Remote and regional care

Acute Rheumatic Fever still causes death in Australia.

A happy Indigenous girl living in out back Australia

Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) still causes death in Indigenous Australians, who also have a higher risk of general heart disease death. And currently only one in five people who need treatment for the Rheumatic Heart Disease that results from ARF can get this, according to a Flinders University study. Between … Read more

What is the difference between grief and trauma?

What is the difference between grief and trauma? Photo by Bonnie Dalrymple

At a time when more lives are being turned upside down, and as we look towards how to respond, it’s important to understand: what is the difference between grief and trauma? In the last few weeks our screens have been bombarded with news of floods, war and the continuation of … Read more

Of droughts and flooding plains.

Sadly, one person has died in the NSW floods. Our hearts go out to the young man’s family. The 25-year-old got trapped in his car at Glenorie, a place we know and love. News reports say he was caught by suddenly rising flood waters on Cattai Ridge Road. We’re thinking … Read more

Work and end-of-life care – online for post-Covid times

Work has gone online – even, surprisingly, in the healthcare space. We’ve discovered more about what’s effective and what isn’t as lawyers, school teachers and sales people have developed new online practices. However, at times this can feel like two steps forward, one step back. Some Sydney lawyers report that … Read more

It’s not as simple as numbers, says Linda

“Oh dear!”  Linda Hansen groaned as she looked at yesterday’s goodgrief60.wordpress.com posting. Linda is the Executive Officer of Palliative Care NSW and every time a story comes out, like the one I posted yesterday, she frets that the good people working in palliative care will feel undervalued. That posting picked … Read more

Palliative care appalling – expert

Palliative care in regional NSW at 1960s standards, expert tells ABC News By Liz Farquhar ABC News   One of Australia’s first specialist palliative care doctors has accused New South Wales health authorities of dropping the ball when it comes to end of life care. Yvonne McMaster said regional areas … Read more