Project Scaffold co-hosts Ageing Well Together 2026

Project Scaffold is one of the hosts and a contributor to the programme of Ageing Well Together 2026, taking place on 30 September and 1 October at CAB Conference Centre in Brackenfell South, Cape Town.

Under the theme Partnerships for Building Healthy Communities, the two-day conference will bring together people working across older-person care, community organisations, research and public services. Project Scaffold joins GERATEC and NOAH as hosts, working with the Older Persons Care Alliance (OPCA) to create space for shared learning and practical collaboration.

Project Scaffold’s contribution

Rob Jones, representing Project Scaffold, will welcome delegates at 09:00 on the first day. He will also contribute to the second day’s Innovation & Sustainable Models session, alongside Professor Elena Moore of UCT and Victor Southwell of NOAH.

That session will explore a pressing question for South Africa: how can we create workable options between ageing at home without enough support and institutional care that is increasingly difficult to afford? It connects directly with Project Scaffold’s purpose of bringing people and organisations together to share knowledge and develop practical responses to the needs of older persons.

Day one: dignity, community and shared humanity

The opening programme includes contributions from Professor Rayne Stroebel, Dr Sadiq Kariem, Minister Wendy Kaizer-Philander and Professor Jaco Hoffman, bringing care, health, social development and policy perspectives into the conversation.

Three focal areas will shape the rest of the day:

• Dignity, identity and belonging: protecting older persons’ choices, sense of purpose and place in their communities as their support needs change.
• Community care in action: exploring how families, services and local organisations can help people remain supported and connected where they choose to live.
• Shared humanity: making room for honest conversations about connection, exclusion, grief, vulnerability and the relationships that sustain us.

The programme draws on experience from organisations including NOAH, Ikamva Labantu, TAFTA, Camphill Village and GAPA, alongside other practitioners and community voices.

Day two: sustainable care and the people who provide it

The second day moves from new care models to the workforce and relationships that make good care possible. A panel on nursing speciality training will include Ansie Kirsten, Dr Guin Louwrens, Elmarie Earle of ACVV and Christelle Klopper of BADISA.

Further sessions will consider how to develop a skilled, recognised and emotionally sustainable care workforce, while keeping human relationships at the centre of care. The healthy-ageing discussion will bring together perspectives on nutrition, brain health, medication, trauma and functional well-being.

The conference will conclude with Action Labs led by Dr Waldie Terblanche and a closing gathering with Professor Rayne Stroebel. These sessions are designed to help turn the discussions into shared priorities and opportunities for collaboration.

Join the conversation

For Project Scaffold, the conference is an opportunity to connect the people, ideas and practical experience needed to improve the lives of older persons. We look forward to contributing to the programme and continuing the conversations through our community.

Dates: 30 September–1 October 2026
Venue: CAB Conference Centre, 19 Jeanette Street, Brackenfell South, Cape Town

View event information and book on Quicket. For enquiries, contact Alda on 021 461 3820 or reception@geratecza.com.

Visit the Ageing Well Together conference space on Project Scaffold to connect with the community.

Programme details are based on the published conference programme and may change.