Gerontological Alliance of Nurses Australia (GANA)

Gerontological Alliance of Nurses Australia (GANA) is a community of trusted specialist nurses and assistants who value working with older people and their families/carers in all care settings

Established on 18 March 2022, GANA promotes gerontology as a unique nursing specialty that makes a crucial contribution to the health and well-being of older people in Australia.

Vision statement

GANA’s vision is to raise the profile of gerontological nursing and offer a forum that supports the professional development of gerontological nurses and assistants

Gerontological nursing has been significantly underrepresented for so long, and I think gerontological nurses need a very strong voice – one that can help advance this area of nursing practice into the future, and I think you will make a really important contribution…

I would like to see GANA move forward into being one of the peak bodies and peak voices for nursing, and in some ways also the voice for those who may not be able to speak for themselves. For older people who are in our care and need us as professionals to advocate for them, so I see this Alliance playing that critical part in this direction.

Adjunct Professor (Practice)
Alison McMillan PSM

Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer,
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Adjunct Professor (Practice),
University of Canberra and Monash University

2022 GANA Launch

Image source: Australian Government Department of Health

When you start to get down to the specialisations like gerontology, gerontological nurses, and palliative care nurses, there is high demand and low supply.

The university sector really does have a role to play in ramping up what we are able to do in these specialisations. This is where GANA is so well placed to put pressure on the sector and on government to ensure this happens.

GANA will have an important role to play in strong advocacy and lobbying within the sector – because its members are the specialists.

Tom Calma AO

Kungarakan Elder

Former Chancellor, University of Canberra 

Senior Australian of the Year 2023

Acting First Nations Commissioner,
Interim Australian Tertiary Education Commission

GANA Launch 2022

Image source: Richard Poulton, University of Canberra (2023)

Nothing will work unless we have the right people with the right training in the right place at the right time, with the right amount of remuneration and reward for personal development…

without a diverse workforce we will not get anywhere, and that is where the gerontology nurses of GANA come into it.

Valma (Val) Fell OAM

Founding Member,
Aged Care Council of Elders

National Aged Care Advocate
Dementia Australia, OPAN and COTA

2022 GANA Launch

Image source: Provided

Mission statement

Our mission is to enable access to gerontological nursing knowledge and skills and a community of specialist nurses to support the delivery of high quality, evidence based and holistic care in Australia to older population groups and their families/carers across care settings

GANA will achieve its mission by promoting:

• The wisdom of First Nations Australians to inform our mission;
• Alliance and collaborations with like-minded organisations;
• Gerontological nursing as a rewarding specialty;
• Nurturing the future generation of gerontological nurses by ensuring GANA has inclusive approach to its activities to encourage membership of nursing students, AINs*, ENs, RNs and retired gerontological nurses in all care settings and working in all types of nursing roles;
• Ensure the experiences of the culturally and linguistically diverse populations who currently make up the majority of the nursing workforce in aged care are acknowledged in the work we do;
• Mentoring opportunities for nurses specialising in gerontology;
• The diversity of experiences among nurses working with older people and their families/carers; respecting and valuing diversity in place of home, gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture;
• Accessible membership fee structure;
• The development and implementation of gerontological nursing competencies to recognise the contribution, and increase the capacity, of Australian nurses to help meet the complex needs of older people;
• Evidence based practice strategies, including undertaking research and practice development to improve the quality of nursing care for the health and well-being of older Australians;
• Policy developments that improve the health and well-being of older people and their families/carers;
• The human rights of older population groups and their families/carers through advocacy activities;
• Gerontological nursing career pathways;
• Engagement between members and all our stakeholders that authentically embody a sense of partnership between members of GANA and all our stakeholders; transparency in communications and relationships built on trust and integrity.

*Where assistants in nursing (AINs) may also be referred to as care workers, support workers, health care associates, personal care workers, nursing support services, unregulated health care workers.

First Nations inspiration

The wisdom of First Nations Australians will inform our mission

'Yulang' the Wiradjuri word for ‘ripple’

“That's what we do as nurses and as a community – we send out ripples, hopefully positive effects, signifying our belief that what we do has impact” - Chrystale Langford Wiradjuri artist, UC nursing graduate, GANA member

Who we are

Co-Founders

Professor Victoria Traynor

Professor Kasia Bail

Deputy President

Lynne Day

Treasurer

Ash Smyth

Digital Coordinator

Jennifer Thomes

Event Coordinator

Vanessa Cawis

Executive Committee Members

Christina Aggar
Jolan Stokes

Sara Goode

Ambassadors

Professor Tracey Moroney

Professor Karen Strickland

Seconded Executive Members

Josephine Bonney 

Katrina Crump

Peta Drury

Susan Brownlowe

Communities of Practice

Delirium, Dementia and Cognitive Impairment

Palliative Care

Career Pathways Group

Education, Policy and Research

Community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Rural and Remote

Life Members

Rhonda Nay

Lynn Chenoweth

Advocacy

GANA is proud to have made a submission to Australia’s 'National Nursing Workforce Strategy'.

GANA is driving change for the future of nursing

GANA's submission shared our position and recommendations, outlining the urgent need for gerontological nursing reform, while our joint submission with peak nursing bodies highlights shared priorities across the sector. These papers advocate for stronger career pathways, better workforce data and recognition of the vital role nurses play in aged care.

GANA ‘National Nursing Workforce Strategy’ document

PEAK Joint submission on National Nursing Workforce Strategy

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