The Renton Senior Activity Center is hosting ’50+ Senior Resource Expo’ Oct. 8 at the center.
The expo, the first of its kind in Renton, is a fair aimed to educate the city’s 50 and over population of the various resources that are available for them.
According to Shawn Daly, recreation supervisor, the biggest hurdle the senior center faces is lack of awareness about the existing resources for seniors within the city, and this expo is created in hopes to address that need.
“The toughest thing we have, and it’s no different from 30 years ago to now, is getting people through the doors,” said Daly. “A lot of them aren’t aware of the senior center and they don’t know what we do at the center. They don’t understand how active of a senior center we have. That has been a goal of ours for the last 30 years.”
“The resource expo is the same sort of thing. There are a lot of services out there that can really help these people,” he continued. “A lot of them aren’t aware of the services out there. If I had one goal in mind, that would be it — to make the senior population aware of what we have.”
The expo will have more than 40 vendor exhibits, as well as presentations about various subjects, including “Nutrition Basics” from Iora Primary Care health coaches, “Selling Your Home and What to Look for in a Retirement Home” from founder of Options for Seniors, “Fraud and Scams” from an AARP presenter, as well as “Estate Planning Essentials” and “Ask a Lawyer a Question” from elder law attorney Dan Kellogg.
The expo is also created with families and care givers in mind, said Debbie Little, recreation coordinator.
“The resources are just for seniors, but this expo is for all ages, including people are that taking care of their parents or don’t know where to turn,” Little said. “We’re not just inviting senior citizens, but family members as well because if and when the time comes for these services, they have a path and they know who to contact.”
Services that will be present at the expo include Renton Emergency Management, Renton Community Services, Red Cross and Sound Generations, among others. Renton Regional Fire Authority will be testing blood pressure and glucose levels. King County Metro will be selling ORCA cards, as well as providing information on Access and Taxi Script.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” said Daly. “We’re putting in a lot of effort to it. It’s the biggest event of the year for us… It’s going to be really beneficial to the community that we do something like this.”
Lunch will be provided from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free transportation will be available for Renton residents through Hyde Shuttle. Registration for this free event is not required.
The 50+ Senior Resource Expo will be 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Oct. 8 at Renton Senior Activity Center, 211 Burnett Ave. N.
