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From Staff Reports

 

AMERICUS – On Wednesday, September 13, more than 500 senior citizens from Americus, Sumter County and surrounding counties and from far away as Macon came for Innovative Senior Solutions’ Senior Fall Festival.

The event was held at South Georgia Technical College’s gymnasium and it was standing room only, as participants were able to visit vendors, show their talents and play bingo with hundreds of players.  Participants also had lunch and were able to dance, network and enjoy each other’s company after a few years of being away from the Festival due to the Covid pandemic.

The Innovative Senior Festival was founded in 2010 and the purpose of the event is to link together community based services and resources to senior citizens and their families.  In addition, the festival also is an opportunity to bring awareness to seniors and individuals with disabilities, including their options and different services available to assist them to help stay in their homes and be active members of their community as long as possible.

“We were very pleased with the turnout; the event continues to get bigger and bigger every year,” said Eshonda Blue, RN, CEO of Innovative Senior Solutions.  “All indicators show that a silver tsunami is coming. This means a number of things.  Seniors are the fastest growing populations, and in seven years, all of the baby boomers will have reached the age of 65. The need for caregivers is expected to increase by 75%, so it is imperative that we spread the word to our community leaders. The purpose of the festival is to expand our community’s caregiving capacity with a mission awareness to caregivers needs, advance social and public policies, provide resource development and enhancing our overall caring community.”

According to Blue, next year’s Innovative Senior Festival has been slated for September 11, 2024.

“We want to thank all of sponsors, vendors, volunteers and of coursem the seniors who attended this year’s Festival,” said Blue.  “It was a great day and we look forward to seeing everyone in 2024.”

About Innovative Senior Solutions

For sisters Eshonda Blue and Jessica Wright, the journey into senior care started with a deeply personal experience that became their life’s calling.

The time they spent caring for their aging grandmother led them to found Innovative Senior Solutions in 2007, as the first licensed home care provider in Sumter County, Georgia and a licensed Medicaid provider in 2008.

Both founders are lifelong Georgia residents and registered nurses whose personal and professional experience makes them an asset to the community. In 2016, Innovative Senior Solutions was selected to participate in the Georgia Mentor Protégé Program and receive additional business and leadership coaching from a Fortune 500 company. Today, Innovative Senior Solutions has evolved from a home care agency to a focus on innovative approaches to care such as adult day care, personal care homes and industry consultants.