Aged care service providers in the Illawarra opened their doors to the public for the inaugural national Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) open day on Friday.
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The ACSA open day gave aged care facilities, retirement villages and other service providers the opportunity to showcase the services they provide to their local communities.
"Our ageing population is growing in number as life expectancy increases, and this open day gives families, friends and others the chance to see what services can help older Australians who need assistance to live comfortably, either in residential care or at home with support", said ACSA chief executive John Kelly.
More than 1 million elderly Australians rely on aged care services, with that number expected to rise to 3.5 million by 2050.
While it is hoped the open day will assist in creating awareness of the issues that face our growing aged population, it also gave local communities the opportunity to celebrate the positive experiences of older Australians, through organised events such as Illawarra Diggers' "Country Hoedown".
Diggers chief executive Rex Leighton said the day had been a huge success.
"It's been a terrific day for both the staff and residents. We've got to engage with the local community, and the residents enjoyed themselves immensely," he said.
