WESSON – Copiah-Lincoln Community College, in conjunction withthe Mississippi State University Cooperative Extension Service,will host a series of public forums concerning the health of seniorcitizens at the campus’ Thames Center.

Program Coordinator Evelyn Peavy said the forums, entitled”Smart Aging: Healthy Futures,” are designed to identify thecommunity’s resources and deficits in supporting the health andhealth care needs of the aging population.

“These forums are the first step in a grassroots effort toestablish health awareness in the community,” Peavy said. “We willbe looking at the process of aging to determine what we, as acommunity, can do to support healthy aging.”

The first forum will be held on Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 1p.m. The forum is designed for all Lincoln and Copiah Countyseniors, their families and care givers.

“This will be an opportunity for seniors to come and tell us whothey are and talk about their health services,” Peavy said. “Wewill try to find out what services they are looking for; what havethey not been able to get locally?”

The second forum will be held on Monday, Dec. 3, during the samehours. It is designed for area individuals, groups, companies andagencies that administer services to the elderly.

“It’s a resource forum,” Peavy said. “It’s for everyone whoprovides services to the elderly. This program is for health caregroups, nursing homes, doctors, hospitals and even the citygovernments, police and sheriff’s departments.”

For the third and final forum, which will be held on Thursday,Jan. 24, the school is asking for senior citizens and their serviceproviders to attend together. January’s program will feature a”health fair,” where the seniors and their providers will interactand discuss ideas and perspectives on the community’s health careservices.

Peavy said the information from all three forums will berecorded. The record will be examined for trends and patterns inthe discussions.

“We’ll look at the recordings to determine the effectiveness ofthe programs in place and locate the gaps in the services,” shesaid. “Our ultimate goal is to improve the health and healthservices for the aging population.”

Co-Lin and MSU are looking to initiate health awareness andeducation programs in the wake of the “Smart Aging: HealthyFutures” forums.

“We hope to recruit health educator volunteers to help go outand assist the elderly,” she said. “We’re looking for lay people;they don’t have to be medical professionals.”

Peavy said the volunteers would participate in a trainingprogram to familiarize them with the health curriculum that will beprovided through the MSU extension service.

The volunteers, armed with the knowledge of that curriculum,will go into the community to give health care presentations. Theywill be trained to spot the early warning signals of seriousmedical conditions that may occur like heart attacks or strokes,and will also be trained in general health care.

To insure that no seniors are left out of the forums and theirafter-effects, Peavy said the program has adopted a wide definitionof “senior” to include anyone who is 60 years old and older. Thereis no cost for participation in “Smart Aging: Healthy Futures,” butit is necessary to register for the events.

To register or receive further information, contact Peavy at(601) 643-8654.