Age Concern New Zealand

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At the age of 65 most people are contemplating retirement, but Far North woman Heather Hilton-Jones decided on something else to occupy her - riding the length of the country on a horse she’d saved from certain death.

After 14 years - doing a couple of weeks a year - Hilton-Jones completed the Great New Zealand Trek, while riding the same horse, Wildflower.

'I was never going to give up': 81yo Kiwi completes epic 2500km trek on horse 'It was such a wonderful trek', says Heather Hilton-Jones.

Judith was nominated for volunteering twice a week making coffees, chatting and running crafts with elderly people who drop in to Age Concern.

She provides a listening ear for them, gives advice when needed and provides a safe space for many in the district.

She also runs a voluntary falls prevention class which benefits many and has a kind heart, her nominator said.

Local Legend: Judith Tunnah This week’s winner of the Silver Fern Farms Local Legend prize is Judith Tunnah, of Balclutha. Judith was nominated for volunteering twice a week...

"Banks are often at the end of a chain of events that leads to criminals stealing money from New Zealanders. Scams may start when people are deceived by fake websites, emails, texts, social media ads, and phone calls.

"To truly strengthen New Zealand's scam defences, everyone in the ecosystem needs to step up - including government, telcos, social media companies, and search engines. Banks can't protect New Zealanders on their own."

Beaumont said banks had got the ball rolling with the Anti-Scam Centre by targeting mule bank accounts, which were used by criminals to move stolen money.

Nearly 80 fraud and scam cases reported to banking watchdog every month, report shows The industry ombudsman says banks need to do more for their customers, as many report losses of thousands of dollars.

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‘You can’t kill weeds’: Korean War vet on a century of living Peter Jensen is celebrating his 100th birthday and recalls in detail the military service that left a remarkable impression on his life.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW). MHAW is an annual campaign, and a gentle reminder to actively prioritise and nurture our mental health beyond the week itself. We believe that people should connect with and tautoko/support each other, while continuing the kōrero about mental health and wellbeing year-round.

Contact us for a FREE copy today!

This week our Health Promotion team (Tina and Anna) hosted a 2-day Steady As You Go Coordinator training in Wellington. We had 16 attendees from nine Age Concerns! The training was led by Ann Dalziel (Age Concern Wellington) and Margaret Dando (Age Concern Otago) and covered the origin and principles of Steady As You Go, setting up a class, developing and supporting peer leadership, strength and balance testing, and practicing the routine. We had Professor Debra Waters (University of Otago) discuss the research and evidence behind the physical and social benefits of Steady As You Go. We were even lucky enough to have a local peer-led class join us for the routine and talk to us about why they love Steady As You Go. Everyone had a great couple of days and took away so much knowledge to pass on to their communities..

Steady As You Go© is a fun and social, strength and balance exercise programme for older adults. The exercises are gentle, progressively increase balance and muscle mass, and are specifically designed for older people. Call us on 0800 65 2 105 to find out about a class near you. 🤸‍♀️🤸🤸‍♂️”

Police are aware of a recent overseas rise in scams which involve an unexpected package being sent to addresses with a gift and a QR code inside. Police believe this scamming method could find its way to New Zealand and we are urging people to be vigilant.

The gift will have the recipients address, but not include the sender's information or be from a known retailer. When the recipient opens the package to see what it is and possibly who sent it, there is a QR code to scan to find out who sent the gift.

The QR code allows the offenders to then access any and all data on your phone or device you used to scan the code, including financial information such as your bank account login details, and personal data.

Police are urging anyone who receives one of these gifts not to scan the QR code, the gift can either be kept or discarded, but do not scan the QR code.
Please report information to Police online at www.police.govt.nz... or call Police on 105.

"The crisis in aged care is not limited to New Zealand.

The Australian government has just completed a review of the sector and adopted the aged care taskforce’s 23 recommendations.

One major change is requiring wealthier people to contribute more to the overall costs instead of relying on taxpayers subsidies."

A looming crisis means New Zealand must rethink how it pays for aged care There is not enough money for New Zealand’s aged care sector – and the demand is only going to rise. The government needs to look at Australia for ways to ensure access for all.

Te Wiki Kaumātua Seniors' Week celebrates the chronologically gifted - The theme for this year is Tō Tātou Wāhi - Our Place, and Wellington City Council has collaborated with community centres, libraries, community gardens and Age Concern to bring a programme of mostly free events and activities to Pōneke for the week. Checkout what on:

Te Wiki Kaumātua Seniors’ Week celebrates International Day of Older Persons This year’s Te Wiki Kaumātua Seniors’ Week starts next week to coincide with International Day of Older Persons – and there’s something for all vintages.

Learn more at https://www.anz.co.nz/banking-with-anz/banking-safely/scam-academy/

NZAG Webinar 26 September! - Streetscapes that optimise age-friendly participation: Collaborative insights.

Moderated by Professor Ngaire Kerse, this lunch time webinar will share informative interdisciplinary & lived experience perspectives from three presenters who will reveal how Universal Design sustains age-friendly participation in the built environment.

Event Manager Moderated by Professor Ngaire Kerse, this lunch time webinar will share informative interdisciplinary & lived experience perspectives from three presenters who will reveal how Universal Design sustains age-friendly participation in the built environment.

Spring into Spring at the Ashburton Library on 24 September for a free, fun, informative expo on preventing falls and staying on your feet as you get older.

The Spring Expo will run from 10am to 1pm, with free testing and goodies to give away.

“People will be able to learn about the benefits of strength and balance classes, and where to find those classes in Ashburton, as well as learning about how to improve their strength and balance at home.”

