Over the last few months, we have been taking a deep dive into what it means to be a person who is older in the Kerikeri community with a specific interest in social connections. A grant from the Age Friendly Fund at Tari Kaumātua / The Office for Seniors has enabled us to undergo a research process that, when complete, will give us a series of insights that will help us, as a community, to learn how we might respond to help decrease loneliness and isolation in Kerikeri.
We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the project. We are especially grateful for the manaakitanga | generosity of the older people who welcomed us into their homes and shared their stories with such honesty and candor. We are thankful to the groups that spoke to us and the older people who participated in our surveys. We were privileged to hear older people talk to us about their lives, and to discover more about the unique challenges that people face connecting and participating, as they grow older. The words and experiences of older people have shaped the research, and we hope that their insights will help to bring about meaningful change.
This project is a starting point in a journey to make Kerikeri’s older people feel more socially included and more able to participate socially. By identifying the barriers, we hope to form a foundation on which to build solutions.
If you would like to see a copy of the report when it is complete, please contact reception on: 09 407 0070
The project has been an opportunity for us to collaborate with other organisations working tirelessly to support older people in our community, to whom we owe huge thanks:
- Ngāti Rēhia, mana whenua of Kerikeri
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Healthy Families Far North
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Age Concern Mid North
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Alzheimer’s Northland
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Dignified Minds
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Kerikeri Disability Action Group
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Volunteering Northland
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Te Puna Waiora / Arvida Retirement Village
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Needs Assessments Service
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St John Caring Callers
