How do I tell if I'm dehydrated?

With most of the country currently facing extreme temperatures, now would be a good time to refresh your knowledge about dehydration.

Dehydration is what doctors call “volume depletion” or hypovolaemia.

When you are dehydrated your body looses water from both your blood vessels and body’s cells. 

Adequate hydration is required for the body to function normally; water maintains our body temperature and lubricates our joints. Our body’s cells rely on water as does our circulatory, respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological systems.

What causes dehydration? Dehydration can be caused by a number of things including: exercise, especially in the hot weather, sweating, fever, vomiting and diarrhea, some medicines and alcohol.

How I prevent dehydration?

• Especially in the hot weather, drink before you are thirsty

• Keep a water bottle or glass close by so you can sip during the day

• Consider drinking a cold mineral or soda water

• Caffeine is a diuretic, so limit these on a hot day

• Eat fruit and vegetables which have a high water content

• Limit sugary drinks, alcohol and fruit juices

• If you have been ill, consider taking a re-hydration solution

How can I tell if you or your loved one is dehydrated?

For mild cases:

• One of the first signs is feeling thirsty and a dry mouth

• Feeling dizzy from low blood pressure

• Infrequent urinating or dark coloured urine

• Cramps

For severe cases:

• Babies can have a sunken fontenal (soft spot on top of babies head)

• Little or no urinating

• Rapid breathing

• Headache

• Feeling irritable, confused or drowsy

If you are concerned about any dehydration symptoms, please see your doctor or go to hospital

If you’d like to read more about dehydration and the effects on the body please click here

Sources: The Conversation, healthdirect.gov.au , sciencedirect.com and Southern Cross Medical Care Society

Commonwealth Crack Down on Home Care Providers and Long Waiting Lists

Last night, the ABC’s 7:30 program aired a story about the long wait people needing a Home Care Package (HCP) could expect and the Government crackdown on providers who do not meet the standards of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission describes it’s role as a protector of the health and safety, well-being and quality of life for those receiving Australian Government funded aged care. The Commission also monitors and registers service providers subsidised by the Australian Government and has the power to place sanctions on providers who do not meet the Commission’’s standards. The Commision is also available to assist with any complaints you may have with your HCP provider.

According to the My Aged Care website: “A home care package is a coordinated package of care and services to help you to live independently in your own home for as long as you can.” If you do not already have a package, your first step is to register with My Aged Care who will assess your needs.

The Federal Government currently provide 23,000 packages a week and acknowledged this is not enough, while describing the situation as impossible to quickly fix. Another $1.8 billion has been committed in forward estimates to fund Home Care Packages.

If you’d like to view the 7:30 story, please follow the link and to read further reporting from the ABC on this story click here.

Other links you may find useful:

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

My Aged Care

ANOTHER YEAR BITES THE DUST: 2018 WITH THE NDIS by DSC

It is that time of year again. It is officially acceptable to have put up your Christmas tree and to be candidly counting down the days on your calendar until the work year is over. Your body might still be in the office, but your mind has probably already checked-in to an all-inclusive Pacific resort that boasts of a generous happy hour and little-to-no climate change related disturbances. You’re living the dream.  Well, almost.

While our eyes might firmly be on the prize, the year is not over yet. And if there is one thing this time of year lends itself to more than season’s greetings and absent work hours, it is reflection. In that spirit, we thought we would take a brief moment to reflect on the NDIS year that has (almost) passed.

NEW PARTICIPANT PATHWAYS

The year began on a positive note with the release of the Pathways Review, which acknowledged that the NDIS had fallen seriously short of community expectations in the ways it interacted with Participants, families and providers. The Review promised the end of the phone planning era- which to everyone’s complete astonishment had apparently not been a resounding success.  As part of a sweeping set of reforms, we were promised a new Provider Pathway and General Participant Pathway, as well as cohort specific pathways for children under six, people with complex support needs, people with psychosocial disabilities, people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people living in remote or very remote communities, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Since then, the NDIS website has also alluded to a LGBTQIA+ pathway. You can read more about the Pathway Review in our article from February.

