SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Central New York Senior Fair is back at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College. About a hundred different organizations set up tables that offered free items, information, and services for senior citizens. New York Senator John Mannion hosted the event that he said was all about availability for seniors.
“We wanna make sure that they get one-stop shopping,” Mannion said. “That they can see all the services that the county, the state, the city of Syracuse, and our multiple community partners that are out there have to provide.”
People were able to get their COVID-19 booster shot as well as their flu shot at the fair. Even Senator Mannion got his flu shot. Experts at the table gave out healthcare, legal, and lifestyle information. Tables provided details about health insurance, dealing with certain illnesses, financial advising, nutrition recommendations, advocacy groups, and retirement homes. Senator Mannion explained why this fair was needed.
“Many of them might be on a fixed income,” Mannion said. “Many of them might need additional services in their home, and they might have a challenging time accessing them, or not not knowing some of those that are being provided.”
Since seniors tend to have trouble with online services, Mannion felt it was important to hold the fair in person. But he had to weigh looming public health risks, as seniors are more vulnerable to COVID-19. People were required to wear masks per Onondaga Community College guidelines, but that didn’t stop the event from having a great turnout.
A previous New York senator from district 50, John DeFrancisco, held this event for 15 years. But since DeFrancisco left office in 2018, there hasn’t been a senior fair. While he was campaigning for the New York Senate, a lot of people told Mannion they missed the event. This is why he was determined to bring it back when he took office.
“What the people told me is that the senior fair that happened in the past was very helpful to them,” Mannion said. “They loved it.I had people hugging me today, with masks on, saying ‘thank you for bringing this back, this is great.’”
The event was sponsored by the Healthcare Education Project Syracuse, Onondaga Community College and the SRC Arena, Syracuse Community Health Center, Fidelis Care, Humana, Wegmans, and YMCA of Central New York.
