Last Friday saw Queensland retirement village, Living Choice Twin Waters, as the venue for a fully booked Seniors’ Forum hosted by the Federal Member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien MP.

The forum was held to address a spectrum of topics that are priorities in the lives of senior citizens; among them being health, retirement villages, and the rising cost of living.

The Resident Ambassadors at Twin Waters assisted with the set-up for the Forum and served afternoon tea. The craft group members also took the opportunity to sell beautiful items in aid of child cancer victims. Living Choice General Manager for Queensland Tim Bentley gave a special mention to the community for their hard work at the event.

Special guests who joined the panel included the Federal Minister for Aged Care, the Hon Ken Wyatt MP, State Member for Maroochydore, Fiona Simpson MP and Fairfax Seniors’ Advisory Committee Chair, Carol Cashman.

As the dominant theme at the Forum related to health, discussions went into depth and detail on issues such as the lack of subsidies for natural medicines, rising costs and restricted cover of private health insurance, a range of issues relating to GPs, funding of palliative care and mental health and issues with the delivery of home care services.

Mr O’Brien said the Forum was a unique opportunity for seniors to have their concerns heard directly by Minister Ken Wyatt, and said the feedback received and any actions taken would be communicated to those who attended the Forum.