NEW PROGRAM WILL GIVE ELDERLY PEOPLE INFORMATION

A new program will help area senior citizens stay informed about topics ranging from nutrition and preventive health care to gardening and financial management.

The SeniorWise program will kick off on March 10 at West Park Mall. Following an 8:30 breakfast, Paul Schnare and Dortha Strack of Sunny Hill Gardens will present a program on "What's New in This Spring's Garden."

Door prizes will be available along with free blood-pressure screenings before and after the program.

The new program is sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center and Schnucks.

SeniorWise is an outgrowth of the discontinued Senior Citizens Activity Day programs that were sponsored by the hospitals, Schnucks and West Park Mall.

Unlike those programs which were always held in the mall, the semimonthly SeniorWise programs will take place in a variety of locations throughout Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area. For example, the May program will be held at the Cape Girardeau Nutrition Center.

The decision to discontinue the Senior Citizens Activity Day programs and replace them with the SeniorWise program was made to provide wider access to health care information to more people.

More information about the new SeniorWise format will be available at the March 10 program.