moorabool's age-friendly project · the age-friendly project involved recruiting age-friendly...

Moorabool's Age-Friendly Project

Making Moorabool a great place to grow old

Introduction 1

About this Resource 2

Moorabool’s Ageing Population 2

Age-Friendly Cities and Communities 3

About the Age-Friendly Project 5

What was the aim of the project? 5

What happened in the project? 5

What resources were used to support the project’s success? 7

What local projects were identified and implemented? 8

Age-Friendly Ambassadors 15

What was the role of the Age-Friendly Ambassadors? 15

How were the Ambassadors recruited and trained? 15

What did the Age-Friendly Ambassadors do? 16

What were the benefits of having Age-Friendly Ambassadors? 17

What did the Ambassadors say about the Project? 17

What did Council staff say about the Project? 18

Do the Age-Friendly Ambassadors have an ongoing role? 18

Project Outcomes 19

Project Learnings 21

Project Resources, Tools and Templates 23

Contents

Acknowledgements

Nichole Knight Age-Friendly Project Worker

Age-Friendly Ambassadors:Carol McGrathJoan AddisonMarion Ingram

Judy WainewrightSharon BoydCarolyn Seager

1Moorabool's Age-Friendly Project

IntroductionMoorabool Shire is committed to making Moorabool a great place to grow old. To realise this vision, Council has an Age Well Live Well, Access and Inclusion Plan (Phase 2) 2018-20211 and has been implementing a range of initiatives.

1 A copy of the Moorabool Shire Aged Well Live Well Access and Inclusion Plan can be found at https://www.moorabool.vic.gov.au/residents/family-services/active-ageing-and-community-access/age-friendly-project

To help support this work, Moorabool Shire Council received an Age-Friendly Communities Grant from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and assistance from the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) to undertake a flagship project – the Age-Friendly Project.

The Age-Friendly Project involved recruiting Age-Friendly Ambassadors to lead a series of community conversations with older people across the Shire. The key themes arising from the consultations were that older people wanted improved:

• Access to information, so they are kept informed about the services, social activities, events and groups available in the community, and

• Communication to promote social connectedness and community participation.

The consultations conducted as part of the Age-Friendly Project identified a number of practical community-led projects that were funded and implemented, including:

• A Positive Ageing Facebook Page;

• A Moorabool Shire Community Directory for older people;

• The Bungaree Newsletter and Local Directory;

• The Bungaree Community Noticeboard;

• The Bungaree Healthy Eating, Active Living program;

• The Ballan Community Newsletter

• The expansion of the Be Connected IT program.

2 Moorabool Shire Council

The Age-Friendly Project also created an important opportunity for older people living in the Shire to:

• Contribute ideas to inform the update of Council’s Age Well Live Well Access and Inclusion Plan, and the Council’s Social Housing Project;

• Scope and research content for Moorabool Council’s Community Directory;

• Confirm that they would like to make a contribution to developing an Age-Friendly Moorabool and advocate for change, through the establishment of a Positive Ageing Advisory Group.

About this Resource

The Resource has been developed to encourage other Councils to harness the wisdom, skills and knowledge of older people in creating Age-Friendly communities. It provides an overview of the Age-Friendly Project, including:

• Project aims and an overview of what the project involved

• Project outcomes

• Project learnings and

• Copies of the tools, templates and resources used by Moorabool Council to deliver the project.

Moorabool’s Ageing Population

Moorabool Shire is a fast-growing semi-rural municipality in Victoria. It offers residents picturesque and friendly surrounds with the vibrancy of an active growing community. Moorabool Shire spans more than 2,110 kilometres and is made up of 64 localities, hamlets and towns.

Moorabool’s demographics reflect national trends, with 15.6 per cent of the population aged over 65 years in 2016. Significantly, there will be almost a 17% increase in the population aged 65+ living in Moorabool by 2020, and then this cohort is projected to grow by 65% by 2030 and 108% by 2040. People over 65 years old are becoming a larger proportion of the total population.

An ageing population not only presents challenges for government agencies, including Council, to meet demand for services and infrastructure, but also in terms of increased incidence of chronic illness and disease as people live longer. For example, the prevalence of dementia in Moorabool is estimated to increase more than four-fold by 2050.


Age-Friendly Cities and Communities

2 https://www.who.int/ageing/projects/age-friendly-cities-communities/en/

Moorabool Shire Council’s commitment to “making Moorabool a great place to grow old” is underpinned by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) eight domains required for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities2. The eight domains that cities and communities need to address to better adapt structures and services to the needs of older people are:

1. The built environment2. Transport3. Housing4. Social participation5. Respect and social

inclusion6. Civic participation

and employment7. Communication8. Community support

and health services.

