Age Concern Canterbury

This is the media package created by our group for Age Concern Canterbury.

The aim of this content is to encourage more people to get involved with Age Concern Canterbury and to raise awareness of the issues elderly people face. We've also identified three sectors that the client would like to have more engagement with - volunteers, clients and donations.

This collection of visual, audio and written content has been designed to be easily utilised by Age Concern Canterbury across digital and broadcast platforms according to the Media Plan.

Age Concern Canterbury has promoted the wellbeing, rights, respect and dignity of older people since 1952. The charity was founded by a community group with the vision of creating the lead organisation in Canterbury that connects, supports, empowers, celebrates and respects all older people in an inclusive community. Age Concern went on to found the first rest home in Christchurch and ran the first Meals-On-Wheels scheme in the World alongside Red Cross.

Since its inception, the organisation has expanded and strengthened into a wider network, collaborating with other agencies to share invaluable knowledge and do cooperative work. Currently, there are 14,000 clients active on the Age Concern Canterbury data base – a number that is steadily increasing along with more requests for support and helpful information.

Age Concern Canterbury offers a wide range of services that cater to the varied and specific needs of elderly people. This includes, but is not limited to:

- Community health support (advice, advocacy, assistance, referral and support)

- Elder abuse and neglect prevention

- An accredited visiting service (volunteer home visitors)

- Social outings

- Home support (tradespeople, gardeners, home help etc.)

- Various other courses, groups and events

The organisation offers these services (and more) to fill the gaps for older people’s identified needs, with the aim of highlighting health, safety and independence, and alleviating poverty, hardship, vulnerability and isolation.

Age Concern Canterbury stands out in its responsiveness to the needs of the elderly. They are at the forefront of efforts to assist older people, shown by their nation-first services. Their flexibility also sets Age Concern Canterbury apart, allowing them to adapt their range of support and services to any older person’s needs.

The organisation wants to bring more people into the fold, especially new volunteers and clients for their Accredited Visiting Service. The group would like to reach out to friendly 30-to-54-year-olds who could contribute their time to make a real difference in an older person’s life. They are also keeping in mind that younger people (18-to-25-year-olds) are shown, by research, to be socially mindful but more lonely than other generations, and therefore might also make great additions to the visiting service.

 Age Concern Canterbury’s media voice:

- Caring

- Connected

- Dignified

- Responsive

- Genuine

 Fun facts:

- Age Concern Canterbury opened the first rest home in Christchurch!

- Age Concern was also involved in the world’s first official Meals-On-Wheels scheme!

- The organisation is a community funded non-profit NGO – costs are primarily paid for by generous supporters.

- Age Concern has been supporting older people in Canterbury for about 68 years.

 Useful links:

- Main site: https://ageconcerncan.org.nz/

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community-Organization/Age-Concern-Canterbury-169424623107464/

Click here to view our Media Plan: Age-Concern-Canterbury-Media-Plan.pdf

This is a document detailing where, when and how each piece of media should be published, along with content guidelines for the client.

Do you know an older person who needs care?

One in five elderly members of our community suffer from chronic loneliness - Age Concern Canterbury reaches out to provide the support and connections needed to assist these people.

Age Concern provides a range of services to ensure their elderly clients are not alone or neglected. These include social outings to local cafes (and other hosts’ homes) allowing clients to socialise and meet new friends within the community; Home Support for general housing and gardening needs; and our Accredited Visiting Service, pairing a volunteer with an elderly client to visit weekly.

This is what some clients of the Visiting Service say about it:

“You don’t want to feel old. You have to start feeling new, that is a new life... That is what is happening, it looks like I’m coming alive a bit again.” Pieter, client

“They did the most wonderful thing, they sent me Anna. From the moment she put her foot inside the door we went ‘click’ and we’ve been that way ever since.” Joy, client

“I’ve loved every bit of it... I look forward to it.” Ria, client

If you know someone in your family or community who is over 65 and would benefit from Age Concern Canterbury’s Services, head to our website www.ageconcerncan.org.nz to complete a referral form.

We would love to support an older person who matters to you – thank you for considering our services.
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You can help us support our older community

Age Concern Canterbury has served the older community in our region since 1952, with the mission of promoting the wellbeing, rights, respect and dignity of the elderly.

We do not do this alone – our non-profit charity organisation is built off the backs of our supporters. The generous Canterbury community enables us to do our work highlighting health, safety and independence, and alleviating poverty, hardship, vulnerability and isolation for elderly people.

We want your help to improve and expand our services.

A donation can go a long way to making a real difference in an older person’s life. It will allow us to reach out to more people with programs like our Accredited Visiting and Home Support Services. This is what some clients and volunteers of the Accredited Visiting Service have to say about it:

“You don’t want to feel old. You have to start feeling new, that is a new life... That is what is happening, it looks like I’m coming alive a bit again.” Pieter, client

“It’s very rewarding. You’re helping somebody. There’s a lot of lonely people around in Christchurch, and it gets you out to meet somebody from a totally different background.” Doug, volunteer

“They did the most wonderful thing -they sent me Anna. From the moment she put her foot inside the door we went ‘click’ and we’ve been that way ever since.” Joy, client

“It gives me as much joy as it gives Joy. It’s something to look forward to. It’s somebody that you have that’s like a family member but with all the benefits of being a friend. We can talk about everything.” Anna, volunteer

More funding allows us to help more people, reducing loneliness and isolation for many older people in our community.

If you would like to help us stay at the forefront of supporting our elderly population, donate here: https://ageconcerncan.org.nz/get-involved/donate/. Or, get in touch with us on 0800 803 344 or at team@ageconcerncan.org.nz.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to connect, support, empower, celebrate and respect all older people in our inclusive Canterbury community.
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Volunteers needed for Age Concern Canterbury’s Accredited Visiting Service

With 14,000 clients already in the database and this number steadily increasing, Age Concern Canterbury needs more volunteers for our accredited visiting service.

Social connections are important for people of all ages, but especially the elderly who are more susceptible to loneliness as they grow older. The accredited visiting service requires someone to visit one of Age Concern Canterbury’s clients for a minimum of one hour each week, to simply spend time with them and be there to talk to.

Pieter, a client with the visiting services, said the service has helped him through the grief of his wife passing away.

“I was engaged with Age Concern after my wife died. They asked me if I would like to have companionship and talk and I said, ‘yes that’s a great idea, I love that’.” Pieter, client

Volunteer, Anna, said the service is a great way to form a friendship and engage with people in your community.

“It’s quite flexible but just generally enjoyable because you don’t even think about it like something formal... you just think of it like you’re going to see family, or you’re going to see a friend.” Anna, volunteer

To apply to be a volunteer, simply contact Rebecca Hopgood on 331 7816 or Peter Mcgrath on 331 7809. For more information on what is required to become a volunteer, simply visit the Age Concern Website: https://ageconcerncan.org.nz/

An hour of your time each week can make a real difference in an older person’s life – thank you for considering volunteering.

These are new images for use on Age Concern Canterbury's social media pages.