SMARTER SENIORS FORUM

	The County of Los Angeles and the City of Redondo Beach held a "Smarter Seniors Forum" at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on April 7, this year. This forum was well attended by a large number of senior residents from throughout the South Bay, Prior to the presentation, the attendees were able to register and peruse the numerous exhibits while being entertained with live music, performed by a talented volunteer group of retired musicians called "The Swinging Seniors".

The program started at 1:45 pm with an introduction by Smarter Seniors Coordinator, Diane Baer, of the County of Los Angeles Departmnet of Consumer Affairs. Diane introduced Redondo Beach Mayor, Mike Gin, who welcomed everyone in attendance.

The members of the forum were experts in their fields and covered many of the topics affecting us at this time. (A list of contact points is provided at the conclusion of this article). The first speaker was Zachery Roman, who gave hints on how to recognize the signs of physical, emotional and financial abuse that are inflicted on the older members of our community. He informed those in attendance how they could get help and where they could report any abuse they found.

An investigator for the Federal Trade Commission, Ann Stahl, gave tips on how to spot fraudulent methods that are targeting seniors, as well as ways to protect yourself and where to get help if you become a victim.

Mitchell Karasov, who chairs the Elder Law Committee of the Los Angeles Bar Association, told attendees how to make their own health care decisions and how to protect their property and assets for their survivors.

Who will take care of you if you can't take care of yourself? This problem was answered by Fernando Plazola, Division Chief, from the Office of Public Guardian, County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health. Fernando Plazola explained the things that were both good and bad about conservatorships. In particular he pointed out when they should be considered and how they might be of help to you.

We have all seen the store front outfits that offer to provide cash while you are waiting for that paycheck or other check to clear. Jackie Willey-Sistrunk, a member of SAIF (Seniors Against Investment Fraud) stated that you could end up paying as much as 240% in annual interest if you take them up on their offer! She said that there are many safer options available to you if you have to borrow money,

Real Estate Fraud is a very real problem in today's economy. Maritza Gutierrez (a Supervizing Investigator for the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs) gave valuable information on this subject, including unlicensed contractors, foreclosure consultants, the difference between adjustable and fixed rate loans etc. She said that her department will provide help regarding anything involving Homeowner Complaints.

Raymond Johnson explained about the special tax programs that are available to help seniors pay their property taxes.

The Chief Supervising Investigator for the Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs, Rigoberto Reyes, talked at length about the one thing that is on most of our minds at the moment - "Identity Theft". He gave many valuable examples of how we can reduce the risk of someone stealing our identity and subsequently the equity in our home and other assets. More importantly, he offered methods to repair the damage and who to contact for help in these matters.

At the conclusion of the forum, those in attendance were asked to recite the following "Smarter Seniors Pledge"

The forum was well worth attending and very informative. I hope many of our members were in attendance, However, if you weren't, you should be able to get further information on any of the topics by contacting the appropriate agency from the list below.