Durham, NC---The Durham County Department of Social Services (DCoDSS) Aging and Adult Services Division held their first fair that recognizes the community that they serve in Durham County. The Aging Gracefully Resource Fair was created to inform, educate, and empower Durham citizens as they care for their senior loved ones, and prepare themselves to age in place. Over 30 vendors participated in the fair from both the private and public sector from across the Triangle.   In addition to the vendors providing information, several select vendors held seminar presentations that would rival paid conferences.

Dr. Kathleen Welsh-Bohmer, Professor of Psychiatry with a secondary appointment with the Department of Neurology at Duke University School of Medicine and the NC Registry for Brain Health, held a presentation on dementia prevention and thoroughly explained the cause of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Michael Lewis, founder of Family Legacy Financial provided a very realistic presentation on both the financial and emotional toll caregiving impacts a family. He offered practical tips and some sage financial tips to cope with the pressure. Durham County’s Public Health Department’s Joyce Page, who is a health educator and wellness promoter brought her Men’s Walking Group participants to the Aging Gracefully Resource Fair to present exercises that can be done sitting in a chair. The men offered stories about their health journey’s including the missteps that they took by ignoring their health. Ken Schaefer, president of Schaefer Business Associates held a seminar on the transition of those working adults who are about to transition to retirement, and how Social Security ties into the financial mix. DCoDSS social workers in the Medicaid Division informed seminar participants on how Medicaid factors into long-term care for seniors and the disabled, a fact that many Americans are not aware of. The host DCoDSS division social workers from Aging & Adult Services provided an informative presentation on guardianship and adult protective services.  

The Durham County Department of Social Services acknowledges the assistance of media partners, ABC11, CBS17, Spectacular Magazine, and WPTF News Talk Radio for their efforts to assist us with spreading the word.