Elderly speak up

SENIORS are being affected by insufficient public transport and lengthy ambulance wait times, according to South Gippsland Shire Council’s Active Retirees Advisory Committee (ARAC).
The ARAC met with council last Wednesday to discuss these matters. Joan Turner, chair of the ARAC, said, “We need more connecting buses to Wonthaggi, Latrobe Valley, as well as some time changes to the Melbourne services. We desperately need a local bus to run between Leongatha and Korumburra.”
Mrs Turner said response times for ambulances need to be addressed as code one cases can take longer than the 15 minutes they are expected to arrive in.
“We are literally dealing with life and death,” she said.
With more than 30 percent of the population over 65 years of age in the area and numbers growingly steadily, public transport and ambulance wait times are a growing concern.
Councillors were receptive to the feedback and said they would look into matters further. Cr Alyson Skinner pointed out that while the elderly are indeed impacted by the shortage of transport, youth were another demographic significantly affected, making this an issue that was relevant to everyone.
Cr Rosemary Cousin suggested going straight to the top.
“When issues cross multiple areas, go to the top, write to the Premier,” Cr Cousin said.
Cr Skinner advised the ARAC representatives of a government program aimed to help seniors to get online and connected, called Be Connected.
“During the Seniors Week Festival, one thing we are trying to do is to have a space in each town where seniors can sit down with high school students and learn technology by example,” Cr Skinner said.
Free courses are available at www.beconnected.esafety.gov.au
The committee is seeking new members from across the shire.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Feb 26 2019. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry