Seniors learn how to live better, healthier lives at Vegas expo

Sitting at the Neuropathy and Pain Center booth, Lloyd Probasco is hooked up to a machine that sends electrical pulses throughout his body.

Many people stepped up hoping to find a different medical treatment for a range of ailments — diabetes, joint pain and arthritis to name a few.

“I have numbness in my hands,” Probasco said. “I was looking for another solution, something other than more pills. So far, it feels like this is working.”

Probasco joined thousands of others Saturday at the Successful Aging Expo Las Vegas at Cashman Center put on by the Las Vegas Review-Journal to learn about topics relevant to the senior community.

The inaugural event was six months in the making and featured dozens of vendors and exhibits on health care, estate planning, pain management and relief, senior living and various other services specific to senior lifestyles.

“I heard about this event in the paper,” Probasco said. “I wanted to check it out because it would give me a chance to get some of my questions answered without having to pay for a doctor’s visit.”

As both a volunteer for the Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development and a senior herself, Linda Turner said she appreciated the event.

“It’s nice to see so many different vendors out,” she said. “I’m surprised by how many seniors are thirsty to learn about these issues.”

She said that with growing older, it is important to be aware of many of these issues.

“I think seniors also appreciate that someone is paying attention to them,” she said.

Probasco added it is important for seniors to take these topics seriously.

“I tried to get my friends out here, but some said they were too busy,” he said.

Ken Hampton, a volunteer with the Senior Medicare Patrol which helps seniors identify if they are being subjected to health care fraud, said people came up to his booth with a variety of questions on the subject.

“What we do is make sure seniors are educated on medical fraud and make sure they are protecting themselves,” Hampton said.

He said that sometimes when it comes to medical billing, there can be mistakes on what seniors are charged for when they go to a doctor’s office.

“It can be an erroneous mistake on the bill,” he said.

But other times, seniors can be habitually targeted and charged for un­necessary procedures.

“We can sit down with them and see if there is a pattern of abuse,” Hampton said. “We do this to better protect their pocketbooks.”

Along with the vendors, there were seminars throughout the day on a range of topics from Alzheimer’s research, eye and vision care, cancer and the immune system to mail fraud, estate planning and sex after 60.

Tim Syzmanski, the public education and information officer for the Las Vegas Fire Department, taught a seminar on fire safety that also dealt with other health-related tips such as the importance of drinking water to stay hydrated.

“It’s something a lot of folks don’t think about,” he said.

Dr. Robert Odell with the Neuropathy and Pain Management Center, whose booth workers gave people 15-minute treatments, talked about chronic pain and disease in his presentation.

“Often times, Western medicine is not good when it comes to treating chronic pain,” he said.

He gave the audience members tips such as the importance of exercise.

“If you’re already exercising, you don’t need me,” he said. “Exercise keeps you young.”

The event also featured raffles, prizes and entertainment. The Review-Journal plans to put on this event annually.

Contact Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Follow @mjlyle on Twitter.