Page 3512 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
consistent with and actioned through the ACT active ageing framework. The office for veterans and seniors is continuing to work with the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing and the ACT Health Directorate to consider how these recommendations can inform improvements in health outcomes for seniors in the ACT community, with a number of the recommendations agreed to and already being implemented.
Community-based health education programs are provided by ACT Health and are available to seniors as well as other residents of the ACT. This includes the adult healthy weight program and the stepping on falls prevention program aimed at helping older adults identify and address their own fall risk factors. In 2017, ACT Health attended the seniors expo, providing information sessions on a range of health topics of interest to seniors.
The health promotion grants program contributes to improving health outcomes for people in the ACT. In 2016-17, Alzheimer’s Australia ACT received $435,000 over three years to deliver the fill your bucket program, encouraging people to undertake daily challenges to maintain brain health and function. Also under the program, Belconnen Arts Centre received $107,000 over three years to expand its dance for wellbeing program, which assists hundreds of older Canberrans to improve their physical activity levels, balance, strength and social and emotional wellbeing.
Community and health services play a vital role in the prevention of and response to elder abuse. Sadly, elder abuse is more common than many of us realise and it can have a devastating impact for older people and for families. The ACT government provides the abuse prevention, referral and information line for callers who are seeking assistance with issues of elder abuse.
In 2016-17 the ACT government also provided grant funding to a number of community organisations for activities to prevent and raise awareness of elder abuse, including to the ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service, ADACAS; Carers ACT; Legal Aid ACT; and the Bangladeshi Seniors Club, Canberra. We will be actively working to strengthen our responses in the area of elder abuse. The ACT government is currently consulting on recommendations outlined in the report of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s inquiry into the issue and the Law Reform Advisory Council guardianship inquiry. Elder abuse is one of the first issues that the newly appointed Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing is investigating, and I am looking forward to hearing its expert recommendations in order to strengthen our work in prevention and response.
Housing, outdoor spaces and buildings are another key area of focus for the government, as an age-friendly city is one that seniors are able to easily and comfortably live in and move around. The outside environment and public facilities have a major impact on the mobility, independence and quality of life of older people.
The government’s age-friendly suburbs project works to create an urban environment supportive of healthy, active ageing. It is about making it easier, more convenient and more accessible for older residents to move in and around their community. All suburbs are prioritised for age-friendly improvements based on current and future demographic profiles, the location of aged-care facilities and the suburb’s need for
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video