“In research, older people and those with dementia were kept at arm’s length,” she recalls.
“It felt like the system was built around us, not for us.”
Diagnosed with younger onset dementia, Ms Flavin is now a Lived Experience Dementia Consultant on a UNSW project aimed at reshaping decision-making in aged care.
Led by Dr Craig Sinclair from the UNSW School of Psychology, the project helps providers enact requirements under the new Aged Care Act and Strengthened Quality Standards, effective from November.