In This Edition: Pain Management, COVID-19 Updates, Aged Care News, Anti-scamming Tips, and many more!

Welcome to Our 365 Care November Newsletter

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberSpring is almost over and summer is just around the corner. Here’s hoping we’ll have more fun under the sun this year! In the meantime, you can read about 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!

 

Remembrance Day

On the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 AM, we observe a minute’s silence for Remembrance Day to honour all servicemen and women who fought to protect our shores in WWI, WWII and other conflicts.

Care Community Engagement 2021 November

This sombre tradition has been ongoing since the Armistice was signed on November 11th in 1918, bringing World War I to an end and silence to the gunfire on the battlefields. The day used to be called Armistice Day but after WWII, it was changed to Remembrance Day to commemorate all who died in wars. People wear poppies on this day to honour the fallen soldiers, as the red flower is said to be the first that bloomed in the fields of Belgium and France after the carnage of the war.

We have had a rough two years battling with the COVID-19 pandemic, but our forefathers and mothers had it a lot tougher and some saw not one but two World Wars. If you feel so inclined, pause to give them a thought on 11/11 at 11 AM. We will remember them. Lest we forget.

Health Focus for The Month: Pain Management

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberMany people consider pain to be a natural part of getting older. As the body experiences more wear and tear, something’s got to give, right? Well yes, to a point, but living in chronic pain is no way to live, and there are ways to alleviate and reduce this if it is properly addressed by your doctor.

Pain can affect your life in so many ways. It impedes your physical abilities, it is mentally and physically exhausting, it can make you irritable and thus affect your relationships, it can cause you to feel embarrassed or humiliated that you are not as mobile as you used to be, and all of this can lead to psychological effects, such as depression. That’s why it’s so important to speak up about your pain and get professional help.

We’ve put together some ideas to help you communicate your pain and cope with it.

Keep moving

While exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing, it’s important to stretch out and keep your muscles toned. Exercise also helps with balance and can be a good way to have social interaction, so you don’t feel isolated. If you can afford to, invest in a personal trainer who specialises in training the elderly. Or watch videos of exercises designed for the elderly on YouTube or other video platforms. Consult a doctor first on what kind of exercises you’re allowed to do.

Feed your body well

A healthy diet not only gives you the energy to deal with your pain but also helps to make medications work more effectively and lessen their side effects.

Don’t grin and bear it

If you haven’t got a pain management plan, speak up and get to a doctor to make one. If you have one and it’s not working, tell your doctor, as it may need necessary adjustments such as changing the dosage or the medication itself.

Destress

Stress aggravates pain, so if you’re feeling mentally or physically stressed, find ways to help your body relax. A couple of ideas are meditation, deep breathing, slow and easy exercises like Tai Chi, listening to calming music, or having a warm bath. You can also do progressive muscle relaxation, which is a mental exercise where you focus on each part of your body and consciously relax it.

Keep a pain journal

If your pain management plan is not working, you can help your doctor out a bit by doing some investigative work yourself. Keep a daily journal to track your pain and rate it on a scale of 1-10. Also, list the physical activities you did each day, so your doctor has a better idea of how to help you.

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberTailor your life

If you have pain in your hands and tying shoelaces is a chore, invest in slip-on shoes. If raising your hands overhead while changing your shirt causes shoulder pain, buy zip-up or button-up jumpers and shirts instead.

If you get a sore neck from looking down to read a book, raise it up on something like a music stand. Little adjustments can go a long way.

 

COVID-19 Updates

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberIs it safe for grandparents to visit their unvaccinated grandchildren?

With freedom and a return to some sort of normality just around the corner, many of us are eagerly awaiting the chance to visit our loved ones again. But you may be wondering how safe it is for you to visit your unvaccinated grandchildren.

Well, according to Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, epidemiologist and adviser to the World Health Organisation (WHO), that depends on if and when you have been vaccinated.

If you live outside a hotspot and you have been vaccinated more than two weeks before your grandchildren visit, and they have no symptoms, you should be safe. But if you live in a hotspot, this could put you at risk.

That’s why Prof. McLaws is pushing for the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to approve Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) so that children can do a quick test before they visit granny or grandpa. The tests are affordable (around $10) and it’s a practical and effective way to keep elderly relatives safe.

