Last week, Warrigal hosted a free community support seminar for people in the Canberra region to learn more about how to navigate the aged care system. This event was designed to provide older people and their loved ones with the information they need to make informed decisions for their future, and to connect them with experts in the community.

The event began with an opening address from Jenni Hutchins, Warrigal CEO, who encouraged the audience to consider three key aspects: life span, health span and wealth span.

“Ideally, our goal in life is to close the gap between the three elements: live as long as you can, as healthy as you can be, with enough money to live well.”

She continued, “Today isn’t about convincing you to choose aged care – it’s about giving you the knowledge and confidence to make whatever decision feels right for your family. We want to replace confusion with clarity, fear with understanding, and isolation with support.”

Warrigal was joined by a diverse panel of speakers who provided unique insights into various areas of aged care. The first half of the presentation featured Di Chalk, a specialist financial advisor from Fiducian Financial Services, who provided an overview of the sector and recommendations about financial matters, such as estate planning, enduring power of attorney and care expenses. Throughout her address, Di stressed the importance of being prepared, setting yourself up for success and thinking about these decisions sooner, rather than later.

Following Di was Claudia Walmsley, a representative from the Department of Health, Disability and Aged Care in the Southern region, who delivered an informative presentation about the journey of entering the aged care system. She covered topics such as how to get an aged care assessment, how to find a service provider, how to raise concerns, and addressed the changes coming to the sector which have been postponed until November.

A short Q&A session followed this presentation, where attendees were given the opportunity to ask Jenni and the guest speakers any questions.

Hope Prosser, Warrigal’s Customer Relations Manager, kicked off the latter half of the seminar, to introduce the numerous services provided by Warrigal, including Community Village Living, Residential Aged Care (including temporary and ongoing respite), Warrigal Social, and Home Services. Warrigal also had an information table set up on the day, where attendees were encouraged to grab extra resources and connect with our Customer Relations and Home Services teams.

The next expert speakers, Jojo Sibayan and Raiza Lu from ADACAS, provided an engaging and informative presentation about the free advocacy services available to older people in the ACT. The team’s presentation focused on the free services that ADACAS provide for older people, such as helping them to better understand the aged care system, resolve issues with providers, know their rights, and advocate for themselves.

Jenni then invited Warrigal Queanbeyan resident, Michael Campbell, to the stage to share his personal experience living in a Warrigal community village. Having Michael share his story at this event provided invaluable information for those beginning their aged care journey, and Warrigal is extremely thankful for Michael’s support on the day. Michael’s presentation touched the room, with many laughing and smiling, and a number of attendees approaching Michael afterwards to share their gratitude.

The event concluded with light refreshments and delicious sandwiches, and the opportunity for attendees to mingle with others, connect with service providers, and ask our industry experts their questions. The event space was set up in expo-style, with information tables and banners, to provide attendees the opportunity to collect relevant printed resources. Warrigal also invited Dementia Australia and the Council on the Ageing ACT (COTA ACT) to exhibit at the event, to share additional information and provide connections for our attendees.

This event was extremely successful, with many attendees leaving feeling content, educated and better prepared for the future.

Explore our image gallery of the event below!