The Real Costs of Residential Aged Care Facilities
We asked Rhonda, a tax accountant, to tell us the facts about the costs of aged care facilities in Australia. Rhonda’s mother has dementia and lives in a Residential Aged Care Facility, so these figures are real. Look out for these sorts of costs when you are inquiring about a Residential Aged Care Facility for […]
I have dementia – is it too late for an Advance Care Plan?
An Advance Care Plan needs to be made when you still have the mental capacity to make decisions about your health care, and to understand the consequences of your decisions. If someone cannot understand their options, or the consequences of those options then it is too late to complete an Advance Care Plan. However, if […]
What your GP does with your Advance Care Plan
Advance Care Plans are not written by lawyers or doctors. They are written by ordinary people like you. So you do not need to use legal or medical jargon. However, doctors and other medical staff play an important role in putting your Advance Care Plan into practice. But how do they actually do this? Read […]
6 Simple Ways to Protect Your Health
Getting Older? Getting Worried? Remember – your health is your best asset. But chronic diseases eg osteoarthritis, low back pain, diabetes, and frailty don’t have to mean early death or disability. If you are willing to make changes – no matter how small – you can improve your health. 1. Don’t stop moving, even […]
7 Things to Consider Before Choosing an Aged Care Facility
Deciding on a Residential Aged Care Facility is an incredibly tough, yet very important decision to make. People often find themselves overcome by the options, and without the guidance to be able to make an informed choice. Here are the top seven things to consider before choosing an aged care facility. 1. Have you […]
The 5 Most Important Things to Know for Your Heart Health
Statistically, your heart is the most likely thing to kill you. Unfortunately it’s the single biggest preventable killer of Australians. But if you give it some attention, you can rapidly change from risking an early death to extending your time here on earth. You won’t just live longer – your whole life will be better. […]
Dementia: 5 ways you can help make a difference
There are many ways you can help with dementia – whether for yourself or for someone close to you. We’ve collected some of the easy ones here. Tell people your wishes Decide and tell others what medical care you do and do not want early – before people need to know. Careful Advance Care Plans […]
Dementia and decision-making capacity
The idea of capacity when it comes to decision making is complex. The word is not well understood, and it’s not as simple as having capacity or not having capacity. Health professionals may say someone “has” or “has not” capacity, meaning they can or cannot make decisions, yet this is often unhelpful as there are […]
You Can’t Predict the Future, But You Can Plan For It
Working as a doctor, I have seen first hand what happens when we don’t face up to our mortality. The sad truths about hospital that no one tells you One night when I was on duty a 95 year old gentleman came into our hospital with severe flu and pneumonia. He caught the flu […]
7 Tips To Help You Ask About Ageing, Death And Dying
Lidy Seysener is used to difficult conversations. She’s been having them, and leading others through them, for her whole career over about half a century. She knows that some of the most difficult conversations we’ll ever need to have in our lives are about ageing, death and dying. And it’s no less confronting for those […]
