The Cumberland Prevention Coalition will host its inaugural Aging Well Resource Fair Friday to connect senior residents with essential health services, safety programs and community organizations.
Cumberland Prevention Coalition Program Coordinator Monica Specht said the event serves as a centralized location for seniors to discover resources they may not be familiar with. Specht said the fair also highlights the organization’s grant-funded initiatives specifically designed to support the older population in the region.
“Once you get that age and you’re retired, get out and stay involved within your community,” Specht said. “Get out and stay active. But also know that there are resources out there that can help you in keeping your personal information safe, in keeping your medication safe and just enjoying life to its fullest.”
Specht said the Older Adult Prevention Program focuses on raising awareness about the safe storage and disposal of medications for those 65 and older. Specht said the program also provides tools for logging medication use to ensure seniors take prescriptions correctly and avoid the risk of taking doses twice.
Additionally, Specht said the program offers tips and strategies on how to identify and avoid scams targeting seniors. Specht also said TCAT is another valuable resource for seniors.
“That’s a good resource within the community, too, just because you can be, from my understanding, you can be a high school student and do your like your bridge classes there, but then you can also go and take classes all the way up to however old you want to be, up to 99,” Specht said. “And so that’s another resource within the community that would be good.”
Specht said the coalition operates as a nonprofit dedicated to prevention work through weekly outreach in local schools and community settings. Specht said the organization aims to increase its visibility so residents know where to find assistance and how different agencies can help them.
“Just to let them know that we are out there doing prevention work,” Specht said. “We’re in the schools working with kids on a weekly basis. We’re in the community on a weekly basis collaborating and working with other organizations as well in order to hopefully help Cumberland County be the healthiest that it can be.”
Specht said the coalition’s free medication lockbox program remains available to residents of any age who call or visit their office.
The Cumberland Prevention Coalition offers a plethora of other resources for seniors, from fall prevention to adult protective services to opioid use recovery.