The new General Participant Pathway has been trialed in Victoria. The NDIA deemed the trial a success and (we are told) the Pathway will soon roll out across the rest of the country. However, the cohort specific pathways have been moving at a considerably slower pace.  In October, the Agency began running workshops to learn about the needs of these cohorts. In November, it was announced that the Complex Support Needs Pathway would commence its rollout, beginning in Brimbank-Melton and Western Melbourne. So progress is a bit slow, but still:

INDEPENDENT PRICING REVIEW

 Also in February (it was a busy, hopeful and dreamy age), McKinsey & Company released their hotly anticipated Independent Pricing Review (IPR). The review was designed to explore the challenges that the NDIS provider market faced and to make recommendations to avert market failure. Amazingly, the Agency gave its support to all 25 of the IPR’s recommendations. Some of these were implemented in the 2017/18 Price Guide, including a 2.5% Temporary Support Overhead (TSO) and new rules about provider travel and cancellations. Last week, the NDIA also announced a new pricing tier for self-care, social and recreational support for Participants with "very complex" support needs. Unfortunately, they are yet to define what “very complex support needs” actually means. Details, huh?

QUALITY AND SAFEGUARDING

Year 2018 was a huge one for quality and safeguarding, beginning in February with the establishment of the Quality and Safeguarding Commission. There is now officially a new sheriff in town and his name is Commissioner Graeme Head (get it, “head”?). Jury is still out on how well he responds to jokes about his name, but from then on, the Commission became the gift that kept on giving. We got a new Code of Conduct, Practice Standards, draft Practice Guidelines and a new portal. All this only just in time before NSW and SA transitioned to the Quality and Safeguarding Framework in July 2018. A lot has been happening in this space in a short amount of time. It’s a bit of a pain in the short term, but when we finally have a nationally consistent quality and safeguarding regime it will (hopefully) all be worth it. 

SDA AND SIL

It has been a rollercoaster of a year for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and Support Independent Living (SIL). It began in April with the release of the SDA Provider and Investor Brief, a document our consultant Brent Woolgar described at the time as full of “new contradictions, new terminology, new risks, new uncertainties.” From this low point, the NDIA did manage to repair some of the damage throughout the year with the release of new data and information that offered providers a bit more market clarity. We are now waiting on the final, DRC endorsed outcomes of the SDA Framework Review which is due late January 2019 (so we can probably expect it some time in August). In the SIL space, the new Quoting Tool released in September (only two months late) has transformed an exceptionally complicated and resource intensive quoting process into a fairly complicated and resource intensive quoting process. It’s all about those baby steps. On a more positive, less sarcastic note, there is a real optimism emerging within the SDA market and we are quietly optimistic that 2019 is the year SDA takes off.

THE NDIS TURNS 5

 This year marked the 5th Birthday of the NDIS. While the Scheme is still young, it is growing up fast. Slowly, it is beginning to form its own character, values and traditions. It will not be long before the NDIS is a teenager and starts pretending it does not know us in public. Before that day comes, we need to make sure we are taking every opportunity we are given to create a better NDIS. Particularly, opportunities that arise through pug related gifs.

Moving image: With a tear falling from his eye, a pug looks down at a birthday cake marked "NDIS" and cannot bring himself to blow out the candle.

Year 2018 has been a busy one for the NDIS. As the rollout continues and the Scheme matures, we can probably expect there to be many more like it. But now is not the time to worry about what the new year will bring. It is nearly Christmas after all. Presents and public holidays await you. So, for the time being, let your mind travel back to that beautiful Pacific island and forget all about those four pesky letters: N-D-I-S.   

From all of us at DSC: enjoy your well earned break and have a happy new year.

Check out Family Planning Victoria's easy english fact sheets

Family Planning Victoria has a range sexual and reproductive health fact sheets available in Easy English format. CLICK HERE

These are written in an easy to read way and use pictures to explain ideas.  

See topics including What is Sex, Unplanned pregnancy, contraception and others.

Can Tennis Help You Live Longer?

Researchers have recently published a study in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings show that people who play tennis had an increased chance of longer life expectancy.

The researchers monitored thousands of people over 25 years and considered factors such as sex, age, income and education status. Importantly, they also tracked what sports the participants played and when they died.

Interestingly, they found tennis players lived longest among the activities they looked at — ahead of soccer, swimming and cycling.

Sports associated with the biggest increases in life expectancy are tennis (9.7 years), badminton (6.2 years) and soccer (4.7 years). Researchers recognised the common characteristics these sports have in common is that they take two or more people to play them.

Researchers concluded that sports near the bottom of the list were more typically done alone, like jogging (3.2 years) and going to the gym (1.5 years).

While the researchers can’t definitively say that tennis leads to a longer life, what they can say is that participating in a group sport is beneficial not only to your physical health but your mental well being too.

If you’d like to read more about this study, please click on the below links to the ABC article and the Mayo Clinic Proceedings report.

ABC Health

Mayo Clinic Proceedings Report

Sources: ABC

NDIA Announces "Very Complex Needs" Pricing Tier

The NDIA will today announce a new pricing tier for self-care, social and recreational support for Participants with "very complex" support needs. 

The long overdue new loading will be set at 10.3% and will be effective from February 2019. The Australian has reported that around 10% of Participants will be funded for supports at this level. 

Currently, the prices for self-care, social and recreational support fall into two tiers: standard needs and complex needs, with the high intensity rate set 5.5% higher.

This welcome price increase has come off the back of the Independent Pricing Review (IPR)'s recommendations, which found that the existing pricing levels for Participants with complex needs are insufficient to hire appropriately skilled workers or the necessary ongoing training and supervision.

The second part of this recommendation, which we are sure many of you will be wondering about by now, was that the NDIA needed to be clearer on what is meant by "complexity" to ensure more consistent application of pricing tiers in Participant plans. 

The IPR's proposed definitions are included in pic 3, though it has not been confirmed whether these definitions will be applied.

Many providers of therapeutic supports will still be eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Pricing Review's investigation into prices for therapy. Assistant Minister for Social Services, Sarah Henderson, has said that the new plan for these prices will be released “in the coming months”.

Celebrating International Day of People with Disability with Dylan Alcott

International Day of People with Disability is a United Nations sanctioned day. It aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.

The theme for 2018 is ‘Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’. According to the United Nations, 2018’s theme focuses on empowering people with disabilities for an inclusive, equitable and sustainable development.

Here at Karista, we are big fans of Dylan Alcott and the positive message he spreads about being a person with a disability. Dylan embodies 2018’s theme with his mission to help young people come to terms with their disability and help them to reach their full potential.

Through his sporting career, media and speaking engagements, Dylan is showing the world that people with a disability can do anything and are only limited by their imagination. By being a visible presence in Australia, Dylan is helping to normalise disability and remove stigma.

If you’d like to read more about Dylan Alcott, follow the links to a recent Guardian profile and the Dylan Alcott Foundation.

If you’d like to find out more about IDPwD and events happening near you click here

Sources: The Guardian, International Day of People with Disability and the Dylan Alcott Foundation.

Photo Courtesy of Vogue Australia

South Australia Welcomes First Accessible Music Festival

South Australia will be hosting it’s first Accessible Music Festival, Sound & Vibes on Saturday 1st December at the Adelaide Showgrounds to celebrate World Disability Day.

Featuring a great range of Australian acts, Sound & Vibes promises a fabulous day out for people of all abilities.

To read more about this exciting event and how to get involved click here.

Sources: Disability Support Guide and KYD-X

Melbourne Disability Expo Fri 16th & Sat 17th November 2018

Only one week to go until the Melbourne Disability Expo!

This is a free event to everyone. Karista would love you to come and say hello at our stand on either of the two days. We look forward to seeing you there!

Have You Been Eating Your Veggies?

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released its Nutrition Across Life Stages Report this week discussing their latest survey results about the eating habits of Australians.

Since 1995, the contribution of added sugars, total fat and saturated fat to energy intake has generally decreased however we are still eating too much of foods like chips, lollies, cakes and fast foods.

About one-third of Australians’ energy is from discretionary foods. This is highest for teenagers aged 14–18, at 41%. Within the 51-70 age group, alcohol accounts for more than 22% of discretionary food choices. Alcohol is often not thought of as a discretionary choice. The NHMRC Guidelines recommends that men and women drink no more than two standard drinks on any day (and no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion).

Fruit intake is closest to recommendations, although nearly 4 in 5 adults (77%) aged 19–50 are not eating enough.

Differences between the diets of Australians living in metropolitan and regional/remote areas has also become apparent with access to affordable and fresh ingredients a contributing factor.

