A range of exciting activities will be held between today (November 7) and November 14 to encourage people of all ages to celebrate the valued contributions that seniors make to the Western Australian community.
Seniors and Ageing Minister Don Punch said Seniors Week is a great opportunity to make the participation of seniors more visible and to encourage active ageing.
Western Australia has a diverse and ageing population. As at June 30, 2020, an estimated 407,725 Western Australians – 15 per cent of the total population – were aged 65 years and over.
There are a number of engaging Seniors Week events on this week, made possible with funding from the McGowan Government’s Seniors Week 2021 Community Grants Program and co-ordinated by the Council on the Ageing WA. These include:
- a Multicultural Seniors Expo, which will include entertainment from musicians and dancers who will be invited from the Macedonian, Japanese and other local communities, presented by Umbrella Multicultural Community Care Services;
- a ‘Purple Road Picnic’, presented by the Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre’s Older People’s Rights Service; and
- a series of ‘Linking and Celebrating Senior Week Together’ for seniors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who speak little or no English, presented by Chung Wah Community and Aged Care.
Ever popular, the 29th annual Seniors Recreation Council’s ‘Have a Go’ Day A Live Lighter Event will be held at Burswood Park on Wednesday, November 10. An activity and information event for over 45s, Have a Go Day has attracted an estimated attendance of 16,000 participants and 220 exhibitors in past years.
Other events and activities held across Western Australia during Seniors Week include art classes, ‘Get on Board with Transperth’ education sessions, intercultural cooking experiences, ‘e-Learning’ workshops, ‘Let’s Talk Scams’ information sessions and tours of Parliament House.
In the past few months, the McGowan Government has established Elder Rights WA, a State-wide elder abuse advocacy service, which helps connect people with information and legal advice, and forms part of a comprehensive suite of measures to combat elder abuse in the community.
The Safety and Security Rebate, which provides older Western Australians with a rebate of up to $400 to improve their home security systems, has also been reinstated for Seniors Card holders this year. In July 2021, the McGowan Government provided Seniors Card holders with $25.41 million in assistance with living expenses through the Cost of Living Rebate.
As stated by Seniors and Ageing Minister Don Punch:
“The McGowan Government values the role that seniors play in our community, and Seniors Week celebrates the contributions of our seniors and encourages active participation in community life.
“Despite its name, Seniors Week is not just for seniors – it’s for people of all ages and there are opportunities for generations to get together to learn from each other and to link seniors with their community.
“Seniors Week is a great opportunity to improve the visibility of seniors.
“I wish all involved an incredible 2021 Seniors Week.”
