Tweed Shire Council, New South Wales, is running eight programs offering skills and connection – both face-to-face and online – to ensure independence while supporting people to stay living in their own home safely and for longer.
Council’s Coordinator Community Services, Joanne Watters said many seniors in the Tweed live alone and are more vulnerable to feelings of isolation.
“Providing opportunities for seniors to connect with other people in their own communities can be invaluable and these programs aim to give participants a number of active, educational, physical or creative programs to get involved in.”
The programs will be held across a number locations around the Shire.
Details about each program are listed below:
Shop Don’t Drop – Engages participants with technology to learn skills to shop, pay bills and socially engage online.
Stand Together – Guides participants in simple exercises which increases understanding of the risks of falls and how to prevent them.
MisterChef – This program is for men who have little or no cooking experience and have recently started cooking for themselves and in some cases, their partner.
Dementia Music Therapy – Dementia music therapy is for people with dementia and their carers to engage in musical activities designed to improve balance and walking speed, as well as reducing social withdrawal, anxiety or aggression.
Art and Dementia Friends – This educational and social program aspires to reconnect people living with dementia to their sense of identity, and raise awareness of and reduce the social stigma associated with dementia.
Stretch Your Mind – Designed to be fun and stimulate memory, concentration and creativity. Participants learn that by challenging your brain as you age, your brain can become more powerful.
Mature and Determined – Introduction to movement and gentle exercise in the pool. A new program that uses stretching, breathing and Tai Chai moves that will help with relaxation, body awareness, stress and mobility of mind and body.
Cultural Connection – Provides participants an opportunity to be included in interpreted/interactive tours of the Tweed Regional Museum’s collection to provoke memories and story sharing and social connection. Commencing April/May 2020.
The programs are funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP).
