29th Senior Expo educates elderly about local services

The 29th annual Senior Expo attracted 600 people Friday to the Bloomington Convention Center. The event was designed to educate senior citizens about the services Monroe County has to offer them.\nSixty-five organizations, ranging from the IU Hearing Clinic to Bloomingfoods Market and Deli, were present from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The IU School of Optometry booth offered free vision tests and the Massage Therapy Center contributed by giving out massages. The Internal Medicine Associates of Monroe County also offered free cholesterol screenings. \nFrances Walden of Stinesville, Ind. took advantage of the dermatology booth. \n"The doctor found a spot on my nose, which he thought could be cancerous," Walden said. "He recommended a cream for it."\nBev Johnson, coordinator of the Senior Expo, said she was pleased with the results. \n"Every year, patrons are very satisfied with the services of the Expo," Johnson said. \nAlong with Bloomington Parks and Recreation, seven other Monroe County-based organizations assisted in the coordination of the Expo, including the YMCA of Monroe County and Monroe County Parks and Recreation. \nThe Expo was split into two levels. The first floor consisted of health services and the second floor featured social services, including booths headed by the Social Security Association and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees.\nMany patrons have been attending for a couple of years, including Luane Trojanowski of Bloomington, who said she was particularly impressed with Allen Funeral Home.\n"I really liked their simple wooden caskets. Many funeral homes try to sell those expensive metallic ones, but they (Allen) had very simple ones that weren't too expensive," Trojanowski said.