What’s in the news around NZ? In this post we cover recent articles of interest published by a variety of news organisations around NZ including  NZ Herald, Otago Daily Times, Radio NZ, Stuff.co.nz, Beehive.govt.nz, Newshub. to name but a few. To access the article simply click on the link provided and you …

From March next year, IR and ACC will no longer accept payments by cheque from customers who are able to use alternative payment options. IR received more than 430,000 cheques last financial year, the largest number received by any public sector agency. ACC received approximately 25,000 cheques from business customers. …

All of us have experienced loss at some time and as we age it is more likely we will experience the loss of someone close and dear to us. The emotional pain associated with loss makes it a difficult subject to think and talk about. There are strategies however that …

As the debate over New Zealand’s End of Life Bill continues, it is a good idea to see what is happening “over the ditch” as Victoria passes its new assisted dying laws. Victoria’s new laws came into effect on 19 June this year. For the first time in over 20 …

Talking about death and dying is hard. Most of us will not die suddenly. We all, in theory, have lots of time to think, talk and plan for our future and end-of-life care. Yet for most families this conversation does not happen or, if it does, then only when someone …

A Living Will or Advance Directive, conveys your wishes at a time when you cannot speak for yourself, e.g. if you are unconscious and decisions need to be made. It allows you to indicate what sort of treatment/s you would like and/or the situations that you would not give your …

The origin of the word is the Greek eu thanaos, meaning ‘good death’ or to die well without pain. Euthanasia is the act of deliberately ending the life of another person by non-violent means. Euthanasia, including voluntary euthanasia, is illegal in New Zealand. However, there have been attempts to change the law. Euthanasia …

Modern health care, the efforts of health care professionals and our healthier lifestyles have resulted in humans living longer than ever before. It has also resulted in a larger number of people who are living with increasingly complex illnesses for longer periods of time. Even though we may live longer, …

The baby boomers are longer-lived than previous generations, but they still experience similar rates of mental illness. Day clinics may be the way to address this concern. When most of us think of elderly mental-health problems, we think of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. But psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety are rife in older …

The interaction between physical and mental health has been attracting increasing attention.  People with long-term conditions are two to three times more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population. The interdependency of mental and physical health has significant implications for individual patients. Mental health problems can complicate …