Free aged care event

Muirfields Financial Services' Zac Dodds and Courtney Wassell. (Louisa Jones) 416730_02

Family members, carers, aged care industry professionals and members of the public have the opportunity to engage with healthcare providers and other industry experts at a free aged care expo.

The Geelong Aged Care Expo 2024 will feature a range of services, resources and information, with over 25 stalls run by service providers from the Geelong and Surf Coast area including Barwon Health, the City of Greater Geelong, Cultura, Geelong Community Foundation and Mercy Health.

Attendees can find out about issues surrounding permanent care, home care, Commonwealth programs, estate and financial planning, medical assessments and support networks for families.

Held at the Norlane Aquatic Recreation Centre on July 25 from 10am to 1pm, the event will be presented by Muirfields Financial Services.

Muirfields financial planner and aged care professional Zac Dodds said the event gave people the opportunity to find out about the processes of aged care and the supports available before it came to crunch time.

“Being able to ask those questions ahead of time and gather information can give you a little bit of peace of mind,” Mr Dodds said.

“A lot of the time people have questions but they’re not ready to have a one-on-one meeting. So this is where you can start to find out what Geelong and the surrounds have to offer in the way of help.

“(Aged care) is not just about going to a permanent care facility (or) getting home care. There are a range of services people can get, from needing a little bit of assistance to needing a lot more. It’s all about knowing where to start.”

Mr Dods said while these events ran regularly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first event of its kind in Geelong since then.

“The main message we want to get out is that this event is for absolutely anyone and everyone that is interested in aged care, whether it’s now or in the future,” he said.

“The bigger we can make this event (in terms of) the amount of people coming, the more we can continue to expand on this in future years.”

Visit muirfieldfs.com.au/aged-care-expo-2024 to register for free or to find out more.