Acting General Manager Mona Vale Mathivanan Sakthivel, AYAH Service Manager Tayia Yeates, AYAH NUM Geoff Yates and AYAH Clinical Nurse Educator Amy Dunlop
AYAH service manager aims to ‘fill void’ for adolescents and young adults Tayia Yeates is passionate about working with colleagues, patients, carers and her career as a physiotherapist. Tayia said considering the AYAH is a first of its kind in Australia, her new role at the AYAH will be the most unique to date.
families to provide the best possible care for adolescents and young adults with life limiting illnesses. In her new role as the service manager at the Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice, Tayia is responsible for the operational and strategic management of the service to provide innovative and sustainable models of care. “The opening of the AYAH provides a unique opportunity to develop a service that addresses the differing physiological, developmental and psychosocial needs of adolescent and young adult patients and their families,” Tayia said. “I’m excited to be involved in delivering a new service and I look forward to working with our staff, patients and families in creating an environment that provides support, comfort, guidance and excellence in patient care.” With a career in public health spanning more than 35 years, Tayia has worked in managerial and clinical roles, having started Ayah welcomes first patient The Australian-first Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH) in Manly welcomed its first patient in February. Nineteen-year-old Jamieson Leeson is spending two weeks at the new waterfront AYAH where she is receiving respite care. Jamieson graduated from Bear Cottage over a year ago and knows just how important the care and respite services provided at the AYAH are. “It has been a bit tough not having any respite for the past year so it’s really exciting to be here,” she said.
“There are always challenges in developing a new service especially one such as this where you are caring for a cohort of patients who have such differing age-related issues,” she said. “We will need to ensure that we are providing physical, emotional, financial, social and spiritual support that is age appropriate in addition to supporting the needs of family members, siblings, partners and friends.” Tayia said she hopes the AYAH will provide a welcoming and comfortable place for patients, families and friends to come together and create memories. “We hope to provide a level of care and support that will make a difference to both our patients and families during this challenging and vulnerable time in their lives and to ‘fill a void’ in the services that currently exist for adolescents and young adults,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed being here and meeting all the staff and settling into the new place, and Mum gets a break too.” Jamieson, who is from Dunedoo in central western NSW, leads a busy life as a Paralympian boccia player and Bachelor of Economics student at the University of New South Wales. “It has been great having the time to relax and do a puzzle, watch a movie or spend time with my mum and family,” Jamieson said. “It’s really cool here – I love the beach and warm summer air.”
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