Senior citizens were once again treated to a ton of information during the Senior Health & Financial Fitness Expo, hosted by The Home Reporter and The Brooklyn Spectator.
On Friday, November 6, a roomful of exhibitors and hundreds of attendees gathered inside the Grand Ballroom at Dyker Beach Golf Course for the event. As they visited each table, seniors had the opportunity to learn about different services, from health care to finance to safety. They also were able to receive free health tests.
Elder law firm Ronald Fatoullah and Associates, based in all the five boroughs, was on hand to inform seniors about the services it offers. “We do Medicaid planning, estate planning and wealth management,” said Amy Wong, a paralegal for the law firm. “We are here to inform the elderly population about how important it is for them to plan early. A lot of people are interested in long term care. Medicaid pays for long term care.”
Alex Cirera, a Medicare product specialist representing Amida Care, also noticed a lot of interest. “We’re a Medicare Advantage plan. The thing with us that’s very important is there is no monthly payment, zero for doctor, zero for hospital stay, zero for generic drugs, $14 for specialists and zero for lab work,” he said. “That’s why we’re showing our program to the residents of Brooklyn here at the expo. Now is the time when they compare and start trying to save money. Hopefully they see what we have to offer and consider us as a plan to help them save money next year.”
“We’re here to help seniors with their health care, Medicare and Medicaid recipients. There’s been a lot of interest and this is just a great event for us to get the word out. We love it,” added Business Development manager Jim Lyons from Agewell New York.
Attendees appreciated the event as well. “It was nice and very informative. We liked it very much,” said Despina C., who said her favorite exhibitor was Amida Care. “The people there were very helpful. I learned about their Medicare offerings. I would definitely come back again next time.”
“It was very interesting and I learned a lot, especially with Medicare,” added Rosa R.
Afer seniors had a chance to speak with exhibitors, a panel discussion was held, led by keynote speaker, Ronald Fatoullah, who discussed the importance of trusts.
“By setting up a trust, you can protect assets from lots of different things,” he told the crowd. “Number one, there is estate planning protection that you can have. You can protect assets because there are family situations where there might be some disharmony and a trust can put that to bed.”
Annette Fisher, certified senior advisor for Fort Funding Corporation, discussed tips for senior safety in the home. “Lots of people when they go to the bathroom, don’t put their glasses on. It seems simple, but if you can’t see, you trip. You should always have a night light somewhere.” She also advised seniors to have a grab bar in showers, and always have a transistor radio and water in the house.
After the several panel discussions, prizes were raffled off to attendees, including gift baskets and gift certificates .
Sponsors for the event included Amida Care, Ronald Fatoullah and Associates, Aetna, AgeWell and Centers Plan for Healthy Living.