THE HERVEY Bay Neighbourhood Centre (HBNC) has a proud history of leading community-based initiatives and supporting the “disenfranchised people in the community.”
While our ageing community deals with many challenges in their latter stages of life, having programs and services readily accessible to our seniors community can be life changing for many.
What many of us take for granted, such as transportation and social interactions, can be a gift for the elderly who so often are isolated in their homes or facilities.
The TransComCare program provides subsidised community transport to older adults as well as people with disabilities and their carers to run important errands.
This may include taking clients to doctors, dentists, hospital appointments, shopping and social activities around the local area.
The program is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care and Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors that is supported by volunteers for low-care clients.
WISE is a new initiative introduced by the Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre to support another sector of our Seniors community.
WISE - Women’s Independent Support Enterprise - is here to help local women over 55 experiencing social isolation and loneliness, through workshops and individual case management.
This includes facilitating referrals to local support services and the Housing and Homelessness Hub for Older Women.
WISE is based at the Tree House: Urangan Community Wellness Centre, which provides a safe environment for women to attend events and workshops while also providing a drop-in lounge for women to create their own connections.
HBNC also has a volunteer visitors scheme for residents of aged care facilities that is funded by the Australian Government.
The Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS) provides friendship and companionship through one-on-one visits to older people in Residential Aged Care or Home Care Package recipients who are socially isolated.
Community Visitors share their time and interests and visits are relaxed and social, where you can chat, reminisce, listen to music, read the newspaper, play board games or other hobbies and fun activities.
A sad element for our seniors community is elder abuse. Elder abuse is any act within a relationship of trust which results in harm to an older person.
HBNC supports a Seniors Legal and Support Service, which is a community service providing free and confidential legal advice and counselling support for seniors 60 years and over. The support can be for the elderly who are experiencing, or are at risk of, elder abuse, mistreatment or financial exploitation.
Services include legal advice, representation and information, short term counselling, advocacy, referral and community education.
For further information on any of these services, visit their website hbnc.com.au or call 4194 3000.
