Celebration of Seniors resource fair slated for Friday in Westport

WESTPORT — The fifth annual Bristol County Celebration of Seniors will offer speakers who will talk about a variety of issues and a resource fair with some 90 agencies — plus a free breakfast.

The free event will be held at Whites of Westport on Friday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Presented by Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III and Coastline Elderly Services, along with several other sponsors, the event will be a one-stop shop for seniors interested in a variety of topics, including health care, estate planning, housing, fraud prevention, elder activities and more.

“Over the last few years, it’s really expanded,” Quinn said.

Roughly 500 seniors attended the event last year.

Quinn said the event is aimed at protecting elders from abuse and fraud.

“We want to protect our senior citizens, primarily through prevention,” Quinn said.

When Quinn became district attorney several years ago, he said he witnessed fraud aimed at seniors. To deal with the growing issue, a unit was created to protect elders, who can sometimes be more vulnerable to a variety of scams.

“People prey on them,” Quinn said. “We’re trying to spread the message of prevention.”

The event will open with breakfast at 9 a.m. with a welcome from Paula Shiner, CEO of Coastline Elderly Services.

Opening remarks at 10 a.m. will be given by Quinn, Elizabeth Chen, secretary of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, and Dave Webster, president of Senior Whole Health.

A legislative update will be offered by Mike Festa, state director of AARP Massachusetts, at 10:20 a.m.

At 10:30 a.m., Attorney Jane Sullivan will speak to elders about estate planning and elder law.

Lauren Langevin of Home Instead Senior Care and Kevin Smith of Best of Care will talk about what seniors need to know when considering home care or hiring a home care worker/ agency, at 10:40 a.m.

The resource fair will run from 11 a.m. to noon.

Resource tables include AARP, Alert Sentry, Alzheimer’s Association, Bristol Elder Services, Bristol County District Attorney, Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, Crawford Health, Cottages at Dartmouth Village, Dignity Memorial, Diocesan Health, Elder Dental Program, Family Services, Happier in My Home, New Bedford Council on Aging, People Inc., Phillips Lifelinie, Rite Aid, Sarah Brayton Nursing Center, SHINE, Social Security Adminsitration, Southcoast VNA, St. Anne’s Hospital, Swansea Council on Aging, Westport Council on Aging, White Cross Pharmacy, YMCA of Southeastern MA, and many more.

Those planning to attend can RSVP to 508-961-1973 or Eric.M.Poulin@state.ma.us.

Email Deborah Allard@heraldnews.com.