The local Healthy Ageing Hubs supporting older people to live well for longer in community
Classic rock is pumping and every chair is full at the Ben Matthews Playground Community Centre.
The ‘fun and fit’ exercise class is a popular event at the Amputees Queensland-run healthy ageing hub, which attracts up to 350 older people every week.
Amputees Queensland state manager Lynda Tilley said the classes, created by physiotherapists, focused on helping to prevent falls in older people and build their confidence, strength and mobility.
“They work on fine and gross motor skills and help to develop balance while having a lot of fun,” Lynda said.
Healthy Ageing Hubs help older people to age well ‘in place’ through community connection
Lynda said one local older man had lost confidence in walking and was no longer able to pursue his passion of metal detecting.
“He and his wife started coming along to the tai chi class, and then to the fun and fit,” Lynda said.
“Because of that, he’s been able to go back to metal detecting because he’s no longer worried he’s going to fall.”
Another older woman with diabetes, who attended a free session with a podiatrist, was identified as having a serious foot ulcer.
“She ended up having the ulcer treated in hospital and they actually saved her foot,” Lynda said.
A holistic approach to delivering health and wellbeing support to older people
The hub hosts information sessions and weekly events, from free chiropractic visits to talks by dietitians, empowering older people to live and age well locally, and to confidently manage their health and wellbeing.
It’s one of five local hubs co-designed and commissioned by Brisbane South PHN and funded by the Australian Government to support early intervention programs to help older people maintain health and independence to live at home for as long as possible. The Healthy Ageing Hubs have been locally tailored to meet the needs of the region and include the First Nations-led hubs, Inala Wangarra and Gunya Meta, which provide culturally grounded support and services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and their families.
In 2025, Brisbane South PHN commissioned two new hubs: Village Connect at Slacks Creek to serve older residents within the Pasifika community, and Kingston East Neighbourhood Group.
Together, the hub programs reached just over 5300 people in 2026, including 1500 First Nations Elders, 669 people with disability and 1428 people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Jamie Matthews-Maher, Acting Manager for Older Persons Programs at Brisbane South PHN said the hubs were a place-based model of health care that played an important role in the wider health system.
As well as free classes focused on supporting health and wellbeing, the hubs provide older people with connection to local general practices, allied health services and care finders*.
More than fun and fitness
For 79-year-old Sandra Franklin, the Amputees Queensland hub has offered a lifeline and discovery of purpose.
“When my husband passed away, they helped me with all sorts of things, from preparing the funeral, to getting my will sorted free of charge.”
A regular attendee of tai chi, exercise and information events, Sandra said she first visited because of the programs, and she stayed – and became a frequent volunteer – because of the social connection.
“I love the friendship and the community, and knowing I can come in and have a cup of tea anytime I feel like it,” she said.
Lynda said the hub also played a vital role in helping older people navigate a digital world.
“As people are aging and people are getting busier, a lot of older people don’t have someone to help them with paperwork or things on the computer.
“So in any given week I could be helping someone finish setting up their email account or fill out paperwork.
“A lot of people also get confused with My Aged Care and what they need to do and how the portal works.”
The hubs deliver localised support in places where community already gathers
Jamie said Brisbane South PHN intentionally sought to commission established community organisations like Amputees Queensland to deliver the Healthy Ageing Hubs program.
"There's real strength in partnering with established organisations such as Amputees Queensland, which already has a developed presence through the local centre here, with strong ties to the community.”
“It’s a really great way to leverage and support community organisations to build on their existing capabilities and enhance the support they are already working hard to provide their community with,” said Jamie.
Amputees Queensland president Darren Wyer considers the busier the hub gets, the better it is for everyone.
“Anyone who’s had a major surgery like an amputation will know that it feels safer and more comfortable at home, and that becomes a habit. But if you can get out of the house, your mental health gets better and your physical health follows,” he said.
Darren continues, “There's always something happening here, so it keeps people coming and the more people who come here, the more welcoming it feels.”
“It’s a fun place to be,” he said.
Learn more and connect to a Healthy Ageing Hub
Brisbane South PHN is supporting community organisations in the region to deliver the Healthy Ageing Hubs program. These organisations are currently involved in the Healthy Ageing Hubs program:
To connect patients with a hub, contact the hub organisation directly or email us at [email protected] for more details on which local hub may offer the best fit for your patient’s needs.
*Care finders help eligible older people access and navigate aged care services. The care finder program is funded nationally by the Australian Government and commissioned locally by Brisbane South PHN.