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08
December
Monday

First Nations Elders Wellbeing Conference

8 December @ 9:00 am - 10 December @ 5:00 pm

The 2025 National First Nations Elders Wellbeing Conference will be a transformative event, bringing together aged care professionals, service managers, and frontline workers to engage in crucial discussions about the landmark changes introduced by Australia’s new aged care reforms. This conference provides a vital platform to network, share insights, and collaborate on the implementation of these reforms, with a particular focus on My Aged Care’s consumer-directed care model, the Support at Home program, and the single assessment service. These initiatives are designed to empower frail older individuals living in the community by offering greater choice, control, and independence over their care, allowing them to live safely and with dignity in their own homes.

The conference will delve into the successes and challenges of these reforms while exploring culturally appropriate models of support and engagement, ensuring that First Nations Elders can live life on their own terms. Acknowledging the power of storytelling within Aboriginal & Torres Straits communities, the event will highlight how cultural practices can foster healing and build stronger community connections, setting a path for the future of aged care services.

A central theme of the conference will be the continued empowerment of First Nations Elders, ensuring they have true “choice and control” over their care. Attendees will work together to create culturally respectful, adaptable resources and tools to navigate the evolving landscape of community services, disability, and aged care. This collaboration will ensure that First Nations Elders are equipped to make decisions that reflect their personal needs, values, and aspirations, allowing them to live with respect, autonomy, and safety.

​This conference aims to highlight the eight priority areas which My Aged Care clients identified as important to them, based on the survey results outlined in the Consumer Experience Report (CER) for home-based and community-based aged care services. These priority areas include but are not limited to: control, Interpersonal interaction, Flexibility, Local residence in Country, Affordability, Administrative and financial literacy, Safety and Timeliness of service provision. Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Elders and their families would more likely access aged care services when it allows them to stay on Country, being cared for by their own mob and the ability to maintain their connection to country, culture and community.

​The conference will also be a great resource and avenue to identify models of support and engagement that reflect various cultural practices of our communities, to ensure that First Nations Peoples who are frail aged can live life their way. Sharing stories and story-telling is so strong in Aboriginal communities, in that it leads the way to support healing in our community so we can move forward and get things right. Reflecting the importance of culturally respectful planning resources and tools to adapt the changes in community services, disability and aged care sectors, that is our Elders will have “choice and control” over their own lives and empowered to make decisions for their own care, according to their personal needs and wants.

Furthermore, the conference also aims to give a voice to frail aged, over 50 years old Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Elders and their family carers to share their needs, their concerns and share their story and experiences. Similarly, this conference presents a chance for Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander frontline aged care support workers, mainstream community and allied health workers serving First Nations Peoples who are frail aged, to engage with industry leaders and peers, learn cutting edge innovations and techniques as well as hear firsthand experiences from Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Community Elders . The conference will also examine innovative ways to activate and engage family carers in employment opportunities and challenge delegates individually and collectively to identify the way forward for their organisations. This conference is for anyone who is interested in strengthening and upholding the rights of our Elders. With a rich diversity of speakers, delegates and exhibitors, this two-day conference will empower you, inspire you and invigorate your passion for supporting your clients to reach their goals of keeping their independence and stay at home for as long as they can, stay on Country as safe as they can.

The 2025 National First Nations Elder’s Wellbeing Conference focuses on how service providers are finding ways to deliver high quality support to First Nations peoples who are frail aged in the My Aged Care context to tackle some of the difficult issues that have threatened to derail the delivery of My Aged Care in our communities. The conference themes include:

  • Control Over Health & Wellbeing

  • Community Living – housing and supported living accommodation

  • Residential and Centre-based Day Respite Services

  • Mobility & Transport

  • Life skills, education and employment

  • Aged Care Workforce Sector Development

  • Geriatric Nurse Patient Ratio in Residential Facilities

  • Technology & Innovations

  • Reablement

The conference will highlight how service providers are working together, with government and with Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander peoples and their families to find innovative ways to address the above topics. The conference will include keynote speakers, practical workshops and concurrent sessions as well as yarning circles and interactive panel discussions.

The conference is not politically based, rather should be seen as an opportunity to access information that is not readily available. The conference envisions that partnerships and working in unison should form the basis of closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage, particularly in Aboriginal & Torres Straits Islander peoples whose living with a disability.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND​

  • Community Support Workers and Aged Care Workers

  • Indigenous Community Workers

  • Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Elders

  • Nurses, Doctors, Psychiatrists, Social Workers and Allied Health Workers

  • Community groups and Human Rights Enthusiasts

  • Family relationship workers

  • Elders and Community leaders

  • Indigenous women’s and men’s groups

  • CEOs, Executive Management, Program Managers

  • First Nations groups, Human Rights Enthusiasts

  • Government and Non-Government Organisation Representatives

  • Field, Remote & Rural Health Workers

8 to 10 December 2025, Gold Coast

Register here

Details
Start: 8 December @ 9:00 am
End: 10 December @ 5:00 pm