AASHA’s main aim is to take care of seniors in a way that they can feel valued in their retired lives. Their main focus is on providing them with appropriate information about dementia care, legal and financial rights, elder abuse, and similar issues.
Founder and spokesperson Bijinder Duggal told SBS Punjabi that, ‘AASHA is bringing in many new and creative ideas to bridge the gap between our youth and the seniors. We have invited schoolies to come and spend time with seniors where they can learn knitting and cooking and in turn, seniors can learn about the internet and online social media etc.’
Seniors sing their hearts out, dance like youth. Source: Bijinder Duggal
‘Our programs are designed in a way that the senior members of the community can feel valued and loved. They come to our programs where they sing their hearts out, dance like youth, at the same time gaining valuable information on the services and facilities available to them, in their own language’.
Ms Duggal shared that AASHA has a panel of experts in their volunteer’s list.
‘We have experts in Yoga, health services, Centrelink, Police and many other areas who provide seniors vital information in their own language and clarify their doubts or queries’.
AASHA is fast emerging as a one-point contact of support and advice for senior citizens from South East Asian communities. Source: Bijinder Duggal
AASHA provide its seniors' home cooked food that is suitable to them as per their age and health.
Currently, AASHA is providing services regularly from three centres each month. This is going to increase to five from February 2019 with the opening of Wentworthville and Blacktown service centres; both are hubs of Indian subcontinental population.
