otway health News Summer 2014

3 Food Swap Success

5 Meet the Board

8 Colouring in competition

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

Don’t let the fact that it is February fool you. Summer is really just kicking off in a big way with the number of hot days fast approaching. Although the crowds have left the beaches and you no longer have to wait ages to grab a coffee, summer in our region is well and truly here. With a long stretch of days in the 30’s, it pays to be sun savvy in these heatwaves. Heatwaves are responsible for many deaths in Australia. Many more deaths than fire. Mortality rates begin to increase after only a few days of constant weather over 30 degrees. The people most at risk include older people, particularly those living alone, people with pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease, people who are taking medication and people who find it difficult to move around. So do the neighbourly thing and check in on others during these times. Otway Health would like to remind the community to put in place extra precautions during the

hottest weeks of summer. There are a number of tips you can put in place to keep yourself safer during periods of extended hot weather. Many of them you will know and are common sense, some you may not have considered before:

Reduce physical exercise

Keep your indoors cool and stay inside, out of the sun

If you have an air conditioner – use it. Put it on before the day heats up.

Drink plenty of water

Keep in touch with loved ones

Listen to the weather reports to keep informed

Don’t forget your pets either!

Please remember heat stroke can be a life threatening

illness. If you feel you are suffering with heat stroke, call an ambulance on 000.

February means festivals Fabulous local food, music and

great family fun for all Otway Health is excited to again

be a part of the 3rd Annual Apollo Bay Seafood Festival on Saturday 22nd February. From supplying

the artwork that graces the cook-ing stage to running the colouring competition and colouring station. From 10:00am on the Apollo Bay Foreshore, come visit the Otway

Health tent and join in on the fun. Don’t forget our colouring-in

competition on the back page. Entries close 20th February. Drop

off at Otway Health Reception Our tent was alive with colour CEO Linda West gets busy

www.facebook.com/ApolloBaySeafoodFestival and www.facebook.com/OtwayHealth

BreastScreen Bus provided by Otway Health The Otway Health Breast-Screen bus runs every 3 months costs $12 for a round trip and can accommodate 10 ladies. It is a free government initia-tive, for women over 40, with no abnormalities or previous breast complications. There is currently a waiting list for the next bus in May so get in quick when you see it advertised – you may even have the chance to do a spot of shopping while you wait for the other ladies! After registering with Otway Health, you’ll receive confir-mation in the post prior to the BreastScreen Bus Trip. Once there, a female staff member and radiographer will step

you through the screening pro-cess which only takes a few minutes. Results are reviewed and mailed directly to you within 6 weeks. It’s recommended that all women over 40 undergo breast screening in order to detect any abnormalities early. For more info: Loren Jenkins –

Community Health Nurse on

5237 8500

6 Work with us!

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Publisher:

Otway Health

75 McLachlan Street,

Apollo Bay VIC 3233

Ph: 5237 8500

otwayhealth@swarh.vic.gov.au

www.otwayhealth.com.au

Articles are subject

to copyright

.......from the CEO’s desk Welcome to 2014. It is hard to believe that we are already in February. Where did the Christmas and the summer holidays go? Since our last edition, we hosted our second Carols by Candlelight. Even the sight of im-minent rain did little to sway the crowds away from gathering in festive spirit. We thank all those who stepped up and provided their time and their voices in entertaining us and to the CFA for making sure Santa came to visit our town. The Seafood Festival is back for a third year running and we are delighted to return with our colouring competition and tent. It is a great community event showcasing the best of the region and is fun for the family. See you there on 22nd February. There will be bright-balloons aplenty (bio-degradable of course!). We hope you enjoy this edition. Some timely reminders about playing it safe in the sun as well as information on the new projects currently underway. Till next time, Happy Reading,

Community Consultations - Help us, help you

The federal government is a strong funder of Primary Care Services in Australia. What is Primary Care? A Primary Care Service Provider is best thought of as the principle point of consultation, as opposed to a Tertiary Care Service Provider such as a specialist. People generally access Primary Care service providers directly, and in the context of this care, may be referred onto specialists. At Otway Health we have a range of Primary Care Services, including Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Chronic Disease Management, Community Nursing and Welfare services. In the past, we were funded directly from the Federal Government to be able to provide these services, however two years ago a service sector reform made a change to this funding model.

In the future, Primary Care funding from the Federal Government will be passed to a “Medicare Local” office, and it is their job to ensure that the funding is appropriately spread and coordinated across their region.

In this region Barwon Medicare Local are the responsible agent, and to whom Otway Health will be advocating for funding. The success of advocating for funding for services for this region will rest on our ability to collect evidence of local need. To this end we have been successful in attaining a small grant to conduct Community Consultations and gather data. Over the coming two months we will be creating opportunities for local people to participate. Please be on the look-out for an

opportunity to add to our data collection process. It is only with your help and information that we can make the strongest possible case for the retention of our current Primary Care Services and expansion of future Primary Care Services. If you would like any more information on this process, please call Max Broadley at Otway Health on 5237 8500.

Linda West

The Gym development

with plans and lay out

The old Ambulance Station

sits quietly waiting for the

chosen builders to begin the

renovations that have been

planned for the past two

years.

Now that the flood repairs are behind us and the library and Marrar Woorn extensions are complete, it is time to move forward and complete this long awaited project. The plans include: changing rooms and bathrooms, a treatment room and one large floor space for cardio equipment and weights and a circuit. It will be available for everyone in the community to join and

use these facilities including visitors who want to continue their exercise routines while on holiday. In the meantime, Otway Health have various exercise classes available or check out the Marrar Woorn Neighbour-hood House Term Guide for all the latest classes available.

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No Falls Program 2014 Walking is the first step, but there is more that you can do to stay independent! Due to community interest, a new No Falls program is commencing in Apollo Bay on the 4th February 2014. The No Falls program is designed as a 15 week exercise program to improve strength and balance for daily living for older community clients, who may not have participated in exercise for some time or may find the other exercise programs too challenging. Once clients have completed the 15 weeks they can generally move onto to other exercise programs. Each class runs for about an hour, followed by a presentation from a health expert on various different topics such as keeping your home safe from falls, continence, the ambulance service and managing medications. A light lunch is provided whilst participants engage in the presentation and discussion. Transport is provided for those who do not have their own means of transport.

1. Keep active and strong, either by participating in a suitable exercise class or walking with friends. 2. Learn skills to stay healthy, such as eating a nutritious balanced diet. 3. Make your home safe from falls, such as removing loose mats, ensuring there is adequate lighting, or installing rails where required before a fall occurs. 4. Understand what services are available in the community to support you to stay independent.

FOOD SWAPPING The way of the future Health Promotion at Otway Health, in association with the Food in the Colac Otway Alliance, have supported community members in establishing ‘Otways Local Produce Swap’ for Apollo Bay, with the inaugural swap taking place on the first Friday of this month. Health promotion aims at reducing differences in current health status and ensuring equal opportunities and resources to enable all people to achieve their fullest health potential. ‘Otways Local Produce Swap’, an

event for everyone regardless of whether you are growing your own fruit and veg, is one step of many action areas that we are working on in conjunction with council, community, business, and education providers. We are also currently developing a ‘Start A Produce Swap In Your Community’ resource guide, which is available on our website, foodinthecosregion.weebly.com/ Swaps will occur on the first and last Friday of every month at the Community Garden Space, Costin Street

from 5:30pm.

Produce Swaps are “regular

community events where

people come to trade, swap

or exchange fresh produce;

baked or preserved goods, or

other items, like egg cartons

or empty jars that supports

domestic food consumption

and production”.

Screen grab of the new Food Alliance website

The Mobile Dental Van It has been recognised for a long time that Apollo Bay, Lorne and Winchelsea com-munities have no access to public or private dental ser-vices locally. Everyone has to travel to Colac or Geelong for dental services. This has meant that children in these towns have higher rates of decay and the populations generally have poor oral health. Finally our pleas have been heard and a Mobile Dental Van has been funded for these area that will offer public and private dental services in these

towns and small surrounding areas. Barwon Health will operate this service and it is anticipated that we will see the van in early 2014 in our

town. Otway Health will be publicising the dates of the Mobile Vans visits as soon as these are finalised. Stay tuned!

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Meet the Consumer Reference Group The Consumer Reference Group was formed last year to gain a consumer perspective and gather consumer feedback about the

Caring for a loved one just became a lot easier. Did you know that Otway Health has respite options available? Carers sometimes need support to keep going. As a carer you may need a break for a few hours or a few days, or you may need help for a short period, for example, if you are ill or recovering from an illness. Respite care is a chance for you and the person you care for to take a break. This can be:

in a residential aged care home for one to six weeks; or

emergency respite. So for those who would like their family to visit (especially during the holiday period) and have a relative who requires care, this could well be the perfect option for all concerned. Please phone 5237 8500 for further information or to make an appointment.

Support is just a phone call away.

Bernadette Marriner, Peter

McKenzie, Jean Ash, Edna

Arnold, Isa Krog and Susan

Natt, each of who have

extensive experience of the

Otway Health services

directly or as a carer or both.

