We are in conversation with Dr Anthea Rhodes, a practising developmental and behavioural paediatrician at The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.

Anthea is the Director of the Royal Children's Hospital National Child Health Poll. She has a clinical interest in the health needs of the vulnerable child, and has speciality training in immigrant health and paediatric forensic medicine. 

"As Director of the RCH National Child Health Poll, Dr Rhodes seeks to put the voice of Australian families and communities at the heart of conversation about child and adolescent health, and ultimately inform national discourse, health priorities and policy formulation". Anthea discusses the most recent findings from the poll which demonstrate how the lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions across Australian states and territories are affecting children and families.  The impacts are diverse and multi-faceted including affects on health, diet, exercise, loneliness and isolation, financial stressors, sleep patterns, IT and internet use and the mental health and well-being of children and families.  

We are in conversation with Dr Carolyn Gurvich, Senior Research Fellow and a clinical neuropsychologist.

Carolyn is the Deputy Director of Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc), and Head of the “Hormones and Cognition Group". Caroline combines neuropsychological assessments with eye movement research to clearly characterise cognition. She has a particular interest in how hormones influence cognitive functioning in mental health and illness.  

Carolyn is managing the nationwide survey being undertaken by MAPRC tracking the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australians. "The survey is ongoing and has already been completed by 2000 Australians nationally – looking at both the mental health consequences of the pandemic and resilience factors that contribute to good mental health. Researchers will continue to follow the participants for two years and document their findings". Carolyn discusses the most recent findings of the survey which highlight a concerning trend of higher stress responses among young and older women and significant impact that Covid is having on the mental well-being of community members.

In this Transforming Perceptions interview Áine Ní Tighearnaigh talks with TJ, a Community Champion for the Butterfly Foundation about his lived experience of the Eating Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, and Butterfly's new campaign 'Talking Helps'. 

TJ, a 26 year old man whose family immigrated from Sri Lanka when he was a child describes how being a male of colour from a culturally and linguistically diverse background made it harder to initially reach out for help as he didn’t recognise himself in images and stories used in the media about eating disorders.  TJ speaks about the barriers faced by people from diverse cultural backgrounds, acculturation , racism, stigma and body image issues and how he struggled to find his identity in his families new country Australia.  He shares about the support he and his family received through the Butterfly Foundation to help him to recover.  Transforming Perceptions bringing you news, views, updates and diverse perspectives from the lived and living experience, community, multicultural and mainstream mental health sectors and music from round the world.

'The Tin Man and Does He Have a Heart and does it matter?' Ãine brings you an interview she recorded in December 2016. She speaks with Associate Professor Jeffrey Looi, Acting Head of the School of Psychiatry at the ANU and Dr Tony Schumacher Jones, winner of the 2013 Churchill Fellowship and independent behaviour consultant in dementia care.

The topic of aged care and the aged care reform is one that is not adequately addressed in health policy. Jeff and Tony discuss the need for proper resourcing for the aged care sector; the possibility of technological changes in aged carer provision and the ethics of robots and artificial intelligence providing care in aged care units. Transforming Perceptions, bringing you mental health and well-being updates, news, views and diverse perspectives from the national, local and mainstream and multicultural sectors, and music from round the world

On the 9th November 2019 on Transforming Perceptions  Áine Ní Tighearnaigh and Rodney  Stanton chatted with Associate Professor Jeffrey Looi and Churchill Fellow Dr Tony Schumacher Jones on the topic - When will Australia provide effective mental healthcare for the aged?  

In light of the impact of Covid-19 and the high number of infections and transmissions in aged care homes in Victoria and NSW we share this conversation with Jeff and Tony from the 9th November 2019, critiquing the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s Interim Report which had almost daily media coverage in late 2019.  The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s Interim Report detailed how the aged care system "fails to meet the needs of its older, vulnerable, citizens ... does not deliver uniformly safe and quality care, is unkind and uncaring towards older people and, in too many instances, it neglects them".  We discussed the recommendations in depth with Jeff and Tony providing a number critical comments and further recommendations on how aged care system and workforce could be improved.  As Tony stated "if you want a 21st Century Aged Care Service you're going to have to pay for it.  That's the reality isn't it. Your'e going to have to put money into it, not take money out it".  

Jeff and Tony are experts working in Dementia care and research. They have been regular guests on Transforming Perceptions for many years providing expert advice on support and care for people living Alzheimer's Disease and mental health issues. This discussion follows on from our last show in September 28th where we discussed The Politics of Loneliness – Humane Aged Care: Robot or Human?  Transforming Perceptions bringing you news, views, updates and diverse perspectives from the lived and living experience, community, multicultural, mainstream mental health sectors; and music from round the world.

