Skokie social worker Beth Lindley and others noticed some years ago that people of a certain age were not fully aware of all the services that were available to them.
That prompted the development of a biannual event, Boomers and Beyond, which provides baby boomers and those older with a one-stop resource information fair.
Skokie’s third Boomers and Beyond, held Friday at Oakton Park, drew several hundred people, according to organizers. Lindley said the event included some 50 stations and attendance has averaged between 250 and 400 people since it was first held.
“Consistently, people will present to us that they were looking for information and comment that they had no idea about … long-term care planning, Medicare, resource management, housing, home-based services — and the list goes on and on,” Lindley said.
Visitors Friday milled around various booths taking in a wide range of information and conversing with those behind each station. Next door was an open room where visitors could sit and talk. One group of seniors played cards.
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“People love to come and have conversations and network here,” Lindley said. “The information that they’re seeking — I think we’re doing a good job of responding to what they need.”
Esther Peven of Skokie attended and said she learned about the CapTel phone, a telephone for those with hearing challenges.
“I think this is a wonderful idea so people older can get real information,” she said. “In just one room, they’re sharing all these ideas that many of us are not aware of.”
Peven said she has attended Boomers and Beyond in the past and it has always been worthwhile.
“I learned a lot today about the CapTel telephones that I didn’t know before,” she said.
CapTel representatives said the one biggest piece of information for people is that the phones are free. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act covers the service, they said.
“A lot of people don’t know this,” said Edna Collymore who demonstrated the phone for many visitors. “People in the community become aware of these services to take advantage of at this event. There’s a lot of free services — not just ours — and they don’t know anything about them.”
Maryanne Spivey of Chicago said she stopped by to learn about home-based medical care for her parents.
“They’re still OK living on their own, but they’re not far away from 90 now so I thought this was going to be a good place to get information,” she said. “It’s so helpful to have something like this so you’re not making a hundred calls.”
Judy Frank said she learned about the North Shore Senior Center at the fair and the services it offers.
“I saw this event advertised and I thought I need to check it out and find out about all of these different services available,” she said. “I’ve learned about so many different organizations.”
Frank said her sister has hearing difficulty so information about the phone was especially valuable.
“I can tell her about it now,” she said.
The previous two Boomers and Beyond events included health screenings, but organizers decided to replace that feature this year with educational sessions held in upstairs rooms.
Health experts there spoke about mindfulness, sleep, healthy eating and more.
Lindley said the event now is all about education and allows boomers and those older to act on newly-acquired information.