Tasmanian disability advocate Patrick Eadington is the face of a new campaign showcasing Li-Ve Tasmania uniting with genU. Together as genU, our organisation will provide expanded support to Tasmanians with disability and in aged care.
Patrick lives with cerebral palsy and works tirelessly to advocate for better services and support for people with disability. The former director on the Li-Ve Tasmania Board will bring essential insights to our organisation following his appointment to genU’s Care Governance and Client Experience Committee.
“Patrick brings more than 20 years of experience across government committees and advocacy groups, and his insights will be an asset to our organisation,” genU CEO, Clare Amies said.
“We’re delighted to welcome him to genU to assist us in our delivery of genuinely inclusive care and high-quality services across Tasmania and on a national scale.”
Patrick’s advocacy work is centred around challenging stereotypes and promoting inclusion to enable other people with disability to lead a better life. His passion is driven by lived experience, including the loneliness of living in a nursing home with elderly people who had dementia as a young man, and a constantly changing care team.
“Doctors and nurses would talk to my support workers outside the room, instead of speaking to me directly about my own healthcare issues,” he said.
Life changed for the better once Patrick moved to Li-Ve Tasmania site, Oakdale Lodge in 2021.
“At the Lodge, it’s totally different… there’s a holistic and organic approach to supporting participants on a daily basis.”
Patrick welcomes the plans to expand Tasmanian disability and aged care services across the state under genU and looks forward to advocating positive change for more Australians living with disability.
Patrick is a former Director on the Li-Ve Tasmania’s board and received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022. He has also developed and taught a Disability Awareness Training Program to an estimated 10,000 Tasmanian students over 15 years at institutions including TasTAFE and UTAS.