Events
May 2012
Information and photos from events the Ambassador for Ageing attended in May 2012.
Transition Care Program Seminar - Ballarat, Vic - 31 May 2012
Noeline was invited to attend the Transition Care Program Seminar in Ballarat and this provided her with an opportunity to learn about this important government initiative."I discovered that the Transition Care Program is more than just moving older people from hospital to either their own home or to a residential aged care facility. It is also about providing older people with the care and support they need during a period when they are at their most vulnerable," Noeline said.
Transition care provides older people with a range of important services that help them move from hospital to the living environment that best meets their needs, and Noeline was impressed to learn that the range of services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, podiatry, dietetics therapy as well as personal or nursing care.
The Program started in 2005 and over the past seven years it has grown from 600 places nationally to 4,000.
"The Program gives people time to think about whether they can go home after a hospital visit or whether they need nursing home care. And they certainly do need time because the questions they need to ask themselves are the most difficult in their lives," Noeline said.
"I explained to the audience, which was predominantly health care professionals, that it is not easy for people to make the decision to leave their old life behind to start a new one but it is with their guidance and understanding that the right decision will be made.
"And I asked them not to forget that older people are just like everyone else. They want to have a say in what happens in their lives and sometimes they need time to come to terms with the changes they need to make.
Noeline finished off by acknowledging what a special group of people Transition Care workers are. "I know you are paid to do a job but I think you are part of a workforce that goes the extra mile. You wouldn't do what you do if you weren't special people," Noeline said.
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NSW Meals on Wheels State Conference - Hunter Valley, NSW - 30 May 2012
The picturesque Hunter Valley was the location of this year's Meals on Wheels NSW State Conference.Noeline was thrilled to see so many people from all over NSW attend the conference, and she was given a very warm welcome by everyone.
"Meals on Wheels is an organisation that seems to attract so many wonderful community minded people who want to give their time to help others," Noeline said.
"And it's so much more than delivering food to older people, it's also about building friendships and spending time with people who may have been feeling socially isolated before Meals on Wheels entered their lives.
"During my presentation I congratulated both staff and volunteers alike for the wonderful work they do and I'm sure the conference was beneficial to all the participants," Noeline said.
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Women with Altitude - Penrith, NSW - 25 May 2012
Women with Altitude (WWA) is a not for profit network designed to support and inspire working women of all ages and backgrounds in the Western Sydney region. The network was formed in 2001 and over the years it has connected over 500 women on a regular basis through a variety of events and seminars.Noeline was approached to attend the event by David Bradbury MP, Federal member for Lindsay and Assistant Treasurer, and she was asked to tell a real life story about an inspiring senior Australian and talk about what they did in their life as they aged.
"I thought this was a great opportunity to talk about Steve, who was the first senior Australian I had a conversation with in my role as Ambassador for Ageing," Noeline said.
"Steve used to have a good job in the finance world before he retired. After he left work he travelled around Australia. He did that for some years but once he returned home he decided to take up some part time employment as a hire car driver. He did this to finance his hobby, which was formation skydiving.
"And Steve, who is in his late 60s, is not the only senior Australian jumping out of aeroplanes. He told me about his friend, Jack, who is in his mid 80s," Noeline said.
Noeline explained to the audience that older people are not just sitting on the porch watching the sun go down after they retire. Many are living life to the full.
"But for us to have a fulfilling and active life after we retire, we must plan ahead," Noeline said. "We must eat a balanced diet, we must exercise regularly and we must stay connected to life. These are the things that will give us the energy to do the things we want to do as we age."
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Tweed Seniors Expo - Tweed Heads, QLD - 17 May 2012
The Tweed Seniors Expo was very well attended and in addition to a large hall filled with information booths, there were demonstrations and information sessions on a range of interesting topics which seniors could attend if they were interested.For instance, there was a healthy cooking demonstration, a laughter class, a travel information session, a seminar on how to grow nutritious food and so much more.
Centrelink was there as well - they had a session on how to understand pensions as well as an information seminar on accommodation choices which looked at selling your home, retirement/lifestyle villages and aged care options.
Noeline's presentation drew a big crowd and she talked about the joys of growing older. She reminded people that growing older is inevitable and that if we plan early and look after our health needs we can live a long and happy life.
"Older age can be just as fabulous as the other stages of our lives," Noeline said. "And in today's modern world we have much greater access to information and technology which can help us as we age."
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