Comlink Australia is a not-for-profit organisation with nearly forty years of experience creating healthier, more connected communities for older Australians. With a workforce of around 350 staff and almost 200 volunteers, Comlink operates across Queensland and Victoria, delivering services that not only support independence and dignity but also generate outcomes with lasting benefit for individuals, families, and communities.

Central to this contribution is Comlink’s Community-based Social Support Program — a flagship initiative that translates the principles of healthy ageing into action through locally designed social calendars. The Social Support Program’s key purpose is to reduce loneliness and strengthen wellbeing by connecting older Australians to meaningful, locally tailored community activities that foster lasting friendships and resilience. By fostering inclusion, participation, and wellbeing, the program creates positive community impact today while building the networks, resilience, and social capital that sustain long-term community benefit.

Comlink’s program was created in response to one of the most pressing issues in aged care: social isolation. National studies reveal that more than 40% of older people receiving community-based aged care report loneliness. The impacts are profound: social disconnection increases the risks of depression, frailty, cognitive decline, and premature mortality, with health effects comparable to smoking or obesity. At the same time, most older Australians are managing multiple chronic health conditions, compounding the risks of withdrawal and disengagement. While aged care reforms increasingly emphasise consumer choice and ageing in place, many services still fail to provide opportunities for meaningful participation in community life. Comlink’s Social Support Program addresses this gap by offering a systemic, community-based solution that strengthens social capital and enhances overall quality of life.

The program is built on a co-design model that blends research evidence with lived community insight. Each calendar begins with structured client feedback gathered through conversations, surveys, and forums, ensuring the voices of older people are central to decision-making. Lifestyle Assistants complement this input with research into local assets, mapping venues, events, and cultural touchpoints that can be incorporated. Draft calendars are workshopped collectively across Comlink’s service regions, creating opportunities to share learnings and spark innovation. Each calendar is grounded in Comlink’s Keys to Healthy Ageing framework, ensuring that activities support not only social connection but also physical health, cognitive stimulation, intergenerational engagement, digital literacy, and other vital dimensions of wellbeing.

A disciplined management structure supports the delivery of Comlink’s program. Lifestyle Assistants report to Regional Services Managers, who provide operational guidance. A central Event Manager coordinates across regions, while the General Manager of Home and Community Care ensures the program aligns with contracts, aged care standards, and reforms. Oversight from Comlink’s Quality and Compliance team ensures safety and continuous improvement, while Finance, People and Culture, and other central services provide essential support for sustainability. Partnerships with councils, health providers, and universities further enrich the program, adding expertise, venues, and referrals.

The Social Support Program has grown into a cornerstone of Comlink’s community services. In the past year, they have delivered approximately 24,000 social engagements to more than 2,000 unique clients. Participation has increased by approximately 30% year-on-year, reflecting sustained demand and high satisfaction. Clients consistently describe the program as a lifeline: “My life is worth living now that I am a part of this program”, “For a lot of us, these outings are the only social contact we have, and it gives us something to look forward to”, “I forget everything that I have wrong with me. I get up early on [event day] so I know I will be ready in time.”

The program’s effectiveness is recognised across the aged care sector, with providers regularly referring clients as part of reablement and community support pathways. Other aged care providers also embed Comlink’s calendars into their own pathways, seeing the program as best practice in operationalising social connection.

Social, economic, and environmental impacts extend beyond immediate participation. Socially, the program enhances wellbeing, builds resilience through peer friendships, and reduces ageism through intergenerational initiatives. Additionally, families and caregivers report reduced pressure, knowing that their loved ones are socially engaged and supported. Economically, it increases the use of support package funding and generates activity in local economies. At a systems level, international evidence shows that socially connected older people have lower rates of hospitalisation and depression, reducing pressure on health services. Environmentally, the program maximises existing infrastructure by repurposing community spaces, and coordinated transport reduces unnecessary journeys, lowering its footprint.

Long-term impact is evident in the program’s ability to scale while retaining authenticity and local relevance. It has evolved beyond a calendar of events; it is a model of community-driven aged care that demonstrates how to translate research and reform priorities into tangible outcomes. By integrating social participation into the aged care system, Comlink’s Social Support Program ensures that older Australians are not only supported to remain at home but are empowered to live full, connected lives within their communities.

For more information about Comlink, visit comlinkaustralia.com.au.