Free Senior Wellness Program Offered by Adventist Health Sonora
Sonora, CA – Adventist Health Sonora offers seniors 65 years and older in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties a free wellness program called “OakPlus,” which includes health-education seminars and select discounts on medical products and services. “OakPlus was developed nearly twenty years ago as a health outreach program to the area’s sizeable retirement-age population,” says Lindsay Brewer, director of marketing and public relations for Adventist Health Sonora. “We have always been interested in preventive, whole-person health care, so the OakPlus program has been a natural for our area.”
The keystone of the program is the bimonthly seminar series held during a lunch hour at the Tuolumne County Senior Center, just up the street from the hospital. Typically, a physician or health-care professional gives a 45-minute talk on a medical topic, then entertains a question-and-answer session with the audience. “Topics have ranged from arthritis relief to new treatments for cardiac conditions,” Brewer says. She adds that other recent topics have included joint replacement surgery, prostate cancer treatment, and how to be your own health advocate. Members are notified in advance by postcard of the upcoming seminar topic and speaker. Light refreshments are served at the seminar. The remaining seminars in 2017 will occur on Thursday, September 21 and Thursday, November 16, both from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Membership in OakPlus also provides savings on select Adventist Health Sonora products and services: 15 percent off over-the-counter items at their Community Pharmacies, plus discounts on prescriptions (which vary, depending on the Rx); 15 percent off retail items at their Sonora Oxygen and Medical Supply; 50 percent off exercise classes at their LivingWell Fitness Center; and a 10 percent discount at Adventist Health Sonora’s cafeteria.
Brewer says becoming an OakPlus member is easy. “If you’re eligible, just give us your name, mailing address and birthdate, and you’re in!” For more information or to join OakPlus, call 209-536-5025.
