Senior Expo '12 provides wealth of information

MOSES LAKE - Seniors could get information on everything from hearing aids to veteran's benefits at the Senior Expo and Enrichment Fair Thursday.

The expo was sponsored by the Columbia Basin Herald.

Vendor booths filled a conference room at the Moses Lake Event Center, dispensing information about assisted living, dementia care, in-home health care, insurance and respiratory therapy, among other subjects.

The expo also included information seminars on a variety of subjects, including senior exercise, early signs of dementia and services available to seniors.

This was the first time Robert Kissler of Odessa visited the expo, and he said he was glad he came. "Look at the bags," he said, pointing to four bags from various vendors, filled with brochures and giveaways.

Kissler had heard about earlier expos, but couldn't attend because he was working. Now Kissler is retired, and he was looking at "alternatives past retirement," seeing what's out there for retirees.

Kissler was talking to Rich Denoo, service officer for the Veterans Coalition of Grant County, a group that helps veterans find and access services. The expo was a valuable venue for the coalition, because it's one more way to get the word out.

"We're pretty much word of mouth," he said, so it was good to make new contacts, who will in turn spread the word about their service.

Heather Jones of Summer Wood, a long-term care facility for Alzheimer's patients, said the people who need the company's services often don't know how to find it. The expo provided a good way to reach out to new customers, she said. For Summer Wood it's a valuable venue. "It is. It's very valuable."

The expo was directed at the people Sheri Reynolds wanted to meet and hear her message. Reynolds works for Pioneer Village, a senior complex in Moses Lake. It's "absolutely" a good deal for the business, she said.

Mary Anderson, of Moses Lake, and friends Keith and Louise Bowman, also Moses Lake, dropped by to check out the booths, listen to the seminars and have a little lunch, courtesy of the Moses Lake Senior Center.

Anderson said she's glad to go. "Oh, absolutely," she said.

"Each year you find something new," Mary Bowman said. The information she needs changes from year to year, she said, and she's found useful information each year. It's difficult to find all the information he and his wife need in one place, Walter Bowman said. It makes the expo a good deal for him.