Since his retirement from politics Jon has been working as an advisor to CEO Julie Tongs at Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, as a journalist writing for the City News, and as a professorial fellow in the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, based at the University of Canberra. Jon has been a passionate advocate of human rights throughout his career in politics.  Between 1979 and 1987, his community roles included being original co-convener of Racial Respect in the ACT and in 2004 he introduced the Human Rights Act to the ACT.  During his appointment as Administrator of the Indian Ocean Territories (Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island from 2012 - 2014 and at a time when the Australian Government introduced a policy of indefinite offshore detention in July 2013, Jon was sadly witness to 24,000 asylum seeker refugees landing on Christmas Island.

Áine chats with Jon about human rights themes emerging in his recent article in the City News, 17 June 2020 - 'Despite the deaths, the attorney snubs families'.  They discuss the underlying socio-economic issues of poverty, racism and discrimination impacting the well-being of people of Aboriginal backgrounds living in the ACT; the importance of culturally appropriate service delivery for those most marginalised in the community especially the need for aboriginal run services and programs; and the continuing indefinite offshore detention of refugees.

Áine Ní Tighearnaigh and David Lovegrove are In Conversation with  Professor Sandy McFarlane, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of  Adelaide.  In our conversation with Sandy, we continue this month's  theme for our shows where we are discussing the impacts on our diverse  communities from the bushfires, hazardous smoke and climate change. We  particularly focus our discussion how these events affect people who are  more vulnerable to stress, those  who either have had a prior trauma  experience, are living with or caring for someone with mental illness,  and those diagnosed with PTSD. Sandy brings a wealth of experience and  knowledge to our discussion from his research with bushfire affected  communities, war veterans and those who have been impacted by natural  disasters in Australia and overseas. Professor McFarlane has been the  "Director of The University of Adelaide's Centre for Traumatic Stress  Studies. His area of specialty is the effects of traumatic stress and he  is an international expert in the field of the impact of disasters and  post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is a Past President of both the  International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the Australasian  Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. He is the recipient for the  Robert Laufer Award for outstanding scientific achievement in the study  of the effects of traumatic stress".  Transforming Perceptions bringing  you news, views, updates and diverse cultural and lived and living  experience perspectives, from the community, multicultural and  mainstream mental health sectors and; music from round the world.

Energising Your Life - Áine Ní Tighearnaigh chats with Naeem Zaman about 'Conscious Living' -  Themes for Recovery as part of our first Energising Your Life segment  for 2020.  Naeem shares his personal experience and discovery of how to live a conscious life.   As a Bengali boy growing up in Australia, Naeem  had a range of experiences which brought him to the point where he began  to examine the conditioning from his cultural  and religious backgrounds as well as the pressures to acculturate  within the Australian society.  He dove deep into exploring the creation  of his identity formed by these various forces. Naeem talks about  the importance of good communication as the foundation of relationship  building, concepts of masculinity and the need to be vulnerable and  authentic in relationship with others.  Naeem works as a fitness instructor teaching body balance and is  studying Psychology with a view to undertaking a Masters in Social Work.  At the end of the today's show Naeem takes us through a 10 minute  meditation. Transforming  Perceptions bringing you news, views, updates and diverse perspectives  on social, emotional and mental well-being from the lived and living  experience, community, mainstream and multicultural mental health  sectors; and music from round the world.

Áine speaks with Michelle Marquadt, Program Manager, Household Surveys  Branch, Population and Social Statistics Division, Australian Bureau of  Statistics (ABS) about the recent survey findings of Impacts of  Covid-19.  Michelle Marquadt outlines the  regular surveys being conducted by the ABS findings on the impact of the  Covid-19 Pandemic to identify the key factors affecting Australians.   Recent surveys have shown that Loneliness has been a most common  stressor during Covid-19.  A survey into the Impacts on Parents Keeping  Children at Home reveals some of the challenges around home schooling  and effects on woman and children. Michele Goldman, CEO of Asthma  Australia outlines the impact of smoke on the community from findings  released on Friday 5th June 2020.  The survey conducted from December  2019 to end of January 2020 has ten key findings and a number of  recommendations for federal and state governments, community,  businesses, service providers and health and mental health stakeholders  and the building industry. Transforming Perceptions bringing you news, views, updates  and diverse perspectives on social, emotional and mental well-being from the lived and living experience, community, multicultural and  mainstream mental health sectors; and music from round the world.

Áine speaks with Michele Goldman, CEO of Asthma Australia about the survey  findings of the Smoke Impact Survey conducted during the bushfires from  December 2019 to end of January 2020. Michele Goldman, CEO of Asthma  Australia outlines the impact of smoke on the community from findings  released on Friday 5th June 2020.  The survey conducted from December  2019 to end of January 2020 has ten key findings and a number of  recommendations for federal and state governments, community,  businesses, service providers and health and mental health stakeholders  and the building industry. To find out more join us live, livestream of  listen back On Demand off the 2xx 98.3 FM Transforming Perceptions  Program page.  Transforming Perceptions bringing you news, views, updates  and diverse perspectives on social, emotional and mental well-being  from the lived and living experience, community, multicultural and  mainstream mental health sectors; and music from round the world.