Living our Best Life project
The Living our Best Life project is an initiative of the Community Houses Association of the Outer-eastern Suburbs (CHAOS) Network. The project is funded by a grant from Equity Trustees. The project aims to link people, aged 60 and over, who are socially isolated and lonely into community activities to improve their mental and physical well-being. The project draws on the generous support of a team of volunteer “sign-posters”, Talking Café hosts and “community connectors".
The Living our Best Life model consists of three core components:
- Community connecting
- Weekly Talking Café groups
- Signposting.
Whether people enter the program via formal referral or through seeing or hearing about it, they have two options for participation:
- Allocation of a volunteer community connector to assist them to identify suitable community activities and, if necessary, to assist them to engage in the activities.
- Attendance at a weekly Talking Café to make new friends and hear about activities from volunteer hosts and other participants.
The project is available across the middle and outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Health and social work professionals are invited to make formal referrals via the website and members of the public are encouraged to drop into one of the Talking Cafes or reach out via phone or email.
Over 60 beneficiaries of the project have been connected into a range of community activities over the past three years with positive feedback from all stakeholders. Beneficiaries have reported improved feelings of wellbeing and social connectedness with some describing it as “life changing” and even “life-saving”.
Living our best life project contact details:
Phone: 0457 646 384
Email: livingourbestlifeproject@chaosnetwork.org.au
Website: Living our Best Life
Facebook: Living our Best Life
