A New Year full of social connection opportunities... |
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After a nice break, the Age Concern team is back at work and planning lots of exciting events, programmes and more for 2024. We all hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Years and are enjoying the sunshine.
Thanks for sharing a few moments of your day with us. Please give us a call on
04 499 6646 or email info@acwellington.org.nz if you would like to get in touch with us. |
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Join Age Concern's monthly pop-up social connection hubs for seniors: come by for some tea and coffee, and snacks, and a great speaker! Everyone welcome. Next hub events:
Seatoun - Seatoun Village Hall, 22 Forres St, Wednesday 7 February, 10.30am -
Lower Hutt - Walter Nash Centre, 22/26 Taine St, Taitā, Thursday 8 February, 1.30pm
Linden - Linden Community Centre, 10 Linden Avenue, Tawa. Tuesday, 13 February, 1pm
Upper Hutt - Heretaunga Christian Centre, 51 Lane Street - Wednesday 14 February, 12pm Brooklyn - Vogelmorn Community Centre, 13 Vennell St, Tuesday 27 February, 2pm
Call 04 499 6646 or email events@acwellington.org.nz for details. |
COFFEE GROUP AT TE POKAPŪ HAPORI - Y CENTRAL |
Join our monthly coffee group for seniors at the Te Pokapū Hapori – Y Central in Manners St.
Where: Te Pokapū Hapori - Y Central, 105 Manners Street, Te Aro When: Thursday 15 February, 10.30am coffee group
All welcome. Drop in, or call 04 499 6646 or email events@acwellington.org.nz for details. |
OUR LATEST STEADY AS YOU GO FALLS PREVENTION CLASSES |
CHRISTMAS BREAK:
The next livestream Steady As You Go class will be Wednesday 24 January.
Most of the in-person classes will resume next week as well.
To find out more about Steady As You Go and for a full list of Steady As You Go and Aligned To Go classes around the Region, click here or call 04 499 6648.
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ALIGNED TO GO FALLS PREVENTION EXERCISE CLASS |
Are you looking for something a little more than Steady As You Go? • Dance-based movements
• Seated, standing, and walking movements
• Improve balance, stability, flexibility, and coordination
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Recently developed by Age Concern Otago in collaboration with the University of Otago, Aligned To Go is our newest falls prevention exercise class.
Aligned To Go is quite different from Steady As You Go as it is designed by a contemporary dancer in association with the University. It's much faster than Steady As You Go, and a little longer. It requires participants to do some barefoot walking and parts of it are dance moves.
This class is suitable for seniors who would like something a little faster than Steady As You Go. Come along to our new trial class:
When: Fridays 10am (probable re-start date of 2 Feb - to be confirmed)
Where: Victoria Bowling Club, 125 Pirie Street, Mt Victoria, Wellington Entry: $3 donation
Please email info@acwellington.org.nz or call 04 499 6648 for more information.
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STEADY AS YOU GO ONLINE EXERCISE CLASSES - ALL WELCOME |
Every Wednesday at 9:30am there is a livestream Steady As You Go class on Zoom. It's open to anyone - you don't need any prior experience. It is a gentle entry-level exercise class designed for seniors. All you need to do is register by filling in the form online (click the blue button below). Come and join the 20+ other seniors online for some gentle exercise fun together! |
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HUTT VALLEY VOLUNTEER CATCH-UP |
Join some of Age Concern Hutt Valley's volunteers for a coffee every couple of months. If you're one of our volunteers, and you would like to come along or would like more information, please email avshutt@acwellington.org.nz or call Tania on 04 499 6646.
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Did you know that by becoming a Member of Age Concern Wellington Region, you'll be contributing to our important work of helping reach isolated and lonely seniors? Plus you'll get our fantastic magazine in the post four times a year! Join now by filling in the form on the website.
Call 04 499 6648 or click the button below to visit the website to find out more. |
WE CAN HELP YOU PLAN FOR YOUR END OF LIFE CARE |
Age Concern Wellington Region has an Advance Care Planning service in partnership with Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand. Kay Webster is our amazing Advanced Care Planning Coordinator. She is available to come and talk to you about making an Advance Care Plan. This fantastic service is free. She is also available to make presentations to your group. If you want to know more about this new service and how to get in touch with Kay, please check out our website or call us.
Call 04 499 6646 or visit our website (click here) for more information. |
STAYING SAFE CLASS FOR OLDER DRIVERS |
Staying Safe is a FREE classroom-based refresher workshop for senior road users. Age Concern runs these workshops in partnership with Waka Kotahi. They run from 10am till 2pm with lunch provided! Registration is required. To register and for more information, call 04 499 6646 or email events@acwellington.org.nz
Next classes: Wednesday 14 February, Lower Hutt
Wednesday 13 March, Upper Hutt |
LIFE WITHOUT A CAR BOOKLET |
Throughout our lives we all want to stay connected with friends and family, maintain our independence and keep doing the things we enjoy. There are many options for staying connected as we age, regardless of whether or not we continue driving a car.
Reducing or stopping driving does not need to be a limiting factor that prevents you doing what you want, but it helps to think ahead about your future transport needs. Age Concern New Zealand has produced a booklet which highlights options for older New Zealanders to remain active and connected. This includes some things to consider about where you live, community and public transport services, recreation activities as well as social outings.
Click here to download the Life without a Car - Transport options for Seniors booklet. This document is filled with useful information. |
IT IS BETTER TO LEAVE A WILL |
When someone dies without leaving a will it is called dying intestate, and could give rise to confusion and legal issues following their death. A small estate where assets are less than $15,000 from each can be managed and distributed by their next of kin. Anything more than $15,000 will require formal administration by law, which means that certain processes need to be followed to manage and distribute the assets of the estate. The process for managing someone's estate when there is no will is longer and more complex than if there was a will.
