Within Hardin County, a disproportionate number of Kentucky families live in economically distressed communities (39% of Kentucky.) From housing to grocery store expenses, the cost of living continues to rise, and households are ill-equipped to adjust to the rising cost of living. This makes it really challenging for parents to afford an affordable home and raise children without feeling strain in their budget.

The senior population faces a lot more challenges with some of them having chronic health conditions and medical expenses as a result of those conditions. Every year within Hardin county the organization the Area Agency of Aging and Independent Living host an event just for seniors where various vendors and organization leaders come out to share resources for seniors and families.  Several vendors and organizations usually participate in this event so that the local seniors will know what kind of programs that their organization has to offer. Also just to share knowledge on various health topics and also some fact sheets on some tips on how to stay in shape and eat healthy. Kentucky State University’s cooperative extension wanted to share some tips on healthy eating for seniors and also there were several fact sheets on the following: how to nourish your bones, how  to maintain a healthy weight with the diabetes plan and also fact sheets on how to make healthier choices at the grocery store. The goal was to share some quick facts on the amount of vitamins  in canned vegetables so that can translate into making seniors feeling better if they start consuming more fruits and vegetables.   

For the event, there were about 750 program participants searching for any information on health benefits and information on how to stay healthy while aging in place.  The majority of them just wanted general information on how to eat healthy. While some of them wanted to know more detailed information on my specific things related to high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses. The most common comment that the family and consumer science extension agent did get a lot was "How am I supposed to eat for someone who is on medication or someone who does not have a really good appetite?" The answer provided just was shared with some quick responses about making sure to try and eat a healthy snack with at least a few grams of protein for energy. In addition, always consult your physician for questions on medication and how much food to consume due to there being specific instructions on most medications on what can be consumed with those medications.  So sometimes guidelines will vary from person to person. So with most questions, I was able to just provide them with some fact sheets related to general health and nutrition.

The majority of the program participants were between the ages of 50-95. For the majority of the program, there were people mainly looking for healthy recipes, meal plans for someone with diabetes, and some of them were looking specifically for information on how to heal and nourish achy bones. The majority of the participants wanted to receive recipe cards and calendars that included healthy recipes. The program participants were all excited because there was such a variety of information on eating healthy.

 There were several other vendors at this event so they only stayed at each organizations vendor table for a few minutes.  In closing, the event was a great opportunity to meet new people and gain some basic knowledge on different topics related to health. Our organization plans on working with this organization in the coming years to continue to offer up more resources on healthy eating and nutrition tips for seniors. 

Pictured Above: Family and Consumer Science extension agent at vendor booth at the event for the Senior Celebration.

Pictured Above: Seniors go around to different vendor booths collecting information on health related topics.

Pictured Above: Seniors smile as they await for the next event as the speaker takes the stage. 

Pictured Above: The group of ladies seemed intrigued as they look at the fact sheets and information at the Kentucky State University booth at the senior aging event.

Pictured Above: Family and Consumer Science Extension agent in front of vendor booth posing in front of Healthy from Head to Toe sign promoting health tips for seniors.