Better informed ‘Mate to Mate’
A new project has been developed in response to a report which explored why older men were not accessing Home and Community Care (HACC) services.
Two Mate to Mate program participants have a laugh.
The Mate to Mate project, developed by COTA NSW in collaboration with the Men’s Health Information and Resource Centre (MHIRC) at the University of Western Sydney (UWS), aims to increase men’s awareness of, participation in, and uptake of, HACC services.
The program has two distinct but interrelated educational streams:
- a volunteer led peer education initiative which aims to improve men’s knowledge of HACC services and how to access them, and
- training for HACC services to better engage and support older men.
As the program took shape, it was apparent there were significant challenges faced involving how to get older men to participate in peer education sessions.
After an intensive period of consultation with men, service providers and key stakeholders, Mate to Mate was promoted as a program which would enable men to better take control of their lives in order to remain independent for as long as possible.
It also promoted the potential for men to become better informed about HACC services so that they would be in a position to help their mates or other people in their community access this information.
Its delivery is interactive and hinges on older men having their point of view listened to and, most importantly, harnessing the positive contributions they make to the community.
HACC service provider training sessions have resulted in service providers reporting increased knowledge about older men and developing new ways to engage them. This, in turn, has facilitated stronger partnerships between HACC services and older men.
As a result of the Mate to Mate program, older men are taking action, with 73% of attendees stating they intend to find out more information about HACC services.
Further, service providers are reporting increased uptake of HACC services after these sessions. This means higher numbers of older men will be taking up existing services which are in place to help them maintain their independence for longer, potentially reducing the need for intensive and expensive interventions at a later date.
Stage three funding has been received from the Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care to extend the scope of the Mate to Mate project to research the community needs of men aged 50 to 65 years.
Stage three will run until June 2014.
Find out more about COTA NSW's Mate to Mate program.
