The Truth About Ageing

In today's episode of the podcast we're talking all about future planning documents and what happens if you don't have them in place when they're needed. There are a number of Government organisations in place to protect those vulnerable persons who may not have family or decision makers available to assist when they lose capacity themselves. Today we discuss:

• How 'capacity' is determined?
• Who can be substitute decision makers?
• What the Public Trustee, Office of the Public Advocate and Cival & Administrative Tribunals are and when they're utilised?
• How to avoid getting to a crisis where these services are required?
• How to access them if they are required?

You can find more from the lovely Tamara at www.adelaidehillscc.com :)

Better late than never! This episode might have been handy a few months ago, but there are so many lessons that apply any day of the year. Today I chat with my Mum and Life Coach, Steph Noon, about how we can find the joy when we might be feeling a bit down after months of gloomy weather.

Our brain is wired to be alert for what's wrong, so today we unpack how we can intentionally feel better when it might be cold, wet and miserable outside.

We discuss:

• How our thoughts impact our feelings
• Getting curious to keep our mind active
• Get outdoors - rug up & get exposed to the outside world!
• Expose your eyes to morning light
• Focus external - doing things for others
• Gratitude

You can learn more about Steph at www.livelifecoaching.com.au and you can find more about me at www.thetruthaboutageing.com.au, on Instagram @thetruthaboutageing and on Facebook @thetruthaboutageingpodcast

Today's episode is part two of my chat with the wonderful Joanna McIlveen! If you haven't already listened in to part one, head back on to episode 49. 

In this episode we unpack:

• How to know the difference between normal grief and prolonged grief
• What to do if you are suffering from prolonged grief
• How you can support others to grieve
• What things to say or not say when someone is grieving
• What Jo wishes more people knew about grief and loss

I really hope you enjoy today's episode - I took so much away from this chat and I really hope you do too!

As always you can find me at www.thetruthaboutageing.com.au, on Facebook @thetruthaboutageingpodcast or on Instagram @thetruthaboutageing - see you there!

Today's episode is with the incredibly knowledgeable Joanna McIlveen. Jo is a Grief & Bereavement Social Worker from NSW who is currently doing a PhD exploring how communities and hospital work together in partnership to provide care during end of life. Jo assists people every day to navigate their grief and helps to normalise their experiences. 

In part one of our chat we discuss:

• What is grief? And how does that differ from bereavement?
• How does our society interact with death & dying?
• What are the different kinds of grief?
• What are the types of grieving? 
• What are the stages of grieving and are they linear?

I really loved our chat and highly recommend making a hot cup of tea, finding a spot in the sun & listening to the wonderful Jo unpack all our questions about how we grieve. 

It's Pride Month and it felt fitting to have an episode dedicated to navigating LGBTI services. As an LGBTI ally I feel it's important we all better understand potential barriers to accessing aged care services for LGBTI folk and there are a number of wonderful resources out there to assist in doing so. 

In today's episode we discuss:

• LGBTI Ageing Strategy 2012-2017:  this strategy informs the way the Australian Government supports the aged care sector to deliver care that is sensitive to and inclusive of the needs of LGBTI people, their families and carers - www.cota.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2012-2017_LGBTI_Ageing_Strategy.pdf
• Rainbow Tick Accreditation: enabling consumers to easily identify providers who have passed LGBTI standards - www.rainbowhealthaustralia.org.au/rainbow-tick
• 10 Questions: this leaflet is part of a series written by nurses, doctors and experts with experience in aged care and aims to make the journey for LGBTI folk into residential aged care easier - www.10questions.org.au/PDF/10%20questions%20to%20ask-LGBTIQ%20FINAL%202019.pdf
• LGBTIQ Health: this website lists a wide range of other LGBTIQ services and resources available both nationally and more locally -  www.lgbtiqhealth.org.au/services_and_supports
• My Aged Care LGBTI support - www.myagedcare.gov.au/support-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-and-intersex-people

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to get in touch. I can be found at www.thetruthaboutageing.com.au, on Facebook @thetruthaboutageingpodcast or on Instagram @thetruthaboutageing.

Ever wondered how you'd support a friend or family member that was dying? Have you thought about how you'd look after yourself during such an emotional time? What would you do if the individual could no longer communicate their feelings?

