Seniors Month
Seniors Month focuses on building age-friendly communities and strengthening social connection for older people and their communities across Queensland.
Queensland Seniors Month
The Queensland Government and Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland value the contributions older people have made and continue to make in their communities and share a commitment to building an age-friendly Queensland.
Queensland Seniors Month is a month-long celebration of older Queenslanders. It runs from 1–31 October, beginning on the United Nations International Day of Older Persons (1 October) and including the celebration of Grandparents Day (Sunday, 25 October 2026).
The theme for 2026 Seniors Month is “Connect and celebrate”.
This theme recognises strong communities are connected communities. It embraces older people and recognises the enormous value they contribute to our families, neighbourhoods and wider communities.
It focuses on the importance of ensuring Queensland Seniors are supported to live active, healthy and productive lives and are connected, cared for and celebrated.
Stay Up to Date
Stay up to date by visiting the Queensland Seniors Month website often and following Seniors Month on Facebook.
Connect and Celebrate
Strong communities are essential to our economic prosperity, wellbeing and future opportunities.
Queensland seniors have helped build and shape our great state and remain an integral part of the fabric of our communities – whether as volunteers or in the workforce, community leaders or carers, grandparents or advocates.
Social connectedness is one of the most important factors in creating strong communities. It allows us to build relationships with people we might not otherwise meet, share common values and experiences, and can help us to become more aware and engaged.
Through Seniors Month we can increase the feeling of social connectedness and support and empower Queensland seniors to connect, participate, contribute and thrive.
Seniors Month Events
55 events are funded through Seniors Month grants, although there are 100s of events listed on the Queensland Seniors Event Calendar.
Check out the Queensland Seniors Month website to find events near you!
The Seniors Month Grant
The Queensland Government is committed to building age-friendly communities where older people are connected to their community and the people and the services that matter to them; they are supported by world class frontline services when support is needed, and they are celebrated for the contribution they make as carers, workers, volunteers and community leaders.
The Queensland Government is partnering with Council on the Ageing Queensland to deliver the Age-friendly Seniors Month Grant Program. The Grants will provide seed funding of between $5000 to $15,000 per initiative to local government, community organisations and not-for-profit organisations to deliver initiatives in their local community that work towards an age-friendly Queensland.
Total funding for the Grants in 2026–2027 is $100,000 to reduce social isolation, improve access to services, or foster intergenerational connections for older Queenslanders.
Applications for Grant funding will are now closed.
Age-Friendly Community
Queensland is an Affiliate member of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities.
An age-friendly community enables older people to live healthy active lives, where they are
- connected to their community and the people and the services that matter to them
- supported by world class frontline services when support is needed, and
- celebrated for the contribution they make as carers, workers, volunteers and community leaders.
Age-friendly communities are designed to support the well-being and participation of older people. They promote inclusion, participation and contribution of all people in all areas of community life.
Under this Grant program, funding will be provided to local government, community organisations and not-for-profit organisations to deliver initiatives in their local community that work towards being age-friendly.
To be successful, your initiative should clearly outline how the grant addresses identified needs in their community that aligns to at least one of the World Health Organisation’s eight age-friendly domains of age-friendly communities. (Figure 1).
At least some aspect of the initiative should be delivered during Seniors Month (October) 2026.