AAA September-October 2019 Cover Story

S EP-OCT 19

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Join us on a journey to a

better ageing future LASA National Congress leads the way

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FEATURE

SPONSORED FEATURE LASA National Congress includes interactive sessions where delegates are encouraged to get involved throughout the three-day event.

Delivering a better future As the aged care sector continues its transition to a new era – one driven by changing community expectations and ongoing policy and reform – Leading Age Services Australia’s National Congress shows providers how to lead the transformation needed.

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ore than 1,200 people will descend on Adelaide in October to discuss how to build an aged care industry that better supports older Australians to have the future they want. Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) is leading the conversation over three days at its national congress, which is returning to the Adelaide Convention Centre for the second year running.

The LASA National Congress takes place from Sunday 27 to Tuesday 29 October and features a packed program of presentations, discussions and workshops that will delve into delivering truly person-centred care to provide a better future for older Australians.

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Sean Rooney

Over 70 speakers will address this year’s theme of ‘Better Ageing Futures – It’s in our hands’ through more than 50 plenary, concurrent and panel sessions. There is also a breakfast program and five networking functions across the twoand-a-half day speaking program plus two workshops following the event.

Sean Rooney, CEO of LASA, says there will be a sharp focus on how our industry can lead and drive the transformation of age services from an aged care mindset to a truly person-centred industry supporting Australians to age well.

“We are helping the industry better understand changing community expectations and embrace the innovation and change necessary to deliver

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better ageing futures for all Australians,” Rooney tells Australian Ageing Agenda.

The aged care sector has seen and experienced much change in the last 12 months, says Rooney.

“The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission began operating this year, the new quality standards have been introduced and the royal commission has been holding hearings around Australia. We also have a new government and a new minister, so it’s a very different environment than we had for congress last year.”

This year’s congress aims to provide a better understanding of the changing perspectives of older people, especially as Baby Boomers begin to access aged care services. To meet the rapidly changing needs, the aged care sector must be prepared to provide the psychological, emotional, spiritual, social, personal connection and support that is expected, Rooney says.

In this years’ program, Australian and international speakers will address topics of interest to the sector such as organisational governance, ageing well and environment and design. The program also includes international perspectives on ageing.

“We’ve put together a world-class, three-day program of learning and networking that will offer global perspectives, best-practice keynotes and interactive, thought-provoking discussions, designed to empower our industry to actively embrace future opportunities and become the change we want to see,” Rooney says.

“Providers are already leading this transformation and the evidence is there in the many examples of innovation that will be showcased at congress.”

Speaker highlights

Multi-award-winning journalist Kerry O’Brien will lead the agenda of the three-day event as congress’ master of ceremonies. O’Brien, a journalist of 49 years, will also facilitate a range of discussions including the parliamentary panel session and the Town Hall meeting.

Keynote speakers include Janet Anderson, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, National Seniors Australia chief advocate Ian Henschke and Julie Bishop, the former foreign affairs minister.

Billie Jordan, a New Zealander and founder of a hip hop dance group of seniors, will draw on

“Providers are already leading this transformation and the evidence is there in the many examples of innovation that will be showcased at congress.”

Billie Jordan

Julie Bishop

Kerry O’Brien

Todd Sampson

her experience of working with seniors to give a talk on igniting potential for better ageing.

Jordan created Hip Op-eration, a dance crew with 27 members aged 65 to 95, in 2013 to give members of her community at a later stage in life a sense of purpose. The initiative came about after Jordan moved from Christchurch to Waiheke Island off Auckland’s east coast in 2011 in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake earlier in the year.

The disaster triggered memories of a traumatic childhood event and Jordan wanted to get far away from Christchurch while remaining in the country.

“I was still traumatised and I felt like life was about to end at any point when I noticed that there were a lot of senior citizens on the island in the community that had a similar view point that there was nothing more in life,” Jordan tells AAA. These older people believed the best times of their life were behind them, rather than in front of them, she says.

“I decided to come up with an idea that was life affirming and honoured the people who lost their lives in the Christchurch earthquake. I also wanted to give a sense of meaning to the senior citizens in my neighbourhood as well as for me to make social connections and reduce my social isolation,” says Jordan.

After forming, the dance crew set a goal to perform at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Las Vegas in 2013, says Jordan.

In the meantime, hip hop dance offered the seniors recreation, exercise and stimulation, as well as sparked a feeling of purpose, which “transformed them completely,” she says.

“The key is to have purpose and once you’ve got them having a great sense of purpose, then you see that they personally grow, they find more interest in what’s going on around them and they make stronger social connections. Isolation can be eliminated, and depression reduced.” australianageingagenda.com.au

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Disability did not prove a barrier to participation, says Jordan. Within the group, six members had mobility aids, another six were hearing impaired, several had artificial knees and one member was blind.

“The most noticeable difference was in the 15 members aged 80 to 98, who became more socially connected. They realised they can do anything they want; they don’t regard medical issues they have as meaning they should have to slow down,” she says.

The group reached their goal of performing at the Las Vegas championships in 2013. While they didn’t win, they made the final and performed along with the world’s best hip hop dancers in front of 10,000 people. In the same year, the dance crew performed for New Zealand’s Got Talent.

