St. Francis Health-based Senior Promise gears up for Fall Health Festival

INDIANAPOLIS – Senior Promise is hosting its 19^th annual Fall Health Festival, Friday, Oct. 12, at The Atrium Banquet Hall, 3143 E. Thompson Road.

The annual event, which is from 9 a.m. to noon, is geared for those 50 and older, people with diabetes, caregivers and those seeking community resources for seniors and people with disabilities. There’s adequate parking at the wheelchair-accessible facility.

The festival offers information on a variety of medical topics and health screenings, including cholesterol, blood pressure, oral cancer, balance assessment, vision, diabetes foot, and lung/air capacity.

The Visiting Nurse Service at St. Francis will be on hand to offer free flu and pneumonia shots to those receiving Medicare Part B or having Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance. The flu vaccine is $35 and pneumonia vaccine is $70 for non-Medicare enrollees and non-Part B Medicare beneficiaries.

The festival is attended by an estimated 600 each year, one of the largest senior health fairs in Central Indiana.

Launched in 1987, Senior Promise, a program based at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis, provides its 22,000-plus members a variety of meaningful services and benefits for people age 50 and older throughout the year.

For more information about Senior Promise call 317-528-6660.

St. Francis Health-based Senior Promise gears up for Fall Health Festival

INDIANAPOLIS – Senior Promise is hosting its Fall Health Festival, Friday, Oct. 14, at The Atrium, 3143 E. Thompson Road.

The annual event, which is from 9 a.m. to noon, is geared for those 50 and older, people with diabetes, caregivers and those seeking community resources for seniors and people with disabilities. There’s adequate parking at The Atrium, which is wheelchair-accessible.

The festival offers various health screenings and information on a variety of medical topics, most of which are free. A limited number of cholesterol screenings will be available and participants are asked to stop by the booth to receive a scheduled time to return for the test.

Senior Promise, a program based at Franciscan St. Francis Health, also offers free flu shots to those receiving Medicare. Those without the card will be charged $30.

Among the tests available: blood pressure, feet, oral cancer, balance assessment, vision and car fit assessment.

Launched in 1987, Senior Promise provides its 9,000-plus members a variety of meaningful services and benefits for people age 50 and older.

More information about the program is at www.stfrancishospitals.org/seniors, or call 317-782-6660.

Center for Geriatric Medicine offers unique, full range of care

Media contact:
Joe Stuteville
Media Relations Manager
317-782-7986
317-946-9930 (cell)
317-909-0079 (pager)
Joe.Stuteville@ssfhs.org

INDIANAPOLIS – Here’s what the U.S. Census Bureau sees as it gazes into the crystal ball: By 2030, one in every five Americans will be 65 or older and the number of people aged 85 and older – currently the fastest growing segment of the older population – could exceed 10 million.

To meet the current and projected medical needs of central Indiana's aging population, St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers recently established the Center for Geriatric Medicine. Located at St. Francis Hospital-Beech Grove, the facility is the first of its kind in central Indiana and its physicians and staff provide a full spectrum of inpatient care, including adult intensive care for patients who become critically unstable.

"While the number of America’s aging population continues to spiral along with their unique health-care needs, the number of physicians specializing in geriatrics is declining markedly and it poses a potential crisis" said center director Daniel J. Hurley, M.D., a board-certified geriatrician with St. Francis Medical Group.

The nursing staff has specialized training and experience in geriatric medical conditions and behaviors, and assisting patients’ families.

More information about the geriatric care and programs at St. Francis is at www.stfrancishospitals.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=212.