Billie Kimble, Anna Powell, and Betty Putnam wait for a free cholesterol screening from Kathy Young of Bremen Community Hospital during Tuesday’s annual Health Fair in Plymouth. Pilot Photo/Rusty Nixon

By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Success, as well as change, is a good thing, when it comes to health.
The Marshall County Council on Aging hosted its annual Health Fair at the Life Enrichment Center and the success of the event is forcing a change in the yearly event for next year.
“Next year we’re going to be moving to the LifePlex gymnasium,” said Jackie Wright of the Marshall County Council on Aging. “We’re going to expand and make a ‘Senior Expo’ with all sorts of new things.”
Wright explained that the wide variety of services and options available have the Life Enrichment Center bursting at the seams.
“We had to turn away five vendors this year because we just didn’t have the space for them,” she said. “We don’t advertise for vendors, they come to us.”
The number of companies supplying the needs of a large segment of the population is a big reason for the growth.
“’Baby Boomers’ are a large segment the population now,” said Wright. “If they aren’t looking for services for themselves they’re looking for their parents. Car dealers, retail stores, restaurants, even newspapers have products geared for these consumers now because they have a large amount of buying power.”
In addition to the products and services available to older adults, the fair also provides tools to use towards better health care. Free health screenings for cholesterol levels, blood pressure, glucose levels, glaucoma and hearing are available. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center will also provided mammograms.  The Mobile Medical Unit at the site is the only one of its kind in Indiana.
Flu shots are also available at the event and when the fair moves to the LifePlex next year, Wright hopes that even more things will be available to those in attendance.
“We’re hoping to add entertainment, a catered breakfast and a lot of other things,” said Wright. “With the added space and better available parking we hope this will be an even bigger yearly event.”