Hip Op-eration continued to come together to practice and perform until 2018 including in Taiwan and Japan. Jordan says hip hop dancing is like a red herring – something to divert attention. She says it is important to look for creative alternative therapies for older

Hip Op-eration’s oldest crew members (L to R): Kara Bang Bang, Quick Silver, Dollar 92 and Sergeant Sel

Photography competition For the first time in its history, LASA National Congress will host a photography competition. To enter, submit a captioned photo that shares the story of older people ageing and illustrates creating a better future ageing Australians.

The photos will be displayed at congress.

The competition closes 27 September, 2019 and the winner and prize recipients will be announced at the end of congress.

Go to lasacongress.asn.au/competitions

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“They realised they can do anything they want; they don’t regard medical issues they have as meaning they should have to slow down.” adults that break societal beliefs about ageing.

“It is important for us to continually challenge the stereotypes that surround ageing and look at non-traditional activities to stimulate older people and their growth. We need to look at the person holistically,” Jordan says.

Other eminent speakers at the congress includes Todd Sampson, writer and host of the discovery science television documentary series Redesign My Brain. Sampson will provide an insight into how the brain works and share practical tools, strategies and techniques to boost creativity and brain power.

For over 70 years, science said brains develop rapidly until the age of seven and then slowly decline from the age of 30 until death, says Sampson. However, modern science shows otherwise and that human brains have the ability to improve at any age, he says.

Among the many aged care provider representatives speaking at the conference, Sharon Blackburn, chief culture officer at BallyCara, will explore how to coproduce services and enable engagement between care recipients and their families and staff that moves beyond compliance.

She will also share her experiences of aged care in the United Kingdom, where she was previously based.

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Fishbowl Conversation themes • The Power of the Narrative • Funding the Future • Designing Towards a Better Death • Challenging Ageism • Aged Care and the NDIS • Effective Advocacy • Innovation Hub

“As an industry we must lead the transformation of age services from aged care to supporting Australians to age well.”

Congress highlights

In addition to incorporating a range of wellrespected speakers from across the industry, Rooney says this year’s congress has been redesigned to include several new features. They include morning wellness sessions that encourage delegates to go on a walk or run around the nearby River Torrens.

Other new congress features include a startup alley with technology innovators and a pet therapy display, where delegates can cuddle puppies. For the first time at congress, LASA is running a photography competition around the theme of ageing well.

During congress there will also be a networking dinner at the Australian Wine Centre.

After it concludes, representatives of the End of Life Directions for Aged Care service and LASA’s Next Gen initiative will each run a workshop on 30 October.

Delegates are encouraged to join the conversation during panel sessions. Lyndoch Living CEO Doreen Power will facilitate a Women in Leadership panel. Lyndoch, who was named aged care CEO of the year at the 2019 Australian Healthcare Week Excellence Awards, will lead a discussion with industry leaders Sandra Hills, Alison Quinn, Samantha Bowen and Lidia Conci about their experiences, insights, learnings and challenges of leadership in the sector.

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety panel will engage delegates in a thought-provoking discussion about the inquiry’s hearings to date. This session will prepare participants for the commissioners’ interim report, which is due to be released two days after congress closes.

After their huge success last year, the Fishbowl Conversations are returning to Congress in 2019. The program includes a series of open discussion forums where participants can share their experiences on specific sector issues.

The Innovation Hub is also returning this year and will run across three concurrent sessions. Among them, head of innovAGEING, Merlin Kong will lead a discussion on using ingenuity to solve difficult problems and improving aged care experiences.

Elsewhere, the much-anticipated LASA Excellence in Age Services Awards will again be

160 Trade Displays

“It is important for us to continually challenge the stereotypes that surround ageing and look at nontraditional activities to stimulate older people and their growth.”

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Concurrent Sessions

4

Breakfast Sessions

5

Networking Functions

2

Optional Workshops

70+ Speakers

1,200+ Delegates

a main feature of the congress dinner, which is taking place on the Tuesday evening. The national winners in four categories will be announced from among a pool of individuals and providers recognised for their achievements with LASA awards at the state level.

The hub of the congress – the trade exhibition – is back bigger than ever with 160 displays of products and services pertinent to operating an aged care business from washing machines to software and recruitment.

It is a great opportunity for delegates to network with their counterparts in the sector and explore a range of new and innovative options to ensure their organisation can meet the rapidly changing needs of the ageing population, Rooney says.

“Anyone working in age services is encouraged to come along because the program offers something for everyone,” Rooney says.

The three-day congress is an opportunity to bring the aged care sector together to lead and drive the transformation toward a truly personcentred industry, Rooney says.

“The needs of the growing numbers of older Australians, combined with a system experiencing significant change, means that as an industry we must lead the transformation of age services from aged care to supporting Australians to age well,” Rooney says.

“This is a rare opportunity to help shape that change in a practical and meaningful way.” n LASA National Congress 2019 27-29 October, Adelaide Convention Centre T: 07 3725 5588 W: lasacongress.asn.au Contact LASA Ph: 1300 111 636 E: info@lasa.asn.au W: lasa.asn.au

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