Page 1156 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
assembly was the first of its kind in Australia and provided a unique opportunity for older Canberrans to raise issues important to them. The outcomes of that assembly have been provided to this Assembly, and I look forward to working on that as we move forward to better support our older Canberrans.
Committee hearings were held simultaneously through the older persons assembly in the morning and afternoon with individual hearings chaired by members of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing with support from staff from the Community Services Directorate.
The messages that came from the older persons assembly stressed the importance of effective communication, the need for older people to feel valued and respected, employment and volunteering opportunities, and the need for community support services.
Many of the recommendations related to how we communicate with older Canberrans, and this includes consideration of language and literacy requirements along with the different forms of media used. We have put in line an online seniors information portal, and the Canberra Connect website and the Health Directorate’s “find a health service” online portal have also been developed to provide gateways for information.
With the focus on communication in mind, the government continues to communicate information about programs and events through traditional media, such as printed material, radio and telephone, and offers assistance to seniors who wish to increase their technological skills; for example, through ACT libraries with internet for seniors.
In regard to respect, valuing and safety, the delegates at the older persons assembly also emphasised the need to feel respected and valued and expressed a desire to share their experiences with younger generations. Through our seniors grants and sponsorship programs we have supported intergenerational activities such as bringing school choirs into aged-care homes and encouraging young people from multicultural communities to learn traditional cooking skills from their seniors.
The popular annual Life’s Reflections photographic competition encourages entrants to present a positive image of older people enjoying life and actively participating in their community and staying connected with families and friends. A selection of the images of this competition are on view this week in the Canberra Centre.
In our schools the Australian curriculum and the ACT curriculum framework for preschool to year 10 both address the need for educating our students about the importance of showing consideration for their elders. We also support the establishment of the ACT grandparents day on the last Sunday in October. This celebration will be an opportunity to bring families together to celebrate and honour older people and highlight the contribution that families make to family and community life.
Through the Office for Ageing the government will continue to explore opportunities to highlight personal experiences and stories of older Canberrans. The outcomes of the older persons assembly will be used together with the results of our age-friendly
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video