Events

October 2010

Information and events the Ambassador for Ageing attended in October, 2010.

Guest Speaker – Positive Ageing Expo – Griffith, NSW– 29 October 2010

The Griffith, Leeton and Carrathool Shire Councils got together to put on the Postive Ageing Expo in Griffith, NSW, on 29 October. The aim of the Expo was to highlight the things we can do to prevent falls as we age.

And preventing falls is a very important - recent statistics released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare identified unintentional falls as the most common cause of injury-related death and hospitalisations in Australia. Most of these falls involve people over 65 years of age.

During Noeline's talk she urged people to keep active, "Building our muscles and strengthening our bones are important things to do to help prevent falls and reduce injuries, and there are many ways we can get active, like walking the dog or playing a game of tennis,".

Guest Speaker – Falls prevention Dinner – Griffith, NSW – 28 October 2010

Noeline was invited to be one of the guest speakers at a Falls Prevention Dinner for allied health professionals from the Riverina district on Thursday, 28 October.

The dinner not only provided allied health professionals with access to up-to-date information about falls prevention, it also provided a networking opportunity.

Dr Vasi Naganathan, Senior Lecturer and Consultant Geriatrician at the Centre for Education and Research at the University of Sydney (based at Concord Hospital) whose research interests include osteoporosis, falls in the elderly and the application of clinical research to the medical care of older people also spoke at the dinner. The last speaker for the night was Niccola Follett who is employed by Greater Southern Area Health Service as the Area Falls Coordinator. Niccola talked about the NSW Health Falls Prevention Program and initiatives aimed at preventing falls in the community, hospital settings and residential aged care facilities.

It was a great night and Noeline really enjoyed listening to Dr Naganathan and Niccola talk about falls prevention and initiatives aimed at reducing its impact on individuals and the community.

Guest Speaker – Probus Association of Queensland 16th Annual Presidents and Past Presidents Lunch – Redcliffe, QLD – 25 October 2010

Noeline joined with Her Excellency, Ms Penelope Wensley AO, 25th Governor of Queensland and Councillor Allan Sutherland, Mayor of the Moreton Regional Council in celebrating with 300 Presidents and Past Presidents representing 170 Probus Clubs of Queensland. The event was held at the Bramble Bay Bowls Club, Woody Point.

The event provided a great forum to encourage the work of Probus throughout Queensland, particularly noting the benefits that membership of Probus affords in keeping people engaged socially.







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Guest Speaker – Older People Speak Out (OPSO) Media Awards – State Library, Brisbane – 25 October 2010

Hosted by TV and radio presenter Richard Fidler, the OPSO Media Awards were again a highlight for Noeline as she was invited to present the National and People's Choice Media Awards. Noeline acknowledged the wonderful and powerful work of OPSO in promoting the contribution older people make to Australian Society. Noeline also recognised the opportunity that the OPSO Media Awards provided in rewarding the media for articles, photographs, advertisements and features that reflect the positive treatment of seniors and the issues they face.

Noeline concluded her Awards speech by stating "To all the journalists here tonight and those with entries submitted, keep up the good work. Make sure older people are represented accurately and positively in your reporting – remember you yourself will be old one day!"








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Guest Speaker – Inner Wheel of Australia National Conference– Leeton NSW – 23 October 2010

Hundreds of women from all around the country converged on Leeton, NSW, to attend the Inner Wheel of Australia National Conference. Inner Wheel is part of Rotary and its objectives are to promote true friendship and encourage the ideals of personal service.

Noeline was invited along to talk about her role as Ambassador and promote healthy active ageing messages.

Not only did Noeline speak at the conference, she also attended the end of conference dinner at a local club. What a night it was - the food was delicious, the company was great and Noeline was even asked to dance by a few of the men folk. A fabulous night was had by all.






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Guest Speaker – Launch of Mental Health for Older People – SA – 20 October 2010

Staff from the Murray Bridge (SA) Mental Health Services invited Noeline to attend their very worthwhile community Expo, called 'Open Your Mind', which focused on mental health and well being. The Expo is part of Mental Health Week SA activities which are run throughout October each year with the aim of improving community awareness and knowledge about mental health and illness, while reducing stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems.

During Noeline's presentation she spoke about our ageing population and acknowledged that with this comes some challenges, including the need to improve community awareness about mental health problems among older people.

She also stressed the importance of acknowledging the valuable contribution older people have made, and continue to make, to our nation. "If older people have good self esteem they will better cope with ageing," Noeline said.

"And let's not be too hard on ourselves if life gets us down sometimes. Everyone needs a helping hand occasionally so if you feel like you need support to cope with things in your life I encourage you to talk to your doctor or local health service to see what services are available to help you get through the tough times."













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Guest Speaker – Launch of Carers Week – Canberra, ACT – 18 October 2010

Noeline was honoured to recognise the efforts of carers in the community, extending her thanks to the almost 2.9 million people across Australia who provide some form or unpaid or informal care. Noeline recognised that almost a quarter of all carers in Australia are aged 65 years or older.

Noeline officially opened Carers Week at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, noting the great activities that had been planned to thank, celebrate and support carers.











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Guest Speaker – Probus Association of the ACT – ACT – 15 October 2010

The Ambassador received a very warm welcome at the Probus Association's Friendship Luncheon and Travel Expo on 15 October at the Hellenic Club of Canberra. Over 300 participants attended the luncheon and Noeline was thrilled by the reception she received.

As Ambassador for Ageing, Noeline was happy to see people getting together with friends enjoying each others company and discussing activities that keep minds active. Noeline encouraged the audience to try new things to benefit the brain.









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Guest Speaker – U3A Melbourne City Silver Jubilee – VIC – 8 October 2010

The Melbourne City Library was a fantastic setting to hold a lecture on healthy active ageing on 8 October. Organised by U3A Melbourne City as part of their Seniors Week Lecture Series, Noeline congratulated the U3A organisation for understanding the importance of keeping your brain active as you age.

As Ambassador, Noeline would like to see people challenge themselves as they age because it is good for us. "Doing crosswords is a great thing to do but I would also like to see people undertake activities they have not done before, like writing their life story. Not only will it make your brain work and bring back memories from your past that you may have forgotten, but it's also important to record your family's history," Noeline said.













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Guest Speaker – Lake Macquarie Probus Club – NSW – 6 October 2010

Over 250 people from the Lake Macquarie district got together to hear the Ambassador talk about healthy active ageing on 6 October.

Noeline was touched by the warm welcome she received from the guests and the organisers did a fantastic job in organising such a large and well attended event. During her presentation, Noeline talked about her ongoing efforts to dispel the myths about ageing and she could see the audience was full of people who are living life to the full.

Hats off to the Lake Macquarie Probus Club for providing members with a safe and friendly environment for people to come together in friendship.










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