“Loneliness is bad for your health.”
About six months ago, quietly and steadily, Motueka’s Age Concern office opened its doors.
The organisation already served the area, with Age Concern Nelson Tasman staff travelling to Motueka to deliver their services.
“But we’re growing,” says manager Caroline Budge. “Which is great, and we need to keep growing, because of the ageing population.”
Age Concern caters primarily to people 65 and over, offering support, advice and opportunities to connect.
“At the heart of everything we do is social connection,” Caroline says. “Social connection is one of the most important things we can do for our mental and physical wellbeing.”
“It’s quite holistic,” agrees her colleague Tanya Charles, who points out that loneliness is bad for your health.
“Reducing that social isolation is one of the biggest things I do.”
Tanya staffs the office at Motueka, which is located at in the iSITE building on Wallace St, beside the library. Despite her rather specific title of elder abuse response advisor, she is the local contact for general Age Concern enquiries as well.
The organisation holds a huge amount of knowledge about how those social connections can be made locally. It facilitates a programme that links older, more housebound people with a visiting service, whereby a volunteer comes over for a cup of tea and a chat for one or two hours a week.
“Lovely friendships grow from that service,” Caroline says.
She explains that the 150 regional volunteers are very well supported, with two dedicated staff members ensuring that the service is working well for everyone involved.
Another form of social connection is provided through the Total Mobility Scheme, which provides 75 per cent discounts off local taxi schemes, for people who cannot access public transport.
Age Concern also offers its clients a service called Care and Repair. An evolving list of service providers – plumbers, hairdressers and gardeners, to name a few – who have been vetted for references, skills and costs – is on hand for those still living in their own homes, “so the older person has some peace of mind as to who they are inviting into their personal space”, Tanya explains.
As per her job title, she also works with people who are at risk of or suffering from elder abuse. This can take many forms – financial, psychological, sexual, physical or neglect.
Caroline says that no two cases are the same, and they work closely with other agencies such as the police, the Ministry for Social Development and the district health nurses.
Age Concern membership costs $25 per year. The office is located in the rear of iSITE, 20 Wallace St.
Office hours are 9am-12pm, Tuesday to Thursday, although Tanya may be out on work business. Phone 021 232 6201 or email motueka@ageconcernnt.org.nz