If your grandchildren have any symptoms at all, they should get tested or stay away until they are well again.

If you have been vaccinated less than two weeks prior or are unvaccinated, you are at a much higher risk of contracting COVID-19 from your grandchildren. In the case of the recently vaccinated, we advise you to wait the full two weeks. In the case of unvaccinated older Australians, if you are medically able, we strongly recommend you get vaccinated as soon as possible so you don’t miss out on those hugs and kisses from your loved ones.

Slice of Life Stories

Quarantine karaoke turns granny into an Internet sensation

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberTerri Hafner Riley grew up dreaming of becoming a singer, but life had different plans. The 53-year-old veteran and teacher’s aide from Boston thought she’d left those aspirations far behind her. But she was wrong.

As COVID-19 swept across the world and millions of people found themselves in quarantines and lockdowns, a man named Joseph Meyers decided to create the Facebook group ‘Quarantine Karaoke’. On the group page, he noted, ‘You are encouraged to post videos of yourself singing your favourite songs to distract the world from the pandemic and pull each other closer together.’

Learning of this page, Riley decided to give it a go just for fun. In her living room and clad in her pyjamas, she recorded her first few songs by the likes of Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks. They were an instant hit. The comments poured in and Riley became a featured singer contributor on the page.

Since those first tentative steps into the public eye, Riley has upgraded her gear with a professional microphone and a camera on a tripod. She is also keen to start a band with her guitarist hubby.

It just goes to show that good can always come out of bad and it’s never too late to live your dreams.

Have a look at one of her first performances, PJs and all.

Tech News

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberNobody likes to be scammed, but unfortunately the scammers out there are getting smarter by the day. This year, we’ve seen a massive increase in the number of people becoming victims of SMS scams. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions’ (ACCC) ScamWatch reported SMS scam losses amounting to A$5,889,596 as of August 2021. That is nearly double the losses of last year.

Very often, scammers target the elderly who might be considered less tech-savvy than the younger generation and less aware of the many crooks out there. There are two main types of SMS scams – financial fraud by pretending to be a legit organisation and tricking you into handing over your bank details, and cyberattack via malware whereby they send a link for you to click and take action, which then installs malware on your phone to steal your bank details.

To help you avoid being scammed via SMS, here is a list of some things to look out for:

  • Anyone pretending to have excessive authority or acting as if on behalf of a legit company in a way you were not expecting.
  • Anyone telling you that you only have a limited time to respond. A legit company would send you an email or a written letter and give you ample time to respond.
  • Any wins for competitions you did not enter.
  • Anyone using hostile and threatening language, or overly familiar and casual language.
  • An SMS from a phone number that is longer than usual – 11 digits or more is probably a scam.
  • Anyone texting from a random number to ask for help or claiming you have a family member in an emergency and that you need to send money.
  • Any text refund messages, where you are told you’ve been overcharged, and they want to give you a refund but need your bank details.
  • Any ‘account deactivated’ messages that you weren’t expecting. This is an attempt to get your details.

Actions you can take to protect yourself:

  • Don’t click on links that you don’t recognise.
  • Don’t ever give out your bank details.
  • Contact your phone company immediately to report the fraud.
  • If you’ve been caught out, let your bank know, cancel your bank cards and change all your passwords as soon as possible.
  • Report the crime to ScamWatch.
  • Keep your mobile’s software (and its security features) updated.

Travel Spotlight

Since we can’t travel very far at the moment, we thought it would be a good idea to showcase some far-reaching and little-known places in the world to inform, inspire and entertain you.

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberThis month, we are turning our spotlight on Tahiti.

Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia and is located in the South Pacific Ocean. French Polynesia has 5 archipelagos consisting of a total of 118 islands and covers 4000m2. The archipelagos are the Society Islands, Tuamotu, the Austral Islands, the Marquesas and the Gambiers. Tahiti is one of the Society Islands and is a paradise of luxury resorts, markets, restaurants and nightclubs along the coast, as well as a haven of valleys, streams and enchanting waterfalls.

