Life Matters

Are mobile cameras fit to detect people not wearing seatbelts, how to reset your morning routine, plus why is tanning back in vogue?

We examine where your beliefs come from and if they have held you back or made you more able to manage financially.

And when you go on a driving holiday with an old friend, they are driving erratically, partly because they are holding their phone to navigate. How should you react and who should apologise afterwards?

The physical, emotional and financial toll of caring for ageing parents while raising children is a double whammy that can leave you reeling. Even your own mental and physical health can suffer and nobody even notices. We’ll hear how best to survive in the Sandwich Generation.  

And our panel of experts share their ideas on the big and little things that need to change to ease the burden and make life better for the Sandwich Generation.  

Your siblings have gone AWOL so it’s all on you — all the appointments, decisions and physical care. And if you’re a woman, it seems everyone thinks this is a responsibility that’s yours and yours alone. How do you navigate the emotional strain when other family members aren’t stepping up to help?   

And Chelsea Goodan and Sahra O'Doherty say that teen girls have inherent power and wisdom that we can better nurture. And by focusing on their fears for teen girls, adults often overlook their strengths. 

So you’ve decided to care for your parent at home, we'll dive into the sorts of honest conversations you must have with your partner and kids to avoid it all imploding.

And how can parents and grandparents play a role in supporting kids' education in the home, and what are the best evidence-based ways to teach children to read? 

If you’ve hit midlife with kids at home and ageing parents, welcome to the Sandwich Generation. Stuff’s about to get real and you are going to need help because it will be the trickiest time of your life, and nobody talks about it. But we see you and listen up ‘cause we’ve got some answers.   

And like any illness, with the right support and care, it is possible to continue to live a fulfilling life with dementia. But what should that support and care look like? And what is it like, to get such a life-altering diagnosis?

With the recent rise of dating apps, the world of romance can feel quite foreign to anyone looking for love after the end of a long relationship. Hilary Harper answers questions about what she learnt while documenting and sharing her own foray into the world of online dating after 50 in the audio series — Dated. 

And in Ask Aunty, how do you handle an upselling hairdresser when you're at the salon and your they suggest extra products and treatments while you're in the chair.

Things are going well with Gene. It's the happily ever after Hilary hadn't considered would come so soon, if at all. At this stage of life, Hil wonders what she's looking for in the long term and where this dating quest is supposed to lead her.  

An in 2014, Matty Hannon set out on the adventure of a lifetime. But, near the start of the trip, he met Heather Hillier. After a few months of letter writing, she agreed to join him and his tale of adventure became a love story.

How do you deal with people who lie, overshare, or don't respect your feelings? Hilary confronts the reality that the people she meets on the apps might challenge her trust while looking inward at how her baggage affects her interactions. Older daters are covered in scars. Some heartbreaks and hang-ups significantly influence how we connect with others. So, how do we protect ourselves while trying to be vulnerable with strangers?

An Hilary takes a hard look in the mirror and considers her relationship with her body and sexuality. With the help of sex therapist Tanya Koens, she learns how to overcome the trauma of her past and embrace pleasure again with someone new.

The way we meet potential lovers has changed drastically over the past decade, moving from pubs and parties to the online space. How can we navigate these new tools, learning how to craft the perfect profile and grappling with the flat way we have to represent ourselves to catch a mate today.

And if you decide that separate beds are the answer for your relationship, how do you manage that conversation with a partner who might not feel the same way?