Following the City of Melbourne’s 2024 review of council-funded healthy ageing programs, this community engagement was conducted to better understand older residents’ priorities for ageing well in the municipality, to inform our future healthy ageing service model.

The 2024 review identified five priorities:

• service navigation
• local service system development
• activation of community centres
• increase reach to older people
• involvement of older people in decision making.

For the 2025 engagement, information was provided on how we currently help people to age well in the City of Melbourne. We then asked questions to find out older people's top priorities for living and ageing well in Melbourne.

All participants were over 55 years of age.

This engagement took place from March to May 2025.

This engagement was conducted via a survey on the Participate Melbourne website, phone surveys, focus groups and pop-ups at libraries, men’s shed, Multicultural Hub, neighbourhood houses, peak bodies, public housing, recreation centres, resident groups, Carlton Harmony Day and South Yarra Neighbour Day.

82 per cent of participants indicated that they were planning for their future, with health and wellbeing the most common focus of that planning.

Participants most frequently selected ‘Programs, activities or groups that interest me’ as their top priority (33 per cent), with 19 per cent selecting it as the second top priority.

‘Information and access to support and services’ was the next most selected priority, with 15 per cent selecting it as their top priority and 17 per cent as their second top priority.

‘Feeling comfortable to get around the central city’ and ‘Places to connect with and feel welcomed by my local community’ were the next most selected priorities.

The most frequented centres and facilities were libraries, with City Library being the most visited library. Recreation centres were the second most visited facilities, particularly Melbourne City Baths. The least frequented facilities were neighbourhood centres and neighbourhood houses.

The feedback received through this engagement program will inform the City of Melbourne’s healthy ageing service model.

The feedback received through this engagement program will inform the City of Melbourne’s healthy ageing service model.

The healthy ageing service model will be shaped to address the key priorities from this engagement including access to information, opportunities for social participation and social connection to support physical and mental wellbeing, and places to connect and feel welcome in the local community.