Tips to Stay Healthy

Some things can become a little harder to manage later in life, but with the right services, support and information, you can keep living in the comfort of your own home. Here are a few links to health information that you may be interested to view:

Aboriginal Health Issues

Advanced Care Directives

This is a legal form where you can record your wishes and instructions for your future health care, end of life, preferred living arrangements and other personal matters (if you are at least 18 years of age).

It can also be used to appoint one or more adults to make these decisions for you. Your Advance Care Directive takes effect (can only be used) if you are unable to make your own decisions. To be legal, you must only use the official Advanced Care Directive Form available at Advance Care Directives.

The Office of the Public Advocate can provide information , education, investigative services and can act as guardian of last resort.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia

There are many different forms of dementia and each has its own causes. The most common types of dementiaare Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), Huntington’s disease, Alcohol related dementia (Korsakoff’s syndrome) and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.

Bone Health

Incontinence

Incontinence is a term that describes any accidental or involuntary loss of urine from the bladder (urinary incontinence) or bowel motion, faeces or wind from the bowel (faecal or bowel incontinence). It is a widespread condition that ranges in severity from ‘just a small leak’ to complete loss of bladder or bowel control. In fact, over 4.8 million Australians have bladder or bowel control problems for a variety of reasons. Incontinence can be treated and managed.  In many cases it can also be cured.

The first step is to talk to your doctor or contact the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66. The National Continence Helpline is staffed by a team of continence nurse advisors who offer free information, advice and support and can provide you with a wide range of information resources and referrals to local services. More information is available from:

Depression

Diabetes

Diabetes is a big health problem in Australia. Diabetes happens when the body does not produce enough insulin (a hormone which controls the amount of sugar in our blood). It’s important to talk with your doctor is you have sores & boils that won’t heal, you’re going to the toilet a lot, feeling thirsty, tired and weak, have blurry vision or leg cramps and itching. A healthy weight, exercising, eating less rubbish food, not smoking and drinking only a little alcohol may help to prevent diabetes. See www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au for more information.

Disability

Epilepsy

Physical Activity and Exercise

Eye Health

Gay & Lesbian Health

Hair Health

Hearing Health

Home Care Packages

Kidney Health

Lung Health

Men’s Health

My Aged Care

Oral Health

Palliative Care

Sleeping

Veterans

Get Your FLU Shots NOW

flu shot

Seniors are feeling younger and fitter but that won’t stop them from getting a deadly lung infection, the Lung Foundation Australia has warned.

A vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia will add up five years to the life of seniors, aged 65 to 74, who remain unaware their age alone makes them more susceptible to developing the disease, the foundation says.

“We are seeing a rise of a generation of healthy, fit and fabulous Australians in their mid-60s who love to travel and care for their grandchildren… but don’t realise that developing pneumococcal pneumonia could change all of that,” foundation member Associate Professor Lucy Morgan said on Tuesday.

Many are unaware the infection can be passed onto grandchildren or vice-versa. Associate Prof Morgan said the vaccination rate of seniors remains low despite efforts to raise awareness. Two-thirds of seniors remain unvaccinated and 40 per cent aren’t even aware of the vaccine’s existence, she said.

Australians aged 65 years or over are in a high risk group and Indigenous Australians are more at risk than non-Indigenous Australians. PneumoVax®23 provides protection against the 23 most common strains of pneumococcal bacteria responsible for most cases of disease in adults in Australia.

The recommended schedule for vaccinations in the 65 years or over age group is one dose on or near 65 years, then a single booster dose 5 years later. If you have received a pneumococcal vaccination within the last 5 years, you should consult your general practitioner or other immunisation provider about whether you require revaccination at this time. Revaccination within three years is not recommended due to the increased risk of local reactions.

If you have previously had a pneumococcal infection you still need to get vaccinated, there are many different types of pneumococcal bacteria, and infection with one type doesn’t provide immunity against the other types. Therefore, it is recommended that you do receive the vaccination.

You can get the vaccine administered by your usual immunisation provider, chemist, general practitioner or local health care centre. The vaccine is free if you are 65 years or over. You do not need to purchase the vaccine from a pharmacist.

The vaccine is very safe. Some recipients may experience mild side effects following pneumococcal vaccination such as some pain or swelling at the injection site and, occasionally, low-grade fever. Like any medicine, vaccines can cause severe allergic reactions, but the chances are extremely remote.

Further information is available from your general practitioner or local health centre, the Immunisation Infoline on 1800 671 811 or the Immunise Australia Program website at http://immunise.health.gov.au/olderaus/pneumococcal.htm

Well being can increase in your 60’s

increasing health in your sixties

A study of more than 3,000 volunteers in Britain aged 60-64 found that there was an improvement in their wellbeing when quizzed again five years later.

Feeling cheerful, confident, optimistic, useful and relaxed were some of the things that were identified. Dr. Mai Stafford, at the University College London said “… that, on average, levels of wellbeing increased during people’s 60s. We found that one in five experienced a substantial increase in wellbeing in later life, although we also found a smaller group who experienced a substantial decline.” The study will continue to look at how people change over time so that they can identify ordinary experiences that makes us happy.

Get ready. Relax, enjoy and celebrate – there is a very good chance that your health, confidence and happiness will soar too!

Talk with Continuum Care about how we can help to achieve your goals. Simply call us on 08 8251 1924 or visit our website wwww.continuumcare.com.au