About us
The Advance Care Association is a non-profit organisation which was incorporated in 2002. The Association has three main objectives:
- to promote the notion of choice in health and personal care
- to develop and produce educational materials focused on advance care planning and advance care directives
- to conduct related educational activities, which includes presentation and talks to professional and community groups
The members of the Advance Care Directive Association Inc. have experience in and expert knowledge of aged care, health, general practice, nursing, education and community welfare.
The members of the association jointly authored and/or contributed to the book My Health, My Future, My Choice, an advance care directive for people living in NSW and the more recent publication A Plan of Care which is a book to help people make health and personal care decisions for a person in NSW who has dementia.
The current Members of the Association are:
Sara Graham
(BSc, PHD)
Sara is currently a conjoint senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales and has, over the years, conducted and advised on research on issues of concern to people with disabilities, older people and carers. She also represents the consumer interest in the Advance Care Directive Association Inc.
Elizabeth Hindmarsh
(MB, BS,FRACGP)
Elizabeth has been a general practitioner in a city practice and more recently working in an Aboriginal community. Her experience of palliative care led to an interest in advance care planning which was reinforced by patients wanting to plan for their future care. She has undertaken research with GPs about advance care directives. As an outcome of this interest she became a member of the Advance Care Directives Association involved in writing and explaining these ideas for consumers.
Anne Meller
(BHSc, RGN. Grad Cert Gerontology and Public Health, MHA)
Anne is a Clinical Nurse Consultant employed by a teaching hospital in Sydney. She has over 25 years experience in aged care from a variety of positions and settings. Her role is to assist adults and those close to them with Advance Care Planning across the lifespan. Anne’s interests include; care and management of people with end stage dementia.
Barbara Squires
(B.Soc Studies Hon, Dip company Directors)
Barbara has had extensive experience since 1981 as a social worker with older people. She is a founding member of Alzheimer’s Australia NSW. In 1989, she was one of the first members of staff of the Guardianship Tribunal of NSW.
In 1996 she joined The Benevolent Society, leading a wide range of community and residential services as General Manager, Ageing. She has been a member of the National Council of the Australian Association of Gerontology since 1994 and was National President from 2000 to 2003.
Sharon Wall
(RGN, RGeriN, DNE, BHSc MPH)
Sharon has had an experience of over 35 years working in the area of aged care, particularly focusing on people who are living with dementia. This has underpinned her interest in advance care planning and she has maintained this interest and assisted its development in NSW by being an inaugural member of Advance Care Directive Association Inc. She is the Director of Ageing By Caring Pty Ltd which aims to enhance the experience of Ageing by Caring, Communicating and Creating.