Lunch & Learn: Meaningful Ageing presents Spirituality as a Superpower for Ageing

Our final session for the year was with Rachael Wass, CEO of Meaningful Ageing Australia. Rachael explored how spirituality (our deep human need for meaning, connection and belonging) can be a powerful enabler of wellbeing in later life.  

As Australia moves toward a rights-based Aged Care Act, Rachael highlighted why spiritual care is not an add-on, but a core component of dignity, cultural safety and person-centred care.  

Spiritual wellbeing is not optional or 'nice to have', but a core component of emotional wellbeing as we age. Rachael shared practical ways aged care providers and leaders can embed spiritually inclusive practices into governance, service delivery and workforce development. 

Whether you're shaping policy, delivering care, influencing strategy, or navigating your own ageing journey, this session invites you to see spirituality not as an add-on, but as a superpower for ageing well.

Watch the recording on our YouTube channel:

A BIT ABOUT OUR PRESENTER:

Rachael Wass leads Meaningful Ageing Australia, the national peak body for spiritual care and ageing. This is an innovative, membership-based body committed to enhancing the social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of older individuals.

Rachael draws deeply on her lived experience as the primary caregiver for an elderly parent over 15 years, which she considers her most significant role. She holds a Master of Ageing and a Master of Commerce.

Rachael is Co-Chair of the First Nations Workgroup and a member of the National Aged Care Alliance. She also serves on the Department of Health, Ageing and Disability’s Aged Care Sector Reference Group, the ACQC Consumers and Families Panel, the ARIIA Palliative Care Knowledge & Expert Advisory Group, and the Advisory Committee for the LGBTIQ+ Health Silver Rainbow aged care program.

About Meaningful Ageing Australia

Meaningful Ageing Australia is a registered charity and the national peak body for championing the spiritual care and emotional wellbeing of older people receiving care in residential and community aged care settings. Our Vision: For every older person to feel at ease in their life so they know and feel belonging, connection, and a sense of wholeness.