By Dianne Anderson

Seniors will soon be making a beeline off the couch, out of the house and down to their local health fair, where free screenings, food, activities and support can help keep their bodies in good working order for years to come.

At least, that’s the hope.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Salvation Army will host its free Older Adult Health Fair at The Salvation Army Long Beach Boulevard Corps, 3000 Long Beach Blvd.

Seniors and their families can drop in for free health screenings, speakers, activities, food and information from local health and community organizations. No registration is required.

But getting screened is only half the battle.

Once they get there, the other big move is following up on what health providers say is needed. Having no symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a problem.

Just ask John Malveaux, who learned the hard way that feeling healthy isn’t always the same as being healthy.

Malveaux, 84, says no one should wait to get regularly tested because it could be a lifesaver.

He’s always been slim and trim, quick to jump on his bike first thing in the morning, never a big meat eater and, for the most part, eating a clean diet. One thing he did ignore was following up on a simple prostate blood test because he felt great.

That was a big mistake.

For the past three years, he’s been taking Nubeqa, a medication used to treat certain types of advanced prostate cancer. The medication has been tolerable.

“It’s working so far, so I’m truly blessed on that. They haven’t had to make any surgery or anything, and it’s a possibility that they’ll take me off of it.”

While cancer death rates have fallen overall in recent decades, Black men have the highest prostate cancer mortality rate, according to the National Cancer Institute. Black women also face high breast cancer impact, even as their incidence is 6% lower than white women, their death rate is 35% higher, according to the American Association for Cancer Research.

Although Malveaux chose to wait, which is a problem, for many Black patients, getting the right diagnosis at the right time is a struggle of its own.

Health advocates point to different outcomes, such as access to screening, affordable medical care, early diagnosis and treatment. And in many cases, Black patients’ concerns are dismissed because of racial bias, or they have to run through the gauntlet of repeated visits before getting a real answer.

Either way, any delay in diagnosis is a matter of life and death. Early detection and treatment mean a better chance of survival.

It’s also one reason local advocates want seniors and families to turn out to their free Older Adult Health Fair.

Organizers typically see 200 to 300 seniors participate in their free health screenings, speakers, activities, food and information from local health and community organizations.

The health fair grew out of the Salvation Army’s Silver Club, an ongoing program serving about 50 older adults with daily activities, monthly field trips, speakers and vendors covering health and other issues of interest to seniors. Members also receive daily hot meals and snacks.

Donna Marshall said the health fair offers a lot of the essentials, but the three things seniors ask for most each year are massages from California Healing Arts College students, the smoothie bar and vendor giveaways.

“We wanted to give the community an opportunity to experience all the things we offer on a day-to-day bases but on a larger scale. Older Adult daily program (Silver Club) is a program that provides daily activities, monthly fieldtrips, vendors and speakers providing education and information about various issues and/or tops that our of interests to our senior population,” she said.

For seniors who want to keep their health checks going, they can check out other free resources around Long Beach.

The Community Resource Center, 5599 Atlantic Ave. offers free in-person classes and services, including fitness and nutrition programs, healthy-cooking classes, dental screenings and CPR and first-aid training. The center also periodically holds Healthy Eating Resource Fairs. Call 562-256-9810 or check the center’s calendar for upcoming dates

For seniors looking for another free health fair, the Golden Future Senior Expo is also coming up Saturday, Oct. 3, five days before the Salvation Army event. That event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Long Beach Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive. Admission and self-parking are free, with health screenings, workshops, speakers, giveaways and other senior resources available.

For more information and resources:

Salvation Army: https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/ca/long-beach/long-beach-blvd-corps/older-adult-health-fair/

Free Golden Future Senior Expo

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/golden-future-senior-expo-long-beach-edition-tickets-1980709332934

Community Resource Center: https://www.communityresourcecenterla.org/locations/long-beach