First MUSC Senior Expo since pandemic draws more than 500 visitors

“Good morning! How’s everybody doing?” asked Tatiana Baier as she stood on stage getting ready for a boxing demonstration at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Senior Expo. The crowd listened closely to Baier, the program director of MUSC’s Wellness Center.

Patricia and Ron Mongeon came to the North Charleston event from Cane Bay. Patricia, petite and energetic, got to her feet as Baier demonstrated boxing moves that people could do seated or standing. Ron followed along from his wheelchair. 

 

“Guard up! Let’s do some jabs,” Baier said. “Jab! Jab! Jab!” She punched the air, showing one of the moves from MUSC’s Rock Steady Boxing. It’s an exercise program for people with Parkinson’s disease.

The Mongeons jabbed along with her. So did the rest of the crowd, representing about two dozen of the estimated 550 people who attended the March 23 expo. 

Afterward, Patricia Mongeon called the demo fun. “I like to exercise and stay healthy. I want to learn more about staying fit and diet and what resources are available to us.”

 

That’s exactly what the Senior Expo at the Charleston Area Convention Center was designed for, said Lisa Saladin, Ph.D., executive vice President of Academic Affairs and provost. Her office sponsors the Center for Healthy Aging at MUSC.

“As a person who dealt with an aging parent with a lot of health issues, I understand the importance of connecting people who are aging and their loved ones to the community and resources. It’s critical that people are aware of the support we have in the community. So the purpose here is to get everyone exposed to and know resources available to them as they’re dealing with difficult challenges,” Saladin said.

 

The expo featured a lot of resources, from health checks and fitness demos to financial information. That third category is what Linda Cole was looking for. “I’m 61 and just trying to get some information on Medicare and Social Security, and there’s a table here about wills, which helped me out a lot because I don’t currently have one,” she said. 

The expo, put on through a partnership between MUSC and the Trident Area Agency on Aging, was free and open to the public. Friends Dorothy McCray and Jenie Hunter stopped by a table featuring food grown at MUSC’s Urban Farm and talked with educator Noni Langford about microgreens and lavender.

 

“I’m trying to find out exactly what it’s all about,” McCray said. “I’m not a gardener, but at the age of 70, we’re trying to broaden our horizons and be healthy.”

This marked the first MUSC Senior Expo since 2019. It was on hold during the pandemic. People seemed to welcome the chance to mingle freely again through aisles of tables featuring information from MUSC and dozens of other presenters.

Cole said it was worth the wait. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there’s a lot of information here, and I’m learning a lot.”