Pingelly Virtual Village officially launches, enabling elderly residents to access aged-care services online

Residents from around the southern Wheatbelt will now be able to access aged-care services from the comfort of their hometowns after the Pingelly Virtual Village launched last week. The innovative program aims to enable elderly residents to continue living in their regional hometowns by providing access through an online portal to essential aged-care services they would otherwise need to outsource. The “virtual village” will connect residents in Pingelly, Wickepin, Cuballing and Wandering to an online concierge, which will contain information about available aged-care services and social activities, while connecting them to an intra-village support network to help combat feelings of isolation and loneliness. The concept was spearheaded by the Pingelly Somerset Alliance’s project officer and former WA mental health minister Helen Morton, as a part of her Staying in Place program. “The village has no walls or fences, It is connected by the active participation of members who want to stay living in their own home and community as they grow older,” a PSA spokeswoman said. “With a focus on positive ageing, the help of a concierge service and friendly technology, the village brings the benefits of a lifestyle village or retirement village to members without them having to leave home.” The virtual village, which already has almost 100 members, was officially launched on August 4 with a series of celebratory events over two days. On August 4, some of the village members, volunteers and MPs gathered for a morning tea in Wickepin, followed by lunch in Cuballing. The next day the members met in Wandering before wrapping up the launch at the Pingelly Recreational and Cultural Centre with entertainment by comedian Famous Sharron. “It takes a village to enrich the lives of older people, allowing them to stay in their own home and communities until end of life,” Ms Morton said. “We are sure to live up to the launch theme ‘Ageing (Dis)Gracefully in The Village’ with the help of Perth Fringe Festival’s winning solo act Famous Sharron and Cameron the Magician. “Our village buddy and volunteer system is just getting off the ground.” The program is backed by the Federal Government and supported by the Department of Social Services as part of the Seniors Connected program which aims to reduce the loneliness and isolation of older people. O’Connor MP Rick Wilson said the Federal Government commissioned a workforce capacity survey which identified 60 available aged-care or homecare providers across the four regional towns. He said the homecare providers included handymen, gardeners and registered nurses. “An additional $25,000 from the Federal Government was to do a workforce capacity survey, so they identified 60 people across those four small towns who have got the capacity and are prepared to offer homecare type services,” Mr Wilson said. “The virtual village will effectively sub-contract those people to provide those homecare services to residents who need them. “So there won’t be a huge amount of travel involved because the services will be delivered by people who live in those towns.” The virtual village can also link residents with people offering to drive them to their appointments. For more information, visit pingellysomersetalliance.com.au.