Coast and Country keeps Boorowa seniors playing, fed and connected

A fortnightly games session in Boorowa is one part of a broader push by Coast and Country Community Services to help local seniors stay connected, active and living independently at home. Coast and Country Community Services was formed through a merger of the former local Meals on Wheels and Community Transport services, now run by a group based in Nowra. To become a client, residents need a My Aged Care number, and are encouraged to obtain referral codes that subsidise services such as meals and transport, support the organisation classifies as social support. Leanne, who runs the Boorowa games sessions, said she keeps a close eye on what games to bring along, rotating through titles including Bananagrams, Rummikub, Family Feud, Qwirkle and Triominoes. "I do like to challenge them, they're very capable," she said. Sessions run on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, with a separate 'meet and eat' event on Tuesday 27 October at the Ex-Services Club, offering a main meal, dessert and a cup of tea, alongside an activity sheet, small chocolate prizes and a grocery raffle. The meal costs $22 for non-clients and $17 for subsidised clients. Beyond the games table, the organisation runs a Young to Canberra medical transport service three days a week; Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for appointments and other trips such as the airport, with departure times set around passengers' bookings. Frozen meals are delivered to Boorowa on a fortnightly basis, sourced from suppliers in Narrandera and Bathurst, while hot meals are delivered via Yass, with the not-for-profit service priced below some comparable options. Some clients use the frozen meals as an occasional backup; for others, they are a regular staple. Leanne, who worked for the organisation before its merger into Coast and Country, said the value of the service went beyond the practical. "When I first started working for Meals on Wheels, I saw how much it helps people stay at home because if they can be well fed and looked in on, then they can stay at home," she said. Both the meal deliveries and the games sessions double as an informal welfare check, she said, with staff able to notify a client's registered close contact if something seems amiss. "It's the same thing when we drop the meals, it's like a little bit of a quick welfare check," she said. Coast and Country can also provide meals to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) clients, though not at the subsidised rate available to My Aged Care clients, given the differing subsidy arrangements. More information on Coast and Country Community Services' games sessions, meet and eat events, transport and meal services is available by contacting the organisation directly.