It was a small but vocal and enthusiastic group of members that braved the wet and windy weather to attend our recent meeting at the Victoria Hotel. It was to be a meeting with a difference: to brainstorm "ageing well"!
The idea for the informal meeting arose following initial discussions that Rotarians Brian Dobinson and Julie Reza had with others around the theme of "Ageing well". The aim of the session was to have a brainstorm around this central topic in the hope that themes will emerge, people may come up with ideas, and the club identify possible partners for any future activities that touch in some way on ageing well.
Brian started with a brief introduction giving some of the background and context. He then handed over to Julie who led the session, which was arranged around 5 initial questions that explored:
- struggles faced by older people
- bodies/organisations that have proved helpful
- "good" & "bad" practices
- ideas that could help in the local area
- miscellaneous points
The attendees were encouraged to call out their thoughts based on their own expriences or of people that they know. Around 5 minutes was spent on each of the questions, while Julie jotted down bullet points for later compilation.
The range of responses and enthusiasm from the attendees was excellent - "just what I had hoped for," said Julie. The small number of people present probably helped members come forward with their thoughts (though Julie encouraged those who felt shy to write down their thoughts or email her so that she could compile everything together at a later date).
"This is a massive issue," said Past President Peter Hermitage; Peter has particular interest in the topic because of his close involvement with a local almshouse. President Rosemary Doyle also welcomed the session and the opportunity it gave for people to air their views.
Even at this early stage some clear themes arose - for example, around health & well-being, relationships, isolation, mobility & access, everyday tasks, finances and technology. There were plenty of positive suggestions and solutions too (see word cloud image).
Although this is at a very early stage, the club would very much like to hear from local organisations and other Rotary Clubs that would be interested in working with it on possibly taking some of the ideas forward. Contact us by email with the subject "ageing well".
Picture: A word cloud created based on some of the suggestions from the audience on staying positive and well. Picture credit: Rotary Club of Canterbury, Created with classic.wordclouds.com