You can also learn more about Age Concern Ashburton’s Safe Driving courses and the Connector community transport service

Spring into the library for tips about ageing well | Ashburton DC Spring into Spring at the Ashburton Library on 24 September for a free, fun, informative expo on preventing falls and staying on your feet as you get older.

Auckland Council supports many programmes and activities in Tāmaki Makaurau that are designed with seniors’ needs in mind, including exercise classes and initiatives to help older people navigate technology.

Supporting our senior citizens We highlight some of the many services available for senior citizens ‘across Auckland, from digital literacy lessons to weekly tai chi classes and more.

🎉 Happy Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers' Day! 🎉

A massive shoutout to all our amazing Age Concern social workers! 🌟 Your dedication and hard work in supporting older people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand is truly inspiring. Thank you for everything you do! 💙🙌

This bilingual quiz offers a fun and engaging way to see where you stand, whether you’re just starting out or more advanced in your skills.

How well do you know Te Reo Māori? Take the quiz Our bilingual quiz offers a fun and engaging way to see where you stand, whether you’re just starting out or more advanced in your skills.

Remember the Winter Energy Payment ends on 1 October 2024. This happens every year at this time.

If you're worried how you'll manage without it, we may be able to help you in other ways.

• Use our online eligibility tool to check what you might be able to get: bit.ly/35Sgwff

• Find advice to help manage your money: bit.ly/32ZM1C4

• Contact us: bit.ly/2WkPpUH

If you qualify for the Winter Energy Payment next year, you'll get it automatically from 1 May until 1 October 2025.

Find more information on our website: https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/.../winter-energy...

Research shows older men aren't talking about their health - leaving themselves vulnerable to serious illness.

Older men not discussing health, survey finds Research shows older men aren't talking about their health - leaving themselves vulnerable to serious illness. The findings are revealed in a Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand survey of more than 500 people aged over 40. Chief executive Peter Dickens spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

To mark his retirement and 40 years’ service at the end of August, Grundy planted his last tree as a council employee: a flame tree, across the pond from the Suter Cafe.

Forty years, one million trees: One man’s mission to transform parks The tree you sit under in your local park is probably there thanks to the dedicated effort of a Nelson council employee.

It is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori ( Māori language week).
The theme for Te Wiki 2024 is ‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language’. It represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of our language. It also reflects the commitment New Zealanders have to embracing and learning te reo Māori long into the future.
There are many things that define New Zealanders and connect us to our home but te reo Māori is unique.
Find out how you can take part at: www.reomaori.co.nz.
̄ori

“Mr Iosefa convinced us that he has been humbled, not only by public and family exposure of his weak conduct but also by reflection as time has gone by.

“We are satisfied that he has achieved insight into the factors that led to his vulnerability. We are satisfied that he has regained his good character.”

'Fall from Grace': Lawyer who stole elderly client’s life savings given second chance Leuatea Iosefa stole $83,000 from a widow and used it to pay off his own debts.

"It is a really lonely place to be in when those around you don't know how to navigate the landscape of dying," said Rachel Mellor, 48, who also lives in Christchurch and has terminal bowel cancer.

She hired Campbell-Simpson (death doulas typically charge around $65 an hour in New Zealand with wiggle room on compassionate grounds) and has found her to be "kickass with administration and care and advocacy and support and it makes such a difference to how I am experiencing it now".

What do end-of-life doulas do? "It is a really lonely place to be in when those around you don't know how to navigate the landscape of dying," says 48-year-old Rachel Mellor, who has terminal bowel cancer.

Today is Hariata's birthday!
We celebrated last week with cake a presents.
Hariata is our Staying Safe National Course Coordinator, she is so passionate about her work and brings so much fun and joy to the office.
Rā whānau Hariata. We all hope you have a wonderful day. 💕🥳🎂🎈🎁

“Facebook Marketplace is considered a high-risk platform for sales and purchases, due to the ease with which profiles can be manipulated. This NZ Post scam is common and has been linked to overseas offenders on multiple occasions,”

Caught in a bank scammer’s web Falling victim to a sophisticated scam begs the question: who pays?

“Through our community conversations events, we’re inviting seniors to share their insights on what matters for them in their daily lives, enabling their voices to be heard on this most profound issue, the seismic demographic shift that’s taking place in New Zealand which will impact on and shape the future of our communities in the not-too-distant future.

“Our communities are ageing for the first time in history, with more people living longer and contributing to society; by 2028, 1 million New Zealanders will be aged 65 to 100 plus, increasing to 1.5 million by 2050.”

'Seismic shift' in average age of population raises questions Thames-Coromandel's ageing population highlights what's in store for the rest of NZ.

“Ageing is an irreversible process, but it can be slowed down by many different measures like a healthy lifestyle.

“Tourism involves a lot of elements that can contribute to health,” Hu said, such as walking, cycling, hiking and climbing.

Can travel slow down ageing? Researchers say yes It won’t be cheaper than the anti-ageing potion in your bathroom cupboard, but it will be far more fun.

🚗 Flashback Friday! 🚗
Do you remember your first car? Whether it was a trusty old favorite or a wild ride with lots of personality, we’d love to hear your stories! Share a pic or a memory of your first car in the comments below and take a trip down memory lane with us! 💭✨

"How much longer can people on no income other than superannuation meet their outgoings?

I think this is a significant problem. A group of older people are facing a unique kind of trap in their own homes. They cannot sell or downsize them, which is causing them real difficulty."

Lew Findlay: It's getting harder for people on low incomes OPINION: Rate rises are 'a significant blow to our community'.