Helen Connolly
Senior Director
ACT Government & Work with Aged Care, Disability & Carer Advocacy
Helen is an experienced health professional, educator and advocate with a passion for ensuring that human services and social policy meets the needs of our diverse communities and is informed by the realities of day to day lives. She has a particular interest in supported decision making and safeguarding and the impact on networks and relationships of balancing these. She is curious and optimistic and learns daily from her own experiences and those with whom she has been privileged to work over many years.
SESSIONS
Day 1
1:30
Case Study: Navigating decision-making in the Support at Home Program
A case study exploring how decision-making support is a lifelong, relationship-based activity, where authority is shared among multiple parties—older people, care partners, family members, registered supporters, and providers
How can we balance respecting the rights, autonomy, and preferences of older people with the need for safety, support, and shared decision-making?
Discover the evolving role of the “Care Partner” in supporting—not directing—self-determination, and how clarity in roles impacts outcomes
Meredith Coote, Co-Chair, Department of Social Services, National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee
Helen Connolly, Senior Director, ACT Government & Work With Aged Care, Disability & Carer Advocacy
Day 1
2:00
Panel: Balancing choice and accountability in the Support at Home Program
How can providers ensure that participants have meaningful choice while maintaining accountability and regulatory compliance?
Address the challenges of ensuring participants' right to choose how, when, and by whom services are delivered
Better understand how co-contributions influence what older people and their families or decision supporters deem most important and critical potential impacts
Moderator: Amanda Fieldhouse, National Relationship Manager – Clinical, BestMed
Meredith Coote, Co-Chair, Department of Social Services, National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee
Geoff Rowe, Chief Executive Officer, Aged & Disability Advocacy Australia
Debra Burden, Chief Executive Officer, Selectability
Johanna Heaven, Associate, Russell Kennedy Lawyers
Helen Connolly, Senior Director, ACT Government & Work With Aged Care, Disability & Carer Advocacy
Lexie Dennis, General Manager, Hazel Home Care