Seniors stock up on health information at fair

Russ Davis sat on a couch in the lobby of the Vista del Rio retirement community, waiting patiently while his wife made her way around the booths that were spread around the area.

Davis, a Sun City resident, was there for Vista del Rio's Seniors Health Fair. Or rather, his wife was there for the fair.

"I only came because I thought I might get bored sitting around the house by myself," Davis said. "But now I think I should've just stayed home after all. I'm fit as a fiddle, what do I need to be here for?"

With several vendor booths offering a variety of services, however, Davis eventually changed his opinion.

"There was a gentleman over there with some pretty nice scooters," Davis said. "I guess I could use one. My wife tells me I should try to be more open-minded, anyway."

The event was open to the public and featured a variety of local physicians and health care providers answering questions, providing screenings and distributing information about many health and safety topics, including healthy eating, injury prevention and maintaining an independent lifestyle. Each of the health fair participants also provided a door prize, and Vista del Rio had a raffle for a grand prize that was given out later in the day.

Cecelia Curtis of Sun City West came to the fair with several friends. She said she came hoping for some useful information and advice about her health, and she was not disappointed.

"Oh, I think it's been very impressive," Curtis said. "I had a very interesting conversation about dental care a little while ago, and my girlfriends all got a kick out of the man who wanted to help them with their ear wax. It's been a lot of fun."

Vista del Rio is an independent retirement community offering spacious apartment suites, three nutritious, chef-prepared meals each day, weekly housekeeping, transportation to doctors' appointments and pharmacies, banking and shopping and other scheduled outings, and an activity calendar full of stimulating and engaging activities. For information, call 623-977-7007.

Jeff Dempsey may be reached at 623-876-2531 or jdempsey@yourwestvalley.com.