The Department of Communities has planned a range of activities to bring Seniors Week to life before it ends on Sunday (14 November).
During the Week, people of all ages are being encouraged to celebrate the valued contributions that seniors make to the Western Australian community.
Minister for Seniors and Ageing, Don Punch said Seniors Week was an opportunity to make the participation of seniors more visible and to encourage active ageing.
“Western Australia has a diverse and ageing population,” Mr Punch said.
“As at 30 June 2020, an estimated 407,725 Western Australians, or 15 per cent of the total population, were aged 65 and over,” he said.
Mr Punch listed some of the Seniors Week events, including a Multicultural Seniors Expo; Purple Road Picnic; and the 29th annual Seniors Recreation Council’s Have a Go Day.
“In addition, a series of Linking and Celebrating Seniors Week Together, for seniors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who speak little or no English, will be presented by the Chung Wah Community and Aged Care,” he said.
“Other events and activities include art classes, Get on Board with Transperth education sessions, intercultural cooking experiences, eLearning workshops, Let’s Talk Scams information sessions and tours of Parliament House.”
The Minister said the recently-established Elder Rights WA, a Statewide elder abuse advocacy service, helped connect people with information and legal advice, and formed part of a comprehensive suite of measures to combat elder abuse in the community.
“Despite its name, Seniors Week is not just for seniors, it’s for people of all ages and there are opportunities for generations to get together to learn from each other and to link seniors with their community,” he said.
“Seniors Week is a great opportunity to improve the visibility of seniors,” Mr Punch said.
