"Look, Ma, No Plan!"; Elder Care Expo is Place to Start a Family Conversation About Aging

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Steve Dahlberg
Elder Care Expos, LLC
info@choosingeldercare.com
(651) 204-0266

St. Paul, Minn., May 6, 2008 -- No one likes to talk about elder care. Almost no one plans enough for getting older. And no one wants aging to happen to them. During Mother's Day weekend, Minnesotans will have the opportunity to give mom (and dad) the best gift ever -- a conversation about aging. A gift that doesn't wilt.

Elder Care Expo 2008 provides to the more than half-million Minnesota caregivers the elder care resources, answers and solutions they need to get started -- all in one place. The Expo is May 9 and 10, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day in the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Education Building in St. Paul, Minn.
http://www.choosingeldercare.com/

"Most people's introduction to the world of elder care happens unexpectedly, when they are in crisis mode and something bad happens to them or to a loved one," says Elder Care Expo Co-Founder Julie Groshens. "The purpose of Elder Care Expo is to help people plan ahead and to be less reactionary in their approach to elder care.

"We also link the resources and the answers that people who are grappling with these issues right now are frantic to find."

The Expo brings together under one roof the government agencies, nonprofits and private organizations that can help people make better caregiving choices. Elder Care Expo attendees will have access to more than 90 educational seminars on topics such as reverse mortgages, avoiding scams, choosing the right insurance and healthcare, reporting elder abuse, identifying housing options, exploring Medicare Parts A, B, C and D, and many more important topics. Attendees also can receive a free, elder care planning consultation from county and state aging experts.

The Expo features more than 100 companies, nonprofits and government organizations that will showcase products and services that can help people stay independent and improve their quality of life. These exhibitors will be on site to personally discuss ways to help seniors care for themselves and their families now, and to help boomers care for their parents and plan for their own futures.

"We all have an elder care story to tell," says Groshens. "Elder Care Expo will provide the knowledge and tools that Minnesotans need to ensure that their elder care story unfolds in the best possible way."

Find more information about the Expo by visiting http://www.choosingeldercare.com/ or by calling (651) 204-0266. Expo tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased online or at the door.

Elder Care Expo Sponsors include Augustana Care Corporation, Presbyterian Homes and Services, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Accra Care Inc., and WCCO Radio. Supporting Partners include Minnesota Senior Federation, Minnesota Adult Day Care Service Association, At Home Solutions, ElderCare Rights Alliance, Minnesota Creative Arts and Aging Network, Vital Aging Network, and the University of Minnesota Center on Aging.

About Elder Care Expo:
Elder Care Expo 2008 is produced by a team with more than 50 years of experience in consumer events, educational programming and gerontology. In addition, they have personally been involved with hospice volunteer work and caregiving to older family members, while raising children. Today, one in five adults is responsible for managing some aspect of the finances and/or healthcare of a family member who is 65 or older, and approximately 80 percent of home-care services are provided by family caregivers. Elder Care Expo is Minnesota's first educational event designed to bring together government agencies, nonprofits and private organizations under one roof and with one simple goal: helping baby boomers, their parents and seniors plan for and find solutions for their elder care challenges. Elder Care Expos, LLC, also publishes the Choosing Elder Care blog at:
http://www.choosingeldercare.com/blog