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Over 55s Connect Facebook Page

Summary

Macedon Ranges Shire Council developed a Facebook page which is targeted to older people and their friends and families. The aim of the page is to engage the older online community and provide them with an alternative way of accessing information and connecting them with the community. The Over 55s Connect page addresses issues such as ageism and elder abuse whilst also being a safe space were older people can feel positive about ageing and the journey of life they are on. The page is used to promote local groups, activities and events that are happening within the community that people may not know about. We hope that the people who like/follow our page will participate in community life and develop a positive attitude around ageing. The page has 507 likes and 557 follows.

Key facts

Main target group: Both younger and older people (i.e. intergenerational)

Sector(s): Information and communication

Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:
  • Ageism
  • Accessibility
  • Ageing in place
  • Dementia
  • Disasters and emergencies
  • Elder abuse
  • Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
  • Intergenerational activities
  • Inequities
  • Inclusion
  • Participation
  • Technologies

Contact details

Name: Naomi Scrivener

Email address: nscrivener@mrsc.vic.gov.au

Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Local authorities

Others involved in the project:
  • Volunteers

How collaboration worked: 5 Age Friendly Ambassadors aged over 55 volunteered to be part of the Over 55’s Connect project. The ambassadors provided feedback and ideas that helped shape the content of the page. The ambassadors interacted with the page through likes and shares to help promote the page, they were also featured in a series of posts that profiled each of them on the page.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Details on older people’s involvement: Older people indicated that they wanted to be able to receive regular information online. Discussions took place to determine the best platform to achieve this. Facebook was identified as an appropriate way to provide information to older people who are connected online. Older people are encouraged to and do participate in online discussions around issues affecting them and identify topics they would like to have more information about.

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: Yes

Was the impact positive or negative:
Positive

Please share with us what you found in detail:
The Over 55s Connect Facebook Page has increased its followers and engagement over time. An example of this would be, the number of page followers increased by 6.2% from October 2018 to November 2018 and engagement increased by 39%.

Feedback:
Positive feedback has been demonstrated by increasing engagement on the site, particularly in the last six months.

Expansion plans:
Yes, we plan to use a range of inclusive images/videos (see age-friendly practice Can Do image and video library) to expand our audience and increase our reach.

Looking back

Challenges:
It was important to us to ensure that the platform would meet its objectives and provide a respectful and inclusive space for engagement. Setting up the page and systems for keeping it maintained took longer than expected.