by Janet McGregor

1999 has been designated as the International Year of the Older Persons by the United Nations. As part of its commitment to supporting older persons, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church adopted a similar resolution. Locally, First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City opted to develop a committee to look at ways to promote the issue. One of the first initiatives by the Committee on Aging was to put together a series of informative seminars on aging. The sessions are being offered at no charge to members of the community and the church. The committee initially planned to offer five sessions, although they are exploring the possibilities of adding further sessions. The series, "Aging is for Everyone," is primarily geared toward middle-age adults, although all ages can benefit from the informative sessions. "The emphasis is to look at issues of aging and to educate members of our church and the community. We want people to be aware of the growth of the older population and the issues that we will be facing,"said Judy Wilcock, chair of the Committee on Aging.

The Committee first chose to tap the speaking resources in church. Most of the speakers are members of the church although others in the community will also participate as leaders.

To kick off the year, the church held a special Older Adult/Family Sunday on April 18.

The first session, on Health and Wellness, drew a crowd of around 25 to hear Dr. Don Walden address health related issues. Dr. Walden is a member of the church and currently practices as a primary care physician with Premier Medical Group at Thomas Crossroads. He was the Medical Director of a 105-bed nursing home facility and has been in practice since 1971. Dr. Walden addressed issues of health maintenance and disease prevention for seniors. He emphasized the need for routine physical exams, proper nutrition, vaccines and screening tests and procedures. Walden loosely based his discussion on the top ten most effective preventative services as compiled by Family Practice News. Some of the findings were a surprise to class participants. Childhood immunizations ranked first. The second was influenza vaccines for persons over 65 years, the third was pneumonoccal vaccine for persons over 65 years. Cholesterol screening, which many expected to be high on the list, was ranked as number ten. Blood pressure screening ranked as being the fifth most important and hormone replacement therapy for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women ranked sixth.

According to Wilcock, "The older population is growing so fast that the problem is now deciding what role they are going to play in society. At least half of those at 75 are productive." The second session focused on Legal Issues and Endowments and was presented by Attorney John Nix. He addressed legal issues such as wills, living wills, durable power of attorney and endowments. The next session is titled Caring for the Again Parent and will be conducted by Myrna Bond, RN, Director of Nursing for Southwest Christian Hospice. The class, which will focus on alternatives for the caregiver, will be held on May 6.

On May 13 Elaine Parker, pastoral care assistant with First Presbyterian, Pat Webster, director of The Gathering Place, and Andy Carden, director of Fayette Senior Services, will discuss the resources and services available in the community for older adults and their families. The Committee on Aging is comprised of Wilcock and members Pam Carson, Neal Dupre, Peggy Elder, Laura Freeman, Gaye Harris, Judy Henson, Jocelyn McKinney, Tori Stivers, Don Walden and Pat Webster. They are currently exploring other means to support the church's commitment to seniors. The Aging is for Everyone sessions are held in the Fellowship Hall of First Presbyterian Church on Thursdays beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, call 770-487-7757.

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