They all volunteer their time

to help us improve our

services so we are always

user friendly .The meetings

are also attended by relevant

staff to consult with the

group about relevant service

issues .

wide range of services

provided at Otway Health.

The group was meeting

quarterly in its first year but

now has decided to meet six

weekly to allow them to have

a hands on approach to their

role. The group has edited

brochures, is planning a

consumer survey for Home

Care and will have input to

the new style guide as it is

developed. The Group’s

membership consists of :

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Meet our Board Otway Health is very lucky to have seven hardworking board members to guide the direction of the Service and ensure that we provide high quality, safe services.

The Board President is Denise McLachlan who chairs the monthly Board meetings and also attends Board Committee meetings. She lives in Apollo Bay and has a back-ground in secondary education.

The 1st Vice President is Russell Dawe, who divides his time between Melbourne and his home in Apollo Bay . He has a background in tertiary education and is on the Finance Audit and Risk Committee and the Capital Works Committee .

Lorraine Harris is the 2nd Vice President and lives in Skenes Creek and Melb. Lor-raine chairs the Capital Works Com-mittee and is a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Denise Hooke lives locally and works in secondary education. She chairs the Fi-nance, Audit and Risk Committee and the CEO Management Committee

Sisca Verwoert has a background in social work and is also a well-known local artist. She lives in Apollo Bay and is a member of the Capital Works Committee and attends the Quality Improvement Committee as the board representative.

Lindsay Grayson is a medical specialist and lives in Melbourne and has a home in Apollo Bay. Lindsay is a member of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee.

Nina Brooks has a background in Human Resources Management and has a home locally and in Melbourne. Nina is a member of the Board Selection Panel and the CEO Management Committee .

Each Board member is appointed by the Minister of Health for 1, 2 or 3 year terms. This means that each year the Board has to recruit for new mem-bers in January as terms expire. Existing board members can reapply and new can-didates are also encouraged to apply. Otway Health has been able to attract knowledgeable and skilled members to the Board, every year, who are com-mit considerable time to serving the commu-nity of Apollo Bay and surrounding are-as.

Be sure to say hi if you see them around town. They are working hard to ensure you get the

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Otway Health in partnership with Ambulance Victoria would like to remind all residents and visitors to the region to dial 000 for an ambu-lance to attend to you if you are unwell. Many customers to Otway Health’s Urgent Care Unit do present directly to the door. Whilst there are no barriers to Otway Health receiving patients this way, at times patients have missed vital care that could have been provided if an ambulance had of attended to them in the home. Local Ambulance staff are highly trained professionals that can make a judgement as to the best hospital destination for you. Given the limitations to treatment provided in a small rural health service like ours, having the ambulance staff attend to you in the home can save valuable time when transporting patients to the destination where they will re-ceive the best care relevant to their needs.

Don’t be afraid to dial 000 if you are feeling unwell!

Aquatic Centre Aquatic Centre

CommitteeCommittee

The Aquatic Centre was formed three years ago by Jane Gross as a Bendigo Bank project in response to a community survey that identified that the highest property for the community was to have a warm pool open all year round. A warm pool would be a venue for water based ex-ercise, allow small children to learn to swim and pro-vide a year round recrea-tion facility for everyone living and visiting Apollo Bay. A proposal and plans have been developed with the help of donations from the community and almost $150,000 has been raised

APPS ARE IN! Got a smart phone and not sure how to make the

most of it being, well….smart?! Whether you have an iPhone, iPad or Android

phone or tablet, there are heaps of great free APPs you can download to keep handy.

Here are a few of our faves.

Australian First Aid, Red Cross - FREE Simple. It can help you save a life. Instant access to information you need to know to handle the most common first aid emergencies. SunSmart – FREE The official SunSmart app for iPhone. Lets you know when you need sun protection across Australia and when it’s safe to get some sun for vitamin D. Find a 7 day fore-cast, UV level and sun protection for your local area in just a few clicks. MyFitnessPal – FREE Enter your age, gender, weight loss goals and this clever app will help you reach your weight loss goals in your requested time frame. It lets you keep a food diary, tracks the amount of exercise you do, and after all your hard work it tells you how much room for manoeuvre (such as a glass of wine or bit of choccy) you have left at the end of the day. Perfect hey!

towards the capital costs of building a new pool. More capital is needed so this has involved advocacy to candi-dates at the previous elec-tions and many presentations to Council to gain a commit-ment to provide funds to support running costs if the constriction costs can be sources from Federal of State governments. The Aquatic Centre Project is receiving strong support from locals and visitors, so if you want to see this happen, you can become a member of the Aquatic Centre for $2 through the Bendigo Bank or you could donate at the bank or give to one of the many Aquatic Centre donation tins placed throughout Apollo Bay.

