Hatch focuses on Utah seniors

At 73, Utah's senior senator has a favorite bumper sticker that may serve him well as his congressional colleagues continue to get younger: "Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill."

Sen. Orrin Hatch shared the saying with the 1,000-plus attendees at his annual Conference for Seniors, now in its 20th year. The daylong conference Monday at Little America Hotel had workshops on a variety of topics, from coping with memory loss and volunteering in the community to identity-theft protection and bargain grocery shopping.

"A lot of our seniors don't know where to go," Hatch said of his motivation for hosting the conference with his wife, Elaine, each year. "This is a practical way to bring the government to them."

This year's conference had an added focus on men's health, with representatives from the Men's Health Network, a national nonprofit organization, offering health screenings and glaucoma testing throughout the day.

Keynote speaker Anthony Principi, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, praised the six-term senator for his record on health issues, particularly his support of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which offers health-care coverage to low-income children.

"He recognizes that all of the innovative breakthroughs in the world won't make a difference if people don't have access to them," said Principi, now vice president of government relations at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., which helped sponsor Monday's event.

Hatch hosts two annual conferences, one for Utah seniors and a fall women's conference. Last October, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and singer Michael Bolton were the keynote speakers at the women's conference.

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com