Melissa Reader

Social entrepreneur & CEO, The Violet Initiative, working to positively impact the last stage of life so that more Australians are better prepared to die well.

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

We set ourselves a goal of helping 10,000 people by the end of FY22. It was an audacious goal at the time, but we are proud to report that we exceeded our targets for FY21. We have helped thousands of Australians and the stories we’ve collected speak for themselves.

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@drkathrynmannix Stunning! Absolutely nailing it ! 💛 Hope it was the most wonderful day for you all x

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

⁦@MoxyHotels⁩ 25mins to check in. Seriously ???

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@drkathrynmannix @Violet_org_au Thanks for the mention and support 💛

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

"The long goodbye'
In episode 1 of 'Conversations that Count', Suzy tells the story of caring for her dad, who had dementia. It's a moving story of the 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' experiences of the last stage of life. https://t.co/2uoBOM7PEW @Violet_org_au

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@SC1402 I’d love to chat with you too. [email protected]

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

In #PalliativeCareWeek: We are opening up candid conversations about the highlights and lowlights of caring for loved ones during their last stage of life. As Suzy says in episode 1, it's an ordinary and extraordinary experience. https://t.co/00ShC8Pnp5
Your story matters.

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@drkathrynmannix So true @drkathrynmannix
See you on the other platforms!

[Violet @Violet_org_au]

Violet Chair @KateCarnellAus on her parents’ deaths and avoiding the 'if only' at the end of a loved one's life. We'll continue to advocate for Aussies to have the end of life experience they want, or deserve, by meeting government and industry leaders. https://t.co/A4YYisjKsq

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@drkathrynmannix Isn’t that the truth. Thank you

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

As always @drkathrynmannix has put gentle, wise words to the unspoken yet universal process of #OrdinaryDying This piece will #illuminate and #comfort so many. Thank you @drkathrynmannix for everything to do.

[Kathryn Mannix @drkathrynmannix]

What can we learn from the death of the #Queen?

The world has watched her live through the process of #OrdinaryDying, and yet dying went unspoken, un-named.

Let's notice what nobody mentioned: we all saw the Queen going through the stages of ordinary dying.

A 🧵...

1/

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@georgie_harman Great read - and simultaneously very confronting. I’ve been totally absorbed in ‘Lost Connections’ by the amazing @johannhari101 which unearths the global evidence around the lenses through which we view, judge and often mismanage #mentalhealth

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

Families who insisted on intensive care at end of life acknowledge its futility, those doubted palliative care recall its worth. There is irony in the hope that the next time will be “better".
Insightful piece by the wonderful @docranjana @Violet_org_au

[Ranjana Srivastava @docranjana]

Three things I have learned about end-of-life care from treating elderly couples with cancer | Ranjana Srivastava | The Guardian https://t.co/IzIYU6P6jq

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

Death rates remain stubbornly at 100%. How carefully is care for those in the process of dying being planned & delivered? Is there the same attention to providing proactive care at the end of our lives as at its beginning? Great read 👏by @drkathrynmannix
https://t.co/cflUPEz7mU

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

Yes & Yes. 30% of people in any public hospital are in the last 12 months of life. So many unwanted, unplanned, unnecessary admissions. Time for new models & #change to deliver better outcomes for #people & the #health system. @AnikaWells @Mark_Butler_MP @Violet_org_au

[Lesley Russell Wolpe @LRussellWolpe]

“We have squeezed every last drop we can out of this current model [of primary care] that was devised in the 1980s that is no longer fit for purpose as the population ages, and we’re needing to manage complex chronic disease.” ⁦@ACEMPresident⁩

https://t.co/7eeKbNqadv

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

A really wonderful conversation to help #normalise #death #grief and #loss. Worth taking the time to share with the people in your world who need this help @Violet_org_au @drkathrynmannix

[Louisa Nicoll @LouisaNicoll]

https://t.co/NkHXYNFCig

Have just listened to this brilliant conversation @drkathrynmannix
It really is something everyone should listen to - by talking about dying doesn’t mean it’s going to happen any sooner but it might ( will) take some of the fear away.

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@widow_waiting @menysnoweballes Such a helpful & practical thread! We’d like to reach out and ask your permission to turn this into a short article for our content journeys here at @Violet_org_au - hope that’s ok:)
Normalising these experiences important!

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@LouisaNicoll @drkathrynmannix So wonderful to see two of the most eloquent voices in the end of life discussion, both supporters and contributors to @Violet_org_au united in this thread! Thanks for everything you both do to elevate the public discourse @drkathrynmannix and @docranjana

[Melissa Reader @CEO_Violet]

@stephenjduckett Sadly one of the biggest contributors to this backlog is the high hospital utilisation of people in the last stage of life - much of their hospitalisation is unwanted, unplanned, unnecessary. Many are elderly & frail. We have to work upstream. @k_eagar @AnikaWells