Local Member Mia Davies MLA has congratulated the community of Pingelly for the launch for an innovative project to support and celebrate our seniors living in regional communities.
Mia joined in the launch on Sunday, celebrating the kick-start of the ‘Living the Life in Pingelly and Giving Ageism the Boot’ campaign.
“I congratulate the Pingelly Somerset Alliance, the Shire and all involved for taking on this innovative project,” Ms Davies said.
“Our seniors are an important part of our community, they enrich our towns with their knowledge, experience and have much to contribute to health and wellbeing of our society.
“The project is about creating an inclusive and supportive community that is attuned to the needs of our seniors.”
Ms Davies said the learnings from the project, which are being measured and monitored by the University of Western Australia, could be applied across the Wheatbelt and other regional areas.
“We have a high proportion of seniors living in the Wheatbelt, so the work being done as part of the project will no doubt assist other communities,” she said.
“Our seniors should be able to thrive, not just survive, in the towns that they have helped build and contributed so much to over their lifetime.
“Unfortunately that is not always possible, and ageism is one hurdle that needs to be tackled to create an inclusive and vibrant community.”
The Pingelly Somerset Alliance aims to ensure that people will no longer need to worry about being lonely, becoming frail and dependent on care and support, having a disability, or becoming isolated if they choose to live at home in Pingelly until the end of their life.
“Successful ageing in place strategies for regional Western Australia require some out-of-the-box thinking and I congratulate the PSA for their work to improve the lives of seniors and create a model that can be transferred to all communities.
