Our third Beyond the Face Exhibition has officially opened at Putangitangi Greenmeadows Centre.

We have written some of the stories and experiences of seven of our members and had their photo professionally taken by photographer Tim Cuff. This exhibitiion challenges the viewers to see 'beyond the face' and view the participants as a whole person with fascinating lives, colourful experiences and wonderful achievements. We are constantly amazed by the lives, achievements and experiences of our members. It really is an honour and a privilege to acknowledge and celebrate some of this. We are very thankful to those who were prepared to put their story in print. It is a big thing to do so we recognise their courage and willingness to do this.

This year we have also included a staff photo with the staff holding 'props' relevant to them. Again, this encourages people to see the staff as whole people with interests and hobbies.

The Exhibition is hanging the foyer at Putangitangi and will be on display until 22 December 2023 so if you are passing please stop and read some of the amazing stories of our members.

Using profiles from our Beyond the Face Exhibition we have created a stunning calendar for 2024. This features six profiles from last year's Beyond the Face exhibition as well as six new profiles of our valued members. January also features a fun photo of the Age Concern staff revealing our hobbies and interests. Calendars cost $20 and are available from our Nelson and Richmond Offices or we are happy to send them out at an additional postage cost. For more information, please contact Liz on 5447624 ext 9 or email admin@ageconcernnt.org.nz

We urgently need a large amount of donations for our Christmas Care Packages of non-perishable foods, toiletries and treats. 

Every year we gather these together to create Christmas Care Packages which we then deliver to our clients and members who need a boost at this time of year. These packages mean so much to those who receive them so please help us to make their day. 

If you can contribute, please drop off your donations to Age Concern Nelson Tasman, 62 Oxford Street or 18 Bridge Street, Nelson by Friday 30 November 2023.

We've made it easier to refer people to our various services via our website. It's been upgraded recently and all services now have an online referral form. Manager Caroline said it was the latest step in improving access to the agency, keeping up with technology and expectations. 'We want as few barriers as possible to reach us, and these new online forms will help with that.'

Referral forms are available for our Visiting Service, Older Drivers events, the Elder Abuse Response and Care & Repair. If you're interested in volunteering, this can also be done online. All referrals are found in their page on the website  here.

We have been really humbled by the response to our Just In Case campaign which creates emergency bags for older people. 

We've received funding from several individuals, as well as Whakatu Rotary Club, Top of the South Community Foundation and the NZ Community Trust. This will enable us to distribute over 40 emergency kits to older adults across the region in the coming year. We've already given out 15 of these and the receipients - including Ted, pictured below - have been extremely grateful. It gives them peace of mind that should an emergency or disaster occur they have all they need to either evacuate immediately or stay at home for several days.

Staying Safe Driving Course

Are you an older driver who would like to brush up on your road knowledge or do you know someone who does? Upcoming dates and locations for Staying Safe Driving are:

⇒Wednesday 29 November, at Age Concern Nelson Tasman Nelson Office, 18 Bridge Street, Nelson, 9.30am to 12 noon

⇒Monday 22 January 2024, Olive Estate Lifestyle Village, 37 Langdale Drive, Richmond, 10am-12.30pm.

If you would like to attend any of these workshops, please register by contacting Jackie on (03) 5447624 ext 4 or emailing community@ageconcernnt.org.nz

We had a lovely blessing of our new Motueka office in October. Kaumatua Harvey Ruru led the blessing at the I-site building on Wallace Street. We're really excited at having a physical hub in the town, and our newest team member Tanya Charles, who we introduced last E-Newsletter, based there. She's an Elder Abuse Response Advisor, working alongside Mal Drummond and Kate Miller. 

Our Motueka office is sited in the I-site building at 20 Wallace Street, immediately next door to the wonderful new library. It is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. To contact Tanya please phone 021 232 6201 or email motueka@ageconcernnt.org.nz