Visit the fabulous www.apollobay.vic.au

website for loads of information about this.

Time for a change? With the New Year not long behind us, along with resolu-tions that have already been tossed aside and forgotten, the questions still remain. What change do I want to effect this year? How do I want to reach my potential? All of our three local Neigh-bourhood Houses offer a

huge selection of courses throughout the year that could provide you with just the push you need to be rein-vigorated or help you discover your passion. If it is a new career that you are looking to embark upon, be sure to stay abreast of what is happening at Otway Health via our Facebook page, the Apollo Bay News Sheet, Otway Light and our website.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OTWAY HEALTH SERVICES

VISIT WWW.OTWAYHEALTH.COM.AU

OR VISIT US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Volunteering Update 2014 is looking like being another active year in the world of volunteering at Otway Health. Already we are welcoming new members to our volun-teering ranks and are happy to be seeing the likes of Lisa Alfirenko and Ron Clark pay regular visits to residents in the Laura Pengilly Wing.

Both Lisa and Ron offer conversation and company to some of our residents and are quickly becoming perma-nent fixtures in our weekly routines. The Friend-in-Hand massage team continue their commit-ment to volunteering in a program that has direct health benefits for all involved. The team have been trained through Otway Health to deliver profession-al fifteen minute hand massages to some of our residents and activity groups. The room is filled with chatter and smiles when they arrive. Working like it’s David Jones at stocktake sale are our Second Sails volunteers. Theirs has been one of the busiest shops down the street over summer but Jan and her team are never short of a smile or wry joke as they raise funds that are distributed back into the district. It’s great to see some of the newer members

of our community work alongside the more established ones. Volunteer-ing at Second Sails is a great way to meet people, rummage around and support our community at the same time. This year also sees the launch of a new program for volun-teering at Otway Health. A Home Library Service has

been started and working in conjunction with Marion at the Apollo Bay Library, our volunteers return and deliver books to members of the community who can no long-er access their precious li-brary and all that it contains. Our volunteers commit an hour either weekly or fort-nightly and it has been a pleasure to unite bibliophiles with the pleasure that books provide. We are still looking for more volunteers to help us run this service, so if you, or someone you know may be interested, please contact reception at Otway Health. We continue to appreciate the time and talent of all our volunteers, some commit weekly, some fortnightly, some monthly and some as the need arises. From our award winning gardeners to our reliable meals on wheels delivery team; Otway Health and the range of townships within our catchment would not be the same without

them.

THE TWO HOURS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Having ‘time out’ as a child was generally the worst thing that could happen to you. Ironically as adults, having ‘time out’ is seen as a very welcome relief and more often than not, a luxury, espe-cially if you have a family to take care of. To help make your life a bit easier, the Apollo Bay Chil-dren’s Centre has come up with a pretty nifty solution. Drop off your little ones at childcare and have a morning 2 hour session just for you!

Get all your appointments out of the way in the morning by taking advantage of this 2 hour session. Perfect for mak-ing a doctor’s appointment, getting your hair cut, going for a walk, catching up with friends and finally finishing a cup of coffee uninterrupted. Imagine that?! 2 Hour Session runs Mon – Fri from 9.30am-11.30am . Cost is $20.

After – School Care The school year has started. With lots to think about and organise, make it easy on yourself and book in today for our After School Care Pro-gram from 3.20pm-5.30pm ($15). A fun and supportive environment for children of all ages. For bookings and information please call Co-ordinator Marie Sinclair on 5237 8560. Did you know that it works out even cheaper if you claim both Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate !

February is “Ovarian Cancer Month” Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth most common cause of cancer death affecting women in Australia. Three women in Australia are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every day. Each year in Australia, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month is held in February to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and to recognise women, their families and friends affected by ovari-an cancer. Although there are currently no proven screening tests to identify and diagnose ovarian cancer, there are a number of healthy lifestyle activities that can be adopted in order to help reduce the risk. Being sun smart, ceasing to smoke, staying in shape and eating for good health are all examples of reducing the risk of cancer, however, the most important procedure for women is to see their GP for regular checkups. Regular consultations with a health professional may include pap smears and mammograms. There are several health care providers that can assist in annual checkups for Women’s Health:

Apollo Bay General Practice

Dr Meg Lawless, Apollo Bay

Dr Judith Fleming, Lorne

Otway Medical Centre, Colac

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