There are lots of different ways that health services are paid for, which means sometimes you’ll need your medicare card, other times your bank card, and sometimes no card at all. The systems behind health care funding are complicated and certainly not yet perfect, as health administrator Phil Edmondson discusses with Penny Terry on this week’s episode of Health Speak.

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Do you feel like everyone is talking about ‘Mindfulness’ yet you missed the critical explainer about what it means to be ‘mindful’ or how it can help your health? On this episode of Health Speak, Penny Terry talks with clinical psychologist and mindfulness trainer Miranda Stephens and finds out exactly what we do when we’re being mindful, hears about the different ways to learn about and practice mindfulness and gets a idea of when some specific training might be useful to your health.
SHOW NOTES: If you'd like to find out about the free programs Miranda runs, you can get the info you need here: https://mindfulnessaus.com.au
The Government's Health Direct explains the benefits of mindfulness here: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/benefits-of-mindfulness
Some of the more popular mindfulness apps include:https://www.smilingmind.com.auhttps://www.headspace.comhttps://www.calm.com

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Primary Health Services have been referred to as the poor cousin of hospital services… but have you ever heard what Primary Health actually refers to? On this episode of Health Speak Penny Terry walks into a building that is the base for heaps of different health services that are available to you in the community. She finds out what Primary Health really means, meets Nurse Practitioner Meredith Prestwood and gets the low down on one innovative program that uses Corollas and backpacks to keep people out of hospital… literally.
SHOW NOTES:
You can find out more about the program Meredith is part of - the Community Rapid Response team - here: https://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/ths/community_rapid_response_service_comrrs/community_rapid_response_service_brochure
If you want to find out about how Primary Health Care services operate in Australia you can find some details herehttps://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/NPHC-Strategic-Framework~phc-australia
You can also search online for Primary Health Care services in your region or state for more locally specific information across both the public and private sectors.

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How far down your list of health priorities is your hearing? The average time people put off having their hearing checked is seven years! In this episode of Health Speak, Penny Terry chats with audiologist Clare Combey to find out why we seem to be so lax when it comes to looking after our hearing health, particularly when it can have some very dire consequences on the quality of our lives, our relationships and our health. Plus, you might also be missing out on some really cool tech that now comes built into hearing aids.
SHOW NOTES:If you've got more questions about the job of an audiologist, check out Audiology Australia https://audiology.asn.au/Home
Clare works for Hearing Australia who are the largest provider of government funded hearing services in Australia. You can find out more about them here www.hearing.com.au
You can find out about the Australian Government's hearing services program here www.hearingservices.gov.au

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The first thing Marcus Burston does when he meets a new client is explain his job. Marcus is an Exercise Physiologist, also known as an EP or an Exercise Phys. Marcus reckons most people either turn off or quickly turn the other way as soon as they hear the word exercise, afraid that he’s going to make then run five kilometres. In this episode of Health Speak Penny Terry learns why an exercise physiologist is more like an Engineer and less about turning you into an elite athlete... unless of course, that's what you want!
SHOW NOTES:You can find out more about Marcus and his team here http://www.accessinjury.com.au/about-us/
Or you can get some more information about what Exercise Physiologists do by doing a quick search online. A good place to start is by checking out the peak professional organisation Exercise and Sports Science Australia - https://www.essa.org.au

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Are you likely to go and see someone when you don’t understand their job title? For some Occupational Therapists, helping people understand what they do and how that relates to their title can be the first hurdle. In this episode of Health Speak you meet Gina McKendrick who’s been an Occupational Therapist for 25 years. She’s a master at explaining what she does, why it's important and has a brain full of interesting stories that perfectly explain her job and why she still loves it all these years later.
SHOW NOTES:There is some great info about OT's, how they can help you and where to find one on the Occupational Therapy Australia websitehttp://aboutoccupationaltherapy.com.au

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Chances are there is someone at your local council who spends time creating programs and spaces to help you stay active and be healthier. So how do they do that? In Axel’s case, he’s a Recreation Officer and he deals with... well, best let him explain. But put simply, he reckon most of his job is about helping people from his community find fun ways to be as healthy as they can be.

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Sam Beattie doesn’t usually get a spontaneaous eruption of applause when she tells people she’s a Diabetes Educator. People are either confused or underestimate the work she does. As Penny Terry learned in this episode of Health Speak, living with diabetes comes with a lifetime of learning… and a munted pancreas... and a need for a big handbag.
Show notes:You can find out more from the Diabetes Australia websitehttps://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
Or get more details about the role of a diabetes educator at the Australia Diabetes Educators Associate websitehttps://www.adea.com.au/about-us/

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There’s plenty of Health Speak and debate around the length of a standard GP appointment and how that’s paid for. But have you ever been taught what you should do and say to get the best from what is a reasonably short appointment? Most of us haven’t… we just sort of feel our way through. During this episode of Health Speak Penny Terry asks General Practitioner Dr Ross Lamplugh, who now manages more than 30 medical centers across Australia, how you can get the best bang for your health buck.
SHOW NOTES:You can find out more about Dr Ross Lamplugh here https://www.ochrehealth.com.au/about-ochre-health/management-team/
Both the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian Medical Associatio have info on their websites about the role of a GP, you can find it using these links.https://www.racgp.org.au/education/students/a-career-in-general-practice/what-is-general-practicehttps://ama.com.au/article/general-practice-facts

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You probably think you know what going to the Dentist is all about, so chance are you don’t go often enough, right? Yeah, most of us have the same thoughts about a visit to the Dentist but Dr Jazlyn Patrick explains that things have changed! Jazlyn works as a dentist in both the public and private systems and amongst other things she introduces Penny Terry to Mr Scrapey, explains why there is a TV on the ceiling and gives a quick lesson in brushing your teeth... have you been doing it wrong?

SHOW NOTES:You can find Jazlyn Patrick at The Dental Surgery http://thedentalsurgery.com.au
Jazlyn mentioned the Australia Dental Association has some good videos about how to brush your teeth and how to floss. You’ll find them here: https://www.ada.org.au/Your-Dental-Health/Oral-Health-Video-Resources
Plus you can find public dental services in your state or territory via this link: https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/dental-1?Open=&utm_source=health.gov.au&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=digital_transformation&utm_content=dental

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