Cherokee Elder Care hosts 2nd annual ‘Health Under the Big Top’
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| Sharon Ketcher of Tahlequah, Okla., gets her blood pressure taken by Carolyn Holbird, a registered nurse from the Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Indian Medical Center. (Photo by Tesina Jackson) |
By Tesina Jackson
Staff Writer
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Elder Care’s Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly hosted its second annual health fair as part of Older Americans Month on May 29 at the CEC center.
The event, “Health Under the Big Top,” was sponsored by Cherokee Nation Home Health Services, Inc., which partners with the CEC. The fair consisted of a health screening, blood pressure checks, blood sugar checks, balance checks and informational booths with carnival games where people won prizes.
“Our goal is to educate people so they make good choices about their health care,” Rick Richards, director of Cherokee Nation Home Health Services, Inc. said. “We had information provided in a carnival-like atmosphere so that way people would have fun while they learning.”
The PACE invited other health care providers such as CN W.W. Hastings Indian Medical Center and Go Ye Village to share information.
“We’re not in competition with each other,” Ben Stevens, PACE director, said. “We’re partners. Having other organizations here allows people to know what services are available to them.”
The CEC is an option for any person who is at least 55 years old, can live safely at home, in need of some level of nursing home care and live within certain zip codes.
The center also assists with families caring for elderly family members. In addition to medical care, it also provides socialization activities, medications, home health coordination and transportation.
When elders comes to the center, health care professionals watch for changes in their condition, provide treatment and encourage them to do things for themselves so they may remain independent as long as possible.
“We promote to stimulate mentally, physically and spiritual, so that’s why we asked our vendors at the health fair to do carnival type booths to stimulate the brain and to stimulate the body to range of motion, to exercise,” Katina Dugger, CEC-PACE community liaison, said.
Through the PACE, the enrolled elders can live at home and receive medical and social care at the CEC. Elders also receive health care, nutritious meals and can participate in activities so they may remain active, socialize and make new friends. Other services include medical and nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutritional services, transportation and social work support.