Wagga Wagga Seniors' Forum 2021

SENIORS' FORUM

WAGGA WAGGA

THANK YOU Thank you for attending the Wagga Wagga Seniors' Forum on Tuesday 1 June 2021. A total of 54 people attended.

This summary provides an overview of the discussions at the forum.

WHAT YOU TOLD US The first session of the forum covered Transport and Housing, while the second session covered Healthcare and Aged care, seniors lifestyle, healthy living. Following Dr Joe’s updates on these topics, each table was asked to reflect on the topic and discuss what has changed since the 2020 Seniors' Forum and what still needs to be addressed.

See below a summary of the feedback raised:

TRANSPORT

The most discussed transport issue was buses.

While there have been some recent improvements to bus services, the services still need improvement in terms of: Bus routes and timetabling – often not well planned, which results in prolonged journeys Location of bus stops – often long walking distance from key destinations e.g. HomeBase and Bunnings Certain areas are poorly serviced e.g. Forest Hill service Other feedback relating to bus services included: low numbers on buses could justify smaller buses, bookable and night buses need to be better advertised, accessibility to buses varies in terms of ramp availability and hand rails could be helpful, and bus parking should not be in prime car parking locations.

Roads were commonly discussed in terms of their condition, width, traffic lights and Gobbagombalin bridge. Participants identified a number of key locations that need to addressed e.g. widening of Glenfield Road, traffic lights not wanted at Old Narrandera Road and Gobba Bridge already congested with more development planned to the North.

"Cyclepaths are good but concerned roads will be ignored" Other key issues discussed: Hospital parking – many attendees are looking forward to construction of new carpark but want to ensure there are appropriate drop off zones, a good elevator in multi-storey carpark and appropriate parking time limits for patients Speed limits – lack of or hidden signage is problematic, particularly in areas where there are many changes “Far too many speed limit changes – huge number of changes along certain roads, it is confusing.”

Pedestrians – need lighting along walking tracks Transport Plan – needs to be better advertised and distributed Seniors Regional Travel Card Most (94%) forum attendees have used the Regional Seniors Travel Card. Attendees were asked if they had comments on the Regional Seniors Travel Card. The majority of comments were positive, with the card described as ‘a terrific concept’. There were a couple of questions regarding the use of the card, including can it be used in the City and for Uber rides.

HOUSING The most discussed housing issue was social housing.

The key issues raised regarding social housing were: Increase levels of social housing Social housing should be integrated within private housing in the community, however people identified NIMBYism occurs Repair and demolish damaged houses quicker. It currently takes too long to fix social housing and reallocate tenants Focus on encouraging pride in public houses and start with children Need to address social problems in order to address treatment of housing

Other key issues discussed: Homelessness – need more accommodation for the homeless Private housing – shortage of independent living in Wagga and some people have space in private homes to rent but it would affect pensions

HEALTHCARE The most discussed healthcare issues were: The COVID vaccine Mental Health Hospital services and medical staffing Palliative care COVID Vaccine Most people who had received the COVID vaccine stated they had no issue accessing the vaccine. However, there were some suggestions and questions including: Why isn’t the vaccine more widely available, in terms of the number of locations you can receive the vaccine and the ages eligible to receive the vaccine More accessible information about the vaccine is needed, beyond social media “Vaccination process was easy” Mental Health Many people raised the issue of limited mental health support facilities for youth. There was concern over suicides and people would like increased support in schools, as well as more psychologists and a mental health facility.

“No facilities for youth admission to mental health facilities. Not enough support, parents have little or no training. Huge issue of suicides” Hospital services and medical staffing Most people were happy with the care they received at Wagga Base, however, there were still some concerns regarding the hospital including: Will there be a hydrotherapy pool?

The hospital needs more money for nurses Surgery wait times The issue of decreased medical funding for smaller rural hospitals was raised, and tied to this is the issue of poor levels of medical staffing in these smaller rural facilities.

“Smaller rural health facilities outside of Wagga not as well serviced. Need more staff” Palliative care People identified the importance of adequate palliative care, with feedback focused on the need for the service to be accessible and delivered by a well-resourced team of health professionals.

AGED CARE, SENIORS LIFESTYLE, HEALTHY LIVING

A variety of issues were discussed in this area, the most commonly mentioned were: Voluntary Assisted dying Many identified the need for appropriate safeguards People identified this to be a personal choice Aged care Staffing and levels of pay need to be improved so care can improve More funding so people can afford in home care “Aged care facilities: need registered nurse 24/7. Need more support. Some staff only have 6-8 weeks training” Charles Sturt University A great benefit to the town that needs to stay Daylight savings Mixed views over whether it should remain unchanged or be shortened

NEXT STEPS Thank you again for your feedback , which provides details on a number of issues that I can raise with different government services. I will continue to provide updates on these issues via email, newsletters and social media. I also plan to host a followup Seniors' Forum early next year, which I hope you can attend.

Post event feedback 52 FEEDBACK FORMS WERE COMPLETED The following questions were asked, with participants asked to select a number between 1 (Strongly Disagree) and 5 (Strongly Agree). See below the average score for each question.

The forum timing was appropriate: 4.6/5 The venue was appropriate: 4.8/5 The forum objectives were clearly stated: 4.7/5 Presentations were clear and logical: 4.7/5 The workshop content was interesting: 4.7/5 I felt like I was able to have my say: 4.6/5 There were opportunities for me to participate in an engaging and appropriate way: 4.7/5 Participants were asked 'Do you have any suggestions about how the forum could have been improved?'. Overall the feedback was very positive, however many people said the forum needed to run for longer, at least three hours.

Participants were asked 'What did you value most about today’s forum?'. Common responses were the opportunity for open discussions, to have my say and to hear different perspectives.

Finally, participants were asked 'Do you have any other comments?'. The most common responses were thank you and the need for more forums.

STAY IN TOUCH

www.joemcgirr.com.au | www.facebook.com/DrJoeMcGirrMP waggawagga@parliament.nsw.gov.au | 64 Baylis Street | (02) 6921 1622