LASA Next Gen: Working with industry to develop age service leaders

Are you ready to join us?

LASA Next Gen is identifying new ways to partner with our industry in building a unique and sustainable platform—helping the new wave of age services professionals develop their ideas, as well as share their voice with current industry leaders.

Community Partnerships are ensuring organisations are seen, heard, and noticed as a key collaborator and contributor to supporting our young leaders in age services.

Our industry now has more opportunities to engage with our next generation of leaders. It’s vital for all of us to embrace initiatives that provide a platform for young professionals to share their voices, opinions and ideas.

We know people are talking about age services and already forming opinions, whether they’re employed in the industry or witnessing grandparents and parents entering aged care facilities. Generation Y and Z are discussing age services with their co-workers and families, and are faced with the negative stories about the industry in the media.

Age services is a large and fast-growing industry. The latest Productivity Commission estimates show the healthcare and social assistance workforce will soon make the largest contribution to employment growth, increasing by more than 252,000 by May 2024.

Australia has an opportunity to set a new standard around how our industry responds to the needs of our ageing population. Between 2000 and 2030, more than one in five of the total population, or 5.7 million people, will be aged 65 years and over.

LASA Next Gen is working with organisations, like Healthstrong, to ensure we’re all supporting younger employees to recognise age services as a dynamic and life-changing career.

Residential Aged Care National Service Delivery Manager Kelly Mitchelson, from LASA Next Gen Community Partner Healthstrong, discusses why it’s important to collaborate and support emerging leaders in this rapidly growing sector.

“At HealthStrong we’ve taken a forward-thinking approach to engaging with our industry,” says Kelly.

“As a LASA Next Gen Community Partner, it means our predominantly young workforce can better connect directly with the industry through innovative education programs,

Kelly Mitchelson and Samantha Bowen joining forces for a better ageing future.

scholarships and forums. These aged care industry leaders and experts are available in every state. This new partnership creates opportunities to ensure our allied health practitioner workforce has a platform to share ideas and contribute to a future in which we can all age well.

“As Healthstrong’s national service delivery manager, it’s important that our team is given the opportunity to form connections and work collaboratively with industry professionals so we can build an industry that is agile, resilient and responsive to our ageing population’s care needs.

“Feedback from our team is that the tertiary sector does not properly prepare allied health professionals for the age services industry. Specifically, there is limited focus on career pathways available for practitioners entering the sector.

“The LASA Next Gen and Healthstrong Community Partnership provides the opportunity to challenge and support practitioners in their understanding of the types of careers within age services. It has never been more important to have their voice heard in building a new future for this industry, one that is resilient and meeting the needs of customers and employees.

“HealthStrong’s workforce strategy is guided by the Department of Health’s 2018 report, A Matter of Care: Australia’s Aged Care Workforce Strategy. This report has reinforced our commitment to be an employer which gives clear career progression and pathways. Our allied health talent is empowered to be the leaders of tomorrow, ensuring the workforce can meet age services needs now and into the future.

“It is essential that occupational therapists, physiotherapists and podiatrists have a clear role in the care of the elderly customers. We are working to create a team that reflects the importance of industry leadership, mindset and accountability. With this at the forefront of HealthStrong, we enable our team to be responsive to new models of care that are driven by changed consumer expectations and new aged care standards.

“As a Next Gen Community Partner, we are ensuring our HealthStrong team are continuing to build positive perceptions of age services. We are proud to be part of building solutions that support a future in which we can all age well.”

HealthStrong is one of LASA Next Gen’s Community Partners. They’re joining us because they’re committed to actively engaging and collaborating with young people in their workplaces and across the age services industry.

Join LASA Next Gen as a Community Partner today. ■ Samantha Bowen is Principal Advisor Next Gen, Leading Age Services Australia. For more information visit www.lasa.asn.au/lasa-next-gen/

TLC offers 76 award winning nutritionally balanced meals to over 3,200 suburbs across NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD.

EST. 1995

TLC welcomes Kerry Chikarovski to the Tender Loving Cuisine Australia Board

Tender Loving Cuisine is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020 and with the COVID-19 Virus lockdown, TLC has proved to be a godsend to our many customers. The anniversary was chosen as the year that founder Jack Barker would appoint a board of directors to expand TLC services throughout the Australian community. To further celebrate, TLC has confirmed that the former Leader of the NSW Liberal Party, Kerry Chikarovski, has accepted an invitation to join the board of Tender Loving Cuisine Australia. Being a staunch supporter for the status of women and for our ageing and disability sectors during her career in politics, it was an opportunity that Kerry felt would enable her to positively impact on the good health of seniors. TLC commenced operations at Royal North Shore Hospital in 1995 to provide quality home delivered meals to discharged patients. TLC has agreements with most charities and Home Care Providers to supply premium home delivered meals to clients.

As a registered NDIS Provider, TLC is able to support thousands of disabled clients with proper nutrition to improve their quality of living. TLC invites all health professionals and existing registered providers of HCP or NDIS packages to establish an agreement that could improve the health and well-being of their clients.