Ageing (gracefully) in Newstead

The session led to three separate directions for further development and this page is an initial starting point for making contact with the three people that put up their hands to begin to move forward on each initiative.

Housing

The discussion on housing in Newstead being more varied in scale, and hence providing smaller homes as people age and downsize, had many strands.

The one that was most discussed was the way that planning regulations prevent the housing density that comes from smaller homes and lots.

Allie Dawe (moondarra.allie@gmail.com) has agreed to be the initial starting point for working on this. Please contact her if this concerns you or you would like to be involved in working to change this.

Transport and volunteers

There were many ideas about the transport needs of older residents, for example in attending medical appointments. Volunteer driver input was a key part of this and the main organisation in Newstead that is set up to handle the nuts and bolts of volunteer registration is the Rural Transaction Centre.

As Chair of the RTC Committee Michael Redden (m.redden@mountalexander.vic.gov.au) put himself forward as a contact point, and initiator, of action in this area.

Keeping in Touch

Along with smoking and over drinking, social isolation is one of leading ways that people's lives are shortened. The trouble is the people who read this are part way down the track of breaking through with computers or the Internet.

If you would like to be part of bringing the new technologies into older, isolated people's lives contact Ros Hart (roshart@gmail.com) The next step is probably to apply for grant funding to bring devices and people into people's homes