The Disability Information and Resource Centre

Older Australians, their families and carers are invited to participate in a conversation on ageing with Federal Minister for Mental Health & Ageing Mark Butler on 27 September 2011.

Time: 9.30am – 11.00am

Venue:

Clovercrest Baptist Church
2 Famechon Cr
Modbury North, SA 5092

RSVP:

5.00pm, Monday, 26 September 2011

P: 1800 182 324

conversationnor@cota.org.au

Further Information.

Tuesday 9 August, 10.00am – 12.30pm

Drill Hall, Torrens Parade Ground

Come along and hear from experts about how to age safely in your home – and have your say.

Full details here.

Arts Access Australia is seeking support for their campaign for a $20 million investment to implement the National Arts and Disability Strategy with an additional $4 million to support Creative Ageing to create opportunities for the 20% of Australians with disability to participate in the arts.

Full details can be found on the Arts Access Australia website.

A walking event for the whole family!

Round up your family and friends and join Active Ageing Australia for s Sunday morning amble through Adelaide’s beautiful city surroundings.

Where

Starts in the park next to the Torrens Parade Ground and meanders along a picturesque Torrens River Linear Route and Botanic Gardens.

When

Sunday 24 October 2010, 9am for a 9.30am start.

Entry Fee

$5 for individuals, $12 for a family of 4.

3 Routes are available: 4km, 2.5km or 1km. No time limit.

Registrations close Friday 15th October by post, fax or online. Enter in person 18th – 22nd at 73 Wakefield St Adelaide. Late registrations acceptable on the day with a $5 late fee.

For more information call 8232 3944. To enter visit www.sa.lifebeinit.org.

With displays, activities and demonstrations for over-50’s, seniors, carers and people with disabilities.

Launched by Valmai Hankel and Jeff Martin at 11.30am.

Free Entry.

Prizes and giveaways.

Food and refreshments available for purchase.

See 50 service organisations of the Murray Mallee and SA: Health & Fitness, Sport, Recreation and Community Groups, Independent Living and Mobility, Hearing, Community Care, Respite & Carer Services, Retirement Villages, Disability Services and more.

Date

Thursday 7th October 2010, 10am – 3pm

Location

Murray Bridge Racecourse, Maurice Road

More Information

Call Commonwealth Carelink on 1800 052 222

As part of Mental Health Week 2010 Council on the Ageing (COTA) are promoting the Cota Beyond Maturity Blues project. This project is a free service through a partnership between Cota and Beyond Blue. It is an information session about maintaining good mental health with handouts, give aways and morning tea provided afterwards. COTA would like to have a few of these sessions occurring around the Metropolitan and Rural Areas as part of mental health week 10-16 Oct.

An Excerpt from the attached brochure is:

Peer Educators from COTA in all States and Territories are now available to host interactive ‘beyond maturity blues – depression and older people’ information sessions for your seniors group or club.

These sessions focus on learning about depression, treatments, ways to identify and prevent depression, how to support those with depression and what you can do to enjoy better health.

COTA Peer Educators are volunteers over 50 who have been trained by COTA to talk with groups about depression and its effects.

These groups include:

• Carers
• Chronic disease groups
• Men
• Veterans
• Rural communities

A peer educator will be allocated to your group and session details will be confirmed. COTA also provides sessions for CaLD communities and has bilingual Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, and Chinese Peer Educators to deliver to non-English speaking groups.

‘Beyond Maturity Blues’ Information sessions are for Seniors Clubs and Groups. these sessions focus on learning about depression, treatments, ways to identify and prevent depression, how to support those with depression and what you can do to enjoy better health.

If you are interested in the Information Session, book a free ‘beyond maturity blues’ Information Session right now. Contact details are:

Jane Barnett – Beyond Maturity Blues Project Officer
COTA Seniors Voice
45 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA 5000
t 08 8232 0422 f 08 8232 0433
www.seniorsvoice.org.au
E: Jane Barnett jbarnett@seniorsvoice.org.au

Food for Thought!

Recipies for positive ageing

Presented by the Australian Association of Gerontology.

Stamford Grand, Glenelg

Friday 10 September 2010

9am – 5pm

Full details here.

14 April 2009

Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, today congratulated the Victorian Government on its announcement of the Build for Life awareness campaign, which will include consideration of mandating greater accessibility in new housing developments.

The announcement by Minister Madden and Minister Neville commits the Government to assessing the impact of requiring a number of low cost, or no cost, design features including step free entry, wider doorways and hallways and a bathroom on the ground floor which could be fitted out with access features in the future.

“With this initiative, the Victorian Government is taking action to face a reality which most of us try to avoid – we’re getting older.” Commissioner Innes said.

By 2050 more than 26 percent of the population will be over 65, and almost eight percent will be over 85. As people live longer, they are living a greater part of their life with a disability – on average for almost 20 years.

One of the consequences aging is that the need for more accessibility in our housing increases and as a result, either costly modifications need to be undertaken, or people have to move to find housing that meets their needs. This involves even greater economic and social cost.

“Designing houses and apartment blocks to include these features will mean that more and more people will be able to stay in their homes as their needs change,” Commissioner Innes said. “It will also mean that people with a disability will have more options to meet their housing needs and find it easier to visit family and friends.

“To put it simply, in the context of our changing demography, housing that does not meet our needs as our needs change is just not sustainable.” said Mr Innes.

Commissioner Innes said he would like to see this initiative taken up by all Governments throughout Australia.

“Victorians are not the only ones who are getting more and more candles on that cake each year,” he said.

For further information on the Australian Human Rights Commission call for a national housing strategy to improve accessibility see humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/speeches/2006/housing.htm

Media contact: Brinsley Marlay 02 9284 9656 or 0430 366 529