28th January 2025 

As we age, we may find some of our most enjoyable activities can present new challenges. Perhaps you’re a keen lawn bowls player, but you’re not as flexible as you used to be? Or getting out and about to visit family and friends isn’t as easy as it once was?  

An Occupational Therapist’s (OTs) role is to support people of all ages to maintain an active and enriching lifestyle. OTs enable people to participate in activities and occupations they find meaningful, but may struggle to engage in due to obstacles surrounding illness, injury, a chronic condition or other circumstances which may impact one’s ability.  

Thanks to SwanCare’s partnership with Curtin University, Curtin’s Intergenerational Service Learning (ISL) Program is returning for its fourth year. The Program sees OT students visit Bentley Park for a few hours on a Wednesday over a 12-week period, where they work closely with their resident volunteers to identify a challenging activity or task that through their knowledge and support, can be made easier and more enjoyable. Wendy Hudson, Curtin’s OT Fieldwork Coordinator, explains more. 

“Australia’s population is ageing, and allied health students, including OTs, need opportunities to engage with older people and learn about what is important to them, thereby gaining a better understanding of the different ways OTs can appropriately support people as they age. 

This Program changes perceptions around aging, as allied health students, who consider their role is to ‘help people’, are then challenged when they meet Bentley Park residents who are lead active and engaged lives. Students say how much it opens their eyes to the reality of older people’s lives.” 

A prime example of this is spirited 91-year-old Bentley Park retirement living resident, John Bates.

“I highly recommend the Program, and for two reasons,” says John, “Firstly, it’s beneficial for the students to gain real-life experience working with an older person. But secondly, we must be prepared to work with the people who will be supporting us in future. If we want the students to understand us, it’s important we make the time to understand them.” 

This mutual understanding is what drives the success of the Program, creating real, tangible benefits for both the students and the residents.

While the OT Program can be incredibly useful in a variety of areas, John says the highlight for him is the social interaction. And according to Wendy, the feeling goes both ways. 

“We have students who grew up not knowing their grandparents, or don’t have a lot of experience with older people, so building these new connections and learning about the resident’s unique point of view and rich life experiences is really valuable to them, not just professionally but personally too.” 

She also adds, “The OT Fieldwork team would like to thank the SwanCare Bentley Park team, including Natalie Hodi who has enthusiastically supported the Program from the start and Matthew Upston for his time and effort in supporting the students and resident volunteers each year.”

If you or a loved one is interested in taking part in Curtin’s Student OT Program, please reach out to our Community Living Coordinator Matthew Upston. Thank you to Wendy and Curtin University for the opportunity. We appreciate having you as one of SwanCare’s most trusted community connections.