The heritage listed Clare Valley town of Mintaro not only takes pride in retaining its mid nineteenth century “colonial village” legacy, but the community is also focused on providing for its ageing population.
Mintaro Seniors – a “Connected Community” project is addressing areas of wellbeing and resilience for the whole community, with a focus on addressing challenges for senior residents.
The project will-deliver a series of free targeted workshops focused on physical and mental wellbeing, community resilience and preparedness, with a focus on providing an increased level of support to ensure the community is able to retain and provide local residents with a connected approach to tackle isolation and accessibility.
A series of six bi-monthly workshops will welcome organisations and experts to address relative topics. These will include sessions from Lifeline, Family and Business Support Mentors will chat about mental health, health and ageing will be a topic covered by Clare Medical Centre, the Heart Foundation will run a workshop, as well as a Naturopath and Dietician, Wellbeing SA and the “hot” topic of Climate Change and the impacts of weather on people’s health.
Simon Millcock from Mintaro Progress Association said South Australia has the highest proportion of older people than any other States, with the Mintaro region having an older population than other areas of SA.
He said the community led initiative would encourage people to stay connected, have more of an understanding of services available, and develop skills, knowledge and confidence to contribute to their community.
The project is delivered by the Mintaro Progress Association and supported by Office for Ageing Well, SA Health through the Grants for Seniors Program and Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal