Free health screenings and flu shots draws big crowd at annual Senior Expo

More than 1,000 people were expected to attend the 28th Annual Senior Expo of Santa Barbara on Wednesday at the Earl Warren Showgrounds.

The expo featured more than 120 booths featuring vendors, businesses, nonprofits and organization specialized in providing help to the aging population.

The expo is organized by Family Service Agency.

The event attracts seniors, their family members and caregivers. Attendees can visit representatives at each booth to find out what they need and how to receive that type of care.

“Normally, I read a lot of articles online, read magazines, but here in one place, I get so much information and so much useful in future,” said Pradip Oza.

Oza is heading into retirement and decided to attend the expo to learn more about how to live a healthy life and take advantage of all the free exams and health screenings.

“A lot of seniors don’t have access to getting these bone density reports and we do them for free. Normally they cost 150 to 200 bucks. We provide it as a service to the community. We do over a thousand a year,” said Yvonne Parsons, from OsteoStrong.

Local healthcare providers and a team of local nurse volunteers from Santa Barbara City College provided free flu shots to seniors age 55 and up. Admission was $5.

For details, visit the Senior Expo website.