Amina's story with Amina Schipp

Your Aged Care Compass

This week’s guest, Amina Schipp, talks about the grief and pain she felt over the preventable death of her 97 year old mother, Maria, in a residential aged care facility. She channelled this grief into becoming a powerful advocate for reform in the aged care sector.

Amina discusses how she became an advocate and what drew her to the groups she participates in. She talks about Aged Care Reform Now and how they are building rapport with politicians and other peak bodies to facilitate the changes that need attention now.

In this episode:

• Amina’s mum’s increasing frailty and her admission to an aged care facility
• A reablement approach helped but there was not enough funding to meet Maria’s needs
• Formal complaints bodies were ineffective
• The toll Maria’s decline and death took on Amina
• Amina’s decision to become an advocate for reform in aged care
• Aged Care Reform Now (ACRN)
• Getting the attention of politicians
• Support from peak aged care advocacy bodies
• The things Amina feels need attention right now
• What to consider when looking at aged care facilities
• How to raise concerns/complaints in aged care

Resources mentioned:

• OPAN (Older Persons Advocacy Network)
• COTA (Council on the Ageing)
• ACQSC (Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission)
• Let's Talk Consultation

Connect with Amina Schipp:

• ACRN website
• Email
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Connect with Coral Wilkinson:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Guiding you through My Aged Care | SeeMeACN website

More about Your Aged Care Compass podcast:

Are you supporting an older loved one at home and ready to give up because it’s just too hard? Your Aged Care Compass is aimed at anyone who is caring for an older loved one who still lives at home and is wondering what support is available to them.

We're Coral and Michelle, the sisters behind our business, See Me Aged Care Navigators.

Coral is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in both health and aged care. A former assessor with the aged care assessment team, an advocate and author, there’s not much Coral doesn’t know about Australia’s aged care system.

Michelle is a former pharmacist with over 30 years in the public health and private sectors of pharmacy. Michelle is now client care manager for our business.

Our story started as one of supporting our parents to remain in their own home, to be as independent as possible and remain connected to their community. We reached a point however, of needing extra support and we achieved this because we know Australia’s aged care system so well, we knew what programs could assist us and our parents.

This podcast, Your Aged Care Compass, brings together not only our personal experience in supporting our own ageing parents but also our vast professional experience in supporting other families to keep their loved ones at home.

We will help you makes sense of Australia’s aged care system, from your first contact with My Aged Care through to the different funding streams and assessment workforces, management options for home care packages and extra funding that people might be eligible for.

There's so much more. Topics relating to dementia and legal and financial considerations will be covered, as well as real life stories of where it went wrong for people and how we guided them to get it right.

Your Aged Care Compass will guide you clearly and compassionately to the right support at the right time for your ageing parents and loved ones.

Like what you hear? Please leave us a Rating and Review. We’d love you to share this podcast with any friends or family who have older loved ones.