Senior citizens who are sifting through their options for Medicare's upcoming prescription drug program can hear from federal and state officials and five plan providers at a series of workshops throughout the Islands.

The forums, organized by AARP Hawaii, are intended to help senior citizens prepare before the May 15 enrollment deadline for what Medicare officials are calling the most important change in the program's 40-year history.

Forms will be available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Ilocano and Tagalog to help seniors compare differences among various plans. The sessions themselves will be conducted in English.

Experts will be attending the forums from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Executive Office on Aging Sage PLUS program and Social Security Administration. Representatives from United Healthcare, AlohaCare, HMSA 65 C+, Kaiser Permanente and Secure Horizons are also scheduled to attend.

The sessions will be held: