Centacare dedicated to supporting elderly live prosperously

'Centacare has been in the area providing aged care services for over 20 years so we are well aware of the local community and their needs.'

QUESTION TIME: Kingaroy's Operations Manager, John Stevenson, listened to the community members' questions after his presentation at the Centacare seminar. Picture: Laura Blackmore

THE secrets to longevity were shared amongst the crowd who attended Centacare's free seminar on Tuesday morning.

Held at the Kingaroy RSL on June 25, Living Well Longer aimed to provide the community with the essential information about how the elderly can keep active, stay in their homes for longer and leverage government funding.

Kingaroy's Centacare Operations Manager John Stevenson kicked off the event with a presentation that reiterated the importance of the power of human connection as people enter into their later stages of life.

Mr Stevenson said strong social connections mean a better quality of life, increased personal satisfaction and a delay in the progression of dementia and mental decline.

"The thing I find in country towns is that people say hello to you," Mr Stevenson said.

"If you say hi to people in a city, they will do cartwheels to try and figure out who you are."

It's these small gestures that Mr Stevenson knows to appreciate as his elderly mother lives by herself on a busy corner block in a small town in western Queensland.

If his mother's blinds aren't drawn up in the morning, the neighbours and local community members notice and will check on her to make sure everything is okay.

Mr Stevenson's talk was followed by a Murgon Physiotherapist, Katie Zerner, from Central Balance who spoke about well-being and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the elderly.

There was also a local representative from the police force who advised the attendees about safety in the home, preventing a home invasion and how to respond to one if it occurs.

BODY BALANCE: Local Physiotherapist Katie Zerner talked attendees through exercises on how to stay active and on their feet in the later stages of life. Picture: Laura Blackmore

Area General Manager, Karen Maciolek, also attended the seminar and said events like this one were important because people sometimes don't realise what is available such as funding from My Aged Care.

"Centacare has been providing aged care services for over 20 years in the area, so we are well aware of the local community and their needs," Ms Maciolek said.

"We've actually had quite a good turn out today and we're excited to be here and share our knowledge and experience with the community members."

Ms Maciolek said the best part of her job was seeing other people succeed and hearing about their small victories.

"I love seeing people go out and doing their hobbies or things that they really enjoy and being part of that community connection," Ms Maciolek said.

"Whether it's joining an exercise class or going out and meeting other people, it's really great when you see the people we support achieve what they want and that really enforces why we do what we do every day."

Visit Centracare's website for further information about the seminar and the services they provide.