Health & Wellbeing

It wasn’t all that long ago that anyone diagnosed with gout was told to avoid such pleasures as fish, shellfish, asparagus, mushrooms, beer, cured meats, beans, tomatoes, and the list goes on! These are all considered “high purine” foods which were thought to cause gout attacks. Many people still restrict …

Melanoma is one of the most common cancers in New Zealand. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer, and most melanoma (80–96%) is caused by UV exposure. In 2018, New Zealand had the second highest melanoma incidence and mortality rates in the world, after Australia. In 2015, 378 people died …

Vitamin D is important for strong bones and muscle function. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium into its bones. Older adults who don’t get enough vitamin D can develop bone and muscle weakness and have an increased risk of falls. There are three sources of vitamin D- sunlight, …

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 …

People in the Blue Zones (Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California and Nicoya, Costa Rica) enjoy long, healthy lives. They routinely live to be 100 and have very little lifestyle disease such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Nine reasons for their good health have been given, …

In recent years, there has been a shift away from a focus on illness alone, to more attention being placed on wellness, both in policy and health practice. “Five Ways to Well-being” is a set of five simple, evidenced-based actions which can improve wellbeing in everyday life for everyone, no …

Older people have diverse experiences of ageing. Mental health is just as important for older people as it is for younger people. Just over 7% of older adults living in the community experience mental illness and/or addiction each year. The prevalence of mental illness is estimated to be 3 – …

In Australia, retailer’s are reporting that they’ve experienced a rise in ‘spy camera’ purchases as an increasing number of resident’s families say they want to keep an eye on their older loved ones. This sale spike might have something to do with the current Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care …

As we are all aware, staying fit and healthy in old age is very important. The healthier you are, the more chance you have of avoiding certain medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. We also know that technology has come in leaps and bounds over the past two …