Over two days at the end of May 2024 the entire Seniors Rights Service team came to Sydney for our second annual all staff conference. This year’s theme was ‘Connecting Up’.
Day One: Setting the Scene
Nathan Moran, CEO Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, opened the conference with a heart felt and informative Welcome to Country before we met our facilitator, Mistress of Ceremonies, Vanessa Wagner.
Our first speaker was Corey Irlam, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, COTA Australia, who spoke about issues and planning for the New Aged Care Act and took questions from the team for a lively discussion regarding the road ahead and the challenges that remain before the new act becomes a reality.
Ann Wunsch and Commissioner Louise Macleod from The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission joined us to speak about the complaints process, supporting older Australians, upcoming changes to the aged care standards and the serious incident response scheme.
After lunch, we were joined by Dr Karen Menzies for a talk entitled ‘Culturally Responsive Trauma Informed Practice’. The session was frank, informative and challenging as Dr Menzies took us through the extensive and painful experiences of Indigenous people that have led to the collective, historical and intergenerational trauma that must be considered when interacting with First Nations people.
Last on the agenda was our Meet the Seniors Rights Service Board Directors session, hosted by our Chairperson, Hakan Harman. Hakan explained the role of the Board, their achievements over the last year and their focus for the year ahead. Three new board members were introduced; Matthew Cleary, Nitika Bhala and Jane Saphin. We also had the opportunity to thank Barbara Anderson, whose tenure is ending soon for her service as a board member.
Later the team reconvened for our conference dinner: Connecting the Dots. A chance to discuss the day’s topics, chat with the Board, socialise, unwind and take some fun pics at the photo booth.
Day Two: This is Us
Dr Anne Ring, an 82 year old health sociologist, kicked off the sessions with an overview of her book, Engaging with Ageing which seeks to be a one stop shop to show ageing as being yet another time in our lives that we can embrace and actively engage in with all of its complexity.
Our CEO Shannon Wright ran through our Employee Engagement Survey Results, including our inclusion in the XREF Engage Awards for Best Workplace 2024.
An interactive session followed where the team collaborated in groups to explore solutions for potential improvements in some key areas.
In the afternoon meditation and mindfulness teacher Susie Spinks led attendees through practical mindfulness exercises and the benefits such practices can provide.
The conference ended on a high with Gwen Korebrits demonstrating how dance can positively impact healthy ageing with interactive dance sessions.
A huge thanks to everyone who made this event possible, we look forward to next year!
The theme for our 2024 staff conference was ‘Connecting Up’. Our whole team came together for two days in Sydney.
