Carers Week 2021 – Millions of Reasons to Care

“Carers are an essential part of our health system. They are the foundation of our aged, disability, palliative, and community care systems.” Every year 2.65 million Australian carers perform 2.2 billion hours of unpaid care. There are many reasons why a person may become a carer - disability, mental illness, chronic conditions, terminal illness and …

Capability Before Disability

Since early last year the news headlines have mostly consisted of Covid…Covid….and more Covid. There hasn’t been a lot of good news for quite some time, so when the Olympic Games started a few months ago I was quite relieved to have something else garner my attention. My poor covid fatigued brain really enjoyed having …

Migraine and Headache Awareness Week

Headaches are one of those annoying things in life. Often caused by stress or noise or sometimes even a little too much to drink, they are irritating but usually quickly treated with a couple of pills or a good lie down. Migraines, on the other hand, are a serious and debilitating condition that can rob …

Australian Women’s History – Memoirs of Tilly Aston

Although we have not seen a million things we understand quite well, we have seen something else with which we can compare new impressions; something which makes it possible for us to SEE, perhaps more vividly than many unseeing sighted people, the gifts of beauty or grandeur strewn around us. Tilly Aston If you are …

Understanding the NDIS Plan

For many Australians living with a disability the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has become such a regular part of life that it can be difficult to remember how life was before. For our son Dan, who has autism and an intellectual impairment, the NDIS is the way in which he receives the supports that …

Living with Dignity

Today, December 3rd, is the International Day of People with Disability. It is an annual event designed to “increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.” Each year there is a specific theme, and this year, quite appropriately, it is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible …

NDIS: No Choice, No Control

The final months of the year are always a busy time. The school year comes to a close and we start preparations for Christmas and the Summer holidays. It is an even busier time for us as it coincides with the time of Dan’s NDIS plan review. For people with disabilities and their families the …

#BookSnapSunday – Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1883-1924) begins with a startling opening sentence.  One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. Understandably Gregor’s family are quite shocked and distressed by his sudden transformation. Not really knowing quite what to do, they lock him away in …

#BookSnapSunday – The First Stone

Have you ever finished reading a book, skimmed through some reviews on Goodreads and asked yourself: “Were we reading the same book?” The First Stone by Helen Garner was controversial when it was first published in 1995 and it still deeply divides readers today. In 1992 a Master at Ormond College in Melbourne was charged …

National Carers Week – Why Do We Care?

National Carers Week has been celebrated in Australia since 1992. It aims to recognise and celebrate the significant contribution that unpaid carers make to the Australian community. This year the theme focuses on the stories of carers asking them the question -  Why Do You Care? 1 in every 8 Australians is caring for a …