Photo: Participants at work in the first workshop on 3 June.
The first workshop for Healthy North Coast’s Healthy Living And Ageing Strategy was held in Coffs Harbour on 3 June 2021. The workshop was an opportunity for consumers, clinicians and service providers to give their insights into the ageing process, with a view to getting more people in the community to age well in the future.
The workshop was the first in a series that will support the development of a systems dynamic model to provide a blueprint for new investment in services and approaches to ageing. This modelling will draw on ideas obtained from the workshops, supplemented with additional data.
Monika Wheeler, Executive Director of Wellness, said of the first workshop, ‘It was great to have such a diverse group of workshop participants such as retirees, older people living alone, GPs, nurses and representatives from ageing services and local government.
‘The importance of social supports and reducing isolation for older people was highlighted by participants. The need for high-quality ageing services was also a common theme,’ she said.
Projections indicate that 30% of the North Coast population will be aged over 65 within a decade. Maintaining the quality of life of this group is key to a sustainable approach to ageing. The Healthy Living and Ageing Strategy will place emphasis on disease prevention and living well, in an effort to reduce the chronic disease burden of older people.
What is the Healthy Living and Ageing Strategy?
Healthy North Coast is driving the development of a Healthy Living and Ageing Strategy through the North Coast Collective. The Strategy will be developed in 2021-22 and will drive future investment into ageing services and initiatives. A Reference Group is currently being established with supporting partner organisations and subject matter experts assisting with the Strategy’s development.
More information is available on the North Coast Collective website and you can view the Prime 7 news story here (story is at 11:30).