Royal Life Saving NSW to deliver Seniors Splash water safety program

Royal Life Saving NSW (RLSNSW), in collaboration with Canterbury-Bankstown Council Aquatic Centres will deliver a comprehensive 10 week swimming and water safety program - Seniors Splash - tailored for 70 vulnerable culturally diverse seniors aged 65 years or older, residing in South-West Sydney. The program will run between term 2 and term 4 2025.

Swimming is a vital part of Australian life, yet many migrants encounter significant barriers to accessing water safety education and participating in aquatic activities. This lack of access not only heightens their risk of drowning but also contributes to social isolation within these communities.

Seniors Splash aims to address this critical issue by equipping seniors with essential water safety skills and building their confidence in aquatic environments. The program focuses on teaching fundamental swimming techniques and lifesaving skills, enabling participants to engage in aquatic recreation beyond the program’s duration.

By empowering seniors with the skills and confidence needed to enjoy the water safely, Seniors Splash not only promotes individual health and safety but also aims to connect them to the broader community.

Seniors Splash is among a new range of activities to help NSW seniors reduce social isolation launching soon after the NSW Government provided $840,000 in funding as part of the 2025 Connecting Seniors Grant Program.

Also being funded are activities from singing to storytelling, cooking classes to croquet lessons with the funded projects empowering older people to engage with their communities and combat loneliness in innovative ways.

Other old favourites from 2024 making a comeback include Foodies Clubs and Community Circles.

Activities will be delivered across NSW through 28 organisations divided into five categories including Aboriginal, Multicultural, Creation, Enhancement or Expansion, and Local Council.

The Aboriginal and multicultural categories are new this year and projects include activities such as Aboriginal dance workshops, technology mentorship, excursions, and a range of classes such as exercise and art.

In 2024, COTA NSW’s Voice of Solitude: Loneliness and Social Isolation Among Older Adults in NSW found 60% of people aged over 50 were lonely with 25% experiencing extreme levels of loneliness, and 50 % feeling socially isolated.

The Connecting Seniors Grant Program builds on previous grant rounds, which have been proven to reduce social isolation for thousands of seniors in NSW. The program supports the Ageing Well in NSW: Seniors Strategy 2021-2031, demonstrating the NSW Government’s commitment to creating a more inclusive community and addressing isolation and loneliness.

The addition of Aboriginal and Multicultural categories in 2025 aligns with the NSW Government’s Closing the Gap commitments and the Multicultural NSW Strategic Plan 2021-2025.

Since its launch in 2020, the grant program has funded more than 120 projects with over 30,000 seniors taking part across 82 Local Government Areas across NSW.

For more information about the Connecting Seniors Grant Program and the full list of recipients

Image. Senior swimming. Credit: Pexels Cottonbro Studio