BY SERGEI KLEBNIKOV | Quality of life was the focus of the Third Annual Community Health Forum, co-hosted by VillageCare and New York University. Specifically, expert panelists described how local seniors can stay healthier in their later years.
The forum was held at the N.Y.U. Kimmel Center on Wed., June 18. The topic of this year’s “Take Charge of Your Health Today!” event focused on the importance of the mind-body connection in maintaining well-being.
“We usually pick specific topics that are important for the community,” said Elizabeth Butson, the event chairperson and a member of the VillageCare board of directors.
Butson gave opening remarks before handing the podium over to Dr. Max Gomez, a nationally known broadcast journalist and the medical correspondent for WCBS TV. After introducing the topic, Gomez, the forum moderator, then turned things over to the panel members.
The first panelist to speak was Dr. Tara Cortes, the executive director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatrics, and a professor in geriatric nursing at N.Y.U. College of Nursing. In her second appearance as a panelist at the annual health forum, Cortes focused on the topics of memory loss, hearing loss and vision loss.
Cortes described how to treat common cases and diseases related to the topics, and gave advice to all of the seniors in attendance about when to get medical attention.
There was a very healthy turnout, as more than 150 people attended the forum.
A key point, however, Cortes noted, was the importance of “love of senior self.” In short, she encouraged audience members to accept old age rather than fight it.
The next panelist to speak was Linda Lennaco, the founder of Dance and Fitness, Inc. As an expert in functional fitness, Lennaco helps clients of all ages achieve “pain-free” living. Her main advice to elderly citizens was that “everyone should stay active.” In addition, she led a brief exercise in which she told everyone, “Ears over shoulders,” to make audience members more aware of their posture.
Next at the mic was Susan Light, a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist in private practice who treats adults and couples. With a past working at Mt. Sinai and Lenox Hill hospitals, she advised those present about mental illness, and specifically about how to be more aware of depression.
Light’s main piece of advice was for seniors was not to focus on the past, and what they used to do. She mentioned the importance of “neighborly contact with other people,” as well as staying informed and “a part of the world” by watching TV and following the news.
The final expert speaker was Jonathon Whiteson, M.D., the director of the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Wellness program at Rusk Institute. In addition to the importance of mood, he also discussed family involvement in elderly family members’ lives. Love and intimacy are key, he described, since being alone can lead to depression.
After the panelists had all spoken, group questions were collected and answered, wrapping up the event.
Afterward, Butson said, “We are very pleased with the results.” She called it the “best-ever event,” citing that there were double the number of attendees than the previous year.
This year also saw double the amount of exhibitors. Several of these set up at tables around the room, including the new Lenox Hill Health Plex, Duane Reade, Village Apothecary and even The Villager.
“It took a lot of connections and work to organize the event,” said Butson, who is a former publisher of The Villager. “N.Y.U. and VillageCare work beautifully together,” she added.
With such success from the health forum this time around, she said she was already thinking about the topic for next year.
