Seniors
Positive ageing is about living a full, healthy, active and positive life as you get older. This may include staying independent, maintaining your health, planning for housing and most importantly, staying connected to your community.
In the City of Canada Bay more than 19 per cent of the population is over 60 years old, and as with the rest of Australia, this number is set to grow.
Here you will find information about local services, community groups and events for seniors in the area. You will also find relevant directories and links to resources designed for older people.
Seniors’ Week will be running from 1-12 February 2023 and there are great free events and activities planned through the City of Canada Bay including the annual Coffee with the Choir performance, handicraft groups, yoga classes, tours, and the opportunity to try something new!
We have also developed a directory of helpful services for our senior community, which is available upon request.
For more information about what’s happening, download the calendar here or contact Zoe on 9121 0014 or zoe.chan@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
We have all heard about Australia's ageing population. It is good news! As a community, we are healthier and more active than any generation that has gone before us so we are living longer.
Currently in NSW about 13 per cent of the population is over 65. The Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts that this will increase to almost 27 per cent by 2051.
The City of Canada Bay has developed a Positive Ageing Strategy after a comprehensive consultation period. This consultation involved service providers and recipients, carers, community groups and residents.
It is recognised that the consequences of the demographic change will be far reaching. Councils need to plan and advocate for different needs in areas such as housing, service provision and transport. Council's role is to protect public health by planning for a safe and healthy urban environment. This includes:
- A role as regulator for health protection
- Providing health promotion and prevention programs through community education focusing on key health issues
- Providing an environment that facilitates physical activity ensuring access to affordable, healthy food
- Providing good mobility and preventing injury in public places through urban planning.
Council will now be working to meet the objectives of the Positive Ageing Strategy.
Inner West Meals on Wheels, Concord
A service that provides home delivered meals to the frail and aged members of the community.
For further information about the Inner West Meals on Wheels please call 9747 1135 Monday-Friday from 9am–2pm or email on delivery@bcw.org.au
If you are young at heart, active, mobile, over 55 years of age and live in the City of Canada Bay come and join the Active Adults group!
Council provides full day bus outings to exciting locations around the Sydney metropolitan area and beyond. Trips previously provided include Berry, Wollongong and the Central Coast.
Active Adults bus trips are designed for people who:
- Live in the City of Canada Bay local government area and are over 55 years of age
- Are active and able to walk moderate distances
- Do not require assistance getting on and off the bus
- Can provide their own transport to the bus pick up locations.
Trips operate twice a month on Thursdays and are COVID safe.
Participants in programs are subject to eligibility criteria and the availability of places on scheduled trips.
Click here to view our current program.
More information
For more information please contact Council's Community services team on 02 9911 6587/02 9911 6349 or email to council@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
Explore your community and meet new people!
The City of Canada Bay offers a program of bus trips for people over 55 years of age who live in the local government area. The aim of the program is to improve social connection and cohesion among older people within the community and contribute to their overall health and wellbeing. Currently the program has over 60 participants from the City of Canada Bay area.
Bay Connection bus trips are designed for people who:
- Live at home and would like to get out of the house
- Enjoy the company of others
- Find it difficult to attend social events or outings due to limited mobility
- Would like to travel to a variety of interesting destinations.
The trips operate on Tuesdays and Fridays every alternate week and are COVID safe.
Participants must meet eligibility criteria. The service is not available to nursing home residents.
More information
For more information please contact Council's Community Services team on 02 9911 6587/02 9911 6349 or email council@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
The BayRider operates on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is a bus shuttle service for those experiencing transport difficulties.
The BayRider is able to collect passengers from their home and take them to places such as:
- Five Dock and Concord libraries
- Concord Hospital
- Five Dock and Concord shopping centres
- Rhodes shopping centre for the movies or shopping
- A nursing home to visit a spouse or a friend
- Five Dock Leisure Centre
- Burwood medical appointments (Wednesdays only).
Please check with us about other possible locations that we may be able to assist with.
Bookings
Bookings are essential and must be made on the Tuesday of the week of travel between 9am and 12pm. A gold coin donation is requested for each trip.
The BayRider is an innovative project run jointly by the Drummoyne Community Centre and the City of Canada Bay. To make a booking, or for more information please contact the Drummoyne Community Centre on 9719 8102.
Drummoyne Community Centre is a non-profit, non-government organisation that serves the City of Canada Bay. It acts as a focal point for the whole community to enhance their quality of life. It is an evolving, dynamic organisation that aims to nurture, develop, extend and respond to local needs and issues in a beneficial and enabling way.
