Governor to speak at senior seminar

Area senior citizens will have a chance Monday to hear Gov. John Bel Edwards speak and learn about how to protect themselves from becoming victims of crime and report incidents of abuse.
District Attorney Bo Duhe of Louisiana’s 16th Judicial District will host a Senior Citizens Educational Seminar from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at the Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel Pavilion in Charenton. The seminar is free and open to the public. Lunch will be included. Attendees must be at least 21 years old.
The governor’s office con-firmed that, as of this morning, Edwards is still scheduled to speak at the event, but his schedule is subject to change. Duhe expects Edwards to speak about what’s going on in the state and how that affects senior citizens.
The district attorney’s office has held the seminar for many years to educate senior citizens on services provided within the district’s jurisdiction of St. Mary, St. Martin and Iberia parishes, Duhe said.
Among the information provided includes protection against phone scams, emotional and physical abuse by caregivers and other criminal activity “that the elderly are generally susceptible to,” Duhe said.
With the increased use of online social media, senior citizens have become more susceptible to online scams, too, Duhe said.
Sometimes, senior citizens are afraid they will lose a caregiver if they report that the caregiver is taking financial advantage of them or abusing them, he said. Caregivers are often family members, and seniors also worry about the effects on the family of reporting an incident.
“The more we educate senior citizens, the more they may be inclined to report (incidents),” Duhe said.
The District Attorney’s Office has staff members who are responsible for investigating reports of elderly abuse. Those employees first determine if the complaint is credible, and, if so, they turn the investigation over to law enforcement, Duhe said.
Lots of other agencies and entities assist in putting on the seminar. The district is fortunate to have “very active” councils on aging and AARP chapters, Duhe said.