Help inform Council's Ageing Well Strategy
Published on 29 July 2022
Council wants to hear from you about ways to support healthy ageing for our Community. This invitation is to seniors who live work or play in our Shire, as well as agencies and professionals who provide support and services to ageing community members.
A key challenge not just here in our Shire but globally is how we respond to and actively support our ageing population. We recognise that people are living longer, and our Shire is home to an above average older demographic. The largest increase in the age structure in the Bellingen Shire between the 2016 and 2021 census was in the 70- to 84-year-old group and it is growing. The Shire has a larger percentage of 60- to 69-year-olds compared to NSW as a whole (17.8% compared to 11%), a larger percentage of 70- to 84-year-olds (15% compared to 10.2%) and a larger percentage of seniors aged 85 years plus (3% compared to 2.3%).
However, It’s not just about adding years to life but adding life to our years. The concept of ageing well has evolved from an initial emphasis on “active” ageing to a fuller approach which now focuses on “healthy” ageing. This involves more than just physical or functional health and includes providing people with the chance “to be and to do” what they value, giving them a level of wellbeing that includes the physical, social, and mental.
Through developing an Ageing Well Strategy, Council will be in a position to influence some of the environmental and social contexts in which ageing people are living out their senior years in our Shire, thus creating an age friendly Bellingen Shire. This strategy, while also recognising that many uncontrollable external factors may influence a person’s life course and their ageing experience, is concerned with creating age friendly settings in Council’s planning and delivery.
So, we are asking you to have your say and help shape our Ageing Well Strategy
There are a couple of ways that you can be involved:
- Complete a survey (paper copies are available at local libraries) or you can access it online
- If you are a senior member of the community, you are invited to attend one of three engagement sessions (phone 0433 071 954 to book your place)
- Monday 22 August 11am Bellingen Senior Citizens Centre 35 Hyde St Bellingen
- Tuesday 23 August 11am Hickory House 50 Hickory St Dorrigo
- Friday 26 August 11am Urunga Library 30 Bonville St, Urunga
The consultation process will inform the development of our Ageing Well Strategy to set key priorities over the next 4 years to support older residents to be healthy, active, stay socially connected and participate fully in the community.
Complete the Survey now
For more information, please call Council’s Project Officer, Margaret Harley on 0433 071 954.