Johnson County Kansas

In my role as director, I get to meet many amazing people. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with one such person: Luci Capo Rome, a retired advanced practice professional nurse, whose pen name is Bella Lucia. Luci was born with a congenital, severe and complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. Cleft lip and palate affect one of every 700 live births.

The Commission on Aging will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 and Oct. 11, in the Sunset Drive Office Building, 11811 S. Sunset Drive, Olathe. For more information, call 913-715-8860 or 800-766-3777 TDD or visit jocogov.org/coa.

The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated on Oct. 1. The purpose of the day is to increase awareness of the impact of an aging population.

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is funding a statewide initiative called Kansas 60+ Nutrition Counseling.

In partnership with Johnson County’s Area Agency on Aging and K-State Research and Extension, Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s 50 Plus Program is bringing back the Aging Mastery Program in September.

The Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program features trained instructors to cover a variety of range-of-motion endurance-building activities and relaxation techniques. Each 45-minute workout has a suggested $3 donation per person and can be paid each day class is attended. Preregistration is not required for in-person classes. These classes are ongoing and can be attended weekly at your convenience.

Sept. 18-22, 2023, is designated as Falls Prevention Week, a nationwide effort to raise awareness that falls are preventable, with a theme “From Awareness to Action.”

Arthritis is a disease that impacts nearly 60 million Americans, making it the number one cause of disability in the country. That means one in every four adults, 300,000 children and countless families are affected by arthritis.

The Commission on Aging will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 12, and Aug. 9, in the Sunset Drive Office Building, 11811 S. Sunset Drive, Olathe. For more information, call 913-715-8860 or 800-766-3777 TDD or visit jocogov.org/coa.