2nd Annual Santa Maria Valley Senior Expo Draws Big Turnout at Allan Hancock Gymnasium
Jarrod Zinn
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Maria held a big event with lots of helping hands for seniors.
The support ranged from health care to finance at the second annual Senior Expo.
Today’s attendance was even higher than the first expo last year.
The free event saw between five or six hundred people at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium at Allan Hancock College.
For the second yearly expo, Community Partners In Caring worked with Allan Hancock College and Dignity Health to provide the event in the gym.
“Last year it happened to pour rain the day of our event, and it was in March,” says Midge Nicosia, Community Outreach and Special Initiatives Manager for the North Santa Barbara County Community Partners In Caring. “So we moved it to July with the help of Hancock and the availability of the gymnasium.”
Admission and parking were free for all attendees.
“We also have Care Connection in the parking lot roaming around to help people that are having a difficulty getting to the front door,” says Nicosia.
101 vendors represented everything from health care to financial planning to ways to support independent living for seniors.
Another category was “assistive technology.”
One example is an electrotherapy device that helps people cope with spine and joint challenges.
“I work for In-Home Support Services,” says Lupe Rosas, I.H.S.S. Social Services Supervisor. “I’m a supervisor overseeing the social workers that do go out to the field and assess our clients and approve them. And then I work closely with the Public Authority. They help hire the providers that can help the client stay safe in their homes.”
This initiative aims to centralize knowledge for those navigating senior care and disability resources.
In addition to plenty of booths, the expo presented a variety of free services and live entertainment.
“In December of this year I’ll be 90,” says Santa Maria resident Beverly Scofield. “And I’ve been accused of wanting to be the center of attention. But my heart is in making everybody laugh. I was here at the first one, and I enjoyed it enough to come back the second time.”
There were free services like haircuts.
We got to meet Finley the therapy dog.
Entertainment came in the from of a magic show courtesy of the Central Coast Conjurers, and serenading by the saxophone of Jose Rendon.
“I really feel that everybody here was here for one thing, to make our lives better,” says Scofield. “And I do appreciate it.”
Organizers are very pleased with the event and are already planning to do this again next year.
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