St. John's PremierPlus hosts first St. John's Totally Healthy Senior Retreat

St. John’s Health System and St. John’s PremierPlus are partnering for the first Totally Healthy Senior Retreat May 15-16 at Chateau on the Lake in Branson. The event’s host is retired KY3 weatherman and St. John’s PremierPlus spokesman Tom Dye.

“St. John’s has hosted the Totally Healthy Woman Retreat since 2002 and we’ve had great success with it as an educational and relaxing weekend getaway for women,” says Susan Blackard, R.N., vice president of St. John’s Corporate Health and Wellness. “This year, St. John’s wanted to offer a similar getaway aimed at those 55 and older.” Instead of a weekend retreat, the event will be a weekday retreat.

Speakers include Dr. Norm Shealy, who will share his ground-breaking anti-aging strategies; Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, who will address the growing problem of identity theft; and Donna Pagano, a certified financial planner and the keynote speaker for the 2005 St. John’s Totally Healthy Woman Retreat.

Pagano will speak about “Love Letters to Your Family,” a system that helps families “get their house in order” – financially and emotionally – before they die or become incapacitated.

Dye and his wife Joy look forward to spending time with other seniors at the retreat. Their approach to aging is simple: “eat right and keep moving,” Dye says.

Attendees won’t want to miss Dee Dee Lennon’s message, “Because I Can.”

A breast cancer survivor, Lennon focuses on staying healthy and enjoying life. She was deemed cancer-free Aug. 31, 1994, a day she now celebrates every year with her family. “Time is precious – I don’t want to waste a minute,” she says.

Carol Jones, president and CEO of Carol Jones Realtors, will discuss how to get what you want out of life. Motivational speaker Dennis Swanburg will share his encouraging message about the joy of living.

Retreat attendees will also enjoy healthy activities such as mini-facials, chair massages, and yoga and educational breakout sessions on heart health, alternative medicine, arthritis, Medicare, financial planning, long-term care, sexuality, nutrition, travel, men’s health, diabetes and foot care.

Personal health consults on acupuncture, how to interpret your lab results, fitness and nutrition, reflexology, biofeedback, foot care and vitamin/herb/medication interactions are available for $25 each.
 
“Wellness on Tour, St. John’s health and wellness bus, will also be there,” Blackard says. “Attendees can schedule their physicals, mammograms, bone-density tests or PSAs (prostate functioning tests) and get them done on the bus while they’re at the retreat.” St. John’s will bill your insurance company for the tests.

St. John’s PremierPlus members who attend the retreat will be treated to a complimentary dinner and show on the Showboat Branson Belle, courtesy of St. John’s PremierPlus, Blackard says.
St. John’s will provide transportation from Springfield to the Chateau for seniors who don’t drive but wish to attend the retreat.