Role of Access Consultant
About the Speaker
Simon Thorne
Simon has been a consultant with The Dementia Centre since 2011 and co-authored DesignSmart, the rating tool for better environments for people with living dementia. As a Director of Integrated Design Group Architects, he has led the design for HammondCare’s Aged Homeless Project at Darlinghurst and the development of the new masterplan and buildings at Hammondville, along with many other aged care projects. Simon will discuss design considerations and some of the tools to assess and improve environments for people living with Dementia.
Doug Melloh
Architect and accredited Access Consultant
Doug is a registered Architect and an accredited Access Consultant with 28 years’ practice experience and over 20 years specialising in Aged Care and Accessibility, predominantly within the not-for-profit sector. He is an LHA and SDA assessor and has also worked as an expert witness for Land and Environment Court and ACAT hearings for Aged Care clients, here and in the ACT.
He previously was the NSW Access Team Leader for Philip Chun Accessibility and was involved in State significant projects such as the Australian War Memorial redevelopment in Canberra, the Gallery of NSW upgrade, and the National Capital Authority asset review in the ACT. He has worked on various NSW Health and Hospital projects and many Major Infrastructure (DSAPT) projects including the new Western Sydney Airport, the Sydney Light Rail, Sydney Olympic Park Core, and the Sydney Metro.
Prior to this he was Senior Associate at Stanton Dahl Architects and the Aged Care Segment Manager for over 15 years while also providing specialist access consultancy within the education, residential, and automotive sectors.
His Aged Care clients have included Baptist Care, Anglican Retirement Villages, Catholic Health Care, Anglicare, Care Plus (The Salvation Army), Living Care (Churches of Christ), Adventist Aged Care and Ality.
He has worked within the Aged Care Sector through its various transformations over the past 30 years including the start of the Aged Care Act in 1997, the introduction of SEPP No 5 the following year, SEPP (Seniors Living) in 2004, and the new SEPP (Housing) in 2021.
He is currently the director of Access 4 Life which he began in 2012.