Senior expo opens this week
Think of it as a one-stop shop that just happens to include seminars, singing and dancing, too.
The 13th annual Senior Lifestyle Expo, organized by the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging, primarily aims to provide senior citizens and their caregivers with information about things such as hearing health, pharmaceuticals and keeping well.
But the event slated for Wednesday and Thursday at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace also includes a game show challenge, a raffle for airline tickets, musical performances, a play and a big band dance.
"It's the ultimate marketplace," said Connie Kobitter, special events manager for the agency. "Multigenerational families are commonplace now and we see grandkids taking care of parents and grandparents at the same time. This is a chance to shop and compare. And the entertainment and educational seminars help make it fun."
The expo attracts more than 4,500 seniors and their families from across the state and northwest Indiana, and more than 100 local organizations and companies attend to share information on their services.
Proceeds from admission benefit the agency's Holiday Meals on Wheels program, which provides nutritious meals to elders in need on holidays and weekends when the weekday program is closed.
One of the biggest education draws at expo is the free caregiver's seminar at 6 p.m. Wednesday, "Life Wasn't Supposed to Be This Way! What to Do When Parents Are Blue." The seminar is held after work hours, so adults taking care of loved ones can fit it into their schedules.
Kobitter said as people continue to develop longer life spans, the challenges of caregiving will become more common.
"'Caregiver' is still a phenomenal word," she said. "People don't think of themselves as caregivers because they think, 'Oh, I only see mom once a month, buy her some groceries and balance her checkbook.'"
Popular entertainment at the expo will include the third-annual Senior Idol competition, which runs throughout the two day event, and dancing with live music provided by the Melodaires Big Dance Band from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.
While these events are fun, Kobitter said they serve another purpose by getting friends and neighbors supporting Senior Idol contestants to also grab useful information from vendors, while the dance gives participants a great workout.
"Last year we started to see the families come to Senior Idol to cheer with their placards and it was just like, 'wow,'" she said. "Your heart melts."
If you go
What: 13th annual Senior Lifestyle Expo
When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 3-4
Where: Drury Lane, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace
Cost: $3; $2 in advance
Details: (800) 528-2000 or www.seniorlifestyleexpo.org