According to the WHO, an age-friendly world enables people of all ages to actively participate in community activities and treats everyone with respect, regardless of their age. It is a place that makes it easy for older people to stay connected to people that are important to them. And it helps people stay healthy and active even at the oldest ages and provides appropriate support to those who can no longer look after themselves.

AGE-FRIENDLYCOMMUNITIES

TRANSPORTATION HOUSING

SOCIALPARTICIPATION

RESPECT & SOCIALINCLUSION

CIVIC PARTICIPATION & EMPLOYMENT

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION

COMMUNITY SUPPORT & HEALTH SERVICES

OUTDOOR SPACES & BUILDINGS


What was the aim of the project?

The aim of the Age-Friendly Project was to improve the age-friendliness of local communities across Moorabool by:

• Consulting with individuals and groups within their communities;

• Workshopping, information, needs and opportunities;

• Helping to identify and drive some funded local projects in Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Bungaree;

• Helping to raise the profile of positive ageing and of Moorabool as a great place to grow old;

• Providing information and advice to Council

What happened in the project?

Moorabool Council appointed a part-time Project Worker in January 2018 to lead, promote and support the Age-Friendly Project. In establishing the project, the Project Worker developed an Action Plan, Community Engagement Plan and Program Logic Evaluation Framework to guide project implementation.

After a promotional campaign, six older people from across the shire were recruited to become Age-Friendly Ambassadors in February 2018. The Ambassadors received support and capacity building from the Project Worker, so they could confidently plan and deliver meaningful community engagement activities and conversations. Ambassadors were also provided with an iPad and journal to record the feedback and ideas from community members.

The Ambassadors led a range of community consultation processes in their communities, including meetings with individuals and community groups, facilitating workshops, and implementing a Community Consultation Survey between April and August 2018. The WHO’s Age-Friendly domains were used to guide the community conversations and discussions.

Each community consultation generated a lot of ideas and areas for improvement. Using a Think Tank model, the Ambassadors supported participants to theme, refine and prioritise this information, and to identify practical actions/projects the groups would like to achieve in their local community.

Over 80 community members participated in individual or group conversations delivered as part of the Age-Friendly Project.

About the Age-Friendly Project


In August 2018 the Ambassadors with the support of the Project Worker collated the ideas and priorities generated through the community consultations. They key findings were that older people knew that there were many community services, activities, groups and events available in their local community, but there was a lack of information about what was on offer and how to access it. Older people participating in the consultation also strongly believed that if there was better communication it would reduce social isolation and improve community connectedness.

The Ambassadors worked with the Project Worker to scope and plan eight (8) Age-ility Projects which were rolled out in late 2018 and early 2019:

• A Positive Ageing Facebook Page – a portal for information related to positive ageing activity within the Moorabool Shire;

• The Bungaree Newsletter and Local Directory – to inform the local community about what’s on in the community (groups, services, events etc.);

• The Bungaree Community Noticeboard – to visibly present up to date information about what is happening in the community;

• The Ballan Community Newsletter – to inform the community about what is happening in the local community;

• To expand the Be Connected IT program – to build-up the IT skills of older people (focusing on the basics of computers, social media and online platforms) by expanding a service already provided through the library to other communities;

• A Moorabool Shire Community Directory for older people – to present easily accessible information about what is happening in the community that is relevant for older people;

• A Healthy Eating, Active Living program run in Bungaree, which is a program run by a dietitian and exercise physiologist about food and activity.

• Yoga and exercise classes were requested and provided in the Bungaree Hall.

An external evaluator assisted the Project Worker to develop the Program Logic Evaluation Framework and to gather information to support the project evaluation. In early 2019, the evaluator conducted a focus group with the Ambassadors to explore their experience of being an Age-Friendly Ambassador, challenges, and opportunities for ongoing involvement in, and sustainability of, the Age-Friendly Project.

The Age-Friendly Project kept the community informed via the Council’s webpage, media releases and the Positive Ageing Facebook page.

“The Think Tank worked really well. Before it, I was thinking how is this going to work!”


What resources were used to support the project’s success?

The following key resources (tools and templates) supported the efficient and effective delivery of the Age-Friendly Project.

