On Wednesday, June 4, seniors came to Central Park Plaza to engage in health-related activities and information at the annual Porter County Triad Health Fair under William E. Urschel Pavilion.
Life Care Center of Valparaiso has been a part of the Porter County Triad for 23 years, standing behind the mission of creating a sense of belonging for seniors. Angie Monahan, director of business development at Life Care Center of Valparaiso, admires how this event assists a community that includes people of all ages.
“This is a fundraiser event for Project Lifesaver,” Monahan said. “The Porter County Sheriff’s Department has a group of people who specialize in helping find people that could be cognitively impaired. It doesn’t matter if they’re an older person with dementia or a younger person who wouldn’t be able to answer the questions of ‘Are you safe? Are you okay?’ We use this device to put on your wrist or ankle, and it sends a wave out for you to be found.”
Project Lifesaver is a transmitter that’s the size of a watch and transmits a frequency to track someone who is lost or needs assistance.
One way that the event puts Project Lifesaver into effect is through its “Find the Mayor and Sheriff” activity. Valparaiso Mayor, Jon Costas, and Porter County Sheriff, Jeff Balon, both get five minutes to hide before the police dog seeks out both of them. It took less time for the police dog to seek than it did for both to hide on different sides of downtown Valparaiso.
There were plenty of interactive games and other activities presented at each of the vendor booths. This includes screenings, complimentary massages, blood pressure check-ups, grip tests, health watch tests, and poster boards filled with various health facts.
“It’s extremely important that the community comes out to learn about the potential health risks that could be affecting them or a loved one,” Monahan said. “We all have parents, grandparents, or children. Especially if any of them are cognitively impaired, we have an abundance of resources to help everyone out.”
Many cases of health risks come from seniors who are living on their own without anybody to turn to for help. Cathy Ellis, president of the Porter County Triad, believes this event is perfect for the group of seniors who might feel like they have to do everything on their own.
“If you’re lonely and don’t get out much, you might not be getting all of the information that you need,” Ellis said. “Everyone needs people who can help them out and guide you to where to go, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why we do this.”
Ellis is appreciative of vendors like Life Care Center of Valparaiso, who are able to educate the attendees and illustrate services that can meet the needs of each individual.
“A lot of the people who are here as our vendors are members of the Porter County Triad,” Ellis said. “This is huge for us. We’re able to donate this money to thePorter County Sheriff’s Department, which is utilized to pay for Project Lifesaver. We always ask for donations, but fundraisers like this are amazing because we receive a lot of support.”
As the seniors of Valparaiso were showered with information at the health fair, members of the Porter County Triad are hopeful that this will continue to reassure people that they always have somewhere to turn.
“I really hope that people can take away the fact that they aren’t alone,” Monahan said. “They don’t have to be alone, because that’s what we’re here for. Our involvement here is to spread the word and assist however we can.”
For more information on the Life Care Center of Valparaiso or the Porter County Triad, you can visit their websites.
