Good Morning! Do you know what today is? Right! It’s the 26th day of April, and you know what that means, don’t you?
Neither do I. Oh, sure, it’s probably a day that commemorates something in a week that honors something in a month that celebrates something and, sure, it may mean that you completely forgot to file your income taxes, but for most of us, it’s just the 26th day of April.
Given that the 26th day of April isn’t notorious for its notoriety, allow me to present a prospect that may brighten an otherwise lackluster day: The 4th day of May! I know: You thought the 4th day of May was little more than the day before Cinco de Mayo, but I say thee, NAY! The 4th day of May is the day of our “Staying Independent Fair” at the Port Angeles Senior Center!
So, enough with the calendar and what am I talking about? Well, for several years now, we’ve (“we” – Information & Assistance, my day job) celebrated the first Friday in May by pulling all of our information, resources, Clallam County staff and programs together at the Senior Center to throw a “fair,” where folks could wander around, get info, ask questions or just talk “it” over with any of us to see if we might have some ideas that would help you deal with “it” – Or “him” or “her” or “them” or…it.
The best part has always been that if you and I are talking and I know that somebody else knows more about something than I do (unlikely, I know, but it happens), we can just walk right over there and deal with it on the spot, rather than giving you another number to call or another e-mail address or…You get it.
It’s fun!
Well, we’re still going to do exactly that AND we’re adding all kinds of other cool stuff! Like, a series of presentations throughout the day (the “day” = 10:00-2:00) on things like “joint protection” and “vision & aging” and drug interactions and adverse effects – And more. Remember, the name of this thing is a “Staying Independent Fair,” which I acknowledge is a little lame, but everything else we could think of was a bit too cute or cryptic, because the idea IS to help folks learn what they need to know to stay independent, stay at home and be able to celebrate the bright spots in life, like the 26th day of April.
I’m not done. The P.A. Senior Center has graciously turned over their entire facility to this happy effort, so we’re going to have various “screenings” going on hither-and-yon throughout the building, like dental, hearing, sleep health and a “brown bag” medication evaluation – What? That’s where you bring all of your meds and OTC’s and supplements and vitamins and what-not (or a list thereof) and a pharmacist will sit with you and see if any of those are fighting with any others of those to make you the loser.
And I’m only naming a few.
And, in the meantime, the “fair” part will be going on AND there will be free sack lunches, courtesy of the Senior Center Coffee Lounge, to the first 200 intrepid knowledge-seekers AND (I’m told) a “fun zone.” I’m a little fuzzy on this part because I’m a little fuzzy, but I think it has to do with “Wii” and “Xbox” and the multitude of we’re-just-doing-this-for-fun-because-we-can things that go on at the Senior Center, but just come on and we’ll all find out.
This is free. That is good.
So, here’s what it looks like when you put it all together: You show up early enough to qualify for the lunch, right? Then, you check the presentation schedule to see which ones you want to attend; then, you check the directory for which screenings are happening where, so you know which ones you care about.
THEN, you wander through the “Fair” part, check-out what’s on the tables that you might want to take with you or send to your sister in Leavenworth, talk “it” over with any of us and/or get some health insurance help from the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) folks that will be lurking about, go catch a presentation, then go cruise a couple of the screenings, then another presentation, then lunch, then back through the Fair, because you remembered what you forgot, then another presentation, then back to that screening, where the line was too long, THEN to the “fun zone,” looking for me looking fuzzy, then…
WHEW! Time out! And that’s another thing that will be OK all day: Just sit down and think, or read, or talk, or eat or just revel in the fact that it will be the 4th day of May.
Or you could abandon any pretense of a plan and just show up, allowing the Universe to unfold before you in its random glory, awakening to the splendor of the great celestial unknown.
Right; or you could cop the free lunch and make a run for it.
But that seems a little rude, after we’ve gone to all this trouble.
10:00-2:00, May 4th, Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. 7th, in P.A., free.
And if you have a better idea for a name for this thing, let me know, huh? Hint: “Cinco de Mayo” is already taken.
No comments:
Post a Comment