Health Professionals August 2019

Health Professionals Brought to you by The Adviser

Enjoying the outdoors

INSIDE: Local, Danielle Cox, enjoying a walk around the Victoria Park Lake with her pup, Benji.

Photo: Sharelle Jarvis.

Special 2 page NDIS feature Summer drought has lasting effect on farmer health

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in your region

Assisting families and the greater community FA M I LYCA R E has been assisting families and individuals through different services across the Goulburn Valley and Lower Hume since 1982.

FamilyCare is a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider, and is able to provide services that can assist people with a disability, their families and carers access the NDIS. They can also provide support coordination to help people implement their NDIS plans.

Support Coordinators can assist with finding services within the local community so that people with a disability can access the supports they need to live and enjoy their life.

The Disability Support Services Program can also offer NDIS supports with a range of assisted programs and social activities for children, young people and adults. These programs assist people with a disability to interact socially, develop life skills, and to give them the confidence to access the community. These supports can be tailored to the needs of the participant, are flexible, and provided locally.

FamilyCare also recently opened their sensory garden and bouldering wall, giving people of all ages accessing FamilyCare programs a place to relax, explore and have a bit of fun climbing up the bouldering wall.

For more information, contact FamilyCare on 5823 7000 or visit the supportive team at 19 Welsford St, Shepparton.

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FUN FOR EVERYONE‌ From left (back), IntoRec participants, Kobe James, Ford Scouller, Jack Daniels and Corey Doherty.

(Front) Xavier Castle, Clay Adams and William Shipley all enjoying the FamilyCare bouldering wall. Photo: Katelyn Morse.

in your region

Giving amputees greater mobility THE challenge of living with limb loss is daunting for any individual. With rapid advances in technology, however, the level of comfort and function amputees can obtain with modern day prostheses and materials technology improves daily.

The prosthetists at Northern Victoria Orthotic & Prosthetic Service (NVOPS) in Shepparton, Noel and Elizabeth, work with state-of-the-art prosthetic devices to give people the opportunity to attain mobility with greater convenience.

“Some of our lower limb prosthetics come with microprocessor control that simulate normal leg and foot movement. There is technology in development that picks up signals from the body that activates computer chips in the ankle to cause movement when required,” said prosthetist, Noel Mitchell.

While some limbs can cost thousands of dollars, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is making it easier for amputees to access local prosthetic service providers.

“Technology that makes our work easier and

PROVIDING A GREAT SERVICE… From left, Northern Victoria Orthotic & Prosthetic Service prosthetist, Elizabeth Cox and prosthetist, Noel Mitchell are your local prosethic service providers. Photo: Katelyn Morse

provides greater accuracy is being able to take a 3D scan of the amputee’s limb to make the custom prosthetic socket. Previously we were making plaster of paris casts around limbs that were difficult to handle, now we can do it all digitally,” added Noel.

NVOPS produce the custom fitting carbon fibre sockets at their Shepparton clinic, incorporating these with the most appropriate prosthetic components such as feet and knees, from around the world.

For more information, contact the NVOPS team on (03) 5822 4277, visit their clinic at 40 King St, Shepparton or check out their Facebook page.

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Health Professionals Summer drought has lasting effect on farmer health AS the full impact of the drought takes hold of the country, more and more farmers are finding themselves in dire financial straits having exhausted all resources in keeping their farming property together.

“The last thing that a lot of farmers and particularly men do, is take care of themselves,” said Dee Walker, the practice manager at Waranga Medical Centre in Rushworth. Dee and some of the practice nurses had set up a small booth at the Wanalta Shearing Day to put to those attending the need to look after themselves.

“I think the whole community is suffering, each part contributes to the next. A great many farmers are not doing so well due to the drought which then puts pressure on their families and flows on to the small businesses in the towns and the last thing they do is come in and get a health check when it is needed. A great many people are feeling the stress.”

The nurses were conducting blood pressure checks and giving out sample bags with some donations f rom

NURSING IN THE FIELD… From left, women’s health nurse, Fiona Mercer, practice nurse, Amy Francis, retired farmer, Albert Walsh, practice manager, Dee Walker and practice nurse, Amanda Williams. Photo: Steve Hutcheson.

outlets, the most important of which was a brochure that pointed farmers in the direction of where they can get

assistance, financially and medically. The message is, don’t let your health be the last thing you concern yourself with.

Roll up your sleeve WITH flu season almost over, now is an ideal time to do some good and head to your local donation centre to donate blood. There is a big demand for blood after another tough winter, so donation centres are encouraging people to roll up their sleeve and donate.

People of all walks of life need blood products. Some need it to get them through a serious event in their lives, like cancer or a difficult pregnancy. Others have medical conditions, which means they need blood products regularly to stay alive or be healthy.

You may be able to donate whole blood, plasma or platelets. Each type of blood donation is used for different medical treatments, and your blood type determines the

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best donation for you to make.

Being scared of needles, or a bit grossed out by blood, doesn’t need to stop you from donating. Lots of donors were scared or nervous the first time they donated blood, too.

You could try bringing a friend to distract you or using the televisions provided as a distraction, play a game on your phone, read a book, and even reward yourself after you donate. Whether it’s a guilt-free muffin or a special treat you’ve been looking forward to, it helps to concentrate on the reward.

Head into Shepparton’s Donor Centre opposite Kmart on Vaughan Street, or call 13 14 95 to book an appointment.

Time for some shuteye Caring for Our Community ARE you cranky during the day? Does your memory wane? Maybe you’re not getting enough sleep.

Specialists at the Sleep Health Foundation are concerned many adults don’t understand just how seriously their sleep affects daily function, particularly regarding memory and mood.

A lack of sleep is known to greatly affect energy levels, productivity, weight and increases the likelihood of developing more serious heath conditions like diabetes, depression, heart disease and hypertension.

Sleep Awareness Week is taking place this year between August 5 and August 11 and this year is focusing on the

benefits of sleep for optimal cognitive functioning from infancy to old age.

The Sleep Foundation recommends adults get between seven to eight hours a sleep per night, however many are trying to survive on considerably less. Increasing your nightly dose of sleep can be achieved through a few simple techniques, including avoiding caffeine after 2pm, starting to wind down around an hour before bed and, most importantly for this modern era, keeping technology completely out of the bedroom.

Free, independent and expertwritten fact sheets on every aspect of sleep are available at w w w. sleephealthfoundation.org.au

EMPATHY FOR PAIN… Neil MacArther and his partner Elaine Butcher are encouraging locals suffering with pain to get involved with weekly discussion groups at South Shepparton Community House. Photo: Steve Hutcheson.

Chronic pain forms social bonds EMPATHY can play a big part in the ability of someone going through life dealing with chronic pain. As we age, that pain can be all consuming.

While there are a number of pain management resources that give people the skills to deal with ongoing chronic pain, some of those who endure it also need an ongoing avenue to share their difficulties and means of addressing it with others in the same situation.

Neil MacArthur is one such person who, following an industrial accident some years ago, suf fers ongoing chronic pain that at times can be all consuming. “ While medication solves most of it, I try a number of things to get past it. That might include meditation or transcendental meditation, yet I have found that the best thing I can do is distract myself,”

said Neil.

It was the need to be able to talk to others in a similar position to himself that got Neil to raise the idea of a support group through the Shepparton South Community Centre.

“People need to feel that they are not alone,” said Neil. According to Psychology Today people are likely to relate to other people better when they have both endured similar chronic pain.

The process Neil envisages is that people get together and are given the floor for five minutes in turn to talk about their pain and how it affects them and what are their mechanisms for coping.

For people who are interested in joining the discussion, they can contact the South Shepparton Community Centre 5821 6172

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Health Professionals

PLAY, LEARN AND BELONG… From left, Guthrie Street Primary School students, Ryder Heaney, Shae Hampton, Lulla’s Children and Family Centre director, Miranda Edwards, three-year-old, Amayah Briggs, Lemnos Primary School students, Bradley Atkinson, Lerozac Leatuafi and Tayden McNally. Photo: Sharelle Jarvis.

Successful day of health for Indigenous children LAST Friday saw a great community turnout at the Western Park/All Abilities Playground for the 2019 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. The theme for the 2019 children’s day was ‘We Play, We Learn, We Belong’, promoting the importance for early education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Acknowledged annually across Australia, the day gives all Australians the opportunity to show support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children, as well as learn about the crucial impact that culture, family and community play in the life of every child.

Currently, the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are thriving and growing up strong in their cultures, with support from friends and family. However, some First Nations children still face ongoing challenges that stem from colonisation and its effects, including discrimination, poverty, systemic removal, intergenerational trauma, dislocation from land and culture, and community disempowerment.

The focus of the day was all about raising awareness and giving the kids their own day – the next generation of elders need to be cared for.

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