Service Finder
The Council of Elders was established in December 2021 in response to recommendation 9 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report. The Council provides a direct voice to the government from older Australians. For this committee’s second term, new faces were announced by ‘The Hon Anika Wells MP’, including our ECH resident Lyn.
We sat down with Lyn and mulled over the weather, mutual friends, years of research, and her (old and) new committee work!
Lyn initially strikes as a regular lady, in a regular place, caring for her husband. However, living with Rheumatoid Arthritis, sleep apnoea, and being a sepsis survivor (after a clinical error and misdiagnosis) drives Lyn to improve the lives of others. She shared with us her passion “to work with like-minded people to help enhance the lives of older Australians”, drawing upon her many personal experiences.
Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection. Many people who survive sepsis recover completely and their lives return to normal. As with some other illnesses requiring intensive medical care, there are some who have longer-term effects. Lyn still has flashbacks, exhaustion, and PTSD.
However, she has turned her experience to good and continues to help and support the Sepsis Alliance, with a recent invitation accepted to present at a conference in Dubai! There’s no rest for some… Lyn has significantly contributed to research outcomes through scholarships received. She is also an experienced board member across multiple healthcare organisations and committees, including Asthma Australia, the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, SA Ambulance, and RDNS/Silver Chain. During her career, she has worked as a peer educator for COTA SA, and still strongly supports this organisation.
The Council of Elders
She is a wonderful example of a South Australian doing MORE. Lyn’s national work for our elders will continue to make sure aged care reforms are communicated properly and that older people across the country have a say on the changes our government is looking to make.
The council do this by talking about changes being made to aged care and listening to people’s lived experiences. The council use this information to give independent advice to the government about the aged care system and ageing well. And, after years of supporting research projects and encouraging better clinical health care practices through her numerous consumer advocate roles in hospitals and trials, we applaud Lyn for continuing to give MORE back to her community.
Watch our interviews with Lyn below and learn more about her hopes for the future of older Australians.
Watch all our videos on our YouTube page.
Posted: March 15, 2024