Senior Friendship Centers’ BeWell! Health and Wellness Lecture Series kicks off with Derrick DeSilva, Jr., M.D.

Senior Friendship Centers’ BeWell! Health and Wellness
Lecture Series kicks off with Derrick DeSilva, Jr., M.D.
 
The new BeWell! Health and Wellness Lecture Series, presented by Senior Friendship Centers Alumni Association, will kick off with a lecture by Derrick DeSilva, Jr., M.D., a world-renowned doctor, scientist and educator. The lecture, with its theme “Navigating Personal Wellness Within the Healthcare System,” will be held on Sept. 16 from 5 to 6 p.m., at Senior Friendship Centers Activity Center in Sarasota.

This new health and wellness series is tailored to those aged 50 and above, to empower them to take responsibility for their health by implementing Eastern and Western medical practices to achieve optimal wellness.  

“This new BeWell! Lecture Series affords Gulf Coast seniors the opportunity to stay healthy throughout the journey of aging,” said Senior Friendship Centers President and CEO Erin McLeod. “By bringing in experts such as Dr. DeSilva, we bring new, innovative ideas on health and wellness to our senior population.”
Derrick DeSilva, Jr., M.D., recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in Internal Medicine by New York Magazine and New Jersey monthly, is host of a radio talk show called “Ask the Doctor,” and his own television show, “To Your Health”. He hosts medical segments on CNN and has appeared as a guest on numerous television programs through the years, including ABC’s “Nightline,” “Larry King Live” and is a regular health expert on the TV show “Extra”.

He has been seeing patients for the past 37 years as a practicing internist, with a specialty in internal and longevity medicine. Dr. DeSilva is on the Associate Staff in the Department of Medicine at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, NJ and on the Board of Directors at the American University School of Medicine in Aruba. He has formulated more than 350 dietary supplements and is a published author. Today his medical practice is in Edison, NJ, and he also has a small concierge practice at Mind Body Medicine of Florida, in Sarasota. You can follow him and his popular FB live-streamed “Common Sense Tuesdays” video posts on Facebook at Dr. Derrick DeSilva M.D.

Aging-with-intention is a matter of putting all the health and lifestyle pieces of a puzzle together. “This wellness series is a combination of putting all the pieces that make up this puzzle in place. For example, people tell me they go to the gym, but then they go home and eat bon-bons. Or, they are eating well, but they don’t exercise. The BeWell! series is exactly what it says. Be well by integrating all these modalities that impact your wellness,” Dr. DeSilva explained. “This series will raise people’s awareness,” he said.

One thing everyone could do today to improve their health outcomes, according to Dr. DeSilva, is to take an advocate to your doctors’ appointments. This is extremely important. He also suggests taking prepared questions to your appointments. And, if you have questions and the doctor doesn’t have time to answer your questions, Dr. DeSilva suggests finding another doctor.

There will be two additional BeWell! Health and Wellness Lectures this year, on Oct. 14 and Nov. 4, from 5 to 6 p.m., at Senior Friendship Centers, 1888 Brother Geenen Way in Sarasota.

Those interested in attending BeWell! should make their registration on the Senior Friendship Centers website special events calendar at https://friendshipcenters.org/special-events/
For additional information on the Senior Friendship Centers Alumni Association, please contact Business Development Manager Georgann Nugent, gnugent@friendshipcenters.org