There was also a difference between activity and obesity levels within metropolitan and regional Australia. Overweight and obesity levels were 53% in major cities, 57% in inner regional areas and 61% in outer regional/remote areas.

To maintain a healthy diet, we need to be eating from the 5 food groups which include: fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat and seafood and grain/cereals. But how much of the good foods should you be eating? Nutrition Australia has put together a handy table for you. You may also like to have a look at the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating Guide Pyramid.

Sources: The Conversation, eatforhealth.gov.au, Nutrition Australia

Do I have a cold or hay fever?

It’s that time of the year again where some us of start to feel the effects of the warming spring weather.

How do you know if it’s a cold or hay fever your suffering with? Is there a difference?

The Conversation recently published an article by Reena Ghildyal Associate Professor in Biomedical Sciences, University of Canberra and PhD Student Cynthia Mathew about how to tell the difference between the common cold and hay fever.

If you are someone who suffers at this time of year, follow the link below to learn more.

https://theconversation.com/health-check-how-to-tell-the-difference-between-hay-fever-and-the-common-cold-104755

Source: The Conversation

How A Victorian Man is Transforming Lives

On Tuesday night (23/10/18) the ABC’s Catalyst aired a program discussing medical bio mechanics, celebrating the people who design and develop new technology that is transforming many lives.

The program featured a story about Mat Bowtell, 2018 Victorian Local Hero who started his own prosthetic limb workshop at home after being retrenched.

With the help of crowdfunding, Mr Bowtell now has 12 3D printers in his workshop, along with prosthetic-grade scanners and sophisticated software and equipment to make the limbs that he gives away for free.

This new technique allows Mat to design and make limbs in a matter of days, whereas traditional methods can take several months. The delay in receiving limbs is particularly problematic for children as they can often outgrow the prosthetics not long after or prior to being fitted.

If you’d like to learn more about this remarkable technology and the man behind it please follow this link.

If you’d like to contribute to Mat Bowtell’s crowdfunding please click here

Source: ABC

Mat Bowtell and Catalyst presenter and surgeon Dr Nikki Stamp

How the Invictus Games are educating young people

The Invictus Games has been about more than the sports; it has also been an opportunity for the school kids of Sydney to learn lessons of resilience and inclusion.

A joint project of the NSW Education Department and the Invictus Games, the education project invites students to explore the ideas of resilience, empathy, service, inclusion and the healing nature of sport and community.

For Tilda Brownlow, (who was born with fibular hemimelia and had her left leg amputated at 2); the Games are a chance for her to see others who share the same physical challenges excel, and to be inspired by them. It is also just as inspiring for Tilda’s able bodied classmates and gives them a chance to experience life in a wheelchair by playing a game of wheelchair basketball.

To read more about this excellent program and Tilda, please see the attached link

Sources: ABC, Invictus Games

Tilda Brownlow

Photo Courtesy of the ABC

Congratulations to the COTA Senior Achiever Winner

Karista would like to congratulate Brenda Appleton who was awarded the Council of The Ageing Senior Achiever for her advocacy, education and research participation within the LGBTI community.

To read more about Brenda and advocacy work please follow this link

Source: COTA Victoria

World Arthritis Day 12 October 2018

Today marks World Arthritis Day. About 4 million Australians live with 1 or more types of arthritis.

Did you know that there are over 100 different types of arthritis? Its not just something that Nana has. Arthritis is indiscriminate, it can effect anybody at any age, young or old. Most forms of arthritis are thought to be auto-immune conditions, where the body’s immune system attacks its own joint tissues.

The cost to the Australian economy and health care systems are huge, in 2015 arthritis cost the health care system 5.5 billion. This figure is projected to jump to 7.6 billion by 2030.

To learn some more fast facts about arthritis, see the graphic below from Arthritis Australia.

Source: Arthritis Australia

Karista and Wise Employment working together

This week, Wise Employment launched a new video featuring Susy Dixon and Danielle Bodinnar of Karista. The video shows Susy discussing the challenges of living with Rheumatoid Arthritis and how Wise Employment helped to get Susy back into the workforce and working for Karista after taking time off to manage her health.

