Focusing on our seniors
DURING August we celebrated Seniors Month in the Northern Territory.
It was an important time to celebrate the contributions our older generations make to their communities and the wider NT, as well as their accomplishments and wisdom. Adapting to Covid-restrictions, our seniors participated in an actionpacked program that focused on healthy lifestyles, learning new skills, connecting with communities and experiencing adventure.
More than 40 organisations across the Territory hosted activities and events.
Each week my team engages with Territory seniors from across the NT, all passionate advocates, with a wealth of wonderful stories about their lives and experience.
I have enormous respect for our older people and, as Minister for Seniors, I want to make sure we have measures in place to keep them safe and healthy, and to provide opportunities that improve their quality of life as they age.
Over the next few years, the Territory will experience the fastest-growing population of older people in Australia and that’s why our government is committed to ensuring the Territory is the best place in the country to be a senior.
We want the NT to be socially and economically prosperous so our seniors are happy to live here and are able to thrive. I have heard from many seniors concerned about the cost of living. In response, we recently expanded the NT Seniors Recognition Scheme to allow long-term Territory residents who hold temporary visas to become members of the scheme (so long as they have a Medicare card), and to offer more flexibility about how and where they spend their payments.
It was my pleasure to launch our NT seniors policy at a special morning tea for seniors in Alice Springs.
This new five-year policy is focused on improving services and programs to support senior Territorians in their independence and wellbeing, and will help ensure the NT government is responding effectively to the opportunities and challenges associated with ageing.
Our priority has to be helping older Territorians stay as healthy and active as possible for as long as possible and providing financial and social resources so they can maintain connections to family, friends and community.
The NT seniors policy provides a platform for producing ageing and agefriendly communities in the Territory that supports senior Territorians in their independence and wellbeing. It will also help guide our efforts to ensure we are responding effectively to the opportunities and challenges associated with ageing.
This policy is a starting point to effect positive change. It is our government’s way of acknowledging all our seniors right across the Territory, wherever they live, and thanking them for all they do to keep our families and communities strong.