Project Management

• Project Worker position description

• Overarching Project Action Plan and plans for each Age-ility project

• Community Engagement Plan

• Program Logic Evaluation Framework

Age-Friendly Ambassadors

• Age-Friendly Ambassador Expression of Interest flyer;

• iPads were provided to the Age-Friendly Ambassadors to assist them with their role. With support the majority of Age-Friendly Ambassadors used the iPad to communicate, undertake research, store key documents, and record the community conversations;

• Peer support – the Ambassadors came together regularly with the Project Worker

to plan, share learnings and troubleshoot project issues;

• Think Tank model for grouping ideas and identifying priorities;

• Age-Friendly Ambassador Badges – the badges gave the Ambassadors’ a feeling of identity and confidence and became an important symbol of their official and valued role.

• A closed Facebook group for Ambassador communication and information sharing.

Community Consultations

• Promotional flyers for the Age-Friendly Think Tanks;

• Community Consultation Survey;

• Survey Postcard – what makes Moorabool a great place to grow old;

• Think Tank Write up Template;

• Be Connected Promotional Material

Age-ility Projects

• Age-ility Project Plan and Evaluation Template.


What local projects were identified and implemented?

The Age-Friendly Project adopted a project management approach to scope, plan and implement the five Age-ility projects. Copies of the project plans can be found on the Moorabool Shire Council’s website at https://www.moorabool.vic.gov.au/residents/family-

services/active-ageing-and-community-access/age-friendly-project and the Age-ility Project Plan and Evaluation Template can be found in the Resources, Tools and Templates section of this Resource.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

A Positive Ageing Facebook Page 3

To provide a means of communication that is accessible to all Age-Friendly Ambassadors and Council staff.

To provide a means of communication to inform older residents about Age-Friendly Projects.

To provide information that is relevant and informs older residents to support health and wellbeing.

DESCRIPTION

A very active Positive Ageing Facebook page was established and currently has a reach of 2000 people per week; averages approximately 213 engagements per week and 108 likes for the page.

The Facebook page also acted as the portal for information related to Positive Ageing activity within Moorabool Shire Council.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN

Social participationRespect and social inclusionCivic participation and employmentCommunicationCommunity support and health services

3 https://www.facebook.com/positiveageingmoorabool


PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Bungaree Newsletter and Local Directory

To improve communication and community connectedness.

To inform the community about current information through a dedicated newsletter with community input.

DESCRIPTION

The purpose of the newsletter is to better inform the community regarding groups, services, events and what’s on in the community.

The project included the formation of a committee to develop the community newsletter.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN


The Positive Ageing Facebook Page.


PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Bungaree Community Noticeboard

To better inform the community regarding groups, services, events and what’s on in the community.

DESCRIPTION

The Bungaree community noticeboard required rejuvenating and an agreement was developed with the general store owner to mount a weather proof community notice board in a location that is visible and managed with up-to-date information.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN

The built environmentSocial participationRespect and social inclusionCivic participation and employmentCommunication

The Bungaree Community Noticeboard.


PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Ballan Community Newsletter

To provide information to older residents who don’t use online options or social media.

To increase opportunities for older residents to engage with their community.

DESCRIPTION

The Ballan Community Newsletter will provide the community with current information.

A community newsletter committee has formed which ensures contributions from local groups on a bi-monthly basis.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN


The Ballan Community Newsletter for November 2018.


PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Be Connected IT program

The program teaches older people a range of skills for computer use, online activity and social media.

DESCRIPTION

The Be Connected IT program is based on the demand identified through the community conversations. Council was able to expand upon a voluntary service provided through our library and roll out the Be Connected IT program to other areas within Moorabool Shire.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN

Social participationRespect and social inclusionCivic participation and employmentCommunication


In addition to the five Age-ility projects, a number of other initiatives were implemented by Council in response to the feedback from the community consultations.

The key initiatives are presented below:

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Bungaree outreach Healthy Eating Active Living project

To improve access for local residents to allied health services.

To increase opportunities for older residents to improve health and wellbeing.

To reduce social isolation.

DESCRIPTION

A partnership has been developed with the Ballan District Health and Care to implement an outreach Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) program facilitated by a dietitian and exercise physiologist over a 6-month period in the Bungaree community. The program will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness and ongoing needs of the community.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN

Social participationRespect and social inclusionCommunity support and health services

Members of the Bungaree outreach Healthy Eating Active Living program.


PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Social Housing project To ensure the voice of older people is considered in the implementation of the Council’s Housing Strategy.

