In This Edition: Eye health, COVID-19 Updates, Aged Care News, Travel Spotlight, and many more!
Welcome to Our 365 Care January Newsletter
Each month we bring you the latest updates on the trends, issues and stories of the month that matter to you.
So, sit back, enjoy a nice cuppa and our latest newsletter!
It’s a New Year
And a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! 2022 is here and we are all hoping for a brighter, more open and less COVID-centric year. As January 4th is World Braille Day, this month we are focusing on vision, both literally and figuratively. The beginning of a year is a great time to set your intentions and goals for the months ahead that will bring you joy and fulfilment.
It’s also Australia Day on 26th January and, although this can be a controversial day, let’s make use of the public holiday to enjoy quality time with loved ones.
Health Focus: Eyesight
In light of World Braille Day, we thought we’d give you a very brief rundown on the history of Braille. Turns out that it was originally the fruit of Napoleon’s battles. He commissioned a man named Charles Barbier to create a way for his military units to communicate without speaking.
Barbier created the technique of using a knife to imprint letters on paper and then passed this system on to the Royal Institution for Blind Youths in Paris, where none other than Louis Braille was studying. Over 9 years, Braille used this starting point to develop the system we know today.
How is your eyesight?
It’s important to keep an eye on your eyesight (pardon the pun). If you haven’t had a test in more than two years, it’s a good idea to get one.
Here are some signs to look out for that might tell you it’s time for an eye test:
- Dry, red, itchy eyes
- Seeing spots, floaters or flashes of light
- Getting dizzy or motion sick
- Having headaches, blurred vision or feeling strain in the eyes
- Having to hold things at odd angles, distances or close one eye to read them
What can you do to preserve your eyesight for as long as possible?
- Wear protective sunglasses that block out 99-100% of both UV-A and UV-B rays, as these wreak havoc on eyesight.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before using contact lenses to prevent any eye infections.
- Avoid smoking as it increases your risk of age-related eye diseases.
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids as these are good for eyesight.
- Get exercise. It may seem unrelated to your eyes, but it can prevent diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, all of which definitely can have an effect on your eyesight.
COVID 19 Update
Many aged care residents are now eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot
For many older Australians, a booster shot to help protect against COVID-19 is now available. This is because older Australians were among the first eligible for the initial two vaccines. If you had your second dose more than 6 months ago, you could now go to your GP or a COVID clinic for your booster.
In terms of which booster to get, the one currently available is Pfizer and according to the Department of Health, you can have this irrespective of which brand of vaccine you had for your first two doses.
The Department of Health is encouraging people to get this booster to provide them with an extra layer of immunity to this ever-evolving virus. If you are keen to get yours, speak to your GP and they can arrange it for you.
Aged Care Industry Update
Aged care providers recognised by ACSA after navigating a tough year.
Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA), the body representing not-for-profit aged care providers, presented awards in December to recognise aged care providers in the wake of a tough year.
Some of the awards were as follows:
Innovation in Service and Design
Anglicare Southern Queensland, QLD
Anglicare Southern Queensland created a video series called ‘By Request: A Playlist of Memories’ about the power of music to help aged care residents recall precious memories.
Employee of the Year
Therese Best from Queen Victoria Care, TAS
Best started as a cleaner back in 2000 and worked her way up, gaining qualifications on the way, to become a physio assistant.
Volunteer of the Year
Christine Sward from Christian Homes Tasmania, TAS
Sward has been volunteering for over 20 years and now sits on the Clinical Governance Committee, where she advocates on behalf of residents.
Regional, Rural, Remote (RRR) Provider of the Year
Mt View Homes, SA
Mt View has been operating for 40 years in Booleroo Centre, a small rural community. They provide 30 beds and ten independent living units and are community-owned.
Provider of the Year
Warrigal, NSW/ACT
This not-for-profit aged care provider has been running for more than half a century and serves 3,700 older Australians in the Illawarra, Southern Highlands, Queanbeyan, and Canberra Regions.
Human Interest Stories
93-year-old invents an animatronic bird to bring joy and companionship to older adults
Rita Melone was not too fond of her walker. She recognised the need to create something that would remind her to use it and make using it feel less like a chore and more like a fun experience. So, she teamed up with Ageless Innovation LLC, a ‘global company devoted to reimagining how we positively live and age together through the power of play’ and created the Walker Squawker.
This interactive lifelike bird ‘sidekick’ that sits atop a walker can play songs, sing, move realistically, and just generally makes the experience of using a walker a positive one. It also serves as a reminder to older Australians to make use of their walkers. This shows once again that you’re never too old to come up with something new that can bring joy to others. And this invention is nothing to squawk at.
Travel Spotlight: Japan
Japan needs no introduction. The land of gorgeous cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji, sushi, sumo wrestlers and geisha, Japan is steeped in tradition, mystery and intrigue. It also has one of the longest life expectancies on Earth at 84 years old, so they must be doing something right. (Australia isn’t far behind, though, at 83 years old in 2020).