Programs are conducted at the Cometrowe Street facility in Drummoyne and at various other sites within the City of Canada Bay. Many programs are open to all members of the community, however, some focus on people with particular needs e.g. children, parents or older residents.
Location and contact details:
10 Cometrowe Street, Drummoyne (off Lyons Road) NSW 2047
Phone: 9719 8102
Fax: 9819 6116
Email: info@dcc.org.au
Website: Drummoyne Community Centre
Concord Senior Citizens Centre
Concord Senior Citizens Centre caters for a wide range of people. The centre has a warm and friendly environment and runs a regular program of activities. The Concord Senior Citizens Club is the principal tenant within the Concord Senior Citizens Centre and their administration office for their club is based at the centre. The City of Canada Bay Museum is located at the base of the building providing local historical information. The centre is accessible for those with disabilities and provides amenities for their use. Disabled parking is also available.
Location
Corner of Bent and Wellbank Streets, Concord NSW
Hire of the centre
Concord Senior Citizens Centre is also available to hire for events or regular groups. For more information on function rooms, capacities, hire application procedures and forms refer to Concord Senior Citizens Centre facility page.
For more information or to make a booking at the centre contact Council on 9911 6555 or email council@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
Concord Senior Citizens Club
Concord Senior Citizens Club runs from the Concord Senior Citizens Centre. The club offers a number of activities including:
- Handicrafts group making rugs, toys and beanies for children’s hospital and other worthy groups
- Quilting groups
- Ballet and tap dancing for seniors
- Table tennis
- Gentle aerobics and/or toning and conditioning with an accredited trainer
- Art groups
- Yoga with an accredited trainer
Contact the Concord Senior Citizens Club for more information and to make bookings on 0401887192 or email barryjford@yahoo.com.au. An activity sheet with days and times are also available in the holder on the inside of the front door.
Other groups
A number of other groups regularly hire the centre. These include:
- Choirs
- Gardening groups
- Italian bingo group
- Men's exercise group
- Craft groups.
For further information about these groups, or to book the centre for your own community group, please call Council on 9911 6555.
Drummoyne Municipality Senior Citizens Club
Address: 422 Lyons Road, Five Dock NSW
Phone: 0414 512 361
The club hosts Thursday luncheons and regular monthly outings.
For all enquiries regarding the Drummoyne Senior Citizens Club, please call 0414 512 361.
Below are some accessible transport services available to the City of Canada Bay and Inner West community:
- Access Sydney: is a community based organisation dedicated to providing transport options for people who are transport disadvantaged.
- Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Foundation: established to help people of all ages, physically handicapped, disadvantaged and struggling financially to be mobile and to assist with transport to and from the hospital and other medical appointments. Also provision of mobility scooters and other transport related products/subsidies.
- Volunteer Associates & of St Ambrose (VASA): VASA maintain contact with the elderly by organising monthly morning tea outings, assisting with shopping on a fortnightly basis using the Council's community bus, and provide transport where necessary for appointments.
- BayRider: a City of Canada Bay bus shuttle service for those experiencing transport difficulties. Call 9911 6555 for more information.
- Concord and Five Dock Libraries: the local libraries offer a range of services for seniors including book clubs and home library services.
- Seniors.gov.au: the Australian Government's online source for all Australians over 50.
- Seniorliving.org: visit this website for information about common scams that target the elderly.
- Community Circles Australia helps provide a support network for vulnerable people in the community. Circles bring together family, friends and volunteers in an organised way to help a person live a better, more connected life. They can be for anyone who needs a bit of extra help and connection: carers, older people, young people, people living with disability or mental health challenges, and even whole families. They are created with the support of a Facilitator and the Community Circles App, which records what’s important to the person, what role everyone plays, what’s coming up and how things are going. Roles played by Circle Members vary and can be anything from helping with the shopping, cooking a meal, dropping in for a friendly chat, or even taking the person out for some fun! Read more or visit the website: communitycirclesaustralia.com.au.
Let’s Talk Support and Mediation service run by Relationships Australia assists older people and their families resolve or prevent interpersonal differences and disagreements.
The service is designed for individuals and their families to address age-related issues and to support them to have mediated conversations about important things affecting them.
Visit their website for more information or call them on 1300 364 277.
National Seniors Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that gives older Australians – working and retired – a strong national voice.
Visit their website for more information or call them on 1300 76 50 50.
Hospital equipment is loaned on a short-term basis to enable patients who live within the Concord hospital catchment area to be as independent as possible. A partial refundable deposit will be levied. No deposit is required for pensioners, those receiving DVA allowances and palliative patients. All equipment under $50.00 will be sold rather than loaned.
Please note that a referral from a Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist is needed to access the Lending Pool.
For more information, call (02) 9767 7919