Local men’s Wellness Expo features tips on health, golf
A recent health fair at Innsbrook Country Club wasn’t the same old, same old.
As part of National Men’s Health Month, the Men’s Wellness Expo, sponsored by St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, welcomed hundreds of visitors. They received up-to-date information on myriad of topics pertinent to them — and also a few golf tips to boot.
“I like to stay on top of any health issues I need to know about,” said Tim Ogrenek, of Highland, as he began his trip to the dozen information booths. “Let’s face it, when men have specific problems, they don’t always follow through with a doctor’s appointment. They want to tough it out’.”
Health screenings, literature geared toward men, and discussions with professionals were on the day’s agenda
“We have many other types of health fairs, so why not one that targets men?” said St. Mary Medical Center marketing director Chris Shield, as he greeted visitors. “Our goal is to keep families healthy — and that includes men.”
Various hospital departments were represented, among them Joint and Pain, Urology and Mental Health.
“Everything works together — the body and the mind are so connected,” said Samantha Ramsey, of St. Catherine Hospital’s Behavioral Medicine Dept., as she set up booklets on her table. “We need to pay attention to that.”
Richard Jacobs, of Gary, agreed.
“I was glad to see what they offered here,” he said, as his finished his visit to all of the booths. “The pamphlets and handouts are very valuable, there’s a lot of facts we need to know. And the screenings I took gave me a peace of mind.”
Father and son Randall and Scott McEuen, both of Hobart, spent quality time talking with each other and visiting the booths.
“I’m happy to see such a great turnout here,” Scott said, while the duo took a break for refreshments. “A lot of time men want to deny that they have health problems. The material we’re getting here today is showing us how important it is to not ignore them — and that gives us confidence on how to handle them.”
During the afternoon, PGA golf professional Fred Funk was on hand to talk not only about golf advice, but also to mention how men should pay attention to exactly how they conduct their sports.
Swinging a golf club, bending to tee off and retrieving balls all come into play. Being aware of how they use their body motion, especially when it comes to muscles, is very important.
After talking one-on-one with visitors, as well as addressing those in a group setting, Funk made an unexpected spontaneous gesture, as he led a small group out of the ballroom to a nearby practice green. There, he answered questions about stance and more, while hitting a golf ball.
Back inside the venue, the group commented on the spur-of-the-moment lesson.
“I’m new to the golf game, and there’s so much to learn,” said Paulie Parker, of Merrillville. “One thing I didn’t realize was that preparing your body before, during and after you play a sport is an important health issue. I see that men have to have a good overall handle on everything that goes on with them — just like women do. We can learn a lot from their take on health awareness.”
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.