With one of the fastest growing ageing populations in Australia, Whitehorse is leading the way in providing an excellent quality of life for its older residents.
Manager Community Care, Sandra Hills, and her team has in place a number of initiatives to ensure that older people in Whitehorse are valued for their skills, experience and contribution to community life.
These programs include a Positive Ageing program, exercise and safety programs, and high quality care, both in and outside the home.
Sandra Hills explained that while Whitehorse provides a high standard of residential care with two hostels, independent living units and a rooming house, the main thrust of its program is to assist people to live healthy, productive lives in their own homes under Council’s Aged Care Policy.
“It is part of both Federal and State Government policy, as well as our own, because studies have shown that most older people are happiest and healthiest when they live in their own home,” she said.
As testament to the high regard in which Council’s programs are held, State Minister for Aged Care Bronwyn Pike recently launched Victoria’s Home Modification Program from Council’s Day Program Facility.
One of Whitehorse’s most successful initiatives in this area is the Positive Ageing program.
This program was funded by the State Department of Human Services following a successful forum organised by Whitehorse City Council in response to the Family and Community Development Committee Inquiry Into Positive Ageing in 1996.
It was a key component of the program to have older people pass on their skills and knowledge to younger people. Here older people go into schools and other learning centres to assist young people with their skills development.
“Initially some schools thought the children would be helping our older people,” Sandra Hills said.
“We had to stress it was a matter of recognising older peoples’ value to others.
“Some of the programs involved the teaching of life skills, such as budgeting and preparing for a job interview, and recreational skills, including woodwork and knitting and educational skills, such as languages and reading.
“Now they find the contribution they make invaluable.”
Other programs assist older people to maintain their health and fitness, such as Walking in Whitehorse and the ‘No Falls’ program.
A number of local ‘networks’ initiated by Council operate in Whitehorse. These include the Whitehorse Interagency Group which represents over 18 providers of community and health services to older people in Whitehorse.
The group has recently successfully completed a Home and Community Care (HACC) intake, referral and coordination Best Practice Project and has now been funded to undertake stage 2 of the Project &endash; the IT component.
The Whitehorse Aged Care Service Planning Network focusses on service planning and development.
This group has similar agency members to the above group however, it is the CEO, Director or Program Manager who attends these meetings. Achievements of this group to date include the joint planning and prioritisation for two HACC funding rounds and a service mapping project.
For further information contact Sandra Hills, telephone (03) 9262 6333
