Sharing Care in the Family: Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships

Overview

Informal care for older persons is often shared across families. While caregiving can strengthen relationships and enable reciprocity, it can also generate tension, conflict, and uncertainty. This panel examines common family dynamics in aged care, including how responsibilities and decision‑making power are negotiated. 
 

Panellists

Dr Nancy A. Pachana is a clinical geropsychologist, neuropsychologist and Professor of Clinical Geropsychology in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland. She is Program Lead of the Age Friendly University Initiative at UQ. She is also co-director of the UQ Ageing Mind Initiative, providing a focal point for clinical, translational ageing-related research at UQ. She has an international reputation in the area of geriatric mental health, particularly with her research on late-life anxiety disorders. Nancy is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and of the Australian Psychological Society, and is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards.

Ms Anne-Marie Rice is an accredited specialist in family law and is a nationally accredited mediator. With over 25 years’ experience, she is recognised as a leader in the field of mediation and alternate dispute resolution nationally. A Senior Judicial Registrar and Executive Director of Registrar Practice and Operations at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Anne-Marie is responsible for the development and implementation of the dispute resolution processes in Australia’s busiest courts. She is a current member of the Attorney General’s Family Law Council – a group charged with providing the government with recommendations about the development of family law policy in Australia.