New Zealand was once a “welfare state” where you could rely on the “state” to look after you throughout your life from infancy, healthcare, education, hardship to aged care. Since the eighties and “Rogernomics”, we have gradually moved away from this model as a country, to the point now where …
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Hospital admission under the Mental Health (Compulsory Treatment and Assessment) Act
Liam Butler interviews Dr Anthony O’Brien RN BA MPhil (Hons) PhD FNZCMHN Liam: Anthony, can you please explain the process of compulsory hospital admission to older adult mental health services, some of the issues involved, and the rights of patients admitted involuntarily. Anthony O’Brien From time to time older people …
Read More »Mental health for older people..
Liam Butler interviews researcher Chris Allison about promoting mental health for Older People  Chris how can your research into Global Ageing and the Challenges and Opportunities for Nelson-Tasman and Aotearoa New Zealand be used to promote mental health for older people? Chris Allison: As people age, for instance, their demands on health systems have …
Read More »The latest groundbreaking initiative from Aria Gardens
Following on from the phenomenal achievements of being awarded the 2014 national Excellence in Care (Community Connections) award and the WDHB Care Excellence Award for Compassionate Patient Support, Aria Gardens has recently been featured on the TV3 news programme ‘Newsworthy’ for their latest world first initiative “Creativity in the Communityâ€. …
Read More »The unique Holly Lea – A story of social change
When I was a child I used to visit a maiden aunt who lived in the genteel surroundings of Holly Lea. She was a farmer’s daughter who had too many male siblings and no husband to allow her to inherit any of the farms. She also lost her fiancé in …
Read More »Pink Ribbon Fundraiser Afternoon Tea
 Yesterday I was fortunate enough to volunteer my time to help the team at Chatswood Retirement Village host a very special Mother Day’s afternoon tea to raise money for the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation. I was also lucky enough to also spend time there with my MIL to be (as …
Read More »Do older people lose interest in sex?
Do older people lose interest in sex? Ten myths of ageing – debunked When you think about older people having sex, it probably makes you uncomfortable. Why is that? More and more, senior citizens are discovering that just because they’re older doesn’t mean their sex life is over. The thinking …
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