Ms. Samantha Edmonds is the Director Policy, Education and Systemic Advocacy at the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) where she has worked since March 2020. Prior to this, she was the Manager – Silver Rainbow at LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, where she worked to ensure LGBTIQ+ inclusivity across the aged care sector and to make aged care safe and inclusive for all LGBTIQ+ older people. Samantha also runs her own consultancy – Ageing with Pride.
She has extensive knowledge and experience in policy, advocacy, and human rights, and a strong commitment to inclusive aged care. She holds Masters Degrees in Social Administration, Politics and Public Policy, and International Relations. She currently sits on the Board of the International Federation of Ageing, the Coordinating Committee for the Rights of Older Persons Australia, Chairs the Dept. of Health, Disability and Ageing Diversity Consultative Committee and is a Co-Chair of the National Aged Care Alliance (an alliance of over 35 national and peak aged care bodies in Australia).
Sam is also a distinguished member of the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) and is Co-Convenor of the Elder Abuse Special Interest Group. She regularly presents at national and international conferences on the rights of older people, valuing the voices of older people and delivering rights-based care. This includes areas such as supported decision making, communication and person-centred care. Sam is also engaged in numerous research projects through her work looking at improving aged care workforce capability, communication with older people, abuse of older people, home based care and the health and aged care interface.
In addition, she represents OPAN on numerous government and sector advisory and consultative groups. Her background is in health policy and social justice. She is passionate about ensuring the voices of older people are heard, upholding rights and making diversity a core business in aged care.