Our monthly group meetings encourage seniors to come together to discuss their situation, socialise, share information and experiences, and offer each other support. The groups offer seniors the opportunity to talk about their situation and make social connections. Group are facilitated by Community Connect employees and may include a presentation from a guest speaker or discussion about a particular topic.
A number of general groups are held. Some groups are focussed, providing more targeted support for seniors with specific needs, including those caring for someone with dementia, a disability, mental health or chronic condition.
These include:
- Mental Health Dee Why - 3rd Tuesday of month, 1pm - 3pm
- General Warriewood - 3rd Monday of month, 10am - 12 noon
- General Dee Why - 3rd Thursday of month, 1pm - 3pm
- Dementia Warriewood - 4th Monday of month, 10am - 12 noon
- Dementia Dee Why - 4th Thursday of month, 1pm - 3pm
We also run group meetings for a number of CALD groups including:
- Chinese (Mandarin) - Dee Why - Third Thursday of the month, 10am to 12 noon
- Spanish - Dee Why - Second Thursday of the month, 10am to 12 noon
- Italian - Dee Why - Second Tuesday of the month, 10am to 12 noon
- Croatian - Warriewood - First Thursday of the month, 10am to 12 noon
The Social Support Program Manager will discuss your needs and availability and determine which group or groups may be suitable.
Why are Support Groups important?
Creating a sense of connectedness to other people and your local community, and of belonging, is an important tool to reduce social isolation for many older people.
Research has found that joining group activities can be particularly effective at reducing and protecting against loneliness. Having regular conversations with other people is an important way of staying connected. Our group meetings provide opportunities to talk to interesting people, share your experiences and make new friends in a supportive environment.
What are group meetings like?
Often the best information is gathered through experience and sharing. Members are encouraged to discuss their personal experiences, which can be greatly beneficial for others in the group and for the facilitator as well. Some topics for discussion include:
- Activities, services, doctors, care providers, associations etc. that have programs tailored to seniors;
- Life experience;
- Constructive ways to spend time;
- Ways to relieve stress and anxiety and ways to relax (such as meditation);
- Ways to deal with difficult situations;
- Resources which have been found to be useful such as videos, books, websites etc; or
- Any other information that might be useful to others in the group.
Guest Speakers
To provide up-to-date information about services, health and ageing, there will be guest speakers coming in to talk to groups about their area of expertise. Guest speakers could include:
- Community health workers;
- A local Council, My Aged Care or Commonwealth Home Support Program worker to explain relevant services and programs;
- A Carers NSW representative or someone from a relevant organisation to talk about what their association does;
- A doctor or pharmacist to discuss illnesses and medication;
- Local service providers;
- A Centrelink worker to explain financial assistance available for seniors; or
- A psychologist to talk about behavioural issues.