Grassroots discussions usually start at home. They are ordinary conversations that gain momentum because they strike a chord and ultimately have the ability to harness support at local levels to bring about important policy or social changes. Bottom up (rather than top down), these conversations are a powerful advocating tool. The trick, however, lies in knowing how to use it!

Photo: Attitude: Ageing Well in Clunes
In Clunes, a small town in rural Victoria, COVID fuelled a conversation about ageing well that had been bubbling for decades. As we age, how can we ensure the quality of our lives? The conversation (over coffee as we chatted in the streets, in the wine bar or as we rolled out community working bees along our creek) was a far ranging as the activities we undertook while we talked.
Eight Attributes of Ageing Well
Eventually we realised there were common threads. Threads (or attributes) that others were uncovering as well. In our conference in October 2022, we are excited to have Gerard Mansour, Commissioner for Senior Victorians speaking about eight attributes (ranging from social connections to purpose and meaning) that are featured in his published a report Ageing Well in a Changing World.
Informing Council Strategies – in our region, and no doubt yours
Last week in our region, Hepburn Shire Council launched their ‘No Barrier: Positive Ageing Strategy’ and we all had a chance to meet the Commissioner as he opened the event.
The attributes in his report aligned directly with our Council’s strategy, picking up on those common threads that came through in the consultation, and at our community level, in our own conversations.
Photo: Hepburn Shire Council Launch
When conversations and strategies align it helps frame local action around issues like ageing well. We hope this bodes well for the future in our region and like the commonality we found when we first started talking, is a sign of what is happening in other regions as well.
Note: The Commissioner's Ageing Well in a Changing World report was produced in 2020, just as the pandemic hit. A recent state-wide survey rolled out by the Commissioner has revisited these attributes, offering fresh insights into how these attributes are shaping up in a living with COVID world. Chances are he’ll share some of these insights when he speaks at our conference in October.
Why not join us to hear what the Commissioner has to say?
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