Charity Age Concern is to bring back free health checks for members for a second year.

The charity will host its first event today and there is still time to sign up.

Anita Furbert, a registered nurse and Age Concern’s education officer, said: “We did three in total last year and this year we are taking the same route.

“We didn’t want to do a one-off. We wanted to make this a staple for the community.

“We wanted to have health checks available at various points through the year so that people who had difficulties could go to these health checks.

“We found that a lot of members, a lot of participants, did not know their health status because they did not go to the doctor just to check on that. The health check was a way to give them information on their specific issues so that they can go more specifically to their private providers to have those things followed.”

Age Concern members who attend will get a range of checks, including blood pressure, blood sugars and weight.

Ms Furbert said: “We have a nutritionist or dietitian who will tell them about what those numbers mean.”

There will also be eye checks, as well as dental screenings.

Ms Furbert added: “And we have asthma and emphysema screening so, we have Open Airways with us. That’s new this year.”

She explained that health professionals will be able to advise people on what steps to take at the end of their health check up.

Ms Furbert said: “That’s the step that we want people to be engaged and involved in — making a difference for themselves.

“If they don’t have a doctor, we can refer them to the health clinics for their blood pressures and blood sugars and those kind of things and they can get referred from there.”

Ms Furbert said the checks were also used to compile statistics on Bermuda’s senior population.

But she emphasised that all information gathered is confidential.

The first screening last year saw about 80 people take part.

Ms Furbert said 40 people had signed up to this session, which will be held at insurance firm Chubb on Hamilton’s Woodbourne Avenue.

She added that the deadline for registration is 2pm on Tuesday. The checks will run from 10am to 3pm.

Shuttle services will run from Bulls Head and City Hall car parks from 9.30am to 2.30pm.

• To sign up, call 238-7525 or e-mail memberadmin@ageconcern.bm