| | Published September 6th, 2015
| Inaugural Senior Health and Wellness Fair launched
| | | By Sora O'Doherty |  | | Dr. Patrick Arbore, who specializes in elderly suicide prevention and grief services, will speak at the Sept. 23 Senior Health and Wellness Fair. Photo provided |
The first Senior Health and Wellness Fair will take place at the Orinda Community Center located at 28 Orinda Way from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. The event is being organized by the Orinda Chamber of Commerce with the support of the city of Orinda, the Orinda Association, Lamorinda Village and the Orinda Care Center. Admission to the fair is free.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Patrick Arbore, a winner of the Jefferson Silver Award and a nationally recognized speaker and expert in the field of elderly suicide prevention and grief services, will talk about senior empowerment. Arbore formed the Center for Elderly Suicide and Grief Related Service as well as the Friendship Line through the Institute on Aging in an effort to address the issue of elderly suicide and depression. The Institute on Aging website states older adults represented only a small percentage of calls to suicide hotlines at the program's inception in 1973, but weren't calling because they didn't see themselves as "in crisis." Instead, it states, "they were suffering from chronic loneliness and undiagnosed depression." Arbore wanted to change that.
According to Arbore, self-empowered aging means taking control of one's life by learning, updating and improving skills, taking risks, building confidence, assuming power over personal circumstances, and developing the resilience to overcome inevitable challenges to come.
A panel of experts will offer effective ways to improve health and wellness through exercise, nutrition, continuing education, spirituality, connectedness, and alternative medicine. The Quality of Life Panel will focus on taking care of both body and soul. The panel will include Vera Singleton, a Lafayette holistic medical practitioner; Arcadia Wellness, a medicinal cannabis specialist on the legal and medical aspects of medicinal cannabis; and Stuart Moore, a Moraga senior fitness specialist. Jennifer Monahan of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will talk about plasticity of the brain, continuing education, lifelong learning and cognitive fitness. There will be two chair yoga sessions led by Atma Yoga, chair massages will be provided by Massage Envy, and food will be supplied by Aegis and Vitality Bowls.
The focus of the event will be on lifelong wellness and excitement. The event will also feature local business vendors and associations, ready to answer questions on aging. Vendors will include representatives of senior living, hearing specialists and financial planners. Attendees will be given passports that will be stamped at each vendor's table. Once completed the attendees may enter their name in a raffle to win unique giveaways.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA