Facilitator Profiles
Sharing Knowledge, Shaping the Future of Aged Care
Our facilitators are more than educators — they are recognised leaders in nursing, aged care, and allied health who bring decades of experience, research, and practical insight to every program.
Each profile reflects their commitment to lifelong learning, innovation, and improving outcomes for older adults.
Whether publishing internationally, mentoring the next generation, or presenting at national conferences, our facilitators share knowledge that shapes the future of aged care.
Meet Our Expert Facilitators in Aged Care Education
Jump to a Facilitator
Dr Rosalie Hudson
RN, Dip Arts, B App Sci
(adv.nsg) Grad Dip Geront. Nsg, B Theol, M Theol, PhD,FRCNA, FAAG
Honorary Senior Fellow, School of Nursing & Social Work, The University of
Melbourne.
Associate Professor Rosalie Hudson is a consultant/educator in aged care and palliative care with 12 years experience as director of nursing of a 50-bed nursing home as well as clinical and administrative experience in hospice/palliative care in community and inpatient settings.
She has published widely on end-of-life issues, palliative care, pastoral care, dementia, and the ethics of aged care, in nursing and theological journals. Herfourth co-authored book, Palliative Care and Aged Care was published in 2007 (Ausmed Publications: Melbourne).
Rosalie is engaged in sessional teaching in undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programs in the School of Nursing & Social Work, University of Melbourne.
Stella Creighton
RN, M.App.Sc.Nursing (NP)
Stella, as a Nurse Practitioner, brings to Age Concern her passion for improved care outcomes for elderly people and supports this with her extensive knowledge and practice in contemporary chronic disease assessment and management.
Her special expertise is neurocognitive disorders (dementia), incontinence and stomal therapy.
Ian Presnell
MBBS MPM GCHPE FRANZCP
Ian is a Consultant Psychogeriatrician, working with the Kingston Aged Mental Health Community Team (Southeastern suburbs of Melbourne) and a Senior Lecturer with the Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Heath Sciences, Monash.
Aside from his clinical work (mostly patients with Mood Disorders, dementia complicated by behavioural or psychological problems and a smaller number of patients with psychotic illnesses).
Ian is interested in education, some post graduate (chiefly psychological conditions and their presentation/management in Primary Care i.e. General Practice) but mostly undergraduate (Clinical Reasoning, Mental State Examination and Community Psychiatry in Old Age) and in particular assessment.
Previously attending Harvard Medical School course for Health Professional Educators (in 2004) and recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Health Professional Education (in 2008).
Julie Westaway
Nurse Practitioner Urology/Urogynaecology Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service
Julie has previously practised as midwife, lactation consultant, and child and adolescent health nurse in both the acute and community sector.
Julie developed the Home and Community Care Continence Nurse Advisor role in the Toowoomba region 10 years ago.
In addition to this role she is establishing the Urogynaecology nurse specialist position at the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service. Julie has a Masters (Nurse Practitioner), Masters Nursing (Continence), Graduate Certificates Continence, Advanced Continence Nurse Specialist and Child Youth and Adolescent Health.
Professor Linda Starr
RN, RPN, Dip App Sci. (Nsg); BN (ed); LLB; Grad Cert in Ed (Dist Ed); GCLP; LLM; PhD (c), FRCNA Justice of the Peace, Senior Lecturer
Linda is a general and psychiatric qualified nurse, lawyer and associate professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Linda is currently, the Chair of the State Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board, Australia, Foundation President of the Australian Forensic Nurses Association, Deputy Chair of the Aged Rights Advocacy Service and a member of the Health and Community Services Council.
Her professional affiliations include, being a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing, a member of the Law Society of South Australia, member of the International Association of Forensic nurses, member of the Forensic and Medical Sexual Assault Clinicians Australia, the Royal Association of Justices, SA inc. and the Council of Tribunals Association .
Having research interests include health law, criminal law in the health professions, and elder abuse investigation and prosecution, she has published widely in these fields and is currently chief investigator on two funded
projects exploring legal issues associated with nursing and midwifery practice.
Jan Rice
RN, Mast. Wound(Monash) FAWMA, Cert Plastic Surgery
Jan trained at The Alfred hospital and progressed through various training programs to eventually study Plastic Surgery Nursing. This led her into wound management in a formal sense in 1993 when she joined Wound Foundation of Australia. She holds a Masters in Wound Care.
Jan has worked on many advisory boards and been a member of many committees focused on wound care.
Since 2006 Jan has also conducted a wound clinic at Ashwood medical Group in Ashburton, Melbourne.
With over 30 years of specific wound training, Jan is a much sought after invited speaker at State, National and International conferences and wound meetings.
Until recently Jan was been training in wound management for Monash University, La Trobe University and Training Beyond 2000.
Jan has now established her own consultancy, Jan Rice WoundCareServices, which sees her consulting in aged care, acute private surgical hospitals and private homes.
Dr Rodney Jilek
PhD, MPH, B.HltSc, Adv Dip.Mgt, Dip.AppSc, Grad.CHSM, MACN, MACMHN, AFACHSM
Dr Rodney Jilek is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years experience in the fields of psychiatry and gerontology and holds formal qualifications in nursing, health science, and public health including a PhD exploring the lived experience of men entering residential aged care.
He has published in a number of peer reviewed healthcare journals and has presented at conferences both nationally
and internationally.
Rodney has worked extensively in the aged care industry in executive management positions responsible for facility management, clinical governance, human resources, regulatory compliance and quality management in both the for profit and not for profit sectors.
Prue Mellor
RN, PGradDipAplSci(Geront), MN(Geront), MNg (NPrac), MACN
Prue’s interest in dementia and delirium began when she was seconded from one of Melbourne’s first community health centres to what would become Victoria’s first psychogeriatric team. This role focused on contemporary
practices in client assessment and the education of healthcare professionals across all health settings in Victoria. After completing a consulting contract in the Netherlands, Prue returned to Australia and established Age Concern Pty
Ltd in 1986.
Age Concern was one of the first private companies in Australia to offer continuing professional development education for nurses, allied health professionals, and other healthcare workers as a means of enhancing the quality of care for the elderly both in the community, hospitals and residential care.
In 2005, Age Concern Pty Ltd was gazetted as an Educational Institution. It pioneered Australia’s first standalone Postgraduate Dementia program for registered nurses, which was initially accepted as an elective at La Trobe University in 1996. The program was later recognised at master’s level by the University of Queensland for nurses entering the Nurse Practitioner program.
Her extensive experience in aged care and Indigenous health led Prue to being called as a witness for the House of Representatives Inquiry into Indigenous Health. She was also selected as an aged care advisor for a delegation to Brunei, led by former Senator Bill O’Chee.
Among her contributions, Prue initiated Harmony in the Bush, a groundbreaking research project aimed at reducing the behavioural symptoms of dementia through non-pharmacological interventions. Funded by the Commonwealth,
the project successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of these approaches. As Chief Investigator – Clinical, Prue oversaw participant selection, assessments, the development and implementation of personalised interventions, care plan modifications, and staff training—ensuring the project met its objectives.
Prue continues to provide professional development programs aimed at minimising and or managing the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia with a focus on non-pharmacological interventions.
Mary Anne Edwards
RN
Mary Anne is a Registered Nurse, having trained at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane in
the late seventies. After some time in other specialty areas, she decided her passion for age care would not
dissipate.
From 1982-1984 Mary Anne worked between several areas including age care until in late 1984 she committed to Age Care on a permanent basis and have remained so since.
With her mother, she jointly purchased an Age Care Facility at the end of 1984 and since this date they have expanded twice and rebuilt once.
She has seen many changes in Residential Age Care throughout this time both legislatively (not always beneficial) and clinically (which she is pleased to say is for the benefit of the elderly and clinical practice).
Currently Mary Anne is the Chairperson of the Residential Age Care Committee at LASAQ and on the Board of LASAQ, having also served on the Federal Board of ANHECA which became ACAA until the formation of LASA nationally.
Mary Anne currently participates on the Federal Residential Advisory Group and is a proud member of NIMAC, a Queensland based organisation for nurses in age care.
She holds a Trainer and Assessor Qualification and currently works as the Director of Nursing and Facility Manager of her standalone 63 place facility.
Dr Clare Harvey
RN, BA(Cur), MA, PhD
Clare is an Associate Professor, Postgraduate Programmes Coordinator Health Sciences at Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand as well as an Adjunct Lecturer Flinders University of South Australia.
She has worked in Zimbabwe, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, in clinical, management and education roles that have gone across settings from primary health and remote area nursing to intensive care. Her passion for achieving one’s professional potential in appropriate, safe and effective ways is central to her teaching and her research.
Clare’s PhD thesis used a critical discourse analysis to examine the politics of advancing nursing in Australia, with a focus on the Nurse Practitioner role development.
Her post-doctoral research continues on from this foundation and she is now focused on the role of nursing in enhancing access to health care and its support of equity in that care.
Emeritus Professor David Ames AO
BA, MD, FRCPsych, FRANNZCP
David Ames graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1978. His training in psychiatry took place at Royal Melbourne Hospital 1982-4, Friern and the Royal Free Hospitals London UK 1984-5, before his appointment to a position as research fellow and honorary lecturer at the Royal Free Hospital 1985-7, where he completed his doctoral thesis on depression in residential homes for the elderly.
David Ames was Senior Lecturer (1989-95) and the Associate Professor (1995-2005) in the Psychiatry of Old Age for the University of Melbourne at Royal Park, Royal Melbourne, Mount Royal / Northwest and Broadmeadows hospitals.
He co-founded Melbourne’s first Memory clinic (1988), which served as a model for the statewide CADMS clinics, introduced in 1998.
From April 2005, David Ames was University of Melbourne Foundation Professor of Psychiatry of Old Age at St George’s Hospital, Kew. Since September 3, 2007 he has been Director of the National Ageing Research Institute and University of Melbourne Foundation Professor of Ageing & Health. His main research interests are pre-symptomatic diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, new drug treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and the care of the depressed elderly.
He is Chief Investigator on the $3million 3 year Alzheimer study funded by the CSRIO (Australian Imaging Biomarkers & Lifestyle Study) 2006-09.
David Ames has published over 130 papers in peer reviewed journals and has edited over 15 books. He edited IPA Bulletin , the quarterly newsletter of IPA from 1996-2002, he is a member of the Medical & Scientific Advisory Panel of Alzheimer’s Disease International and has been Editor of the peer reviewed Journal International Psychogeriatrics since January 2003 (IF 2.207 2007).
Joyce McSwan
BA, MD, FRCPsych, FRANNZCP, Senior Lecturer
Joyce is an Accredited Consultant Pharmacist who has worked for the past 10 years in aged care and for the past 15 years in community pharmacy.
Joyce has conducted Home Medicines Review (in the community) and Residential Medication Management Reviews to Nursing Homes in the Mackay, QLD region.
Originally graduating from the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Monash University, Melbourne, she also has extensive experience with hospital pharmacy, having previously worked at the Maroondah Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer
Institute. Joyce sits on the Townsville Mackay Medicare Locals Continuing Professional Development Committee promoting Quality Use of Medicines within the medical profession, nursing staff and amongst pharmacists and within the local community.
Joyce runs a monthly education series in Mackay specific for Nursing Homes.
Author of MedRN’s Chronic Pain DVD Series, Joyce McSwan is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Quality Use of Medicines, Pain Management Award. Joyce was also awarded the 2012 Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (QLD) Bowl of Hygeia Award for her innovative work in the area of Pain Management within the community of Mackay.
Joyce is passionate in promoting the quality, safe and efficacious use of medicines and is particularly interested that positive patient outcomes are achieved.
Stay Ahead in Aged Care
Join our mailing list and get exclusive updates, education tips, and practical aged care insights straight to your inbox. Whether you’re a facility manager or a frontline carer, you’ll receive content that helps you improve care, meet compliance, and grow your professional skills.
No spam. Just valuable, actionable information you can use.
Tailored aged care CPD EDUCATION that’s personal, practical, and proven to deliver results.
Ready to update your education?
Whether you manage a facility or work on the floor, our programs are designed to make your work easier, safer, and more rewarding.
Ready to Begin?
Let’s discuss how we can tailor a program for your facility.
Whether you’re ready to book, have questions about our programs, or just want to explore how we can help, we’d love to hear from you.
Our team is here to make getting the right education easy, straightforward, and tailored to your needs.
Age Concern Pty Ltd
(ABN 71 006 566 365)
PO Box 118 Ormond VIC 3204
Registered Office
3/91 Station Street, Malvern Victoria 3144
We respect your privacy. Your details will only be used to respond to your enquiry or send you requested information, no spam, ever.