Page 1399 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 24 March 2010
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and will continue to make, a significant contribution to the community sector, to volunteering in the ACT. We commend them for their contribution, we value their contribution and we look forward to further opportunities to acknowledge their contribution in this place.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (3.28): I thank Ms Porter for the motion she has moved today. As Ms Porter has already said, it is National Seniors Week; so it is a fitting time to discuss this issue. The Greens will be supporting the motion. Older Canberrans do make a significant contribution to the community through their volunteering activities. This is in many areas of our community including volunteering though schools and establishing important relationships with younger people; volunteering with their peers through organisations such as Council on the Ageing and the University of the Third Age; at residential aged-care facilities; and at seniors clubs, to name but a few.
Being actively involved in the community is shown to have benefits for seniors’ health and wellbeing. One of the most important aspects of volunteering for older people is addressing the significant issue of social isolation. For older people, this can become one of the most debilitating issues for them as their mobility becomes impacted and they may not be able to drive any longer or be able to use public transport. This then has a flow-on effect to other areas of life. When people lose those connections with their community, their health, in particular, including their mental health, can be greatly impacted.
Targeting the issue of social isolation is one of the most important issues for keeping older people healthy and connected to their communities, which is a basic right we must extend to all people in our community, particularly older people, many of whom have already made significant contributions to their communities. At the very basic level, we should be providing these opportunities to older people, as getting older should not mean that you can no longer be a contributing member of society. We have an ageing population that is generally healthy for longer, has more leisure time and has a huge amount of experience. Many older people who are in our communities feel they would like to give something back in some way or form.
I would like to talk about some of the programs run by community organisations that not only provide volunteer opportunities for older people but also provide activities for older people to address the issue of social isolation. Communities@Work, which Mr Seselja has already mentioned, runs a number of programs which seek to address these issues. These are in the Weston Creek and Tuggeranong areas. The programs include a transport program run primarily by volunteers, senior social groups, SuperGrands, and Men’s Sheds. They also provide community meals every Tuesday in the Tuggeranong community centre. Again, this is predominantly run by seniors. With over 200 volunteers who give tirelessly to a great variety of programs, over 75 per cent of these volunteers are seniors who are extremely active in a range of areas.
Communities@Work also have a transport program with around 700 clients on their database. Four cars with paid drivers are on the road and the other cars providing transport are provided through volunteers. This service makes a significant
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