Delran holds its first senior expo

It was an expo that was “well worth it.”

More than 100 seniors and their caregivers attended the township’s first senior expo in September at the municipal building.

“Before we started talking about a senior event, Councilwoman (Nikki) Apeadu and I spent a lot of time thinking about ways to better serve and reach our senior citizens in town,” Mayor Gary Catrambone said. “Reaching out to seniors is always a challenge, largely because most information and resources are disseminated through social-media these days, and many seniors do not use computers.” 

During the planning of Delran Night Out, township officials were able to speak directly with the Burlington County Sheriff’s Office Senior Services Unit and others agencies.

“… We realized just how many more resources were available to our senior residents,” Catrambone noted. “In fact, when my father-in-law came to live with us before he passed away, I didn’t know just how many resources could have been available to us.”

Many of those resources focus on safety, while others enrich quality of life.   

“Councilwoman Apeadu and I thought it would be a great start if we put as many of those resources as possible in one room together and invited our seniors and their caregivers to the event,” the mayor explained. “Similar to NJ211, we could give them a one-stop shop for whatever their current needs were and also make them aware of resources that they may need some time in the future.”

The expo featured 15 different groups and organizations, including representatives of legislative offices, the New Jersey Division of Taxation, the Burlington County Office on Aging and the county sheriff’s office. In the future, officials hope to also have the county library system’s Mobile Learning Unit and the Social Security Administration join the expo.

“We hope to continue to grow this event each year, adding new participants and engaging even more of our seniors and their caregivers or adult children,” Catrambone said.