In today's episode with EOL Doula Danielle, we talk all about emotional health particularly in the context of terminal diagnosis and palliative care. 

If you'd like to learn more about Danielle and the work she does, she can be found at:

Instagram - @doula_forlife
Facebook - @daniellecopplesondoula

For more info about The Truth About Ageing head to www.thetruthaboutageing.com.au, find us on Facebook @thetruthaboutageingpodcast or on Instagram @thetruthaboutageing

Home Care Packages can be great at providing funding for assistance to keep yourself or a loved one living independently at home. But what happens when your level of care increases and you need more funding? In todays episode I discuss what to consider before contacting My Aged Care for a re-assessment. The clearer you can be in highlighting your needs, the more likely you are to be considered for re-assessment. 

Three things to reflect on prior to contacting:

1. What has changed?   Since you or your loved one were last assessed, what has changed in their care needs? Consider physical, mental, emotional and social changes.
2. What is now required?   What assistance are they now requiring that they didn't previously? How frequently is this occurring? Is this sustainable?
3. What is the potential consequence if this doesn't occur?   What is the risk to you or your loved one if you don't receive additional services? E.g. falls risk, weight loss, safety risk.

For more information, head to The Truth About Ageing website - www.thetruthaboutageing.com.au or find us on Facebook @thetruthaboutageingpodcast or on Instagram @thetruthaboutageing.

Can I choose to die at home? Why might I want to die at home? What support is needed for me to die at home? Who needs to know my wishes? When do I need to communicate these wishes? What happens if things don't go to plan?

These are all questions you might have about the choice to die at home. As we discuss with Kim Somerville in todays episode, there are an increasing number of Australian's choosing to die at home. Whilst this decision requires a lot of support and consideration, families report huge satisfaction at being able to care for their loved one at home in their final days. 

If you wish to know more about supporting yourself or a loved one to die at home, you can contact Kim at www.kimsomerville.com.au, on Facebook @kimsomervilleendoflifedoula or on Instagram @kimsomerville.endoflifedoula

With any election comes a lot of policy promises and today we're unpacking what funding Labor have committed to the Aged Care sector. The majority of these policies are based on recommendations from the Aged Care Royal Commission that occurred from October 2018 to March 2021. Labour have committed to $2.5 billion over the next 4 years. 

Amongst other things, they have committed to:

• Wage increases
• Registered Nurses on site in Residential Aged Care Facilities 24/7
• Increased mins/day in Residential Aged Care Facilities 
• Better food
• Greater transparency to ensure dollars are going directly to care
• Capping home care fees

These are all steps in the right direction, but there is always more that can be done. It's a little disappointing not to see any discussion about the Home Care Package waitlist, but hopefully this will become a focus in future. If you feel the Aged Care sector still needs greater resources - speak to your local MP! The more we discuss the growing needs of our ageing population, the more it becomes part of the Government's agenda.

Welcome back! I regularly get asked about what people can use their Home Care Package for and unfortunately like many things in aged care, the answer isn't straightforward. Today we discuss the 'spirit' of the Home Care Package, the many goods & services you can use your Home Care Package for and what items are specifically excluded.

Underlying all Home Care Package spending is that goods & services must be in line with your individual  care needs - this means that just because John down the street got a dishwasher, doesn't mean you can have one too. We discuss this in greater detail throughout the episode.

The key goods and services are:

1. Bathing, hygiene & grooming
2. Nursing services
3. Podiatry, Physiotherapy & other therapies
4. Meals and food preparation
5. Help with impairments or continence
6. Cleaning, laundry and other chores
7. Home or garden maintenance
8. Changes to my home
9. Aids to stay independent
10. Transport
11. Social outings, groups and visitors

Some of the key exclusions are:

• Items normally purchased out of general income
• Food
• Payment of permanent accommodation including rental or mortgage repayments
• Payment of Home Care fees
• Fees/charges of other Government funded programs including MBS & PBS
• Home modifications not related to care needs
• Travel & accommodation for holidays
• Entertainment e.g. sporting event or concert tickets
• Gambling activities

Listen in to today's episode for more details about each of these inclusions and exclusions. 

As always, you can get in touch with me via my website - www.thetruthaboutageing.com.au, on Instagram @thetruthaboutageing and on Facebook @thetruthaboutageingpodcast. 

I hope you're all having a beautiful week - talk soon!