Many people don’t realise it, but Japan is comprised of 6852 islands, of which only 260 are inhabited. The five main islands that most tourists visit are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa Island.
Hokkaido
is the northernmost island and is renowned for its ski slopes and its seafood.
Honshu
is the biggest island and is where you’ll find the capital, Tokyo, as well as other popular cities like Osaka and Kyoto, and Mount Fuji.
Kyushu
is known for its active volcanoes, hot springs, beaches, and the infamous site of Nagasaki.
Shikoku
is the second smallest of the main islands and is known for its 88-temple pilgrimage of Buddhist temples.
Okinawa Island
is the smallest of the five main islands and is considered the ‘Hawaii’ of Japan with beautiful beaches and diving spots.
Here are some fun things you might not know about Japan:
Slurping your food is encouraged.
It is seen as a complement to the chef and a sign of appreciation to loudly slurp down your noodles or food.
Japanese trains take punctuality to a whole new level.
The average delay is only 18 seconds. That’s because drivers are highly trained and generally stick to only one train line for their career, so they could probably do the route in their sleep.
Squeaky floors are used to deter ninjas.
Known as Nightingale Floors, the homes of Japanese lords were often laid with deliberately squeaky floors to alert them of wily nimble ninjas trying to sneak in during the feudal period.
There is a festival of practically naked men.
Hadaka Matsuri is a festival where men strip down to their jockstraps (fundoshi) in the hope of receiving a fortune-filled year for their exposure. Okayama sees some 9000 men clad in only their skivvies.
There is 1 vending machine for every 24 people in Japan.
And you can get everything in them from ramen to flowers to umbrellas to batteries to pretty much anything you can think of.
Four is an unlucky number.
The Japanese word for ‘4’ sounds very similar to the word for ‘death’ so poor old number four gets a bad rap. Many buildings don’t have a 4th floor and food is sold in packs of three or five, but never four.
The depth of your bow matters.
The bow is a form of greeting in Japan and the deeper your bow, the more respect you are showing someone.
Recipes
Enjoy these healthy, flavour-packed treats from www.bestrecipes.com.au/ to satisfy your cravings!
Quick Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
A fresh and vibrant lunch or dinner you can pull together in minutes.
Ingredients
- 45 g chicken noodle instant soup
- 880 g cream-style canned corn
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Cook soup with water as per directions.
- Add creamed corn. Simmer very gently for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Slowly pour in lightly beaten eggs, stirring with fork.
- Add spring onions and serve.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Grandma’s 2-Ingredient Raspberry Flummery
Ingredients
- 1 x box (85 g) raspberry jelly
- 300 ml cream
Instructions
- Dissolve jelly crystals in 250ml boiling water. Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours, until almost set.
- Remove from fridge and add cream. Beat until well combined.
- Pour into dessert bowls and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Mind Games
An anagram is a word made by using letters of another word in a different order.
Example: Change toga into an animal; answer: goat.
- Change fringe into a part of the body. ___________________________
- Change cheater into a job. ___________________________
- Change asleep into a word used by polite people ___________________________
- Change chain into a country. ___________________________
- Change heart into a planet. ___________________________
- Change cheap into a fruit. ___________________________
- Change tea into a verb. ___________________________
- Change swap into an insect. ___________________________
- Change beard into something you can eat. ___________________________
- Change flog into a sport. ___________________________
Word Scramble: Flavours of Ice Cream
BEBULB MGU ___________________________
TITTU RFTITU ___________________________
OHOCC BLEMURC ___________________________
TEDLAS ARACLEM ___________________________
NATOLIPAEN ___________________________
TERTEDUB ANCEP ___________________________
THBIRAYD KACE ___________________________
WSTRAEBRYR ___________________________
NIAVLAL ___________________________
INTM ___________________________
Book Reviews
Living Brave – Lessons From Hurt, Lighting the Way to Hope
by Shannon Dingle
The grief in the aftermath of losing her love and life partner sits at the heart of Living Brave, where Shannon’s searing, raw prose, illustrates what it looks like to take brave steps on the other side of unimaginable loss.
Through each challenge, she reveals the ways she learned to walk through them to the other side, and find courage even through the darkest moments. Living Brave gives women permission to wrestle with difficult topics, to use their voice, to take a stand for justice, to honour the wisdom of their bodies, and to enact change from a place of strong faith.
Answers to Mind Games
Anagrams
- finger
- teacher
- please
- China
- Earth
- peach
- ate
- wasp
- bread
- golf
Word Scramble
- Bubble Gum
- Tutti Frutti
- Choco Crumble
- Salted Caramel
- Neopolitan
- Buttered Pecan
- Birthday Cake
- Strawberry
- Vanilla
- Mint
At 365 Care, we are here to make a difference in your lives and work hard to build caring relationships based on honesty, respect and advocacy.