“SPA is continuing to be a proud supporter of Youngcare in 2010. We will endeavour to educate SPA members about the Youngcare cause, whilst fostering and embedding the importance of donating to this worthwhile charity”.

Youngcare was formed in 2005 with an entrepreneurial spirit and the committed belief that all young people deserve young lives. When Shevaune Conry, a 36 year old woman with MS, found that her care needs became too great to remain at home in the care of loved ones, her family made a startling discovery. They found that there were limited options, and that Shevaune would have no other option but to spend the rest of her young life in an aged care home.

The four founders, David Conry, Matthew Lawson, Nicholas Bonifant and Simon Lockyer believed that aged care was no place for any young person and the thought of having to place their loved one there was inappropriate, undignified and irrelevant. So, in just four short years, they rallied the community, business and government to build the first Youngcare Apartments – a unique model of alternative residential care for young people with 24 hour care needs. Shevaunne’s brave journey has since inspired a community to continue to create change and shed a bright light on a dire national issue, that had previously gone unaddressed for far too long.

All people deserve young lives, regardless of their care needs.

To create awareness and drive to change to deliver real choices for all young people with full time care needs.

1. More than 6,500 young Australians (under the age of 65) with 24/7 care needs are living in aged care simply because there are few alternatives (The Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee 2005).
2. There are more than 700,000 young Australians being cared for at home with family, friends as theirs carers.
3. Being young is about having a lifetime ahead of you, yet aged care is designed for someone who is at the end of their life. In most cases, the specific care needs of a young person will not be met in aged care as they differ greatly to those of the elderly residents.
4. For those young people living in aged care, statistics suggest that (Winkler et al. 2006 Australian Health Review):
   1. 44% will receive a visit from friends less than once a year;
   2. 34% will almost never participate in community based activities such as shopping, and;
   3. 21% will go outside the home less than once a month.
5. In 2007, the first ever Youngcare Apartments were opened at Sinnamon Park, west of Brisbane. It is now home to young residents with 24/7 care needs.
6. Youngcare is expanding nationally to offer a varied number of care and accommodation models for young people with high care needs, such as:
   1. Youngcare works to raise awareness and raise valuable funds for the issue;
   2. The Youngcare Connect support and advice hotline - to provide information to those in need;
   3. Lobbying Government to drive policy change and systems reform, and;
   4. An At Home Care Grant program designed to top up the care funding for those young people with disabilities wishing to reside at home with loved ones.

“Youngcare is providing a voice of dignified care for those with 24/7 care needs, and a beacon of hope for those affected by the issue.”

Youngcare is a community based not-for-profit organization, a large part of Youngcare’s work resolves around raising vital funds for the cause.

SPA is currently developing fundraising initiatives to double the amount of money SPA raised in 2009 for Youngcare.

SPA’s Youngcare Conference Raffle
A major fundraising initiative is SPA’s Youngcare Conference Raffle, held at the Annual SPA Conference. SPA would like to take this opportunity to thank those who supported us at the 2010 Conference, raising a total of $3046.10, bringing us to a total of $5000.00 raised over 3 years.

Once again this year, the Youngcare Conference Raffle has fantastic prizes to be won and 100% of the raffle ticket proceeds are donated directly to Youngcare.

Your individual contribution will make a significant contribution to the lives of others. So, please give generously and support Youngcare; to create brighter futures for young people with 24/7 care needs.

Get Involved and Support Youngcare
SPA would support and encourage all university societies to participate in fundraising activities. Some potential fundraising events include trivia nights, paramedic balls, chocolate drives, movie nights and more.

If you or your University Society would like to support SPA’s fundraising campaign by hosting your own charity event please email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

“Youngcare is only made possible by you.”

Whilst change has begun, it is important to note that there is still so much more that needs to be done.

This is why Youngcare is committed to raising significant funds and awareness in 2010 to ensure the delivery of a range of residential care options that people genuinely need and desire. With several new projects on the horizon, Youngcare is facing its biggest challenge yet and your support is needed now more than ever.

Youngcare's projects for the future include:

• Youngcare Apartments Gold Coast (completion 2011);
• Youngcare Sydney (completion 2011);
• Youngcare At Home Care Grants (2010), and;
• Youngcare Connect support and advice hotline.

Youngcare also plans to replicate models of care and accommodation throughout the country over the next five years, and will continue to lobby the Government for policy changes and systems reform until every young person with full time care needs is cared for appropriately. Youngcare plans to build more Apartments on the Gold Coast, followed by Sydney and then Melbourne in 2011.

Visit the Youngcare website

Join the Youngcare Facebook page

For more information, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .