ATHABASCA – Seniors in Athabasca and Boyle had an opportunity to continue with their lifelong education, thanks to the annual Seniors Symposium put on by the Athabasca County branch of Family and Community Support Services (FCSS).
Some 90 seniors made it out to the two-day event, split between the town and the village on June 3 and 5, to listen to experts talk about scam prevention, estate planning, deathcare, and more.
“The ultimate goal, when we’re putting on a seniors symposium, is that the participants leave with more information than they came in with,” said Kim Lewis, Athabasca County’s seniors advocate and organizer of the symposium.
Lewis said the fraud prevention section, led by former Global News journalist and peace officer Julie Matthews, was a big hit with the seniors. Matthews, whose latest career move has seen her turn to fraud consulting, was able to provide the group with relevant, rurally focused advice.
“Sometimes the frauds and such that we’re seeing in rural areas are a little bit different than what we’re seeing in the bigger centres,” said Lewis.
On a more local level, seniors heard from Kate Nunn, an Athabasca-based attorney who spoke about the importance of estate planning in life’s late stages.
Other topics included personal wellness — a critical component of aging in rural communities — and a talk from a death doula.
“The symposium went really well. The feedback was very positive. I believe a lot of people came out with a lot more information, feeling quite good,” said Lewis.
“We’re all pleased with the outcome. It’s a lot of work, and we certainly wouldn’t be able to do it without a lot of people assisting me here at FCSS.”
