Health & Wellbeing

Your body is always changing, so this year you should make it a priority to keep up with your health. Here are a few changes you can make to make sure you live a happy and healthy year: It is a good idea to make an effort to visit the …

We all know how important physical activity is, but giving your brain a ‘workout’ is just as important. Although the brain accounts for only 2% of the whole body mass it uses approximately 20% of the blood flowing from the heart. Also, it uses approximately 20% of all the oxygen …

Hearing aids may slow or halt the onset of dementia.  Research is beginning to show that untreated hearing loss speeds up age-related decline in thinking ability.  In middle age hearing loss is the number one preventable contributor to future dementia.  Hearing aids may reduce these negative changes by improving communication, …

There’s no denying that water is good for you, but does everyone really need to drink 8 cups or more every day? For people who have specific health concerns, such as kidney stones or a tendency to develop urinary tract infections, drinking lots of water can be beneficial. There is …

There is a new fitness craze sweeping residential care centers across the world – silent discos. A silent disco is an event where people dance to music listened to on wireless headphones. Rather than using a speaker system, music is broadcast via Bluetooth with the signal being picked up by wireless headphone receivers worn by …

Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is run annually by the Mental Health Foundation and has been since 1993. MHAW is endorsed by the World Federation for Mental Health and is marked in over 150 countries at different times of the year. In New Zealand, MHAW will be held on 8–14 …

The Australian Federal Government is introducing a national digital health record system “My Health Record”. This has the backing of all of Australia’s peak health bodies, including the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of GPs and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. However, it has come up against some …

Cannabis is a hot topic. The government has introduced the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill, which allows for terminally ill people to possess and use cannabis but not grow it. National is proposing its own bill a “much more comprehensive and thought out” piece of legislation, which is …

According to a study by the US branch of Home Instead Senior Care, over 75% of Americans would rather think about what they want when they’re no longer here rather than make plans for later life. Their survey, which looked at two groups – one aged 45 to 69 and …

In our last Gazette post, “What is “normal” eye health?”, we mentioned a few eye diseases and conditions that we are at a higher risk of developing as we get older. These include: age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, and dry eye. While as you get older you are …