Healthy ageing
“Ageing is not ‘lost youth,’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.”- Betty Friedan.
The words of Betty Friedan are true. There are more older people living, working and visiting Adelaide than ever before. The City of Adelaide recognises this, and through The Ageing in the City project investigated what people want from the city as they age, how we should plan for these things in order to realise the opportunities and respond to the challenges of an ageing population.
As a result, you can now choose from a range of opportunities and programs that support older residents to continue living independently, age healthily and to participate in community life.
Below are some of the services and activities available.
Home Support Program
City of Adelaide’s Home Support Program (CHSP) is a short term service supporting people aged over 65 years (or over 50 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) who need short term assistance to remain living independently in their homes. The program is designed to work alongside residents to support them to achieve their wellness and reablement goals.
Short term support for people aged over 65 years who need some assistance to remain living independently.
The City of Adelaide’s Healthy Ageing team receives funding from the Australian Government to provide the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). This funding provides short term services for residents over 65 (or over 50 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) who need support to remain living independently in their homes.
The program is designed to work alongside residents to support them to achieve their wellness and reablement goals. A person-centred approach means the resident designs their Care Plan to meet their personal needs, within the scope of the funded program.
Who can receive the service?
To be eligible to receive services through the City of Adelaide, you must be a resident of Adelaide or North Adelaide.
Anyone over 65 (or over 50 for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) who requires short term support to achieve their goals to remain living independently may be eligible for CHSP funding.
To determine this, you must undergo a My Aged Care screening and assessment. Council's Healthy Ageing staff can help you with this process if required.
How can the City of Adelaide work with you to achieve your goals?
Domestic assistance:
- Basic level cleaning including bathroom, kitchen and toilet areas, and vacuuming throughout.
- Spring cleaning: cleaning cupboards, fridges, and surfaces (without the use of a ladder)
Home maintenance:
- General handyman tasks such as replacing light bulbs, smoke detectors batteries, tap washers, cleaning exhaust fans, and basic maintenance tasks (in scope)
- Garden maintenance such as trimming and pruning, repotting of plants and reducing vegetation that causes safety issues (no working at heights)
- Gutter cleaning and clearing down pipes
- Window cleaning, including both inside and out as well as balconies and small verandas)
- More comprehensive spring cleans: including higher cleaning and the use of ladder
Transport:
- Medical appointments within a radius of 10 kilometres of the Council area.
“I really appreciate the support I've had and feel glad to know its available.” - CHSP Customer
Community events and programs
You’ll find a range of community events and programs held at the City of Adelaide Community Centres and Libraries located throughout Adelaide and North Adelaide. You can choose from social programs, information sessions, and even outings.
Adelaide Central Market Shopping Bus
The Central Market Shopping Bus is a weekly kerb-to-kerb service that runs on Thursday mornings, available to city residents over 65 who live in Adelaide or North Adelaide.
Residents do their own shopping at the markets and generally meet up for a social coffee catch up before jumping on the bus home again.
When: Thursdays, mid-morning pick-up from your home and return by 2:00 pm
Cost: $4 (return trip)
Contact: [email protected] or (08) 8203 7203

Recent research
2024
This latest qualitative research report by The Plug-in, COTA SA, builds on research findings conducted in 2023. A co-design process was undertaken in 2024 to design a new social program for City of Adelaide residents aged 50+. To ensure informed decisions, the City of Adelaide engaged COTA SA’ s (Council of the Ageing) The Plug In (research and insights team) to undertake a co-design process with older city residents to develop recommendations for this program.
Key insights highlight the importance of fostering social interactions through activities that cater to personal interests, lifelong learning, emotional wellbeing, and both structured and unstructured physical activities.
Simplifying how residents access information about council-run activities is also essential, addressing difficulties in staying informed. Recommendations emphasise starting small, focusing on easily coordinated activities, and improving communication about existing programs to enhance connections and wellbeing for older residents.
2023
We previously partnered with the Council for the Ageing SA’s (COTA) social enterprise ‘The Plug-in’ to undertake research to assist our understanding of the experience of ageing well for city residents aged over 50, and to learn how to maximise the value of existing Council programs.
Key findings:
- Residents are seeking ways to participate in organised activities that are ‘new’ or ‘out there’, that they may have had limited access to in the past or may currently be difficult to find and join.
- Some residents would like better access to affordable exercise programs and group activities.
- For those who do not like gym environments, exploring the city and Park Lands on foot or by cycling was important for keeping active.
- Footpath maintenance and pedestrian crossings and signals are critically important for supporting residents to age well by keeping people safe, mobile and active.
- Age-related language for advertising events and activities is not always the answer. Focusing advertising on programs, activities and events on ability instead of on age is a more positive way of engaging with community.
- City residents are seeking consolidated communication to find out about events and activities. Many residents rely on word of mouth to find out what is on in their city, and it can be a challenge to get this information in a timely manner.
The research took the form of an online survey completed by over 100 people followed by a series of small focus groups.
The reports below provide the full findings of the research:
Mailing list
Receive direct correspondence from our Healthy Ageing team for programs and activities being held in the city for residents, this may include:
- The Grapevine Newsletter – the Grapevine is a quarterly newsletter that we send to city residents to notify them of activities happening in the city, as well as information to keep residents updated and informed. You can be directly emailed the latest version of the Grapevine, or alternatively, you can see the latest version below.
- Recurring Social programs – we are committed to investigating and developing social programs, and we want to engage any many city residents as possible. By having you on a mailing list, you will be directly notified of upcoming social programs.
- One-off events - following the success of the Spring into Wellbeing’s Tai Chi sessions and Cycling Without Age event, we are now planning more sessions. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear about these events.
If you would like to be added to our mailing list, fill out the form below or if you have any questions, please email [email protected].
City Grapevine Newsletter
The Grapevine is the City of Adelaide’s newsletter for older city residents, their family and community groups or organisations who are interested in Healthy Ageing.
It provides lots of information on ageing well in our city, and shares many activities, programs and practical information that may be of interest to older people.
The Grapevine is distributed by post, or email, every 3 months.
If you or someone you know would like to receive the Grapevine, you can call 8203 7203 or email Healthy Ageing at the City of Adelaide. You can unsubscribe from receiving this newsletter any time you choose, just let us know.
Need more information?
If you are interested in any of the programs and opportunities mentioned above, please contact the friendly Healthy Ageing team, Monday to Friday during business hours: