Aged care and disability services provider Your Side has announced award-winning journalist Tracey Spicer AM as their new ambassador. Tracey will be talking about how care planning early can assist ageing loved ones to stay safe in their own homes for longer.  

She will also be exploring some of the challenges people face finding the right help from a complex aged care system alongside Your Side CEO Danielle Ballantine filmed “In Conversation” sessions. 

While working full-time and raising two children, Tracey was a carer for her beloved grandfather in his final years. Her father now has emphysema and the family rallied around to organise support services. 

“I wish I had known about the help available a lot earlier in this process. If I’d talked to an organisation like Your Side, then I would have had more quality time to spend with loved ones, instead of the frustration of researching and coordinating care,” Tracey said in a media release. 

“Your Side is thrilled to have Tracey as our ambassador. She is not only an experienced and Walkley Award winning journalist, but a wonderful person who has stood up for what she believes in. Our job at Your Side is to help people access the right support so they can live a full life in our community as they age,” said Your Side Australia CEO Danielle Ballantine.  

“Tracey has been a fearless spokesperson and influencer throughout her career with an authentic connection to equality and social justice. I am also looking forward to discussing some of the themes and recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in our ‘In Conversation’ sessions,” Ballantine said.   

Tracey and the team at Your Side are working on reframing the conversation about ageing– older people should no longer be considered passive recipients of care.   

“Just because you are getting older doesn’t mean you are not physically or mentally active enough to contribute to the decisions around the care YOU receive. Your Side’s ‘Total Care’ model helps to alleviate the stress of coordinating that care – saving families an estimated 200 hours a year and allowing carers to get on with living a more balanced life.” 

“Our new relationship with Tracey will highlight all of the services Your Side has to offer for both those who need to be cared for and the busy and dedicated carers that also need our extra support,” said Ballantine.