Hopatcong Club Sponsors Senior Education Events

The Hopatcong Municipal Alliance will sponsor a two-part event for borough senior citizens starting Monday. The first part focuses on Sussex County's senior services; the second encourages seniors to be better informed about medication safety.

"I just think we should all be aware," said Hopatcong resident Selma Reichert, who helped organize the events, which begin Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Louis Childs Library.

County Division of Senior Services Director Mary Lou Schnurr will present the events.

"Very often, people aren't even aware of the programs and services available to them," she said. "We want to promote health and independence so people can stay healthy and independent in their community as long as possible. And we want people to use medication safely and be aware of side effects, consequences and things they should be aware of and be reporting to their health care professionals."

Schnurr said the first event would be an hour-long presentation on the county's senior services, such as "A Matter of Balance," which educates the elderly on strategies to reduce their fears of falling; "Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs," which provide guidelines on how to deal with recurring illnesses; and "Project Healthy Bones" and "Move Today," exercise programs designed to help seniors stay fit.

"We have a variety of programs to offer you to promote health and wellness," Schnuff said. "If you're promoting health and wellness, you can decrease the amount of medication you have. You can decrease your blood pressure through exercise and nutrition."

The second program will take place on Sept. 20, during which Schnurr will discuss the importance of managing a medicine cabinet.

"They are doing this because there are a lot of problems with medications. Sometimes kids get into the cabinets without their parents permission," Reichert said.

"We all have stuff in our medicine cabinet that shouldn't be there and should be straightened out."

Added Schnurr, "We want people being aware of side effects, foods and medications. Basically, our goal is to make people aware and follow good procedures if they happen to take medication."

For additional information about any of the Sussex County Division of Senior Service's "Project Healthy Living" workshops or leadership opportunities for any of the programs, call (973) 579-0555 or e-mail seniorservices@sussex.nj.us