Health Screens

West Suburban Senior Service’s community-based health screen program is coordinated by a Registered Nurse who plans and provides health promotion activities and screenings in community settings where senior citizens congregate on a routine and scheduled basis. These settings include community centers, senior buildings, and other locations where senior citizens meet for club activities. Senior housing sites currently participating in the health screen program include Altenheim Retirement Home, Concord Place, Garden House, Linden House, Melrose Commons, Phoenix Home, and Prairie View Apartments.  Participating senior citizen clubs include Eisenhower Senior Club, Hillside Senior Club, Howard Mohr Community Center, Maywood Nutrition Site, Mature Adult Club, Melrose Park Civic Center Seniors Club, Melrose Park Veterans Park District Senior Club, Rock of Ages Senior Club, and Sharps Senior Club.

Health promotion screenings and activities provide an opportunity for early medical intervention, identification of existing risk factors, monitoring of progress between physician visits, and referrals to appropriate health care providers and community service organizations. The population targeted for the health program is the elderly, with particular emphasis placed on reaching the isolated, frail, and over 85-year-old senior citizens.

Screenings are done by area health care providers and include screens for hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, hearing, podiatry, skin cancer, peripheral artery disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, pulmonary disease, depression, and medication interactions. In addition to the screens, West Suburban Senior Services offers a fall influenza vaccine program with the Cook County Department of Public Health. Flu shots are free to persons age 50 and older.