 The last issue of Super People magazine had a survey form which was also available on our website. Many thanks to the 204 people who found time to respond. Your responses are valuable to help Kāpiti Coast Grey Power’s Executive Team (KCGP) set priorities for action. Here are some highlights from the feedback we received. There was much concern about cost of living increases. Council rates, insurance costs and energy prices were most frequently mentioned. This reinforced what we already know about the financial pressures facing retired people. It is clear that older folk feel badly affected by organisations that continue to increase the costs they pass on. Housing was also a major focus. While there were some concerns about retirement villages, there was also feedback that KCGP should leave those issues to the Retirement Villages Residents Association. Concern was shared about a lack of suitable, affordable housing for older people, but those concerns weren’t specific as to who should provide this. It’s clear there’s a problem that needs to be fixed. It’s a matter KCGP will action with central government agencies and Kāpiti Coast District Council (KCDC). Home care, or rather the lack of it, was mentioned as an issue for older people who choose to live in their own homes. Improving home care is already a priority focus for KCGP. “No shows” by carers who are expected at a specific time is a major concern and one that KCGP is working hard to address. Lack of after-hours medical care and the excessive cost of that was also mentioned. So too was the need for medical services on the Kāpiti Coast, rather than people having to travel to Wellington. This is also a priority area for KCGP. We now have a new Health Minister to work with and will be liaising with GP Federation. Cognitive testing for driver license renewals for drivers aged over 70 was often mentioned. Respondents believe this to be unfair and that Kāpiti Coast people are unfairly picked on compared to drivers of similar ages in other parts of New Zealand. They’re right. This is a matter that KCGP will continue to pursue. Digital exclusion was also often referred to. This is where older people who are not online or uncomfortable using digital devices struggle to engage with government agencies and organisations like banks and insurers. KCGP’s Executive Team will be adding these items to our “to do” list and looking at partnering with other organisations whose members are similarly affected by these issues. We asked which organisations we should be looking to partner more strongly with. Age Concern was the most mentioned. KCDC and SeniorNet also got lots of mentions. All these organisations are on KCGP’s engagement radar. What else did we learn from the survey? We learned that about two-thirds of respondents have been KCGP members for more than five years. About 70% of respondents live at Waikanae, Paraparaumu and Paraparaumu Beach. Sixteen percent of respondents live in retirement villages. Repondents were asked to rank some items in order of priority to them. The top five items on that list are Health, Government actions impacting seniors, Local body matters, Transport and Digital exclusion. KCGP member services that ranked highly for awareness and usage by members were the Member Discount Guide, the Odd Job Scheme and National discount offers. We received some useful feedback on the Odd Job Scheme that we will use to improve this service for members. Many thanks to those members who took time to respond to this survey. We will continue to work on these issues and report back to members. Additional assistance from members on various committees is always welcome. If you’re keen to get involved, please contact us. More detailed survey responses are attached for download & review
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February 2025
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Kāpiti Coast Grey Power Association
Level 1, Coastlands Shopping Centre PO Box 479 PARAPARAUMU 5254 Phone: 04 902 5680 Email: [email protected] |
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