Getting a tattoo was a ceremonious rite of passage when children enter adolescence. In fact, the English word ‘tattoo’ comes from the Tahitian ‘tatau’. The idyllic over-water Bungalow that we associate with Bora Bora (another island in French Polynesia) and other paradise locations, was created in Tahiti. By the way, unlike here, there are no poisonous snakes or insects in French Polynesia!

Continue your exploration of Tahiti by reading more about these cool facts.

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberRecipes

Enjoy these healthy, flavour-packed treats from www.bestrecipes.com.au/ to satisfy your cravings!

 

 

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberChicken patties in creamy mushroom sauce

An easy-to-make dish that you can pan-fry first then make the sauce later in time for dinner!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken & watercress pasta salad

● 2 tablespoons olive oil
● 100g button mushrooms, finely diced
● 2 rashers bacon, diced
● 500g chicken mince
● 1 shallot, sliced
● 1 clove garlic, crushed
● 1 clove garlic, crushed
● 1 cup breadcrumbs
● 1/2 cup cream

For creamy mushroom sauce:

● 40g butter
● 1 tablespoon olive oil
● 100g button mushrooms, sliced
● 1 clove garlic
● 1/4 cup wine
● 3/4 cup cream
● 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frypan and add mushrooms and bacon. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl lined with baking paper and allow to cool. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except olive oil. Form into 8 patties. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
  2. To make creamy mushroom sauce, melt butter with oil in a saucepan. Cook mushrooms for 4 minutes, stirring, until well browned. Add garlic and cook for a further minute. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour in wine and allow it to bubble up. Add cream, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and stir through Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Keep warm while you cook the patties.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Cook patties for 3 minutes each side, adding more oil if necessary, until cooked through.
  4. Serve patties with mushroom sauce spooned over.

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberHealthy Fruit and Nut Slice

Go nuts over this fruity dessert with no sugar needed!

Serves: 20
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

● 2 cups sultanas
● 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
● 1 cup almonds, chopped
● 1 tablespoon plain flour
● 1 tablespoon milk
● 3 eggs, beaten

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together well.
2. Press into a greased slice tray.
3. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes.
4. Cut into squares when cool.

NOTE: You can also try other dried fruits like glace cherries.

Mind Games

Solve these anagrams

1. Change thicken into a place where you cook
2. Change cheater into a job
3. Change asleep into a word used by polite people
4. Change beard into something you can eat
5. Change below into a part of the body
6. Change chain into a country
7. Change cruelty into a word for knives, forks, spoons, etc.
8. Change thing into a time of day
9. Change heart into a planet
10. Change flog into a sport

Book Review

Care Community Engagement 2021 NovemberThe Power of 1440
Making the Most of Every Minute in a Day
by Tim Timberlake

What can you do with 1,440 minutes in a day? Be inspired by Tim Timberlake’s personal journey from tragedy to triumph and find your own way to enrich your life with his helpful day-by-day manual. You’ll discover the opportunities, the benefits, and the blessings that each moment brings in your daily life. To quote Tim, “Win some, learn some . . . but never lose.”

 

Service You Can Trust

At 365 Care, we provide quality, compassionate home care in Western Sydney for the elderly and for adults with disability who want to remain independent in their own homes. We work alongside families seeking peace of mind whilst building caring relationships that are based on honesty, respect and advocacy.

For more information on the aged care services and disability services we offer and how we can assist in maximising the value from your home care packages, contact us on 1300 365 248.

Online Resources for Aged Care Assistance

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
If you have concerns regarding the quality of your aged care services, visit this website to download the brochure for more details:
www.agedcarequality.gov.au/resources/do-you-have-concern-brochure

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
To make a complaint regarding safety and support services, visit this website to download the brochure for more details:
www.ndiscommission.gov.au/document/806

My Aged Care
If you require assistance with home, transport, and personal care support, click on the link to download the document for more details:
www.myagedcare.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-04/myagedcare-poster-english.pdf

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN)
If you need free legal support for aged care rights, click on the link to download the document for more details:
www.opancom1.b-cdn.net/OPAN_Support_DL_April-2021_V3.pdf

Mind Game Answers:
1. kitchen
2. teacher
3. please
4. bread
5. elbow
6. China
7. cutlery
8. night
9. Earth
10. golf

 

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