Waiuku and Districts Selwyn Centres offer a warm welcome

Older people throughout the district now have the chance to meet others and socialise in the friendly, caring environment of a Selwyn Centre.

Selwyn Centres are open once or twice a week in Pukekohe, Tuakau, Waiuku and Papakura, offering a programme of social games, gentle exercise, morning tea, outings and excursions, all for a nominal fee per guest. Centres in Tuakau and Papakura also provide an extended respite service for carers on Mondays.

Part-funded by The Selwyn Foundation, one of New Zealand’s largest charitable providers of quality aged care services, the Centres are for people over 65 who live alone or who may be in need of friendship, help and support, regardless of religious or cultural background. Activities are run by a trained coordinator and a team of volunteers, who can also play an advocacy role and liaise with other service agencies on behalf of the guests attending, or offer extra respite care as needed. 

More than 500 people over the age of 65 with varying levels of independence and mobility now attend one of 25 Selwyn Centres each week, with more Centres due to open later this year. Loneliness can be a serious health issue for older people, and research indicates that social interaction with others directly influences general health.  It can also bring psychological benefits, such as delaying the onset of dementia.

“We have a happy group of twenty guests from a diverse community, who all enjoy the variety of activities. Our policy is to learn something, have a laugh and go home with something to think about,” says Waiuku Selwyn Centre coordinator, Heather Boyce.

The Waiuku Centre is open from 9.00 am till 12 noon on Thursdays in the Holy Trinity Anglican Church lounge (on the corner of Queen Street and Victoria Avenue). Contact Heather Boyce on 235 9954/022 359 954, or email heatherboyce@clear.net.nz 

The Pukekohe Selwyn Centre at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, 31-37 Queen Street, is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9.15 am to 11.45 am.  Contact Libby Davey on 238 0561/021 033 9047 or email sldavey@ihug.co.nz 

The Tuakau Centre is at St John’s Anglican Church, 148 Buckland Rd, on Mondays (including respite care) from 9.30 am to 2.00 pm, and Tuesdays from 9.30 am to 11.45 am. Contact Judy Skinner on 233 4303/021 555 002 or email jskinner@farmside.co.nz  

In Papakura, the Centre operates from The Homestead, 21 Youngs Rd, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. Respite care is provided in an extended session on Mondays from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. Contact Lorraine Standring on 296 3843 or email metalsta@ihug.co.nz

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