Age Concern goes to the Zoo! |
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Welcome to another edition of our newsletter. We hope you're having a good day and enjoying some of Wellington's recent lovely autumn sunshine.
This newsletter is full of lots of little bits and pieces of valuable information and a number of upcoming Age Concern events for you to join. 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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STAYING SAFE CLASS FOR OLDER DRIVERS
FOUR CLASSES IN MAY - REGISTER NOW
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Staying Safe is a FREE classroom-based refresher workshop for senior road users. Age Concern runs these workshops in partnership with NZTA/Waka Kotahi. They run from 10am till 2pm with lunch provided! Registration is required. To register for a class now, click on the link below, phone us on 04 499 6646 or email events@acwellington.org.nz
Next classes: - Wednesday 15 May, Seatoun
- Wednesday 22 May, Upper Hutt
- Thursday 23 May, Karori
- Thursday 30 May, Tawa
- Wednesday 12 June, Khandallah
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WHAT DOES THE ZOO DO WITH ALL THE POO? |
That was one of the fascinating questions posed to Nic Dunn - Animal Care Manager at Wellington Zoo at our first Curious Conversation for 2024. Nic showed us around the Zoo and talked about some of his favourite animals, and the challenges of managing 37 Zookeepers and keeping everyone, including the animals safe. It was a great conversation! If you missed it, don't worry! You can watch the episode of Curious Conversations now on our Youtube channel. Just click the image below. To register to receive the link for our next Curious Conversation, just click here. A huge thank you to the team at Wellington Zoo for hosting us! |
TEA AND TECH, AND SCAM PREVENTION |
Baffled by technology? Want to learn more about avoiding online scams? Come to our Tea and Tech workshop. Tea and Tech is a free Age Concern event where friendly volunteers and staff will help you one-on-one with your tech device.
Want to learn how to do Internet banking? Need to connect with the grandkids on WhatsApp? Bring your digital device and get help from some friendly people.
There will also be a special seminar on avoiding online scams.
Come to Tea and Tech if you need help with:
• Getting connected with friends and family online (WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.)
• Doing online banking
• How to watch TV on the Internet
• Doing your grocery shopping online
• Using email and visiting websites
• Learning more about online scams and how to avoid them
When: Thursday 23 May, 10:30am till 2pm (two sessions available)
Where: Tawa Community Centre, 5 Cambridge Street, Tawa
Cost: FREE! But you must register using the blue button below (or by calling 04 499 6646) |
OMAI FAATASI - COME TOGETHER |
We are partnering with Atamu, a faith-based charity in Waitangirua, to co-design a social connection service specifically for Pasifika seniors to learn new things, have fun and enjoy good food with friends. Our first event took place this week where a lovely group gathered together in Cannons Creek. This is a regular event for all Pasifika seniors. There is plenty of room, and food, so come and join us for the next fun social gathering for Pasifika seniors!
* Free social gathering for seniors
* Fun activities * Enjoy lunch, a chat and make new friends
* No need to register, just turn-up.
When: Tuesday 10am – 12.30pm, 21 May.
Where: Salvation Army, 89 Warspite Ave, Cannons Creek, Porirua Click here for more information. |
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: Linden - Linden Community Centre, 10 Linden Avenue, Tawa. Tuesday, 7 May, 1pm
Upper Hutt - Heretaunga Christian Centre, 51 Lane Street - Wednesday 8 May, 12pm Lower Hutt - Walter Nash Centre, 22/26 Taine St, Taitā, Thursday 9 May, 1.30pm -
Te Aro - Te Pokapu Hapori- Wellington Central Community Centre - 105 Manners St, Te Aro, 9 May, 10.30am
Call 04 499 6646 or email events@acwellington.org.nz for details. |
OUR LATEST STEADY AS YOU GO FALLS PREVENTION CLASSES |
Check out some of our new classes... all welcome!
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 6646.
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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, and all you need to do is register by filling in the form online (click the blue button below). The link will be sent to you. Come and join the 20+ other seniors online for some gentle exercise fun together! |
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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. |
CAN YOU JOIN OUR REGULAR DONOR TEAM? |
Did you know that Age Concern Wellington Region is a charity? Only about a quarter of our funding comes from the Government and another quarter from local Councils. We need to raise the rest of the funding we need to keep the programmes you've just read about in this newsletter going.
