Happiness is...different for everyone.

Italian-born nonna Connie Natoli (pictured) doesn’t need a definition of happiness to know what it is. She’s a regular at Uniting AgeWell’s Linlithgow Centre in Ivanhoe and says chatting and laughing with friends over coffee and pasta is more of a tonic than half the stuff you buy from the health store. “We are so supportive of each other,” she laughs.

“If you’re feeling a bit down, someone will always cheer you up. You don’t stay feeling sorry for yourself for long!”

Uniting AgeWell is celebrating the International Day of Happiness the way we do each and every day – by doing our best to facilitate the happiness of our clients and residents.

And while happiness represents different things to different people, we’re here every step of the way to enable the older people we care for enjoy a whole lot of whatever brings joy and meaning to their lives.

In fact, we take fun and happiness so seriously, we’ve undertaken research on the Science of Happiness, which is now shaping the face of aged care across Australia.

Ground-breaking research is also underway looking at how best to support aged care staff to identify and meet the mental health needs of older people in the community. Put simply, achieving happiness and fun is pivotal in improving everyone’s quality of life.

The science of happiness

Cutting-edge research by Flinders University in partnership with Uniting AgeWell, is shaping the lives of older people in Australia, after its findings were introduced as part of best practices in aged care.

The ‘A Good Life – Outcomes Measures’ research project concluded in 2022 and looked at what determines quality of life for older people living at home and in aged care facilities, as well as developing quantitative tools to measure an individual’s wellbeing levels.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to quality of life, researchers determined, after analysing the feedback, the top six criteria to happiness are:

• Independence: doing as much as possible, control over your own life
• Social connections: support and connection with family and friends, and carer support
• Emotional wellbeing: feeling generally relaxed and positive about everyday life and reasonably confident about the future
• Mobility: adapting well to changes in physical mobility and limitations experienced by this
• Activities: group and independent activities, making new friends and social contact
• Pain management: ensuring pain does not impact on your life

Social connections

Two of the six criteria for happiness relate to social inclusion which entails reducing loneliness. Something Verley MacGregor has experienced first hand. Three mornings a week she runs into the waves at Mount Martha with a gathering of women friends – all howling like wolves!

Verley is a member of Sea Wolves – a group of up to 80 fun-loving women who arrive at the beach early, form a circle and hold hands. Then they count down from three and, howling at the top of their lungs, run into the waves for a bracing swim.

“It’s an exhilarating experience and great fun!” says Verley. “We all look out for each other, it’s a great group! We’re all good friends.”

Verley knows it’s also important for her husband, Bob, to have his social outlet with his circle of friends. Bob, who has Alzheimer’s disease, has a government-funded home care package through Uniting AgeWell and receives personal care, among other services. He also attends the Andrew Kerr Care Centre day program in Mornington twice a week, which gives Verley the opportunity to go out with her friends.

“Bob has a lovely time,” adds Verley. “He looks forward to going and loves the friendship and all the activities, as well of course as the wonderful lunches.”

These are the magic words – friendship, inclusion and fun.

Reaching out

Penelope Anderson, who oversees operations at five AgeWell Centres across metro Melbourne, including the Linlithgow Centre, firmly believes that social connection is the glue that holds us all together.

“I’ve seen some clients who are anxious or depressed and lonely when they first come to the groups,” she explains. “Some aren’t eating well, others just want to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, to have some people to talk with and to share their news with.”

You don’t have to attend centres. There are numerous examples of lasting friendships formed between social connection clients and volunteers who visit them at home or chat to them over the phone. Friendships that help fill the void through sharing stories and interests.

Getting serious about reducing loneliness

Uniting AgeWell’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework outlines the approach and measures the organisation is taking to support the mental health and wellbeing of its customers and staff.

This year, it is rolling out its mental health education and training program to around 4,000 staff, enabling them to build mental health awareness and resilience. This will, in turn, support the organisation’s 16,000 customers and the broader community.

The organisation places mental wellbeing on the same footing as physical health. Uniting AgeWell General Manager Victoria, Vicky Jacques, says research shows that as you age, life can throw you a curve ball, including not being able to drive anymore, retirement or the death of a loved one. Older people’s mental wellbeing can be affected by these age-related changes, including social isolation.

