Keeping older people in the conversation

Above: Sandra Hills, CEO of Benetas.

By Stephen Easton

A roundtable forum to be held in Melbourne next month will discuss one of the biggest challenges in providing care and support to older people – social isolation.

The forum, on 14 November at Federation Square, will bring together researchers, aged care providers, and other key stakeholders to share ideas for keeping older people socially engaged, and hopefully nut out some new solutions.

Participants will include Sandra Hills, chief executive of Benetas, which is also the event’s major sponsor and co-organiser, together with consulting firm 4C Living Well. 

“Benetas has a research and advocacy plan and social isolation is one of our key research and advocacy areas, so we’re bringing together key people who are interested in this area including researchers, policymakers and [service] providers,” Ms Hills said.

“We’ve also invited some older people along, because we didn’t want just a whole lot of talking heads, and they’ve confirmed they are attending,” she added.

According to Roland Naufal, director of 4C Living Well, these senior Australians will be active participants in the roundtable.

‘‘They will be collaborating with key decision-makers and service providers on the day,” Mr Naufal said. “We hope to create a real ‘buzz’ and get everyone’s creativity flowing so we can come up with some achievable solutions for ensuring older Australians remain active participants in their local and broader communities.’’ 

Ms Hills said the forum would produce some formal, documented outcomes and hopefully, informal ones too, through new relationships between the diverse group of participants.

She also described two current Benetas projects that aim to help address social isolation, both through the use of technology and partnerships with researchers like Professor Frank Vetere, a senior lecturer from Melbourne University Department of Information Systems, who will also join the discussion.

“This is a project where clients are using iPads to stay in touch with each other and case managers, and keep diaries about their lives,” Ms Hills said.

“Another one is called finerday, which we launched recently. It’s the first of its kind in Australia; it’s actually a social media program, like Facebook, for older people.

“We launched it this year at one of our residential facilities. It helps keep older people in touch with family and friends interstate and if it goes well – and it looks like it will – we’ll roll it out to all our facilities. It’s also free, so it’s open to other people in the community outside of our facilities.”

Other participants joining Ms Hills will include: 

• David Davis, Victorian Minister for Ageing
• Ian Yates AM, CEO of COTA Australia
• Bryan Lippman AM, CEO of Wintringham
• Dr Gerry Naughtin, CEO of Mind Australia 
• Ljubica Petrov, manager of the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing
• Dr Helen Kimberley, senior manager at the Brotherhood of St Laurence
• Dr Heather Wheat, secretary of Life Activities Clubs
• Dr Briony Dow, director of the Preventive and Public Health Division, National Ageing Research Institute
• Mark Silver, social worker at Uniting Aged Care

The roundtable forum ‘Social Isolation and Older People’ will take place on 14 November from 9am – 5pm at Zinc, Federation Square in Melbourne. 

To register, visit www.4clivingwell.com or contact Colette on 0412 149 566. Attendance fees are $190 per person (concession $140).