DESCRIPTION

Moorabool Shire Council has a Housing strategy that includes a planned Social Housing project. The Active Ageing and Community Access Manager has linked in with the strategic planning department of Council to assist with the progression of actions in the Housing Strategy that impact on older people.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN

The built environmentTransportHousingSocial participationCommunity support and health services

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Moorabool Shire Council Community Directory

To create one stop access to what’s available including services and social interactions.

To provide information to older residents who don’t use online options or social media.

DESCRIPTION

Age-Friendly Ambassadors have been instrumental in identifying what content is required from an older person’s point of view to form a community directory. The content collated by the Age-Friendly Ambassadors has lead to the creation of the community directory.

RELEVANT WHO DOMAIN

CommunicationCommunity support and health services


Age-Friendly Ambassadors

What was the role of the Age-Friendly Ambassadors?

The role of the Age-Friendly Ambassadors was to plan, organise and lead conversations with individuals and groups in their local community. The purpose of the community consultations was to:

• Gather information about the needs, opportunities, areas for improvement;

• Identify practical projects for making Moorabool a great place to grow old

• Raise the profile of positive ageing

• Provide advice to Council

• Build social connections.

Once the consultations were complete and the priorities identified, the Age-Friendly Ambassadors had an important role:

• Advocating for the projects identified by their local community;

• Planning and delivering the approved projects, with the support of the Project Worker, Council and their local community.

How were the Ambassadors recruited and trained?

The Project Worker developed a flyer (seen over the page) and distributed it widely across the Shire. The flyer invited interested community members to submit an expression of interest to become an Age-Friendly Ambassador. Six Ambassadors were recruited. The Project Worker and Ambassadors met several times to plan the consultations and to build the Ambassadors’ confidence to lead conversations with their neighbours and wider community on the needs of older people, opportunities for improvement and practical ideas for making Moorabool a great place to grow old.

“I was a bit bored at home, so I thought I would give it a go.”

Age-Friendly Ambassador


What did the Age-Friendly Ambassadors do?

The Age-Friendly Ambassadors facilitated a series of local discussions and conversations in their towns to generate ideas to improve life for older people. The community consultation process offered older people a platform to be heard and responded to. Importantly, the Ambassadors provided a catalyst for communities to identify and activate their own practical projects.

Once the consultations were complete, the Age-Friendly Ambassadors led the planning and delivery of eight key projects, with the support of the Project Worker and Council.

“From my point of view, I still have a lot to offer.”


This Moorabool Shire Council flyer invited interested community members to submit an expression of interest to become an Age-Friendly Ambassador.


What were the benefits of having Age-Friendly Ambassadors?

There were many benefits from recruiting and capacity building older people from the community to be the Age-Friendly Ambassadors. In particular, the Age-Friendly Ambassadors:

• Offered a new and unique way for Council to engage with and consult older people.

• Provided an opportunity for older people (many of whom had years of work experience) to utilise their experience and skills in the Age-Friendly Ambassador role, and for some it gave them a renewed purpose and interest.

• Enabled older people to learn new skills and techniques, build their confidence and to meet new people;

• Were effective at engaging other older people from their local community and were comfortable representing the needs and priorities of their town or area;

• Were effective in tapping into the wealth of knowledge within the local community because they were able to connect with other older adults and to provide a safe space for conversations that explored their concerns and ideas;

• Created a pool of new local leaders who can continue to support other older people to have a voice, including a voice to Council.

What did the Ambassadors say about the Project?

“I was retired and looking for something to fill in my day.”

“I have a passion for treating older people with respect.”

“When I saw it advertised, I thought that is something I can do to have a voice.”

“I thought it might be a lot of hot air, and not much would come out of it, but Council staff supported us, and it worked well.”

“We had about 40 women involved at the shopping centre. People still stop me at the shops and talk about what is needed [in the Shire].”

“The hardest part was keeping people on track at the Think Tank.”

“The domains helped us focus our ideas.”

“It was good to have something to do.”

“The groups were thoroughly engaged.”

“It was all interesting, I learned a lot about the Shire and Bacchus Marsh.”

“In the future, the Mayor or Councillors should attend the Think Tanks, I think that would have been nice.”

“Because of my previous life, I don’t have a problem talking to people.”



What did Council staff say about the Project?

“Having the Ambassadors onboard from the beginning provided us with a lot of opportunities to not only network with our older residents and community groups, but to also feedback and refine our consultation activities.”

“We were able to develop our projects through a number of workshops and Think Tanks. Having the Ambassadors participate in initial workshops, and then progress to facilitating with us at the Think Tanks meant that we were able to engage with participants to further refine our priority areas and potential projects.”

