Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, hosted her third annual Senior Resource Fair at the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center at Bella Vida on Thursday morning.
The event featured 30 different vendors including Southern California Gas Co., Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency.
There were also different keynote presentations about how to spot scams, which was one of the main themes during the event, and how caregivers can help people with Alzheimer’s disease as well.
Schiavo said she began this event because seniors are such a large part of the community, and she wanted them to feel connected.
“It’s hard times for everyone and seniors are struggling to make ends meet just like anyone else. And, you know, to make sure that we can find out about programs that give people a break on their utility bills or things that can help them prevent scams, which are a huge, huge issue for seniors … we want to make sure that seniors aren’t falling through the cracks and really have the support to thrive after they’ve worked so hard and really deserve it,” Schiavo said.
Kevin MacDonald, CEO of the SCV Senior Center, loves this day because it gives seniors a chance to learn about all the different resources that they otherwise would not have known about.
“It just shows the love that this community has for seniors, and that’s what we care most about. They come here every day for nutrition and meals and counseling and to fix their homes or whatever else they need. You know, that’s why they come to the senior center and to offer a day of additional resources, it’s just a bonus,” MacDonald said.
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, also emphasized the issues that seniors are experiencing with scams and fraud, too.
“The numbers are really scary. When I talk to people out in the community, and we talk about scams, almost everybody with an older family member has a personal story to share, and that’s a scary, scary thing,” Whitesides said.
Whitesides had praise for the SCV Senior Center, too.
“We’re so lucky to have this senior center in our district, and it gives me a great sense of hope that we can provide, you know, the services that the elderly need to live great lives, and also a community is so important, right? Like to be part of a community is you know, proven to be a big indicator of happiness,” Whitesides said.
Susan Shear, an active member at the SCV Senior Center, said she is always learning new things at the resource fair and being with friends makes it better.
Shear said she was experiencing some personal matters with fraud the same morning and now has learned how to prevent herself from being scammed again.