Aged care trailblazers win national awards

Lunch group for dementia patients and carers serves up more than just food

FIVE years ago, life for Ross and Julie Collins changed forever when Ross suffered a substantial haemorrhagic stroke, which left the right-hand side of his body immobile.

A group of carers in the Barossa region have formed a Dementia Friendly Commu­nities Working Group aimed at raising awareness of those living with dementia and highlighting the issues they face.

Volunteering at RSL Care Inverpine is a labour of love for John Gray.

Across the developed world more people are living longer, which of course means more get to be extremely old by the time they die. Nearly half of all deaths in the United Kingdom are in people aged 85 or older, up from only one in five just 25 years ago.

People go through an often exhaustive process of preparing for birth — going to classes, making a birth plan — yet when it comes to death there is little planning and very little conversation, says Palliative Care Australia CEO Liz Callaghan.

Twelve months ago 81-yr-old grandmother Jean Young took a step into the unknown - a 113 metre step to be precise as she abseiled the 27 storeys down the St James Building in Melbourne.

There are so many gadgets and assistive technology devices available these days it’s difficult to know what’s best for you. The ATSA Independent Living Expo is the perfect place to discover what’s available, how it works and where to get it.

There seems no end to the number of men who love tinkering with machines and gadgets. And that is one of the reasons many find themselves volunteering at Technical Aid to the Disabled SA (TADSA).