There were three speakers at the event:

• Sonia Maugham, Diocesan Manager, spoke about the transition of the oversight of the Selwyn Centres from The Selwyn Foundation to the Anglican Diocese of Auckland. She also spoke about the governance model – the parish/ Selwyn Centre partnership.
• Carolyn Wellm, Selwyn Programme Development Manager, gave a presentation on Healthy Relationships covering the topics of boundaries, power and consent, confidentiality, harassment and abuse, and self-care and protection.
• Rebecca King, Practice and Quality Lead at Age Concern Auckland, gave a brief overview of Age Concern’s services, highlighting the work of the social connections and ageing well teams, as well as talking more about elder abuse. She also went through how to make referrals/enquiries.

There was also some time set aside for asking questions and sharing ideas amongst the coordinators.

Feedback received from attendees included:

“I found the talk on healthy relationships particularly useful and would be good for any coordinator when starting the role.  Outlining the relationship with Age Concern was also very useful.”

“All material was relevant especially boundaries, power and consent presentation.  Some of the elder abuse was information I had covered before but found it relevant all the same with some new stats and bits of new information throughout.”

From the event, as well as information gathered from visits to various Selwyn Centres in the diocese, it is clear that one of the things the guests who attend Selwyn Centres value the most is the opportunity to get together with others, at what can be a lonely time for many.

Rebecca from Age Concern Auckland shared the following on the subject of loneliness:

“Loneliness and social isolation affect 12% of 65-74 year olds and 14% of those aged 75+ either some or all of the time. This social health issue is equally a physical health issue with the impact on the body equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, obesity or alcoholism.”

To help combat this issue, Age Concern Auckland offers a volunteer visiting service and they are keen to hear from anyone who would be interested in joining their volunteer team. In particular, they are currently experiencing a shortage of volunteers to visit older men in the community. All volunteers are police vetted and receive initial training as well as ongoing support.

You can find out more at Age Concern Auckland’s website or contact Age Concern Auckland on or (09) 820 0184.

For a number of parishes in the diocese, Selwyn Centres are the way they have chosen to respond to the issues of loneliness and social isolation for older people in their communities. The Selwyn Centres offer social activities, gentle exercise, a varied events programme, laughter and fun, morning tea, and practical advice. They are run by coordinators with a team of volunteers to support them. Here again, there can be a challenge in recruiting volunteers.

If your parish, or another one close by, runs a Selwyn Centre have you thought about offering your time to assist them in this valuable endeavour?

A list of Selwyn Centres can be found on The Selwyn Foundation’s website.

As the population of Aotearoa New Zealand ages, supporting people to age well is becoming increasingly important. That is why The Selwyn Foundation has embarked on the Selwyn Support initiative, in partnership with the diocese and Age Concern Auckland, so that together we can make a difference in the lives of older people in our communities.

If you would like to know more about the Selwyn Support initiative and ways that you can become involved please contact Carolyn Wellm, Selwyn Programme Development Manager on or 022 657 5851.

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Tags: news