Hundreds Seek Out Vital Care & Services Offered at 2025 Senior Expo
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – It is one of the most complete stops for seniors on the South Coast, the annual Senior Expo at the Earl Warren Showgrounds.
The three-hour event from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Wednesday gave seniors and caregivers a variety pack of health screenings, exhibits, music, food, and activities.
The event had a long line of people waiting for the doors to open.
Exhibitors at 110 booths offered information that includes financial services, residential facilities, travel clubs, health care providers, home care services, government agencies and representatives of local nonprofits.
On site there are also flu shots by CVS Pharmacy, including the senior dose for those 65+.
Medical checks for blood pressure, glaucoma, eyes, diabetes and hearing are on site throughout the event space.
Free haircuts also took place.
Barry Hand came through with a strong report card. “Oh, It’s great. I got my blood pressure checked. I got my eyes checked. I got a flu shot. I got a Covid shot, I got nutritional information and then all kinds of information about services throughout the county. “
The event takes place with the help of these sponsors: Family Service Agency, VNA Health, COX Communications, Mission Park Healthcare Center, Central Coast Home Health & Hospice, CenCal Health, Cottage Health, Love & Care, Stevens & Associates Insurance Agency, Sutter Health, US Bank, Vista Del Monte, Wood Glen.
Lisa Brabo with the organizers at the Family Service Agency both seniors and those who care for them were bustling in the expo saying, “that’s right and live longer in a good way with a quality of life, live longer, healthier, happier. It allows people to have a one on one conversation with whatever resource they need so it gets them started.”
This also included the benefits of specialize services, for example, in memory care. “The more engagement on a daily basis, the better quality of life. Less isolation, less depression, and more customer and family member satisfaction,” said Felipe Garcia with The Oak Cottage Memory Care in Santa Barbara.
If there is post surgery medical care necessary many people don’t know what the next step is but Quinn Larson with Mission Park in Santa Barbara said, ” Our whole goal and passion is to help those people on to the next step to go through rehab services and get strong enough to go home.”
The expo was helpful for Eric Gier. “You know, you get to the point where you really need an extra hand.You don’t always have, family around and these folks help to direct you.”
In the big picture, “We’re all going to be in this aging arena at some point. So the more we learn, the better it helps us to help others,” said Brabo.
Financial questions are also answered. Larson said, “they navigate, you know, whether it’s Medicare, Medi-Cal, and how we can even private pay , you know, how we can pay for these services. There’s lots of systems.”
One service will come to you with a free home visit to talk about benefits.
Susanne Haydon with American Legacy Solutions said, “Yes, we go over everything and make it very simple and explain everything to them so that it’s a One-Stop shop “
For more information go to: Family Service Agency
(note: There are two news segments attached.)
The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With the Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.