By Member for Forde Rowan Holzberger
One of my favourite days of the year is the Forde Seniors Expo, and this week hundreds of local seniors joined us at Canterbury College at Waterford.
There were plenty of information stalls, community groups and service providers on hand.
And the best part of the day was the conversations happening between people.
For a lot of seniors, opportunities to get out and catch up with others are incredibly important.
Loneliness and isolation are real issues in our community, and events like this help bring people together.
I’d like to thank the many organisations that made the day possible.
In particular, Club Beenleigh, Canterbury College, Transit Care, Bethania Community Centre, Upper Coomera Lions Club and Beenleigh Rotary Club.
Without their support, the expo simply wouldn’t happen.
And on the day, I was reminded of something important.
The people attending the Forde Seniors Expo are the people who built Logan.
They’re the teachers who educated our kids, the nurses who cared for us when we were sick, the tradies who built our homes.
And many others made enormous contributions that won’t ever appear in a history book, but helped raise the community we call home.
Every strong community stands on the shoulders of the generations that came before it.
That’s why supporting seniors isn’t just something nice to do. It’s our responsibility.
Australia is ageing rapidly. Fifteen years ago, around 15,000 Australians celebrated their 80th birthday each year. Today it’s closer to 90,000.
In the past five years alone, demand for in-home aged care has more than doubled.
Those numbers tell a simple story. More Australians need support to remain independent and connected to their communities. And they deserve it. They’ve worked hard for it.
That’s why the Federal Government is investing in aged care and continuing to reform the system.
From October, personal care services such as showering, dressing and continence care under the Support at Home program will no longer attract co-payments, making these essential services more affordable for older Australians.
If you or a loved one need help navigating the aged care system, or if you have feedback about how we can do things better, please contact my office on (07) 3807 6340.
After all, looking after the people who built our community is one of the most important jobs we have.
Subscribe to stay up-to-date with news from across Logan. You’ll receive a link to our digital newspaper direct to your inbox each week. It’s free.