The good news is that there are plenty of websites with really useful information and links to help you create your will. Check out some of the links below...
Helpful sites: |
STAYING SAFE ONLINE - FREE WEBINAR |
Are you a Senior, or do you have a Senior in your life, who is looking to build their confidence online?
CERT NZ's Staying Safe Online for Senior's webinar is coming up on the 20th of February and is designed to empower seniors, as well as friends and whānau, with the know-how to safely navigate the digital world.
By attending this free webinar, you can expect you to come away understanding online safety, learn how to spot common threats and scams targeting Seniors, and gain practical tips for surfing the internet safely.
So whether you are a Senior yourself, or want to help a Senior in your life navigate the online world, this webinar is for you.
Register here. |
GET MORE FROM YOUR PHONE, TABLET OR COMPUTER |
Want to get more from your mobile phone, tablet or computer? Come along to SeniorNet Wellington's Free Open Day
Where: Level 1 Anvil House, 138 Wakefield St When: Friday 8 March - 12.30pm
In a world where a doctor's appointment can now be an online consultation and banking is done online, SeniorNet Wellington offers friendly, individual and group support to navigate changes in digital technology. Anyone aged 50+ can join (membership fee applies).
Please contact: Robin Watt, phone: 0211026848, email: robinj.watt@xtra.co.nz or check their website at www.wellingtonseniornet.co.nz |
PORIRUA LIBRARY - FREE DIGITAL LITERACY COURSES |
Porirua Library conducts basic free digital literacy courses in various subjects such as online shopping, online banking, how to setup an email account or browse the internet, and much more. The courses are slow paced, suitable for seniors. In addition, they can provide: - One-on-one technical support. If you have a particular issue / question related to using your device, or the Internet, or anything. Call them (see details below).
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Tech Help Drop ins. Every week on Wednesdays 10am-1pm (no online registration required, but booking recommended).
- Internet Connection. If you have no Internet, they can help connect you to
Skinny Jump. Skinny Jump is a low-cost prepaid broadband service provided by Spark Foundation. Call them to check. This is available by appointment only, preferably on Tuesday afternoons.
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Job Seekers Support. They help clients search and apply for jobs online, create a CV and cover letter, and prepare for interviews. This service is available by appointment only.
All programmes are free. You are also welcome to use their computers and connect to free Wi-Fi. They would love to see you at the library!
Term 1 2024 list of sessions and courses. All the information is available on their website (porirualibrary.org.nz/digital), including a link to register, or (https://diaa.arlo.co/w/upcoming/location-porirua-city-library/).
Phone: 04 237 3835 / 021 764 096
Email: noha.ibrahim@poriruacity.govt.nz |
HEALTH AND DISABILITY ADVOCACY |
The Health and Disability Advocacy Service is a free service that operates independently from all health and disability service providers and government agencies.
If you want to know more about your rights when using health or disability services, get questions answered, or make a complaint, they may be able to help.
It's a free service. Advocates should be able to:
- Help you understand your rights when using health or disability services
- Listen to your concerns
- Talk through your options
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Help you to formulate your complaint and make a complaint
- Support you while you resolve your issue
Freephone: 0800 555 050
Email: advocacy@advocacy.org.nz |
The Books at Home Service is a free service for people who are unable to get to a library themselves, permanently. If you wish to join Wellington City Libraries as a Books at Home Borrower, would like to know more about the service, or would like to help by delivering selections to a Books at Home Borrower, please get in touch. Call 04 801 4044 or click here for more information.
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The Naenae Community Library run a Mid-week Movie screening on Wednesdays at 10am. These are free to all and they use a drop-down screen in their community space to project the film. Call 04 567 2859 for more information. |
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Useful Tips
From phone calls and text messages saying you owe money, need to claim a parcel, or must renew an important document, to emails and letters claiming to want to give you money or urgently needing you to renew a registration of some kind, there are countless approaches out there. Sadly, it's important to be on your guard.
Some useful tips include considering requests and asking yourself how the request makes you feel. It's also important never to enter passwords on unknown sites. Even clicking on a link in a text message can be dangerous. Scammers are good at making things seem urgent, so perhaps the most useful advice we've come across is to 'pause, reflect, protect." BNZ's scam savvy quiz is also an interesting resource. Give it a try here if you like (click here)... Consumer NZ also has interesting information about scams, including this article: The simple banking process that could stamp out scams - Consumer NZ
Email Scam
An email scam has re-emerged that references Police and other justice sector partners. The email claims authorities have done a search of the email recipient's computer locating explicit illegal material, and that a reply is needed within 48 hours or a warrant will be issued for their arrest. This email is a scam and anyone who receives it should not reply under any circumstances. It's important to note that Police and other government agencies will never contact you out of the blue and ask for your password, credit card or bank details. Anyone who received this email scam is asked to send it as an attachment in an email to the Police Cybercrime Team: cybercrime@police.govt.nz
Phone Scam
We've also heard of a local phone scam where someone pretends to be calling from Age Concern and tries to sell membership or dietary supplements. This is a scam - Age Concern will never call you and try to sell something. Just hang up. Please also report it to the police on 105, or to us on 04 499 6646 |
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS AND CONTACTS
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THANK YOU PELORUS TRUST FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT |
We really appreciate the support of Pelorus Trust who recently gave us some funding for some equipment. Thank you! |
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Age Concern Wellington Region is a registered charity. We are part of a wider network of more than 30 Age Concerns located across the country.
Visit our website to find out more about our work around the Wellington Region and how you can be involved www.acwellington.org.nz © Age Concern Wellington Region Incorporated
Charities # CC26836 |
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