We have a team of donors who contribute to our work on a regular basis. Regular donations help us budget and plan for the future. Are you able to join our regular donor team? Even $10 per month makes a real difference!
To make a regular donation using our secure website, click the button below. Select your donation frequency using the drop down menu on the form. Or you can call us if you want to make a regular payment using internet banking directly. |
EMERGENCY MOBILE ALERT SYSTEM TEST |
The National Emergency Management Agency has announced it will be conducting a nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert System on Sunday 26 May 2024, between 6-7pm.
Emergency Mobile Alerts are messages about emergencies sent to mobile phones. The alerts are designed to keep people safe and are broadcast to all capable phones. They can be targeted to areas affected by serious hazards and will only be sent when there is a serious threat to life, health or property, and, in some cases, for test purposes.
There is no need to download an app or subscribe to a service. If your phone is on, the software is up to date, capable and inside the targeted location, you should get the alerts. We expect most phones purchased after 2017 to be capable of receive Emergency Mobile Alerts.
For more information about Emergency Mobile Alerts and instructions go to the National Emergency Management Agency web site: https://getready.govt.nz/en/prepared/ema. |
HARRIS LIST - A GUIDE TO DEMENTIA RESOURCES |
Coping with dementia can be challenging and confusing to the extent that you don't know where to turn next. If you are looking for help in dealing with these confusing issues, the Harris List makes it easier to find information and get support. It provides advice and assistance on the types of dementia, where to get assessments, how to tell someone you think they have dementia, where to get help, residential care, research findings, and other resources. To access the information go to https://www.harrislist.co.nz/ |
SMART NEWTOWN -- COMPUTER CLASSES |
Smart Newtown (9 – 11 Constable St, Newtown) is running a twice-weekly series of free computer classes for residents of Newtown and the wider Wellington community to introduce computer skills, improve computer knowledge and access the Internet. Beginning on 22 May, the classes will cover the following topics: Google and the internet, Manage MY Health, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Photos, Intro to Digital Banking, Trade Me, and Zoom.
For more information Email: info@smartnewtown.org.nz or Phone 04 380 0143
To register go to bit.ly/44GGRYl |
CHANGES TO THE RATES REBATE SCHEME |
The Government has announced an adjustment to the Rates Rebate Scheme. From 1 July 2024, the maximum rebate and income abatement threshold of the Scheme will be adjusted by increasing:
- the maximum annual rebate from $750 to $790; and - the income abatement threshold from $30, 100 to $31,510. These changes reflect the 4.7 percent movement of the Consumer Price Index All Groups Index for the 2023 calendar year. |
DAY PROGRAMMES FOR PEOPLE LIVING AT HOME WITH MILD TO MODERATE COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT |
The Marsden Club in Karori and the Chelsea Club in Lyall Bay provide high quality, accredited day programmes in safe and home-like surroundings for people living at home with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and related conditions. We also provide guidance and support for carers.
The Marsden Club has limited vacancies and we would love to provide new members with activities and social interaction, and give their carers a well deserved break. Full funding and transport options available. We arrange a morning tea for prospective members and their carers to come along and check us out before deciding to accept a place.
For more information please check out our website https://www.marsdenclub.org.nz/ and/or phone Angela our Care Centre Manager on 027-3499691 or, for our Marsden Club (04) 476 6719, and for our Chelsea Club (04) 387 7207. We look forward to hearing from you.
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MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT – TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF THE WELLINGTON SERVICE CENTRE |
The MSD Wellington Service Centre at 195-201 Willis Street is being upgraded and will be closed while the work is done. The service centre closed at 5pm today, and it'll take about four weeks to complete the work. We will be open again to the public on Tuesday 28 May 2024. If you have forms or other paperwork, they can be left in a secure dropbox at the Wellington office which will be regularly cleared. If you need support, you can ring 0800 559 009 as we are still able to service clients over the phone. Or you can email the service centre - wellington_phone@msd.govt.nz. The service centres in Newtown and Johnsonville are also open if you need to visit in person. If you have any questions call 04 9137409. |
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. |
"There's a scam for every person and every generation – from Taylor Swift to Bruce Springsteen." 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 Inland Revenue Scams Unsure if you have received an official email or text message from us or whether it is a scam?
