Bev Jowle was appointed Advocare CEO last November, just in time for the announcement that Advocare had won the WA government tender to become WA Seniors Peak Body, a key action of An Age-Friendly WA: State Seniors Strategy 2023–2033.
It was a baptism of fire, having to learn the organisational intricacies of Advocare, an organisation that has been advocating for the rights of older Western Australians for nearly 30 years and a leader in opposing elder abuse, while taking on a new and unfamiliar role as a Peak Body
As the Peak Body, Advocare will focus on increasing its support to older people to achieve the vision and outcomes of the WA Seniors Strategy and will represent the interests of more than 400,000 WA seniors to help ensure they are supported, connected and heard.
“We will consult with and help represent the voice of older people and their representative groups, and provide frank and fearless advocacy,” said Bev Jowle.”
“Some not-for-profits think they can’t criticise the government, because they get a grant from it. But we will speak out when necessary.
“Politicians don’t always realise the impact their policies will have on people. Government has a particular point of view, due to their responsibility for expenditure. On the other hand, taxpayers wants to be able to enjoy their retirement in comfort.”
“As an extension of our current advocacy role in aged care, we want to be a strong voice for all older people in WA, identifying their concerns and presenting these views and possible solutions to allow older people to thrive,” said Bev.
“We will shortly appoint a person to manage the work of the peak body.”
One of the first, key priorities, will be to form two reference groups: a Seniors Reference Group, for individuals; and a Senior Sector Group for organisations supporting older people.
These reference groups aim to give vital representation to older people on relevant issues including those who identify from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) and LGBTIQA+ and Gender Diverse backgrounds, those living with a disability and older West Australians with little to no support networks.
Bev’s career has been dedicated to successful advocacy, empowerment and support for vulnerable people. Prior to joining Advocare, she was chief executive Officer at Consumer Credit Legal Service WA and previously held senior roles at Western Australia’s Department of Communities, Lotterywest, Financial Counsellors’ Association of WA, St Patrick’s and South Coastal Women’s Health Service.
“I’ve previously worked mainly with young people,” she said. “They often have similar problems to seniors, although broader in scope: transport, cost of living and homelessness, especially of older women.
“We are facing a number of critical issues: the new Age Care Act starting in July, an election and possibly a new minister, change to the costs of residential care and regulation of retirement villages, as well as elder abuse and lack of clarity around the grandfather provision of the new Aged Care Act.
“We need to build relationships first, so we are consulting widely with senior’s groups and organisations involved in aged care; they have their individual issues.
“It takes a while to bring about any change. We need to find what is the best approach so that our work is driven by information and support and we can make maximum impact on the ground.
“WA has unique issues due to the size of state, its isolation, diverse population and the different needs of remote and rural areas compared to cities. We need a united voice.
“I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. OPAN has a new on-line seminar series explaining the new Act and I don’t want to duplicate that.
“We need to change the way we age,” she said.
