South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025 (the Plan) outlines the State Government and community’s vision and priorities for ageing well for all South Australians over five years, informed by the diverse voices of older people.
The impact of the Plan has been reviewed, to understand how older people are experiencing ageing now across a number of domains, compared with when the Plan began.
This work is being guided by a codesign group of older people with diverse experiences and other key stakeholders.
Nearly 3,000 older people contributed to the review, through a community survey, in-depth interviews with a broad range of older people and a series of focus groups with regional residents, LGBTI+ community members, Aboriginal women, and culturally and linguistically diverse community members.
The key themes identified in the first stage of the review are captured in the Final Impact Review of South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025 Summary Report, which is now available on the Office for Ageing Well web pages.
This input, combined with an analysis of existing national and international government ageing well policies and action plans across 18 countries, ABS Census data and investigation of how older people are portrayed in the media, is helping to shape the themes for stage 2 of the process: Statewide Conversations.
During May and June 2025, these key themes were further tested in the community through a series of small group conversations with diverse older people across South Australia. The statewide community conversations were hosted by older people recruited and trained as conversation convenors and concurrently by Office for Ageing Well and partner organisations. During the conversations older people had opportunities to support or challenge the key themes and identify additional or alternative priorities to shape the directions, actions and potential partnerships for inclusion in the next state Ageing Well Plan, which will set the direction for ageing well in South Australia over the next 10 years.
The key themes identified were:
- Wellbeing: Support to maintain health and wellbeing across the lifespan and into our older years.
- Stronger Connections: Being able to make social connections, participate in employment, volunteering and local/community networks, social and digital inclusion.
- Life Transitions: Planning early for later life, preparing for key transitions before challenges arise, improving service navigation, meaning and purpose, financial security, working lives.
- Home and Community: Strengthening affordable, adaptable housing options, and supporting age-friendly communities that enable people to age well across different life stages and circumstances.
The statewide conversations have amplified the voices of older people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to ensure a broad range of perspectives are heard in shaping the next state Ageing Well Plan 2026-2036. Government, non-government, community organisations and other key stakeholders will also be consulted to identify actions that will deliver on the priorities important to older South Australians.
Office for Ageing Well would like to thank the older people from across South Australia who have acted as conversation hosts and / or provided their views and insights to inform the priorities of the next State Ageing Well Plan. Office for Ageing Well also thanks Clear Horizon and Think Human who were engaged to undertake the Final Impact Review and Statewide Conversations project.