Other measures Uniting AgeWell is taking to help increase happiness and reduce loneliness include:

• Embracing new technology that connects older people with friends and family
• Establishing a suite of programs in residential and home care settings to reduce loneliness and increase inclusion and a sense of purpose
• Using Do Be Feel Cards, specially developed by Uniting AgeWell and Swinburne University, to encourage people to open up about how they are really feeling
• Offering social connections programs to help people socialise.

Research into social inclusion

Uniting AgeWell’s commitment to reducing loneliness is backed by its research into the role of technology in helping to achieve this.

Just ask centenarian Alex Reid, who has five generations of his family at the touch of a button on his iPad, thanks to the Dossy trial he’s taking part in.

Dossy is an easy-to-use video calling app that has been designed specifically for low-vision, low-tech and hearing impaired users. It also includes Community Connect, a function that enables the user to connect to a volunteer for a chat.

The trial is being conducted by Uniting AgeWell with the University of Melbourne, Dossy and Ageing with Grace, through funding from the Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) Grants Program.

Alex, who used to work as a cabbie, is never happier than when he’s chatting to family and friends and swapping stories – like his favourite yarn of how he met his late wife, Betty, at the skating rink. “I had my eye on her all night, then I decided it was time to sweep her off her feet – literally,” he says. “I got my mate to knock her off her skates and then I helped her up like the hero. We got married three weeks later.”

Creating a new support group

A harsh reality is that a number of older people don’t have family or friends nearby or at all, explains Uniting AgeWell Lifestyle Director Sharon Levey. And when they retire, the social orbit of their world can shrink even more.

“I have seen many people absolutely flourish when they enter residential aged care,” says Sharon. “All of a sudden they are surrounded by people who care for them, there is always someone to talk to. They feel part of a wider family – they feel like they belong.”

A focus on intergenerational activities in residential aged care facilities is also playing a significant role in creating happiness – not only amongst the residents but the children too.

It’s not rocket science. It’s good old-fashioned wisdom that when older and younger people get together, the magic happens. And it is this back to the future approach that is not only popular but in some cases, life-changing, for older people.

Research shows intergenerational care can improve the quality of life of aged care residents, reduce the risk of developing dementia and combat isolation and loneliness in older people, while children can also benefit, developing higher levels of empathy and social acceptance.

Sharon says all Uniting AgeWell residential sites actively engage with young people from those at day care, kindergarten, primary and high schools. Sometimes the children come to the aged care facilities. Other times the residents go on bus trips and visit them. Either way, the magic happens.

“Every age group brings something different to the residents,” explains Sharon. “Babies and toddlers create pure happiness. There is nothing more beautiful than hearing a baby laugh.”

Sharon says there’s also the element of fun. “There is a ‘child’ in all of us. This is an opportunity to be silly, to laugh. It doesn’t matter who you are, when a child offers you an empty tea cup, you pretend to drink it.”

Sharon says interacting with older children is equally rewarding, but in different ways. There’s the sharing of stories, the swapping of ideas, the ability to reflect on what life was like for older people when they were teenagers. Sharon says reminiscing reaffirms a sense of self, which can sadly sometimes get lost over the years. “For example, a resident might end up saying to a teenager, ‘I was once a teacher, I totally understand what you are saying…”

It also creates a sense of purpose. The thrill of knowing you got a teenager thinking about being an engineer, or you taught another how to knit. The joy of hearing a toddler repeat a nursery rhyme you have just taught them…

This concept was taken further with The Herd Intergenerational Learning Centre (ILC) at Uniting AgeWell Andrew Kerr Care Community in Mornington last year. It is the first centre of its kind in Australia built under the same roof as an aged care facility and it caters for 66 children aged from six weeks to school age.

It has created so much joy, with residents playing trucks with the little ones, wearing butterfly wings and pretending to flap them and putting on a big bad wolf and a squeaky piggie voice while reading the Three Little Pigs …

Living in the moment

When you live in the moment, it’s good to make that moment count.

And Uniting AgeWell strives to bring joy to those of its residents with dementia, and to maximise their quality of life.

Sharon says while activities may look like good old (and new) fashioned fun, there’s a sound reason backed up by research and data, behind each and every one. “We look at what residents can do, not what they can’t – and we tailor programs accordingly. It’s fun – with purpose.”

Residential sites also have top-of-the-range equipment to inspire cognitive stimulation and joy including Tovertafels, known as magic tables (pictured) and Brain Trainers Plus.