography states. “Deputy Rose has been in the ministry for 17 years serving as pastor of Pine level Baptist Church in Capron, VA for the last 10 years, serving New Hope Baptist Church and First Baptist Church Franklin as associate minister prior to that time. During his military career he traveled across the country for 22 years of, leading young soldiers and families during difficult times in their lives.”

His biography continues on to say that he his well-known for his presentations on security and safety, and he enjoys sharing his expertise with seniors citizens as well as young people. Rose offers information and resources on safety and protection, offering easy tips to follow during daily activities.

Tickets for the event are $5 and include lunch, health screenings, raffle drawings, entertainment and more. They must be purchased in advanced, as they are not available at the door. To purchase tickets call Damita James at 461-9481 ext. 204 or order online at www.ssseva.org.

For more information on the event contact Jody Mazur at 963-9220 or jmazur@sseva.org.