Our team

Marie has worked in dementia and behaviour support programs for two decades, since the early Commonwealth initiatives. She is the strategic lead for Dementia Support Australia, a HammondCare led service delivering the National Severe Behaviour Response Teams, the national Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service and the new Needs Based Assessment Program for determining eligibility for Specialist Dementia Care Programs. Her work also includes the engagement, stakeholder, research and special needs groups strategies for DSA and the implementation of international programs such as Dementia Support UK.

Dr Stephen Macfarlane graduated from Monash University in 1991 and spent the next 17 years at Peninsula Health, prior to becoming a psychiatrist in 2003 and being appointed Director of Aged Psychiatry in 2005. In 2008 he spent some time on secondment as Deputy Chief Psychiatrist for Victoria prior to being appointed as Associate professor and Director of Aged Psychiatry at Alfred Health, where he remained until formally joining HammondCare in 2016 as Head of Clinical Governance for The Dementia Centre.

Dr Tom Morris is Head of Research and Information Excellence within The Dementia Centre, HammondCare. He is a clinical neuropsychologist, researcher and analyst with over 10 years’ experience in the assessment and characterisation of healthy ageing and dementia.

With the support of an extremely gifted and motivated team, Tom’s current focus is supporting measurement and research that will maximise outcomes and quality of life for all people living with dementia.

As a registered nurse, Jenny has dedicated her career to improving the lives of individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. With over a decade of experience in the field, Jenny has a deep understanding of the challenges and complexities for clients living with dementia and their loved ones.

As a National Program Manager, Jenny leads a team of skilled and passionate staff to deliver the national DSA programs. Her work also includes strategic program development, stakeholder engagement, projects, and quality improvement.

Holly Markwell is a National Program Manager for The Dementia Centre, HammondCare with an extensive background in learning and development including digital content creation, learning needs analysis, workshop facilitation and professional development programming. She has a special interest in music engagement and has collaborated with researchers from Western Sydney University to design learning to support the implementation of personalised playlists for people with dementia and changes to behaviour.

Following completion of a BA (Psychology) and Cert IV Training & Assessment, Holly worked in vision rehabilitation and the community aged care sector prior to learning and development roles including Professional Development Coordinator for the Dementia Support Australia team, educator with the SA/NT Dementia Training Study Centre and Alzheimer’s Australia SA, and National Network Coordination for the DBMAS program. Holly now manages the Staying at Home program, Dementia Support Worker and Dementia Engagement Modelling Program for DSA.

Bethany has had many varied roles within the aged care space spanning from feedback management, managing a service for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to enterprise risk management. Her most recent role has been in leading the Acute to Residential Care Transition Service (ARCTS) which is a pilot program aimed at bridging the gap between the acute and aged care sectors in supporting people living with dementia to transition out of hospital into a more appropriate care setting. Bethany is in the process of completing a Master of Health Leadership and Management, and Master of Public Health.