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Sandy • Five businesses whose employees contribute to the quality of life for the elderly were honored Thursday by the Salt Lake County Division of Aging Services.
"You've created a culture of caring and giving back in your employees," County Mayor Ben McAdams said in presenting plaques to the companies during the 14th annual Senior Expo at South Towne Exposition Center, 9575 S. State.
Hundreds of seniors attended the expo, which continues Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many carried bags filled with goodies collected at booths set up by local government agencies and companies that deal with various issues impacting older people.
Visitors could get information about living wills, insurance, enrolling in Medicare and getting senior-friendly mortgages. They could obtain free dental and hearings screenings and find out more about hospitals, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice care and mortuaries.
County and state agencies distributed information about consumer protection, registering online to vote and obtaining veteran's license plates.
All of these public and private entities help Aging Services make a difference in "expanding access to quality of life resources," McAdams said. "Looking around at the booths shows how this community rallies around seniors."
The five honored companies have been particularly valuable in doing things for "frail, elderly citizens who can't do it themselves," said county Human Services Director Lori Bays, whose portfolio includes Aging Services.
She gave plaques to:
• American Express and Cirris Systems Corp. for encouraging employees to give up their lunch hours to volunteer with Meals on Wheels
• Zions Bank for painting seniors' homes
• Intermountain Healthcare for helping caregivers for aging family members and friends
• Wasatch Waste and Recycling District, whose garbage-truck drivers pull cans to the street, where they can be emptied, for residents too weak to move them
Annette Atwood said almost all of Cirris Systems' 60 employees help with Meals on Wheels, delivering lunches to people in the low-income Chesterfield neighborhood, between the Jordan River and Redwood Road in West Valley City.
Added colleague Kevin Denning: "It's a chance to get out of the office and see somebody who really appreciates what we do. Everybody comes back to work a little happier."
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