WISE Employment is a leading Australian not-for-profit employment services provider, offering free employment and recruitment services under the Australian Government’s Disability Employment Services (DES) and jobactive programs.

Wise Employment are now on the Karista website and are ready to help you too.

To view the video, please follow this link

Danielle Bodinnar and Susy Dixon

Finding a GP That can Help with your Mental Health

In the lead up to World Mental Health Day (10th October), Karista wanted to share a great article from Beyond Blue about finding a GP that can help with you and your family members mental health.

As the article explains, it is very important to find someone you can trust and have a good rapport with. It is also important to consider items like cost, experience and making notes before and during the appointment.

Depression and anxiety are not uncommon and are nothing to be embarrassed about, the old saying of ‘just getting on with it’ no longer applies. There is no shame in asking for help, in fact it is important that you do.

To find out more about how to find a GP you can speak to about mental health, see the article below.

Finding a GP that can help with your Mental Health Issues by Beyond Blue.

Source: Beyond Blue

Sleep Awareness Week

For Sleep Awareness Week, the Sleep Health Foundation have put together 10 Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep.

As we know, it’s important for us to sleep well but this can mean different things to different people. For example; Winston Churchill drank a weak whisky and soda before a two hour nap at 5 pm. Churchill credited this routine with enabling him to fit in a day and half of work in 24 hours. Florence Nightingale only slept for fours a night and Donald Trump, famous for his late night tweets, reportedly only sleeps 3 hours at night. Arianna Huffington developed a sleep routine after collapsing from sleep deprivation. Now her routine includes, no electronics in the bedroom, a bath in Epsom salts and reading.

Why is sleep so important? Scientists are yet to fully understand everything about sleep but what we do know is that sleep helps to restore us physically and mentally.

Sleep is thought to help keep your immune system strong and your heart and blood vessels healthy. It also allows for growth and healing and helps to control your appetite and weight.

Lack of sleep can and does affect your ability to concentrate, learn, and remember; sleep is also an important factor in managing your mood. Poor sleep has been linked to a range of physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and increased chance of road accidents.

Basically, you need sleep so your mind and body can work properly.

Sleep problems can and do affect your health and safety, so if you’re feeling sleep deprived, see your doctor for advice.

Sources: Sleep Health Foundation, Better Health Channel, healthdirect

Feeling Lonely? We can Help

Loneliness, we’ve all felt it at some stage in our life. In a world where we are more technologically connected than ever, many people including older Australians are finding themselves isolated and lonely.

It’s not just in Australia that loneliness has become a problem, in the UK the Government has appointed a Minister for Loneliness. The United States is also looking into the issue with research showing that about half of all Americans have reported feeling lonely at some stage.

Why has social isolation and loneliness become a problem? Our population is aging, and more people are finding themselves loosing lifetime partners or friends and developing conditions that limit their mobility. It’s not just older Australians who are feeling isolated, interestingly a recent study in America showed that it was also Gen Z (people aged between 18-22), a generation we consider to be the most connected who are increasingly finding themselves socially isolated.

So, what can you do about it if you are feeling lonely and need some company? Plenty. There are many groups and organisations set up to help the older members of our community feel more connected. Some suggestions are:

• Join a group. Why not try that painting class you’ve been thinking about? Join a book club or Men’s Shed

• Make a date. How about a regular coffee or lunch date with a friends or family? Or visit your neighbour for a cuppa

• Volunteer. There are many organisations looking for willing volunteers

• Make a call. Why not call that friend you haven’t spoken to for a while

• Get active. Commit to a weekly exercise class. Always wanted to know what Yoga was about? Well, now’s your chance

• Ask for help. If you’re finding yourself struggling to do the shopping or clean the house, speak to My Aged Care or the NDIS to see what funding you might be eligible for

Source: ABC and Better Homes and Gardens

R U OK? Day In the Karista Office

As a part of R U Ok? Day, a national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that any day is the day to ask, “Are you ok?” and support those struggling with life; CreativeCubes the Co-Working Hub which Karista shares a space in hosted a mini farmyard for the CreativeCubers to enjoy for the morning.

Natalie our Client Services Manager and Susy our Business Support Coordinator enjoyed a cuddle with a couple of bunnies.

Natalie, Karista’s Client Service Manager

Susy, Karista’s Business Support Manager