The Council on Aging put on a Body and Soul Health Fair last Thursday, featuring a number of panelists, booths, and other vendors to help spread awareness and help those in attendance get in touch with their mental and physical health.
The event featured more than 20 exhibitors ranging from in-town agencies like the Marblehead Mental Health Task Force and the Police and Fire departments, to the North Shore Public Health Collaborative.
The fair was put together by Council on Aging Outreach Coordinator Sharon Doliber, who said she got the idea to hold a health fair after overhearing a conversation two women were having about their primary care physicians. Doliber said she wanted to help educate people, particularly seniors, on mental and physical health, as well as destigmatize going to see a personal-care provider or using other methods of treatment.
“It got me thinking about what perceptions people have, particularly us older adults, as to what choices we have for our medical care,” Doliber said. “So many things have changed over the years, particularly now with pain management and different options that we have to choose from.”
Doliber said that there was a steady crowd throughout the fair, which ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A number of the exhibitors had interactive demonstrations as well as samples of health and wellness products that the companies and organizations provide.
The panel consisted of six speakers who each focused on specific areas of health and wellness, including retired integrative herbal practitioner Margi Flint, who owns Earthsong Herbals in town, to state Rep. Jenny Armini, who is working on mental-health bills to help Massachusetts residents at the state level.
Other panelists included Dr. Marc Daniel Sibella, DO; Lynn O’Neal, LMHC, CIMHP; Dr. Andy Dubois, ND; and Dr. Nicole Melian, DA.c.
Doliber said that there was significant engagement among those in attendance and many came away with a new perspective on ways to improve their own mental and physical health. She added that she hopes to hold another fair in the future and says it is important to help expose people to new possibilities when talking about health and wellness.
“I think it was a nice eye-opener for people,” Doliber said. “Our world is changing. I think people came away going ‘OK, yeah, that’s something I might try.’ There’s an array of choices that we have now.”