West Fargo Holds First-Ever Senior Extravaganza

The conference was designed to listen to seniors' concerns and keep them safe from scams

WEST FARGO, ND — West Fargo wants to keep its senior citizens safe from scams and held a first of it’s kind event at the West Fargo Convention Center.

The city wanted a way to connect to its senior citizen population better and created the Seniors 60+ Extravaganza.

The goal is to keep them informed about issues that the elderly frequently encounter.

“We want to make seniors feel welcome, we want them to know that we appreciate what they’ve done over the years to make our community better,” said Mark Simmons, West Fargo City Commissioner.  “They deserve respect and they deserve accolades.”

One of the biggest issues city leaders heard was access to affordable housing.

“As a city, as a commission and as a community, we jump together and we started building twin homes, town homes, Shyenne Crossings, places like that,” said Simmons.

In addition to housing, another concern facing West Fargo seniors is to keep them safe from scams.

“It’s just important that seniors especially are aware of the scams that are out there and what to do to protect themselves, especially when it comes to those scams perpetrated over the phone,” said Tonya Hetzler, with the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office.  “They need to know to hang up, hang up, hang up.”

Hetzler says that scams come in many forms.

She says to never give out personal information over the phone, and that legitimate businesses don’t mind being checked out.

In the end, Hetzler has one piece of advice for any situation.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” said Hetzler.

Other topics covered by the event included the positive aspects of aging and improving personal confidence.

The event was free of charge and organized by the West Fargo Area Community Program.

Over 100 seniors were in attendance.