Positive Ageing Plan

Latrobe City Council is adopting a positive ageing approach to the needs of older people and an older population with the release of the draft Latrobe City Positive Ageing Plan for community comment.

Latrobe City mayor, Councillor Bruce Lougheed, said that Latrobe City, like many other municipalities, faces the multiple challenges of an ageing population. "With the number of people aged over 60 expected to double by 2021, changing needs and aspirations of older residents; increased costs of service provision; and the need to attract and retain a skilled workforce, it is more important than ever to plan ahead.   "In 2007 Latrobe City Council adopted the Latrobe City Older Persons Strategy 2007-2021 to provide a specific focus for planning for older residents.   Development of a Positive Ageing Plan was identified as a major priority in the strategy," Cr Lougheed explained.

"The draft Positive Ageing Plan brings together existing council activities and sets out forward looking actions for council and partner organisations to undertake over the next four years in response to the challenges presented by population ageing and to better meet the needs and aspirations of our current and future older residents. "These actions include ways of maintaining, designing or upgrading facilities to ensure older people can function in a safe environment.   This may include footpath trading issues, responding to reported hazards or looking at the accessibility of community facilities," Cr Lougheed said.

"The plan will also look at ways of supporting social and cultural activities, for example, improving advocacy services for transport or the health and wellbeing of older people and enhancing home and community care services.

"Council also hopes, through the plan, to encourage more use of senior citizen centres, sporting clubs, arts groups and other organisations to improve community inclusion, recognition and the valuable contributions that older persons do and can make to society," Cr Lougheed said. "Latrobe City will be seeking the views of the community, key stakeholders and community organisations in relation to the draft Positive Ageing Plan, before presenting a final version to Council for consideration. "We would urge all those with an interest in the area of positive ageing to view the draft plan and comment," Cr Lougheed concluded.

Latrobe City Council is seeking comments on the draft Positive Ageing Plan, closing 5pm Friday 28 November 2008.  

Copies of the plan can be obtained by contacting Erlinda James on 03 5128 5645 or alternatively can be downloaded below. 

Further information regarding the plan can be obtained from Latrobe City's Manager child and family services, David Welch, on 03 5128 5603.

Downloads

• Latrobe City's Positive Ageing Plan - Draft (pdf, 2.6 MB)