Photo by Corazon Aguirre
Nov. 8, 2023 By Rachel Butler
A free Senior Health and Wellness Expo hosted by Schneps Media and presented by VillageCareMAX took place on Thursday Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Sheraton Laguardia East Hotel in Flushing.
The event included expo tables from various health and wellness organizations serving seniors including VillageCareMAX, Hearing Life, Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, The W Group, Clear Captions and much more.
Photo by Corazon Aguirre
“VillageCareMAX maintains a strong relationship with members in the Flushing community. We have a Community Center located on Main Street, so for us it’s important for the community to know that we’re out here and we have useful resources for them to access,” said Rob Goldman, vice president for Branding and Marketing Communications at VillageCareMAX. “We want older adults here today to know that we offer programs that address chronic care diseases such as diabetes, chronic heart disease and others. Today we are educating older adults on these programs and we are here to help them understand their different Medicare coverage options and how to get the most out of their Medicare benefits.”
Photo by Corazon Aguirre
After all attendees were checked in and given a list of speakers for the day, they were free to visit different tables to seek what information was important to them when it comes to their health.
Photo by Corazon Aguirre
“I think today presented us a great opportunity to connect with the Flushing community. The people in attendance were engaged and asking questions and I think it’s especially important to educate older adults when it comes to making these decisions on health care,” Vanessa Fernandez, senior vice president of Business Operations and Development at VillageCareMAX said.
One very popular stop among the seniors was that of Hearing Life. Attendees were invited to a free hearing test carried out by Doctor of Audiology Nicole Talamo, where she then followed up with making an appointment at one of their many offices across the city, if needed.
“I think it’s very good to get everybody to come in and come to different vendors and most importantly get a hearing screening as the first step to assess your hearing level,” she said. “Taking a free hearing screening takes less than five minutes and then we can take everything from there.”
Before the lunch and refreshments were served, some speakers took to the stage including Ronald Fatoullah from Ronald Fatoullah & Associates. He spoke about the importance of estate planning and key documents that are critical to have in order to protect yourself and your loved ones.
“We’re in front of a lot of new people. We have an office in the middle of Queens and it’s wonderful seeing a lot of new faces,” Fatoullah said. “I would love this demographic to know to not be afraid to plan and that planning ahead can save assets, protect assets, and help them plan for the future. The legal planning that we do is really the foundation for their legal peace of mind”
VillageCareMAX, the presenting sponsor of the event, then took to the stage to provide important information and were on hand to answer any questions about the different plans and products that they provide.
“We were pleased to welcome so many older adults from the community to answer their questions and provide them with useful information,” Laura O’Connell, senior community engagement manager at VillageCareMAX said. “People are very interested in learning more about their health care options and what benefits they can receive. We want to let older adults know that VillageCareMAX is here to help them.”
Speaking to some of the seniors on the day, it was clear that they really felt the benefit from attending the event.
“The thing that I liked the most from the expo today is the way in which we are greeted by the staff,” said Elma Tullock, from Corona. “It sets the tone for the rest of the day.”
Another attendee Qiao Chen added, “I like this kind of expo. I learned a lot of information about health care options and home care and I think the information learned about different health benefits was really helpful.”
To learn more about Schneps Events visit SchnepsEvents.com. Learn about the upcoming Caribbean Life Health & Wellness Expo on December 2 at CaribbeanLifeHealthExpo.com.