University of Wollongong’s Health and Wellbeing Precinct to bring young and old together
University of Wollongong’s proposed Health & Wellbeing Precinct at the Innovation Campus has the potential to change the face of the region, with the creation of Australia’s first intergenerational university community.
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Hearts across the country were warmed last month when Old People’s home for 4 Year Olds aired, showing how bringing young and old together can enrich both of their lives.
Plans are underway for the University of Wollongong to embark on a social experiment of its own, with the creation of Australia’s first intergenerational uni campus.
The Health and Wellbeing Precinct planned for North Wollongong’s Innovation Campus is set to create a seniors living complex and residential aged care facility right by an early childhood centre and huge green space.
The new precinct is set to transform healthcare in the Illawarra region, by bringing people from all different age groups together to increase health, socialisation and wellbeing.
At a briefing about the project on Thursday, UOW’s Deputy Vice Chancellor of Health and Wellbeing Professor Alison Jones said the new precinct would create a place for living, working, learning and growing in an environment that supports complete physical, social and mental health and wellbeing.
“The whole idea around this is putting people from different generations together to learn from each other,” she said.
“We know older people were made for the little beans, the younger ones, and that the little beans were made for older people.”
Stage one of the precinct would include a primary and community health clinic, seniors living apartments, a residential aged care facility, early childhood education care centre and a green heart that is the central hub that welcomes visitors to the precinct.
“We are going to have very young people, older adults, staff and students,” Professor Jones said.
“We think by creating a real community and inviting our communities around us in, we can have some very interesting opportunities to develop as humans. The older people will be able to give all of their experience and support to different generations and have fun while doing it.”
The first stage is expected to be completed within the next five years, bringing thousands of people, and new jobs to the region. But, to keep up with the boom in population, Property Council’s Illawarra regional director Michelle Guido said Wollongong’s infrastructure would also need a serious boost.
“It’s a really important piece of work for the local and state governments to really think about how we are planning for this precinct,” she said.
“Not only for here in North Wollongong but across the CBD, so how we are linking people from the CBD, to the campus, to the beach and to the waterfront, we need to think about that metropolitan look.”