BY Cassie Maher
ALTONA Ward councillor Mary Ann Lindsay may not be elderly just yet, but she is making sure Hobsons Bay residents live the rest of their lives as comfortably as possible.
Last week Cr Lindsay was appointed as the chairperson for the council’s Ageing Well Strategy.
“I was honoured to be nominated by my fellow councillors,” Cr Lindsay said.
The strategy involves council departments getting together to address the current and predicated needs of the ageing community.
“Things like meals on wheels, home maintenance and respite care are just some of the areas we are trying to improve,” Cr Lindsay said.
“The best outcome for us is to help residents stay at home for as long as possible.”
Health and the elderly are issues close to Cr Lindsay’s heart, having worked as a nurse for the past 10 years including roles in rehabilitation, psycho-geriatric and extended care.
Professional interest took a personal turn for Cr Lindsay a few years ago.
“My father has Parkinson’s disease and my mother is very frail,” she said.
“At the moment they are both in full-time care.
“I guess that’s another reason why helping the elderly is one of my passions.”
Cr Lindsay became a councillor in 2004 and is enjoying the role of a lifetime.
“I became politicised around 1997 when the Aged Care Act came in,” she said.
“I wrote letters to the federal government as I was concerned about the fact that people may need to lose their home to have access to further care.
“I wasn’t happy with the ‘user pays’ system.”
Declining fertility, increased life expectancy and the ageing baby boomer generation will mean a massive increase in the number of Hobsons Bay residents aged over 65 in the coming years.
“Most elderly people have been through two world wars and a depression,” Cr Lindsay said.
“They have fought for the privileges we have today and now they deserve to be looked after.”