“The Projects developed were really reflective of survey and workshop responses, and reflective of the needs in each of the three communities the project was targeting. I think we had a very robust and genuine process that everyone involved should be proud of.”

"It was a privilege to be a part of a truly authentic grass roots codesigned program in pursuit of making Moorabool a great place to grow old, where older people’s voices were heard and valued. The WHO 8 domains were a terrific framework for making any community not only age-friendly but generally a 'friendly community'."

Do the Age-Friendly Ambassadors have an ongoing role?

The Age-Friendly Ambassadors were invaluable to the success of the Age-Friendly Project. However, a review of the Age-Friendly Ambassadors role at the end of the Project, suggested that the role moving forward needed to change from a project focused role, to more of an ongoing advisory role to Council. Some Age-Friendly Ambassadors wanted to step down from the role, because they had achieved what they had set out to do. Other Ambassadors were keen to continue in an advisory capacity.

Coupled with feedback from the community consultations that older people would like a more formal and ongoing platform for sharing information about their needs and issues with Council, it was decided that Age-Friendly Ambassadors could have the option to transition to the Positive Ageing Advisory Group.

One of Moorabool Shire Council's flyers inviting participants to a Think Tank as part of the Age-Friendly Project.


Project Outcomes

The Age-Friendly Project delivered a range of planned and unexpected outcomes. In particular:

The Project supported local communities to identify and implement eight practical age-ility projects that addressed the key themes of ‘access to information’ and ‘communication to promote social connectedness and community participation’:

• A Positive Ageing Facebook Page;

• The Bungaree Newsletter;

• The Bungaree Local Directory;

• The Bungaree Community Noticeboard;

• The Ballan Community Newsletter;

• The Be Connected IT program;

• The Bungaree Healthy Eating and Active Living program;

• Moorabool Shire Community Directory

The Project also provided an important platform for older people to:

• Contribute ideas to the update of Council’s Age Well Live Well Access and Inclusion Plan and the Council’s Social Housing Project;

• Provide Council with advice on matters affecting older people, including seniors week, and nominations for the Victorian Seniors of the Year Awards and local Australia Day awards.

Importantly, the Project raised the profile and activated the voice of older people in the Shire, with the community conversations highlighting that older people are interested, motivated and willing to contribute their knowledge, wisdom and ideas to making Moorabool a great place to grow old. An important outcome of the Age-Friendly Project has been the establishment of the Positive Ageing Advisory Group, where older people can have a formal and ongoing voice to Council.


Project Learnings

The key learnings of the Age-Friendly Project are:

Older people living in the Shire are interested, motivated and willing to contribute their knowledge, wisdom and ideas to making Moorabool a great place to grow old;

Age-Friendly Ambassadors are an effective way of engaging local communities in conversations to identify needs, priorities and practical actions to improve the liveability of the Shire for older people;

The Think Tank model and the WHO domains are effective tools for grouping ideas, agreeing on local priorities and developing projects that improve the age friendliness of local communities for older people;

The role of Age-Friendly Ambassadors can be replicated in other communities and locations, including the process of recruitment, ongoing support, planning and decision-making frameworks and ongoing engagement with the community.

Moorabool Shire Council22


Project Resources, Tools and Templates

4 https://www.moorabool.vic.gov.au/residents/family-services/active-ageing-and-community-access/age-friendly-project

The following tools, templates and resources were used in the delivery of the Age-Friendly Project and can be accessed on the Moorabool Shire Council Age-Friendly Project page.4

• Project Worker Position Description

• Project Action Plan Template

• Community Engagement Plan Template

• Program Logic Evaluation Framework Template

• Age-Friendly Ambassador Expression of Interest Flyer

• Think Tank model

• Community Consultation Survey

• Survey Postcard – what makes Moorabool a great place to grow old in?

• Think Tank Write up Template

• Age-ility Project Plan and Evaluation Template

Moorabool Shire CouncilMoorabool Shire Council

A journey

for engaging

older people

in community

conversations

to help create

an age-friendly

community.

Claire Conlon | Manager Active Ageing & Community AccessMoorabool Shire Council | PO Box 18 Ballan VIC 3342P: 5366 1217 | F: 5368 1757 | M: 0418 826 460 | E: [email protected] W: www.moorabool.vic.gov.auF: www.facebook.com/mooraboolshirecouncilT: https://twitter.com/mooraboolshire

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