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MARGRET MEAGHER - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR ARTS AND HEALTH
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SUE REID
Isabella shares observations and a good yarn with Hello Koalas’ Guula and Ranger Riley
Arts Health AND
Photo Parks Australia 2018
Companionship is a Key to Happiness In Australia, we might call it mateship. One of the defining moments from our Arts, Health and Creative Ageing Conference last year in Port Macquarie was hearing from older delegates about how they were awakened to the reality of planning the next stage of their life and enhancing the quality of time that was ahead of them.
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ow, that sounds obvious. If you are 60 years of age, you need to think about being 70, or 80, or 90 or these days; with current life expectancy predictions, it is not unrealistic to think and prepare for being 100 and over. Until a month ago, I thought and felt like I would live forever. Now I am not so sure! When I had my 70th birthday in May, my four adult children and my nine grandchildren hip hip hoorayed for Grannie over a succession of loving and heart-warming dinners, lunches and holidays. It was fantastic to feel so appreciated. And, it was a real thrill to spend some of that time planning and chatting with my children and grandchildren about their benchmarks and aspirations and visions for their future. Sharing our lives with other people is really one of the essentials of a happy life, in my opinion. I was reading an arts and health article recently about loneliness. In the UK, the Campaign to End Loneliness defines the word as “an unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship”. Of course, there are different types of loneliness. It might be the emotional loneliness of missing a particular person, often a spouse, sibling or close friend. Or maybe that our social networks as we get older become smaller and we feel a sense of social isolation. Sometimes, it is a transient feeling that comes and goes. It can be situational such as we might feel over Christmas when we miss family and friends. Or loneliness can be chronic, which means that someone feels lonely all or most of the time. And that’s when it is definitely not good for your health. I read that a study in the US (Holt-Lunstad, 2015) found that a lack of social connections is as
damaging to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is worse for us than well-known risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity. That is something to think about. On the flipside, research shows that social networks and friendships not only have an impact on reducing the risk of mortality or developing certain diseases, but they also help individuals to recover when they do fall ill (Marmot, 2010). The body of evidence is very strong - being socially connected can have a positive physical effect on our mental health, and guard against the risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. One study concluded lonely people have a 64% increased chance of developing clinical dementia (Holwerda et al, 2012). The good news is that living in a regional environment like the Mid North Coast opens the doors to lots of ways to maintain friendships and be socially active. We have an abundance of social and sporting clubs, a wonderfully rich cultural lifestyle, a beautiful natural environment. Finding a new life through the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail has given me insights into how valuable relationships are across the generations too. I love seeing grandparents out and about with their adult children and grandchildren having fun, chatting about the koalas and their often quirky designs, laughing, giggling, taking photos to share memories. But I also love to see little people offering gum leaves to our koalas to munch on, in case they are hungry, and the hugs and kisses that seem to follow from people of all ages. Makes my heart sing. And with nearly 70 Hello Koalas in my extended family, it’s hard to feel lonely at all!
At a recent Open Day, I had the delightful experience of showing members of our community through St Agnes Village and Lourdes Village, and they were thrilled with what they saw.
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he recent refurbishment of our villas was particularly well received. People were pleasantly surprised that the refurbishment has included a focus on contemporary designs and functional layouts, with great opportunity to add those special touches to call it home. Residents have said they feel safe and secure in our community and are given peace of mind regarding the emergency support that was available.
Comments were made regarding the great sense of community present in our villages, which has come from 40 years of us knowing what works locally. The direct support provided to the villages through a locallyowned and operated team was also warmly received. Through our lifestyle and pastoral care programs, residents are encouraged to be as social as they want to be and offered support in The refurbishment has times of need.
included a focus on contemporary designs and functional layouts, with great opportunity to add those special touches to call it home.
Feedback was not limited to our new look villas, but also regarding the surrounding, supportive environment of our villages. Some were not aware that Catholic Care of the Aged (CCA) also provides extra support through home care and access to some of the best residential care facilities in the region.
CCA’s long-term presence in the community has meant our villages are closely located to town, facilities and transport, and people (and pets) from all backgrounds are welcomed.
The best way to get a feel for our community is to see it for yourself. I would be happy to show you our new look villas in person or via a weblink. You can contact me on 0407 843 515 to arrange this.
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