There appears to have been an increase in emails and text messages from scammers pretending to be from Inland Revenue. Even if it looks convincing, don't click on links or give out your bank details.
Inland Revenue don't put refund amounts, or links directly to myIR in their emails or texts. Scam emails may come from an email address or include links that are wrong but look like theirs. For example: ird.co.nz, ird.qovt.nz or ird.gov.nz Their correct web address is ird.govt.nz and emails will come from alerts@ironline.ird.govt.nz or communications@myir.ird.govt.nz
To check a link, use your mouse to hover over it. The address will appear in a box or at the bottom of your screen. Make sure the link is correct before clicking on it.
For more information about the latest scams and what to look out for, visit IRD's website: https://www.ird.govt.nz/managing-my-tax/scams/latest-scams." You can call Inland Revenue at 0800 775 247 to ascertain whether you are due a refund.
NZ Post scams
Scammers have started impersonating NZ Post. The scams, made to look like they are coming from NZ Post, may come in a text message, email, phone call or letter. The aim is to gain access to your personal or financial information or exploit you for financial gain.
Hints that it's a scam: - The email address is wrong - our emails always end in '@nzpost.co.nz'.
- The website link is wrong - it will always link to 'nzpost.co.nz' or 'http://nzp.st/' which is the short link we often use to link to our website.
- The text message is sent from an overseas phone number.
For more details see https://www.nzpost.co.nz/contact-support/scams-and-fraud
Email Scams
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 |
WCC LONG TERM PLAN - RATES' INCREASE OF 16.4% for 2024/25 PROPOSED FOR COMMUNITY CONSULTATION |
Wellington City Council's draft 2024-34 Long-term Plan Consultation Document is available for formal community consultation. This includes a proposed rates increase for the 2024/2025 year of 16.4% (after growth in the ratepayer base). This excludes the levy for the Moa Point Sludge Minimisation Facility, which will add a further 1.6%. Please do consider making a submission and sharing your thoughts on the plan with WCC. Read more on Our Wellington
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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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IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS AND CONTACTS
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COVID-19 Healthline 0800 358 5453
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emergencies dial 111
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For non-emergency police matters dial 105
- If you are feeling anxious or just
need someone to talk to call or text 1737
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Age Concern Wellington 04 499 6646
- Dementia Resources https://www.harrislist.co.nz/
- Depression Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 111 757
- Healthline (open 24/7) - 0800 611 116
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Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
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Alcohol Drug Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 787 797. You can also text 8691 for free.
- For further information, contact the Mental Health Foundation's free Resource and Information Service (09 623 4812).
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WellElder: a counselling service for older people, or those supporting an older person. Wellington Region: 04 380 2440 (Tuesday - Thursday)
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Lifeline: qualified counsellors and trained volunteers: 0800 543 354 or free text 4357
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Samaritans: confidential support, empathetic listeners: 0800 726 666
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The Continence NZ Helpline 0800 650 659
- Elder Abuse Wellington Helpline 04 805 0880
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Dementia Wellington 04 972 2595
- If you need to discuss your entitlements phone the MSD Senior Services line 0800 552 002
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Wellington City Council: wellington.govt.nz or 04 499 4444
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Greater Wellington Regional Council http://www.gw.govt.nz/
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Hutt City Council: huttcity.govt.nz/ or 04 570 6666
- Porirua City Council: poriruacity.govt.nz/ or 04 237 5089
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Kapiti Coast District Council: https://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz
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Upper Hutt City Council: upperhuttcity.com/ or 04 527 2169
- ASB Bank Senior Priority Direct Line 0800 272 119
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THANK YOU WELLINGTON COMMUNITY FUND FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT |
We really appreciate the support of WCF who have provided us with some seed funding for our new social connection project in Porirua. 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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