Penticton

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Walkers drop off medications, get health tips at SOEC track

Visitors to the walking track at the South Okanagan Events Centre were  invited  to drop off used medications and get fitness tips Tuesday morning.

Several seniors making the rounds stopped by a table to place pills and other items in a container and get tips on quitting smoking, watching their sugar intake and using walking poles.

“This is an excellent idea because it  provides somewhere to take medications,” said Ron Brace of Penticton. “As for the fitness, people are never sure if they are doing enough.”

Jennifer Young, the pharmacist from Riverside Pharmasave Health Centre, who dispensed advice and accepted items, said the drop off will be offered monthly at track talks held at the SOEC.

She stressed it is important so medications do not go into water or landfills or cause harm to anyone who comes in contact with them.

Others who regularly walk at the track said people often wonder what to do with old pills, so it’s good to have places to do so, available.

“A lot of different medicines have been put in the dump for years,” said Murray Mitchell. “Now we are finally smartening up about these things, because they can come back to bite you.”

The track is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the SOEC, to offer a hub for safe walking in Penticton.