Event speakers announced (Nov 2017)
Please note this event has now passed. Our next Empowerment in Ageing event will be held on 26 June 2018 in Manly. Find out more.
We’re excited to announce the speaker line-up of our upcoming Empowerment in Ageing event on 9 November.
Knowledge is power, so come along and hear from a solicitor, financial adviser and care expert as well as special guest Jason Falinski MP, with decades of combined experience in health and aged care, all discussing how to navigate your own path or help your family or loved ones at this critical time of later life.
Read about each speaker’s background and what they’ll be talking about at the event below, and book your tickets to join us at the Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay this November.
Rob Wynan
Director, Focused Financial Advice
Rob Wynan is the founding director of Focused Financial Advice, with 40 years experience in financial services and more than 15 years providing financial advice to clients. While through his business Rob provides financial planning advice in all areas of personal, business and investment finance, he will be speaking at the event specifically about aged care options, how to access aged care, what aged care packages are available, and finding out about services and fees.
“I hope to be able to help people navigate through the home care maze, to try and demystify it as best I can,” says Rob, a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Practicing Accountant, whose qualifications include a Bachelor of Business and diplomas of Financial Planning and Mortgage Broking. In his own older years, Rob says he hopes to travel with his adult children, and to remain active and engaged in the community.
Claire Nielsen
Principal Solicitor, Shipton & Associates
Claire Nielsen is an Accredited Family Law Specialist and recently became the principal of Shipton & Associates law firm in Manly. As a practicing solicitor in the areas of Wills and Estates and Family Law, Claire says she has worked with too many families caught out when the right information at the right time could have prevented enormously stressful situations. She will be speaking about the often unrealised importance of organising wills, powers of attorney, and appointments of enduring guardian early on, as well as touching upon asset protection – for example, in the common situation in which a parent’s property is used to help adult children break into Sydney’s notorious property market.
Claire is also keenly involved in equestrian activities and envisions her own retirement years on a property with her horses and dogs. She hopes people will take away from her presentation a better understanding of how they can secure their own financial futures. “We all want to be in a position where we’ve got options,” she says. “It’s about taking away the stress and minimising the risk.” Claire will be attending the event along with former principal, Michael Shipton – a practicing solicitor with over 40 years’ experience, who is now enjoying his own semi-retirement.
Wendy Thorne
Business Development Manager, Meditech Staffing
Wendy Thorne has decades of experience in health and aged care, with a background as a registered nurse leading to a career in community care and most recently her role at Meditech Staffing – a Sydney-based direct service provider that helps meet the nursing, personal care, domestic and social support needs of individuals, specialising in aged care and disability support.
At the event, Wendy will be speaking about recent changes to the community aged care industry, including the introduction of the consumer-directed care model, and the services and choices available to individuals. “I want people to take away that they have the ability to have more of a say over the direction of their future healthcare services,” she says.
As for her own older years – aside from hopefully finding herself somewhere by the Mediterranean! – Wendy says she simply hopes for sufficient stability in her home life and finances, and good health or at least a support structure that empowers her to live life comfortably.
Jason Falinski MP
Member for Mackellar, New South Wales
Jason Falinski is the Liberal Member for Mackellar. Jason’s family has lived in the electorate for more than 70 years, and he and his wife Nichola are raising their seven year old daughter in Collaroy.
As founder and managing director of Carewell Health, Jason will be speaking about his experience in over a decade of running a business supplying equipment to aged care facilities, as well as current government policy and approaches to aged care.
“I hope people will take away a little bit of insight into what government is doing to enable our seniors population to take control of their future,” says Jason – who hopes to spend his older years travelling and, in later years, “being surrounded by family and friends without having to worry about life’s menial comings and goings.”
Louise Mace
Founder and Managing Director, New Way To Stay
Louise has close to 30 years’ experience working in senior management roles in the Australian and New Zealand health and aged care industries, and also as an independent consultant. Her experience includes working in the supply, distribution and clinical application of specific aged care and healthcare products. This includes, leading clinical and commercial teams of several major global organisations dedicated to the supply and clinical application of continence management, advanced wound care, compression therapy and airway management, to name just a few.
Louise will be speaking about new business New Way To Stay which she founded after her own personal life experience revealed to her the need for a new, streamlined solution for Australia’s ageing population.
Les Mace (MC)
Director, New Way To Stay
Les has built a successful career in the financial services industry both in Australia and internationally over the past 40 years, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of a large Australian financial services licensee. Working at the forefront of the Australian financial services industry, Les has observed the fast-growing need for better financial solutions in the aged care sector. At the same time, as Louise’s partner and husband, he has witnessed first-hand the growing need for a new solution to help provide Australia’s ageing population with a full range of choices. Les will be Master of Ceremonies (MC) at the event.