A free program is helping over 50s tackle the changes and challenges faced through ageing, including sleep, brain health and eating well.
When details about a free local food and nutrition workshop popped up on Facebook, Aberfoyle Park resident Debra Sinclair immediately booked her spot.
“I’ve always been interested in trying to eat better and have a healthier diet, but it’s really hard to do on your own,” she explains.
Debra soon joined other local over 50-year-olds the Hub Library for the Food Matters event – aimed at helping participants make positive change for a long and healthy lives.
During the interactive 2-hour session, the group and its City of Onkaparinga facilitator explored up-to-date research about how to eat well as you age. They also discussed personal insights, shared practical information and resources to take home, and dispelled a few common myths along the way.
The insights Debra gleaned were life changing, especially around making healthier supermarket choices.
“Learning about the Yuka app – where you scan a [product’s]barcode and it tells you about the ingredients… it’s addictive,” she laughs.
“When I went back to the supermarket, I was scanning everything. A lot of things really surprised me – I thought, I’m not eating that again!
“I try not to eat a lot of processed foods, but now I know what’s good and what’s not. I went through my pantry too and took out everything that was bad, so my pantry was full of clean food.”
The Food Matters workshop is just one of a range of programs offered through the council’s Living Well Matters series, which tackles the changes and challenges over 50s face as they age. The series – which also offers sessions and workshops on topics such as sleep, brain health, movement and resilience – began in 2021 and was designed in close consultation with older residents, local community leaders and UniSA health experts.
Judith Lowe – City of Onkaparinga’s Sustaining Independence and Wellbeing Project Officer – helps deliver the workshops, and says their content is reviewed regularly to ensure they’re grounded in current research specific to older adults.
“Older community members bring rich life experience and wisdom, so the sessions are intentionally conversational,” Judith says.
“Cognitive science shows we’re more likely to follow advice we give ourselves rather than advice we receive – so the workshops encourage discussion, reflection, and peer learning.”
“A program evaluation conducted in 2024 found participants felt empowered, validated and supported through the sessions, many leaving with clear and practical goals they were ready to put into action.”
Debra’s journey didn’t stop at the Food Matters workshop. She also signed up for sessions on brain health and movement, before hearing about classes offered at the council’s 2 positive ageing centres.
She now regularly attends gardening sessions at Christie Downs’ Elizabeth House, and cooking classes at Morphett Vale’s Wakefield House.
“Everything Terry [Wakefield House’s chef] makes is actually healthy for you, stuff like Cherry Ripe brownies made with sweet potato… you don’t have to feel guilty about eating it,” she says. “It’s extraordinary.”
Debra’s quick to point out that while she’s changed her eating and cooking habits for the better, “every now and then you have to be naughty and eat something you shouldn't”.
“Many participants express relief when they learn that maintaining enjoyment of food and supporting stable weight are both important as we age – it’s not about dieting, but about nourishment and confidence in making positive choices,” Judith says.
“Ageing well is about choosing what helps you stay strong, nourished and independent. It looks different for everyone, and that’s perfectly OK.”.
An added benefit for Debra has been community connection, pointing to the change she felt after returning to the gardening sessions after a few months off due to competing priorities.
“I noticed a difference with how I felt and my outlook as soon as I went back, because I was out with people I enjoyed being with,” she says.
“I came home feeling a lot happier.”
For more information and to learn about upcoming Living Well Matters workshops or the council’s positive ageing centres visit
onkaparingacity.com/ageing-well
Or contact Judith on 8384 0666 or Judith.Lowe@onkaparinga.sa.gov.au
Pictured
Deborah gets out in the garden with friends at Christie Downs’ Elizabeth House Positive Ageing Centre.