Article Photos

The rubbery ball of congealed fat seemed to be a big hit Thursday with seniors attending the 2009 Choices Expo in Marietta.

"Well, two-thirds of Americans are overweight," said Diane Braden, a certified health coach with Take Shape For Life, explaining why the fat brought a fair number of seniors by her booth. "My goal is (to) just educate one person and help them get healthy."

Attending the one-day expo, put on by the Area Agency on Aging, seemed to go a long way toward accomplishing that goal, she said.

"I have a lot of names but I haven't signed them up yet," Braden said. "I have a lot of calls to make when I get home."

The expo, held at the Comfort Inn in Marietta, is intended as a resource for seniors to learn more about their health, long-term and retirement planning, nutrition and more. Braden was one of about 75 exhibitors from eight different southeastern Ohio counties that set up booths at the expo.

Exhibitors ranged from senior centers and retirement homes to bathtub cutters and law enforcement. Games of cornhole were held, hot dogs consumed, blood pressure checked, and yard sticks, candy and pill bottle openers given away.

Betty Rhodes, 87, of 123 S. Fourth St., Marietta, stopped by several booths Thursday afternoon, gathering up pamphlets and other freebies.

"It was really nice," she said. "I was interested in the retirement homes because I'm getting up there in years and I may need one."

Melanie Wagner, of 616 Front St., Marietta, meanwhile, steered clear of the retirement homes for much the same reason.

"I don't like to look at the nursing homes and places like that because I'll have to be there some day," she said with a laugh.

Wagner and her husband, Gene, gobbled up calendars, long-term insurance information and other free stuff.

Mike Turner, executive director of United Seniors of Athens County Inc., found the 237 free yardsticks he gave away at his booth to be very helpful in starting conversations about telephone deregulation. Turner and the senior center are concerned about telephone companies pushing for deregulation because it could mean the cost of owning a landline phone would go up dramatically.

"For a lot of seniors, it's the only phone they have, especially in the outlying areas," he said. "And the problem is, it seems to have snuck up on them. They don't know about it."

The deregulation is more than about landline phone costs, too, he said.

"It's much more detailed," he said. "It's lifeline services, or if the phone goes out it (currently) has to be fixed in like 24-48 hours and (the phone companies) want it to be like 24 days, and that's not going to work for seniors."