The Living and Ageing Well in Hepburn project is designed to empower older individuals and improve their quality of life through stronger community connections.
To our Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford and Trentham communities … have you seen the Healthy Ageing Hubs What’s On brochures around town?
This printed booklet has information on groups and activities in your town that you could join to help stay connected with your community. Please see what’s happening in your town in the What’s On guides below.
The project is a result of a partnership between Clunes Neighbourhood House (CNH), Attitude – Ageing Well in Clunes, and Central Highlands Rural Health (CHRH) and is backed by the Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) and encompasses two key strategies designed to empower older individuals and improve their quality of life.
By working together, CNH, Attitude, and CHRH aim to create a collaborative environment where each organisation’s intellectual and physical resources are combined to maximise the impact on people’s lives and enable them to live and age well. The project seeks to inspire healthy habits, foster connections, and provide ongoing support to ensure these positive changes persist well into the later years.
The project is part of the Australian Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, with funding provided by the PHNs to undertake and commission dedicated early intervention initiatives that support older people to live at home longer and promote healthy ageing. The project has received a total funding of $350,000 from the Western Victoria Primary Health Network.
The first phase of the project was to develop a ‘healthy ageing hub’ prototype in Clunes that would provide a range of connections, activities, and resources in partnership with community groups and the second phase was to use the lessons learned from the pilot hub in Clunes to expand the project’s reach and impact across the region.
Since the launch of the pilot in Clunes In June 2023, the programs have been launched through a series of events in Trentham (March 5), Creswick (March 6) and Daylesford (March 8) held at their local neighbourhood centres with members of the community in attendance.
Photo: Diane Connors (CHRH), Danny Liversidge (Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre), Phil Catterson (CHRH) and Eddie Retelj (WVPHN) at the Daylesford launch event.
Working closely with local neighbourhood centres, the healthy ageing project builds on existing community initiatives and local groups to centralise accurate information on programs and groups available to the community through the creation of a ‘What’s On’ guide. This printed booklet has a detailed list of groups available to those in the community with information on how to get involved. At each neighbourhood centre in Creswick, Daylesford and Trentham there has been a kiosk installed that the community can use to find programs and groups to join to stay connected with technical support being offered by the neighbourhood centres and the program volunteers.
Clunes Neighbourhood House Manager Lana de Kort said:
A key outcome of the pilot program in Clunes has been improved connections through existing groups and community services. We’ve been able to reach out to people that we wouldn’t necessarily have known who might be in vulnerable positions or at risk of isolation to form connections and look out for their wellbeing. The [recent launches in other towns] are what we’ve learned during the pilot in Clunes and what could happen in other communities around the Hepburn Shire. Big things can come from little beginnings where people collaborate at all levels across the community. And that’s what this is all about.
Attitude – Ageing Well in Clunes Manager Linda Newitt said:
“One of the great successes of the Clunes hub is the way it has reactivated community connections between the various clubs of Clunes that had frayed during COVID. We have learnt that keeping all our groups strong keeps our town strong. All three partners and a number of our local groups had the opportunity to come together under the Living and Ageing Well in Hepburn banner at the Clunes Show recently and it was terrific to see the grassroots connections really firing and inspiring people to try new things that they may not have otherwise thought about. Key to our approach is doing ‘with’, not ‘for’.”
Creswick Neighbourhood Centre Manager Chrissy Austin said:
Neighbourhood houses are known as a touch point for communities where people and groups can run activities and give residents opportunities to socialise, get involved in community life and have access to health services to look after their wellbeing and address barriers that come up. Our communities come to us when they need a hand but there are more people out there that we’d like to connect with. Expanding our reach can only be realised through smart partnerships that are driven from the ground up like this one.
Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre Manager Danny Liversidge said:
“We’re dedicated to meeting both present and future needs within the Daylesford district and its surrounding areas. Our community is not immune to the global trend of ageing populations so we need to evolve to empower and propel our community into a brighter tomorrow. By fostering partnerships and embracing the community approach of this project, we are providing access to the support and resources they need to thrive.
Trentham Neighbourhood Centre Manager Richard Goodman said:
“As a neighbourhood centre, we understand the vital role we play as a hub for social interaction, community engagement and improving access to health services. Through innovative partnerships like this, we aim to broaden our reach, ensuring no one is left unseen or unsupported fostering a stronger, more connected community for generations to come.
