1. Age-friendly Communities; an Assets Based Community Development Approach
The Live Well Project is funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, Age-friendly Communities Grant Project to be completed March 2019

2. What’s an age-friendly community?
A place where people stay involved in community life, enjoy good health and feel safe as they get older.
They are also places where older people are treated with respect and feel they can contribute and belong.

3. Corangamite Shire
12 communities comprising key towns and surrounding districts
Communities have unique identities
Community conversations matter; community involvement is essential
Making assumptions about the communities is not helpful. some similarities but many differences in the way they function
From Skipton in the north through the lakes and crater country and the farming regions, to Port Campbell and Princetown on the coast in the south.

4. Principles of Asset Based Community Development
It focuses on community assets and strengths rather than problems and needs
It identifies and mobilises individual and community assets, skills and passions
It is community driven – ‘building communities from the inside out’ (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993)
It is relationship driven.

5. Asset Based Community Development
If we ask people to look for deficits, they will usually find them, and their view of situations will be coloured by this. If we ask people to look for successes, they will usually find them, and their view of situations will be coloured by this (Kral, 1989). Let’s talk; first seek to understand…

6. The Live Well Project Goal
To shine a light on social connection through:
life-long learning
physical activity
the arts and
volunteering… so that individuals live well as they get older and communities become more age-friendly.
How was the goal determined? Extensive consultation with PRG ( incl Shire Colleagues from Community Planning, Recreation, Health Services, Dementia Australia, DHHS, Community Houses x2, SWPCP, Community members) as well as 100’s of people from community clubs and groups and recipients of Home and Community Care Services locally, Councillors, library, U3A
Why this goal?
Social connection opportunities help people deal with loneliness which has a negative impact on Health and Wellbeing of individuals and communities.

7. Community Meetings

8. Community Meetings
Community conversations were captured on butchers paper and sticky notes… but also as ART (next slide)

9. Community Meetings
A local artist captured common themes from each of the town-based conversations

10. Community Meetings

11. Community Meetings

12. Assets / Gifts of the Hands, Head and Heart
Gifts of the head - things I know something about, and would enjoy taking about, or teaching others about (birds, art history, movies, solar energy…)
Gifts of the hands - things I know how to do and enjoy doing (carpentry, sports (be specific) gardening, cooking…)
Gifts of the heart - things I care deeply about (protection of the environment, civic life, children…)

13. Community Meetings
Making sure the community members had directed conversation time over lunchtime where they could enjoy delicious local food and conversation was really important.

14. Community Meetings

15. Themes for Town Mini-Projects
Boosting awareness of existing opportunities to Live Well in each town/surrounding district and encourage support of activities in other towns of the Shire.
Life-long learning; including links to the University of the Third Age Program, the Libraries and intergenerational activities related to using online and digital technologies.
Enjoying nature and the outdoor environments; getting together with others in the community to take care of and beautify outdoor public places to boost their use.
Community Arts activities such as murals, singing, drama.
Strengthening the links between Health Services and community-based physical activity opportunities for people to start or return to low-moderate intensity exercise as they get older.
Promotion of the well-being benefits of volunteering and participation at every age.
Transport issues: public transport options, community transport support, taxis, carpooling, driving license issues.

16. Live Well Project action areas
1. Live Well / U3A Partnership
2. Structured exercise to enable people to start or return to exercise
3. 12x town-based mini projects
4. Addressing the digital divide in partnership with libraries
5. Council based AFC actions
Wellbeing/Live-Well-Project

17. QUESTIONS? Presentation by:
Jon Sedgley - Aged & Disability Services Coordinator, Corangamite Shire
Clare Vaughan - Age-friendly Communities Project Officer, Corangamite Shire e: