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Cadbury vows to change packaging after death of 9-year-old in Australia

<p>Confectionary giant Cadbury has promised to implement changes to its packaging, following the death of a 9-year-old girl due to unclear labelling.</p> <p>Isabel Marrero died from an anaphylactic reaction in March this year after her mother gave her what looked like her favourite biscuit.</p> <p>Helen Marrero has been buying Cadbury choc chip cookies for years without problems, until recently. Helen had accidentally picked up the wrong variety of biscuit because the packets were almost identical.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/media/7820894/e7019d47a79957e7de1106fa40717094-79612.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7e109f9f5aa24b309b611fe9e8bc9d41" /></p> <p>“They both look like choc chip cookies to me even when you open them up they look pretty identical, but one has the allergen egg and one doesn’t,” she said.</p> <p>After her daughter’s tragic death, Ms Marrero went head on with food manufacturers in the hope to strengthen allergen labelling laws.</p> <p>Now, Cadbury has responded to the heartbroken family, promising to change its packaging so it’s easy to distinguish which biscuit is which.</p> <p>The company said it would add additional colour and descriptions to help separate the packets.</p> <p>“The aim is to highlight further that the products are different,” the company said in an email to the family.</p> <p>But it will take a while for the final product to reach our shores, as the new product is expected to hit Australian shelves next year.</p> <p>“As mentioned previously, the product is made overseas and shipped to Australia, so it does take some months to make it here,” Cadbury said.</p> <p>Ms Marrero still struggles with the loss of her daughter to this day, saying it’s a difficult feeling to describe. For her, life without Isabel “has been very hard, just every second thinking about her and trying to implement change so this doesn’t occur again".</p> <p>She asks all parents to remain vigilant and to always check the ingredients list before purchasing products.</p> <p>“Please, which I have learnt now, please read every single time you have purchased a product, even if you’ve been buying it for five years.”</p>

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“Truly disgusting”: Would you eat this? The food inside aged care facilities

<p>An investigation looking into the meals served to some of the most vulnerable people in Australia has uncovered a sickening reality.</p> <p>Food that wouldn’t be served to dogs is sadly being plated up as meals for elderly people living in Australia’s nursing homes, as budgets for aged care is slashed.</p> <p>Four thousand people involved with aged care wrote to the ABC as part of its investigation into the system, with the first of the two-part series airing on <em><span style="font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif;">Four Corners</span></em> last night.</p> <p>Concerned friends and family members sent in photographs of cheap and unhealthy meals, which included hot dogs with tomato sauce and watery soup.</p> <p>Aged care worker Nicole* described one common dish, known as minced moist, as “truly disgusting” with a “horrible” smell.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">As you sit down to dinner before watching part one of our <a href="https://twitter.com/4corners?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@4corners</a> collaborative investigation into <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/agedcare?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#agedcare</a> in Australia tonight, ask yourself: Would you eat this? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AgedCareRC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AgedCareRC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royalcommission?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Royalcommission</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4Corners?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#4Corners</a> <a href="https://t.co/LE0yamOIT7">pic.twitter.com/LE0yamOIT7</a></p> — 🦄 Flip Prior 🦄 (@FlipPrior) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlipPrior/status/1041540319538343937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">17 September 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Elizabeth*, who is an aged care worker in Melbourne spoke of undercooked vegetables, hard carrots and potatoes and tough meat.</p> <p>“Sadly, because of cutbacks it’s hard to retain good staff and resident meals suffer because no one really cares,” she said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Would you eat this? <br />Take a look at the food served inside Australian <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/agedcare?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#agedcare</a> facilities before tonight's landmark investigation on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4Corners?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#4Corners</a> <a href="https://t.co/NuUupDE4In">pic.twitter.com/NuUupDE4In</a></p> — 4corners (@4corners) <a href="https://twitter.com/4corners/status/1041547844375572480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">17 September 2018</a></blockquote> <p>The photographs showed meals that looked like unidentifiable blobs. Given the title “texture-modified meals”, the dish is for those who have trouble swallowing their food, the ABC reported.</p> <p>“My mother has dementia but still knows she is fed up with this meal and doesn’t like it,” one daughter told the broadcaster.</p> <p>While some meals looked healthy and nutritious, this was a rare case.</p> <p>Cherie Hugo, a dietitian who has looked after over 800 Australian aged care facilities, found that they were spending a mere $6.08 a day on food per resident.</p> <p>That’s $2 less than prison inmates and drastically less than what an average adult would spend, at $17 a day.</p> <p>Dr Hugo told the program that one of her biggest concerns was that the amount spent on aged care food had dropped by 31 cents per person per day in a year, while the figure spent on supplements had risen by 50 cents.</p> <p>Health Services Union national secretary Gerard Hayes has called it a “disgrace.”</p> <p>These findings come after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a royal commission into the aged care sector on Sunday following what he called an “alarming and disturbing” spike in elder abuse and poor standards.</p> <p><em><span style="font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif;">*Names changed to protect identities.</span></em></p>

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Essential reading to get your head around Australia’s aged care crisis

<p>Tonight ABC’s<span> </span><em><a href="https://tv.press.abc.net.au/who-cares-four-corners">Four Corners</a></em><span> </span>will air the first of a two-part investigation into the often shocking treatment of the elderly in aged care homes around Australia.</p> <p>The timing coincides with Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s weekend<span> </span><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-16/scott-morrison-announces-royal-commission-into-aged-care-sector/10252850">announcement of a royal commission</a><span> </span>into Australia’s aged care system. The prime minister said poor standards had led authorities to close one aged centre per month since the Oakden aged mental health home scandal.</p> <p>South Australia’s Oakden facility<span> </span><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-22/oakden-closed-as-last-two-residents-moved-out/8974156">closed nearly a year ago</a>, following revelations of abuse and neglect dating back a decade.</p> <p>While the terms of reference are yet to be determined, the royal commission will likely look into issues already raised by previous inquiries into the sector. These include the changing demands of Australia’s ageing population, staffing ratios, funding levels and the mental health, wellbeing and safety needs of nursing home residents.</p> <p>Below are five articles in which our experts have previously explored the complex aspects of Australia’s aged care system, drawing on research which has exposed where the problems are, and have been for some time.</p> <p><strong>Lack of medical care</strong></p> <p>Our ageing population, and the focus on helping the elderly stay at home for as long as possible, means by the time people enter aged care they are older and sicker than before. Around<span> </span><a href="https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/Resources/Factsheets-and-infographics/Care-needs-factsheet.pdf?ext=">half of people</a><span> </span>living in aged care today have dementia, depression, or another mental health or behavioural condition.</p> <p>In fact, the proportion of older people requiring high care for complex needs, which includes assistance with all activities of daily living such as eating and bathing, has quadrupled from 13% in 2009 to 61% in 2016.</p> <p>Yet there is no legal requirement for all aged care facilities to provide 24-hour registered nursing care. In the article below, Jane Phillips, David Currow, Deborah Parker and Nola Ries explore how today’s nursing home residents have minimal access to quality medical care.</p> <p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-aged-care-residents-are-very-sick-yet-the-government-doesnt-prioritise-medical-care-88690">Australia’s aged care residents are very sick, yet the government doesn’t prioritise medical care</a></strong></em></p> <p>In a separate piece on health care in nursing homes, Sarah Russell has also written:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>nursing home providers looking to cut costs are bypassing registered nurses and employing less-skilled personal care attendants (PCAs) who aren’t adequately trained for the job.</em></p> </blockquote> <p><strong><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-we-need-nurse-resident-ratios-in-aged-care-homes-59682">Here’s why we need nurse-resident ratios in aged care homes</a></em></strong></p> <p><strong>Funding for older Australians to stay at home </strong></p> <p>Research <a href="http://www.naca.asn.au/Age_Well/Blueprint.pdf">consistently shows</a> more people want to stay in their own homes as they age. In the <a href="https://www.budget.gov.au/2018-19/content/speech/download/budget_speech.pdf">2018-19 budget</a>, the government announced an extra A$1.6 billion over the next four years for an additional 14,000 <a href="https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/help-home/home-care-packages">Home Care Packages</a>. These deliver an agreed set of services to meet the specific needs of aged Australians who want to remain at home.</p> <p>The government also subsidises a number (currently<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-aged-care-residents-are-very-sick-yet-the-government-doesnt-prioritise-medical-care-88690">around 283,000</a>) of residential care places for older people unable to continue living independently.</p> <p>Aged care subsidies are allocated<span> </span><a href="https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1426/f/documents/08_2016/2016_report_on_the_funding_and_financing_of_the_aged_care_industry_0.pdf">through a ratio</a>, which aims to provide 113 subsidised care places for every 1,000 people aged 70 and over. This ratio will increase to 125 places for every 1,000 by 2021-22. Within the overall number of places, the government also sets sub-targets for the numbers of Home Care Packages and residential care places.</p> <p>The government is aiming to amend the ratio in favour of more home care packages. By 2021-22, the target for home care packages will increase from 27 to 45 per 1,000, while the residential target is to reduce from 88 to 78 per 1,000.</p> <p>But as Professor of Health Economics at University of Technology Sydney, Michael Woods has written, this still won’t be enough to meet demand.</p> <p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/there-is-extra-funding-for-aged-care-in-the-budget-but-not-enough-to-meet-demand-96403">There is extra funding for aged care in the budget, but not enough to meet demand</a></strong></em></p> <p><strong>Poor mental health</strong></p> <p>Older Australians living in nursing homes represent one of society’s most vulnerable populations. More than 50% of<span> </span><a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/aged-care/depression-in-residential-aged-care-2008-2012/contents/table-of-contents">residents in nursing homes</a><span> </span>suffer from depression compared to 10-15% of adults of the same age living in the community.</p> <p>Recent<span> </span><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/gps.4862">research</a><span> </span>conducted by Briony Murphy and Professor Joseph Ibrahim from Monash University’s Health Law and Ageing Research Unit, found around 140 Australian nursing-home residents took their own lives between 2000 and 2013.</p> <p>The authors found nearly 70% of those who took their own life were male, 66% had a diagnosis of depression, and nearly 80% were experiencing one or more major life stresses, such as health deterioration. Around 43% were experiencing isolation and loneliness, and nearly 30% had trouble adjusting to life in a nursing home.</p> <p>They wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>The small proportion of adults over 65 living with depression in the community shows that depression is not a normal part of the ageing process … the much larger figure of those suffering depression in nursing homes raises some serious questions.</em></p> </blockquote> <p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/too-many-australians-living-in-nursing-homes-take-their-own-lives-92112">Too many Australians living in nursing homes take their own lives</a></strong></em></p> <p><strong>Poor oral health</strong></p> <p>Stories of abuse and neglect in nursing homes have also highlighted the issue of poor nutrition and oral health. In November 2017, the dire state of this was shown in a report of a<span> </span><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/push-for-inquiry-after-woman-found-with-maggots-in-her-mouth-at-nsw-nursing-home-20170509-gw0p1j.html">nursing home resident in NSW</a><span> </span>who was found with maggots in her mouth the day before she died.</p> <p>Researchers have long highlighted people living in aged care have substantially poorer oral health and three times the risk of untreated tooth decay than people living in the community.</p> <p>Bronwyn Hemsley, Andrew Georgious, Joanne Steel and Susan Balandin collated a list of ways family members can help ensure their loved ones’ oral health is adequately looked after. This includes visiting your family member around mealtimes ...</p> <blockquote> <p><em>… or helping the person to eat … Ask the resident permission to look into her (or his) mouth to check if she (or he) is swallowing or removing leftover food promptly.</em></p> </blockquote> <p><strong><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-shocking-state-of-oral-health-in-our-nursing-homes-and-how-family-members-can-help-77473">The shocking state of oral health in our nursing homes, and how family members can help</a></em></strong></p> <p><em>If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or another mental health problem, contact<span> </span><a href="http://www.lifeline.org.au/">Lifeline</a><span> </span>13 11 14,<span> </span><a href="http://beyondblue.org.au/">beyondblue</a><span> </span>1300 22 4636 or<span> </span><a href="http://www.sane.org/">SANE Australia</a><span> </span>1800 18 7263.</em></p> <p><em>Written by Sasha Petrova. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/essential-reading-to-get-your-head-around-australias-aged-care-crisis-103325">The Conversation</a>. </em></p> <p> </p>

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Improving your mobility: The four easy stretches to target your leg muscles

<p>We all use our legs every day, so ensuring they’re healthy and mobile is essential.</p> <p>In this video, Taylor Harrison, author, senior’s health expert and Director of <span><strong><a href="http://www.activeseniors.net.au/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Active Seniors Health Centre</span></a></strong></span>, shares four simple stretches to improve your calf and hamstring muscles.</p> <p class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/287933841" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <p>To see more videos and articles on improving your health and fitness from Taylor, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/search.aspx?Keyword=taylor+harrison">click here</a></strong></span>. </p>

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How old is too old for surgery?

<p><strong><em>Juliana Kok is a clinical lecturer and anaesthetist at the University of Melbourne.</em></strong></p> <p>Many of us will have been in situations with older loved ones where a doctor says surgery is too risky given the patient’s advanced age. Why is it surgery becomes risky in the elderly, and is it based on chronological age or their health?</p> <p>During surgery and anaesthesia, there are many changes in the body that occur in response to injury and trauma. This is known as the stress response to surgery.</p> <p>The surgical stress response results in an increased secretion of hormones that promote the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the body to provide extra energy during and after surgery. The hormonal changes associated with the surgical stress response also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/85.1.109">activate the sympathetic nervous system</a>.</p> <p>The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “fight or flight” response and causes a rise in heart rate and blood pressure. The changes in the heart rate and blood pressure during surgery and anaesthesia create a state where the heart requires more oxygen, while the surgical stress response and anaesthesia often impedes the oxygen supply to the vital organs such as the heart and the brain. This is a result of less blood flow to the body organs during and after the operation.</p> <p>Anaesthesia confers risks separate from the risks of surgery. These are mostly minor and easy to treat. But serious problems with the heart, lungs and other major organs are more likely during emergency surgery or in the presence of other health conditions. These factors may increase with chronological age, but frailty is the bigger factor for doctors in deciding whether a patient should undergo surgery and anaesthesia.</p> <p><strong>Frailty</strong></p> <p>Frailty is a state where a person is vulnerable due to decline in body function. This in turn reduces their ability to cope with acute and every day stressors.</p> <p>In a frail person, there is an accumulation of defects in different organ systems of the body, causing them to function close to the threshold of failure. The organ systems near the threshold of failure are then <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcs125">unable to “bounce back”</a></span> from an external or internal stressor.</p> <p>An apparently small insult such as a simple fall can result in a significant and disproportionate reduction in reserve and function. The need to have surgery, and the condition that has caused a need for surgery, would often be considered a large insult in a frail person.</p> <p>Although frailty is more common in older people, it’s not exclusive to older people. Most frail people have chronic health problems, and their frailty increases with the number of chronic health conditions. But most people with chronic health conditions <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369632/">are not frail</a></span>.</p> <p>There are certain health conditions that are more common in people who are frail, such as heart failure, chronic airways disease and chronic kidney disease.</p> <p><strong>How do we identify frailty and how does it affect health?</strong></p> <p>There are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.050051">many different tools</a> we can use to detect frailty. The Clinical Frailty Scale is one tool based on clinical features present in the patient and the Frailty Index is another tool based on the accumulation of deficits in the patient.</p> <p>The Clinical Frailty Scale is a single descriptor of a person’s level of frailty using clinical judgement graded from one to nine. Level one is a very fit person; level four is “vulnerable” – where the person is not dependent on others for help with daily activities but does have symptoms that limit activities; and level nine is a terminally ill person.</p> <p>It has been observed that people with a higher Clinical Frailty Scale were more likely to be older, female, have a degree of cognitive impairment and incontinence. The higher proportion of females will most likely reflect the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62167-9">longer life expectancy of women</a>.</p> <p>Frail people have a higher risk of recurrent falls and fractures and subsequent disability and reduced function. There have been <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1503%2Fcmaj.161403">many studies</a> performed to examine how well frailty predicts outcomes after surgery.</p> <p>In people who have surgery, frailty has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of surgical complications, a greater chance of requiring discharge to a residential care facility and a lower rate of survival. And the frailer the patient, the higher the risk the patient will require readmission after surgery, and the higher the risk of death.</p> <p>As our population gets older and more frail people have surgery, this will become an important issue, and health care professionals in all areas will need to be more aware of it.</p> <p><em>Written by Juliana Kok. Republished with permission of<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-old-is-too-old-for-surgery-and-why-95860"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Conversation.</span></strong></a></em></p> <p><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95860/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>

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Olivia Newton-John reveals the tragic cancer diagnosis she kept secret

<p>Olivia Newton-John first battled cancer in 1992 but the Aussie star has revealed that she also fought the disease without her fans knowing in 2013.</p> <p>The 69-year-old actress and singer revealed in an interview with Channel Seven’s <em>Sunday Night</em> why she chose not to go public with the diagnosis at the time.</p> <p>“I thought, 'It's my life' and I just decided to keep it to myself,” she admitted.</p> <p>In early 2013, Olivia was involved in a minor car accident and a lump appeared on her right shoulder.</p> <p>She confessed on <em>Sunday Night</em> that she initially believed the lump was caused by the strain of her seat belt, until scans revealed that the breast cancer she had beaten two decades earlier had returned.</p> <p>Olivia explained that it was one of the most difficult periods of her life as her older sister, Rona, died from brain cancer months later.</p> <p>Olivia beat her second bout of cancer but now, she is battling the disease again after a tumour was found at the base of her spine last year.</p> <p>The brave Grammy Award winner revealed in the interview that she is using natural remedies to fight the disease, as well as undergoing radiation therapy.</p> <p>Olivia has removed sugar from her diet and uses marijuana to help ease her physical pain.</p> <p>The star’s husband of 10 years, John Easterling, is the founder of the Amazon Herb Company and grows cannabis for her at their property in California.</p> <p>“In California, it's legal to grow a certain amount of plants for your own medicinal purposes ... I'm very lucky that I live in a state where it's legal and that I have a husband that is a plant-medicine man,” she said.</p> <p>Despite her health battles, Olivia remains thankful for all the blessings in her life.</p> <p>“There are other people out there doing much, much worse than me. I'm a very privileged person, and I'm very aware of that,” she said.</p> <p>“I live in this beautiful place. I have a wonderful husband. I have all the animals that I adore. I have an incredible career. I have nothing, really, to complain about.”</p> <p>When asked if she was worried about the cancer, she responded: “I believe I will win over it, and that's my goal.” </p>

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How long are you contagious with gastro?

<p><strong><em>Vincent Ho is a senior lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist at Western Sydney University. </em></strong></p> <p>There’s no way you’d want to go to work when you’ve got the telltale signs of gastro: nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea. But what about when you’re feeling a bit better? When is it safe to be around colleagues, or send your kids to school or daycare?</p> <p>The health department recommends staying home from work or school for <u><a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/gastroenteritis">a minimum of 24 hours</a></u> after you last vomited or had diarrhoea. But the question of how long someone is <em>contagious</em> after recovering from gastro is a very different question.</p> <p><strong>What causes gastro?</strong></p> <p>To better understand how long you can be contagious with gastro, we need to look at the various causes.</p> <p>Viruses are the most common causes of gastro. Rotavirus is the leading cause in infants and young children, whereas norovirus is the leading cause of gastro in adults.</p> <p>There are around <u><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320479/">1.8 million cases</a></u> of norovirus infection in Australia each year. This accounts for almost 40% of the total cases of gastro.</p> <p>Bacterial gastroenteritis is also common and accounts for around <u><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320479/">1.6 million cases</a></u> a year. Of those cases, 1.1 million come from E. coli infections. Other bacteria that commonly cause gastro include salmonella, shigella and campylobacter. These bacteria are often found in raw or undercooked meat, seafood, and unpasteurised milk.</p> <p>Parasites such as giardia lamblia, entamoeba histolytica and cryptosporidium account for around <u><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3320479/">700,000 cases</a></u> of gastro per year. Most of the time people recover from parasitic gastroenteritis without incident, but it can cause problems for people with weaker immune systems.</p> <p><strong>Identifying the bug</strong></p> <p>Most cases of diarrhoea are mild, and resolve themselves with no need for medical attention.</p> <p>But some warrant further investigation, particularly among <span><a href="https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2012/october/stool-culture/">returned travellers</a></span>, people who have had diarrhoea for four or five days (or more than one day with a fever), patients with bloody stools, those who have <span><a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/32/3/331/282348">recently used antibiotics</a></span>, and patients whose immune systems are compromised.</p> <p>The most common test is the stool culture which is used to identify microbes grown from loose or unformed stools. The <span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15095189">bacterial yield</a></span> of stool cultures is generally low. But if it does come back with a positive result, it can be potentially important for the patient.</p> <p>Some organisms that are isolated in stool cultures are notifiable to public health authorities. This is because of their potential to cause serious harm in vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.</p> <p>The health department <span><a href="http://www.health.gov.au/casedefinitions">must be notified</a></span> of gastro cases caused by campylobacter, cryptosporidium, listeria, salmonella, shigella and certain types of E.coli infection. This can help pinpoint outbreaks when they arise and allow for appropriate control measures.</p> <p><strong>You might feel better but your poo isn't </strong></p> <p>Gastro bugs are spread via the the faecal-oral route, which means faeces needs to come into contact with the mouth for transmission to occur.</p> <p>Sometimes this can happen if contaminated faecal material gets into drinking water, or during food preparation.</p> <p>But more commonly, tiny particles of poo might remain on the hands after going to the toilet. Using toilet paper to wipe when you go to the toilet doesn’t completely prevent the <span><a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-71.12.2582">contamination of hands</a></span>, and even more so when the person has diarrhoea.</p> <p>The particles then make their way to another person’s mouth during food preparation or touching a variety of contaminated surfaces and then putting your fingers in your mouth.</p> <p>After completely recovering from the symptoms of gastro, infectious organisms can still be shed into stools. Faecal shedding of campylobacter, the E. coli O157 strain, salmonella, shigella, cryptosporidium, entamoeba, and giardia <span><a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-71.11.2339">can last for many days to weeks</a></span>. In fact, some people who have recovered from salmonella have <span><a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-71.11.2339">shed the bacteria</a></span> into their stools 102 days later.</p> <p>Parasites can remain alive in the bowel for a long period of time after diarrhoea finishes. Infectious cryptosporidium oocysts can be shed into stools for up to 50 days. <span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/MMWRhtml/ss5401a2.htm">Giardia oocysts</a></span> can take even longer to be excreted.</p> <p><strong>So, how long should you stay away? </strong></p> <p>Much of the current advice on when people can return to work, school or child care after gastro is based on the most common viral gastroenteritis, norovirus, even though few patients will discover the cause of their bug.</p> <p>For norovirus, the highest rate of viral shedding into stools occurs <span><a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/cda-cdna-norovirus.htm/%24File/norovirus-guidelines.pdf">24 to 48 hours</a></span> after all symptoms have stopped. The viral shedding rate then starts to quickly decrease. So people can return to work <span><a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/cda-cdna-norovirus.htm/%24File/norovirus-guidelines.pdf">48 hours</a></span> after symptoms have stopped.</p> <p>Yes, viral shedding into stools <span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11280609">can occur for longer</a></span> than 48 hours. But because norovirus infection is so common and recovery is rapid, it’s not considered practical to demand patients’ stools be clear of the virus before returning to work.</p> <p>While 24 hours may be appropriate for many people, a specific 48-hour exclusion rule is considered necessary for <span><a href="https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Corporate/general%20documents/food/PDF/Guidelines_for_Exclusion_from_Work_Due_to_Gastroenteritis.pdf">those in a higher-risk category</a></span> for spreading gastro to others. These include food handlers, health care workers and children under the age of five at child care or play group.</p> <p>If you have a positive stool culture for a notifiable organism, that may change the situation. Food handlers, childcare workers and health-care workers affected by <a href="https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/disease-information-advice/verotoxin-e-coli">verotoxin E.coli</a>, for example, are not permitted to work until symptoms have stopped and two consecutive faecal specimens taken at least 24 hours apart have tested negative for verotoxin E. coli. This may lead to a lengthy exclusion period from work, possibly several days.</p> <p><strong>How to stop the spread</strong></p> <p>Diligently washing your hands often with soap and water is the most effective way to stop the spread of these gastro bugs to others.</p> <p>Consider this: when 10,000 giardia cysts were placed in the palm of a hand, handwashing with soap <span><a href="http://jfoodprotection.org/doi/pdf/10.4315/0362-028X-73.10.1937">eliminated 99%</a></span> of them.</p> <p>To prevent others from becoming sick, disinfect contaminated surfaces thoroughly immediately after <span><a href="https://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/norovirus/home.html">someone vomits or has diarrhoea</a></span>. While wearing disposable gloves, wash surfaces with <span><a href="http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/gastroenteritis-outbreaks.aspx">hot water and a neutral detergent</a></span>, then use household bleach containing 0.1% hypochlorite solution as a disinfectant.</p> <p><em>Written by Vincent Ho. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.theconversation.com"><strong><u>The Conversation.</u></strong> </a></em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/98769/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>

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Prince Frederik of Denmark hospitalised

<p>Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark has been forced to cancel his upcoming engagements after undergoing back surgery on Sunday.</p> <p>The Danish palace released a statement confirming that Frederik had an operation to correct a slipped disc. The operation was successful, and he was discharged from the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on Monday.</p> <p>The future king of Denmark was due to mark Nature Day on Monday and take part in an army-related engagement on Wednesday. His trip to Finland, scheduled for next week, has also been postponed.</p> <p>He is now recovering at home and will resume his royal duties in the coming weeks.</p> <p>Frederik was most recently pictured in public last Wednesday during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Denmark.</p> <p>The father-of-four has previously spoken up about his back pain. Prince Frederik, who celebrated turning 50 by participating in the <em>Royal Run</em>, said in May: "I have had a few back problems lately which have stopped me from going running as I would like to."</p> <p>The news come just days after it was revealed that Frederik and his Aussie-born wife Princess Mary will be coming to Australia for the upcoming Invictus Games.</p> <p><strong><u><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/prince-harry-and-duchess-meghan-aren-t-the-only-royals-visiting-australia-next-month">Frederik and Mary will join British royals Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan</a></u></strong> in Sydney for the Invictus Games, which will run from October 20 to 27.</p>

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Four-year-old fighting for her life after trying on new shoes

<p>A four-year-old girl from Wales in the UK is suffering from a life-threatening condition after contracting deadly sepsis from trying on new shoes.</p> <p>A day after trying on different sized shoes on bare feet, Sienna Rasul fell seriously ill. She was later diagnosed with sepsis – a life-threatening disease that can develop due to an infection.</p> <p>As reported by <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/7125547/girl-fighting-sepsis-infection-new-school-shoes-shop/" target="_blank">The Sun</a></em>, doctors believe the infection was present on the shoes that she tried on, and that there is a possibility that Sienna had a cut or graze on her foot that allowed the bacteria to enter her body.</p> <p>As a result, Sienna spent five days in hospital with a drip attached to her at all times. Her mother, Jodie Thomas, was by her side during the ordeal.</p> <p>“I was really shocked when the doctors said it was from trying on new shoes,” she said.</p> <p>“I’ve been worried sick. They’ve had to drain all the poison from her leg.</p> <p>“Normally she would have socks on but it’s the summertime, so she was wearing sandals.</p> <p>“The shoes she liked had been tried on by other little girls and that’s how Sienna picked up the infection.”</p> <p>Jodie knew something was wrong with her daughter when Sienna was constantly crying in pain after the shopping trip.</p> <p>When doctors noticed the infection, they used a pen to outline exactly where it had spread.</p> <p>“By the next day it had spread up her leg and her temperature was raging,” said Jodie.</p> <p>“I drove her straight to the hospital. She was shaking and twitching – it was horrible to see my little girl like that.</p> <p>“They said it was sepsis and thought they would have to operate.</p> <p>“But the doctors have managed to drain all the pus from her leg and say the antibiotic drip will do the job.”</p> <p>Sienna has been released from the children’s ward at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, but is still being closely monitored.</p> <p>After going through the horrifying ordeal, Jodie is now reminding parents of the importance of children wearing socks when trying on shoes.</p> <p>“I knew you risk getting things like athlete’s foot from trying on shoes, but blood poisoning is far more serious,” she said.</p> <p>“You don’t know whose feet have been in the shoes before you.</p> <p>“Sienna has been really ill. The infection was moving up her leg and spreading to the rest of her body.</p> <p>“I’m so glad I got her to the hospital quickly."</p> <p>When shopping for new children's shoes, Jodie advised mums and dads "to take a spare pair of socks with them".</p> <p>Chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust Dr Ron Daniels said that: “This frightening case shows us that sepsis strikes indiscriminately and can affect anyone at any time.</p> <p>“Whenever there are signs of infection, it’s crucial that members of the public seek medical attention urgently and just ask: ‘Could it be sepsis?’” he added.</p> <p>“Better awareness could save thousands of lives every year.”</p>

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Barry Du Bois opens up about celebrating Father’s Day after cancer battle

<p>After a tough year battling cancer for the second time, Barry Du Bois feels incredibly lucky to be marking another Father’s Day.</p> <p>The 58-year-old father-of-two found the day with his wife Leoni Toblerand and six-year-old twins Arabella and Bennett, extra special.</p> <p>“I look forward to every day at this stage of my life,” Barry told <strong><em><u><a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/the-living-rooms-barry-du-bois-feels-lucky-to-celebrate-fathers-day-after-cancer-battle/news-story/59754a9c34ba0552ff0c60a194fc3459">Confidential</a></u></em></strong>.</p> <p>“We are all on limited time. My life, because of recent medical problems, might be shorter than most. So I cherish every moment.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPLOHCFaDz/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPLOHCFaDz/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">Ultimate family fun, loving our holiday in Disneyland and have memories forever. Thanks for the pic @ljclarkson</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/baz_dubois/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank"> Barry Du Bois.</a> (@baz_dubois) on Aug 8, 2018 at 4:55pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>It was only a year ago that Barry was told he was terminally ill due to multiple myeloma, a disease affecting his blood and bone marrow.</p> <p>However, The Living Room host refuses to let his disease define him and has maintained his positive outlook.</p> <p> “It is hard for me to say I cherish Father’s Day more than any other day because every day that I wake up I am pretty happy,” he said.</p> <p>“I am a very lucky man.</p> <p>“People often ask me if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? If you could have anything you want, what would it be? I answer that question the same way every time. I can live wherever I want, I can have whatever I want and I have got it. I have a beautiful family that means everything to me.</p> <p>“I spend my working hours with people I love and I enjoy every second of every day. I have what I dream about.”</p>

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Why your muscles stiffen as you age

<p><strong><em>Andrew Lavender is a lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science at Curtin University. </em></strong></p> <p>Many older people find they’re not able to move as freely as they did when they were younger. They describe their movements as feeling stiff or restricted. In particular, feeling stiff when getting out of bed first thing in the morning or after sitting for a long period. The feeling does eventually ease with movement as the muscles “warm up”, but it can be troublesome. There are a few reasons this happens.</p> <p>As we age, bones, joints and muscles tend to become weak. Movements feeling stiff is often our perception of the increased effort required to perform daily tasks.</p> <p>Many older people have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424705/">ageing-associated conditions</a> that can contribute to muscle stiffness. These include osteoarthritis (breaking down of the cartilage in joints), osteomalacia (a softening of the bones due to a lack of vitamin D), osteoporosis (where bone mass is reduced causing bones to become brittle), rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the joints, and muscle weakness due to sarcopenia (the natural loss of muscle mass and strength).</p> <p>Blood flow may also play a part. As we age, our arteries <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3738364/">become stiffer and less flexible</a>, meaning blood can easily pool, particularly in the feet.</p> <p>When we get up after sitting or lying down for a long period of time, the stiffness may be due to a lack of the lubricating fluid in the joints. Once we move around for a while and warm up, more of the lubricating fluid, called synovial fluid, is moved into the joint, so the joint surfaces have less resistance to movement and can move more freely.</p> <p>Normal healthy ageing results in a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1529-0131(200111)44:11%3C2556::AID-ART436%3E3.0.CO;2-U">loss of joint cartilage</a>, particularly of the knee. This cartilage provides a smooth articulating surface between bones at the joint that wears down, becoming thinner and providing less cushioning between the articulating surfaces. This may account for stiffness felt during movement.</p> <p>Another contributing factor is the change in ligaments, tendons and muscles that are relatively relaxed and flexible when we are young. These lose that flexibility with ageing and disuse. In fact, many of the age-related changes in muscles, bones and joints are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4041600/">the result of disuse</a>.</p> <p><strong>Move it or lose it</strong></p> <p>As we get older, we tend to become less physically active. While that’s understandable and reasonable, reducing the amount we exercise too much or stopping exercise altogether can exacerbate these age-related changes. Muscles need to be stimulated by physical activity in order to maintain strength and mass.</p> <p>Bones also need stimulation through loading to keep their density. Joints too need stimulation from movement to keep that feeling of stiffness to a minimum. And aside from our muscles and joints, the heart, lungs and circulatory system also need to be stimulated by exercise to maintain their ability to function optimally.</p> <p>While there are many factors that contribute to this common feeling of restricted movement or stiffness, the most important action we can take is to move more. This can be achieved through a number of measures.</p> <p>Becoming involved with a formal exercise or sports club is a great way to ensure you continue to exercise regularly. Teaming up with a friend to meet for exercise which could include aerobic activities such as running, swimming or walking is another good way to make sure you get some exercise.</p> <p>Resistance training is also important for muscles and bones. Moving the limbs through the entire range of motion of the joints is important for maintaining the ability to move freely and keep the muscles, tendons and ligaments healthy.</p> <p>There’s a lot of truth to the old adage “move it or lose it”: if we don’t keep moving, we lose our ability to do so. Exercise can be fun and finding something enjoyable will help you to stick to it. The social interactions that come with exercising, particularly in groups or clubs, is an added advantage which also has mental health benefits.</p> <p><em>Written by Andrew Lavender. Republished with permission of <strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/">The Conversation.</a></strong> </em></p> <p><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101808/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>

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Richard Hammond and family “gassed” and robbed on Saint Tropez holiday

<p><em>The Grand Tour</em>’s host Richard Hammond and his wife were gassed and robbed in their holiday villa in the South of France.</p> <p>The former <em>Top Gear</em> host and his wife Mindy, along with 15 guests who were staying together in a San Tropez villa, were stunned with anaesthetic gas before a team of thieves stole from them.</p> <p>Mindy, 53, described how she woke up as a group of burglars pilfered cash and jewellery.</p> <p>“I went downstairs and into the hallway. The door into the living room was shut but I heard a male voice behind the door,” the columnist said.</p> <p>“I thought it was another couple staying up and went back to bed.</p> <p>“Actually, it was the burglars.”</p> <p>She said the burglars searched the rooms of all of their 15 guests.</p> <p>“That just makes my blood run cold,” she said. “I could have easily walked in and it could have been unpleasant.”</p> <p>Guests at the villa had been enjoying a 1920s themed cocktail party the night before.</p> <p>Gas raids have been on the rise in the region where the rich and famous holiday.</p> <p>“You have got to have some kind of confidence to do that and to be quite satisfied that people aren’t going to wake up,” Mindy added.</p> <p>“That morning I slept in until eight. I didn’t even wake to Richard’s snoring! Nobody woke up.</p> <p>“It turned out they had burgled the neighbouring property as well in the same night.”</p> <p>The robbers also targeted neighbouring villas on the same night.</p> <p> </p>

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Georgie Gardner’s warning to fans after cancer scare

<p><em>Today </em>show co-host Georgie Gardner has shared a warning message to fans on Instagram after encountering a cancer scare.</p> <p>The 48-year-old Channel Nine journalist shared a photo of herself shortly after having a procedure to remove two skin cancers.</p> <p>“Feeling a little flat after [having] two more skin cancers removed, but counting my blessings they're not melanomas,” she wrote in the caption.</p> <p>“Can't overstate enough to get your skin checked and slap on the sunscreen!” she said, adding the hashtag: “Be sun smart, people”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnFenBbhOAX/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 55.18518518518518% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnFenBbhOAX/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">A post shared by Georgie Gardner (@georgiegardner9)</a> on Aug 29, 2018 at 7:04pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The mother-of-two received a wave of support from her social media followers, who wished her a speedy recovery.</p> <p>This is not the first time Georgie has encountered a skin cancer scare, with the journalist having cancer removed from her back last year.</p> <p>“Another skin cancer cut out and a call-out to get your skin checked people!” she wrote at the time.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/2aFwzMjS-y/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/2aFwzMjS-y/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">A post shared by Georgie Gardner (@georgiegardner9)</a> on May 7, 2015 at 9:32pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In 2015, Gardner also had cancer cut out from above her mouth.</p> <p>Shortly after the painful procedure, Gardner took the opportunity to share a photo and warn others to be “sun smart and get skin checked”.</p> <p>Gardner joins a list of other Aussie celebrities who have all shared their own experiences with skin cancer to raise awareness.</p> <p>In 2016, actor Hugh Jackman uploaded a photo of himself with a bandaged nose, following a cancer removal procedure.</p> <p>“An example of what happens when you don't wear sunscreen. Basal Cell. The mildest form of cancer but serious, nonetheless. Please use sunscreen and get regular check-ups,” he wrote.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBh_iM9ChL6/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBh_iM9ChL6/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">A post shared by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman)</a> on Feb 8, 2016 at 7:57am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In the same year, <em>I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!</em> host Julia Morris shared a photo of a skin cancer scar on her shoulder.</p> <p>She wrote: “Gang, seriously... Can you please look after your skin in the sun with proper sunscreen? You are too awesome not to.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BEDn3L6gZvQ/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BEDn3L6gZvQ/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">A post shared by Julia Morris (@ladyjuliamorris)</a> on Apr 11, 2016 at 3:27am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>How regularly do you get your skin checked? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

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Rebecca Gibney’s emotional update on her sick mum Shirley

<p>Television actor Rebecca Gibney has shared an emotional update on her sick mum Shirley, who has been in hospital because of a heart problem.</p> <p>The <em>Packed to the Rafters</em> star revealed that after a scary few weeks, her mum is recovering from surgery and will be leaving the hospital soon.</p> <p>In a post on her Instagram account, Rebecca wrote: “Oh and thank you for the well wishes for Shirl. She’s going home TODAY! Yippee!”</p> <p>Rebecca has shared several posts about her mum’s recent health battle, asking for well-wishes and love to be sent to Shirley during this time.  </p> <p>Last week, the Gold Logie winner posted a photo with her mum and wrote: “This is my beautiful mum Shirley who is heading back to hospital this afternoon because her heart is in need of attention.”</p> <p>“Shirl gives so much of herself always and now I’d be really grateful if just for a moment you look at her beautiful face and send some of your love back to her. I truly believe she’ll feel it. Thanks.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm0IuFSg_Lb/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm0IuFSg_Lb/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">A post shared by Rebecca Gibney (@rebeccagibney_)</a> on Aug 23, 2018 at 1:25am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The next day, the actor thanked fans on behalf of her mum for all the encouraging message that were sent to her.</p> <p>“Shirley wanted me to update you all. She has been totally blown away by the love from around the world,” she wrote.</p> <p>“Seriously has meant SO much and has really boosted her spirits. She’ll be in hospital for a few weeks but is in the best possible hands being totally looked after. Thank you so much from us both. It has meant the world knowing there are so many kind hearted souls out there. We’ve read every comment… Bless you all.”</p> <p>Earlier this week, Rebecca explained that her mum had a procedure where the doctors restarted “her heart to make it work better”.</p> <p>Rebecca first hinted of her mum’s health battle earlier this year in May, when she asked loved ones and fans to pray for her mum who was in a Brisbane hospital having tests, after not feeling well.</p> <p>On Mother’s Day earlier this year, Rebecca shared a tribute to her mother saying, “Beautiful Shirley my mum who taught me that it’s always better to be kind than right, that compassion is our best quality and that love will always overcome. We are so blessed by you.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bic52vTAJTf/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bic52vTAJTf/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">A post shared by Rebecca Gibney (@rebeccagibney_)</a> on May 6, 2018 at 2:47pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The actress has previously spoken out about how her mother suffered from domestic violence from Rebecca’s dad.</p> <p> “Home was safe because mum made it safe," she previously said.</p> <p>"She would shut the doors when she knew dad was coming home. And she would always come in after he'd beaten her and make sure we were OK."</p> <p>Rebecca is now an active campaigner against domestic violence as a patron of women's charity, Share the Dignity.</p>

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Brave girl who tried to steal Kate Middleton’s flowers dies

<p>A nine year-old-girl, who captured hearts around the world after she attempted to steal flowers from Kate Middleton, has died after battling a rare disease.</p> <p>Mia Murchison passed away on August 17 after fighting incurable Batten disease since the age of three, which took her eyesight and her ability to walk and talk.</p> <p>In April 2014, the Duchess of Cambridge met the brave young girl at a children’s hospice in Sydney.</p> <p>Mia “tried to steal” flowers Kate had been given at Bear Cottage in the Sydney suburb of Manly, much to the amusement of the Duchess.</p> <p>Kate, who was visiting the hospice with her husband Prince William, then let the young girl know that she could keep the flowers.</p> <p>When Mia said the word “baby”, Kate reportedly replied: “Yes, I have a baby, baby George."</p> <p>Mia, who was born in Ireland but relocated to New South Wales with her family, suffered from CLN2 disease, which is a part of the group of disorders collectively known as Batten disease, reported the <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk"><strong><em><u>Mirror.</u></em></strong></a></p> <p>Mia’s family have dedicated themselves to raising awareness about the condition and shared their daughter’s heartbreaking passing on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bounce4batten/"><strong style="font-style: inherit;"><u>Bounce4Batten</u></strong></a> Facebook page.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmkshXrF_W3/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 33.33333333333333% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmkshXrF_W3/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">Mia died this morning at home in our arms, as we hoped. So incredibly sad and beautiful. So very loved and adored. ✨</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/bounce4batten/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank"> Peta Murchison</a> (@bounce4batten) on Aug 17, 2018 at 1:30am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"Mia died this morning at home in our arms. So incredibly sad and beautiful. So very loved and adored,” it said on the page.</p> <p>Peta later wrote: "Yesterday was the saddest and most beautiful day for our family. Mia’s casket had a simple wooden nameplate that we will keep forever.</p> <p>"I never thought you could like a casket but hers was so beautiful covered in flowers and so very Mia. I loved it.</p> <p>"I was never going to be ready for this goodbye but it was heavenly and more beautiful than I ever could have imagined."</p> <p>Batten disease is a fatal disorder of the nervous system which typically begins in childhood and is incurable.</p> <p>Those diagnosed with Batten disease may suffer from blindness, personality and behavioural changes, seizures, intellectual decline, loss of speech, dementia and motor problems.</p> <p>Mia’s family have set up a <a href="https://uk.gofundme.com/in-memory-of-mia-murchison"><strong><u>GoFundMe</u></strong></a> page to support the principle charities that “played an integral role in Mia’s joyful life”.</p> <p>The page has already raised over $38,000 to support Riding for Disabled Association of Australia, Bear Cottage, Guide Dogs Australia and Batten Disease Support and Research Association. </p>

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Could you be at risk? Here’s what your wrinkles may be telling you about your health

<p>Your wrinkles may be saying more about your health than you think. While wrinkles have been an aesthetic concern for some, scientists reveal that deep facial lines can be an early warning sign of deadly heart trouble.</p> <p>According to research shown at the world’s largest heart conference, adults who have prominent forehead wrinkles and lines between their eyebrows are 10 times more likely to die at a younger age than those with smooth skin.</p> <p>The research was conducted by following 3,221 volunteers for 20 years after examining and assessing their appearance.</p> <p>Those with no wrinkles were given a score of zero, but those who had “numerous deep wrinkles” were issued a score of three.</p> <p>Experts believe that by closely studying people’s skin, GPs will have an easy and affordable way to spot early signs of stroke and heart attacks.</p> <p>Yolande Esquirol, the associate professor of occupational health at the University Hospital of Toulouse in France, claims that deep furrows are a red flag for clogged arteries – also known as atherosclerosis.</p> <p>Atherosclerosis is a condition that stops the flow of blood and oxygen to reach organs inside the body, which in turn increases the chances of lethal clots.</p> <p>Esquirol told the European Society of Cardiology conference in Munich that “the higher your wrinkle score, the more your cardiovascular mortality risk increases".</p> <p>“You can’t see or feel risk factors like high cholesterol or hypertension.</p> <p>“Just looking at a person’s face could sound an alarm, then we could give advice to lower risk.”</p> <p>According to Esquirol, the cause of deep wrinkles has nothing to do with stress or hard work, but more to do with cell and protein damage.</p> <p>Fellow researcher Professor Jean Ferrieres, from Toulouse University School of Medicine, said that assessing a wrinkled forehead is a better indicator of heart problems than high cholesterol.</p> <p>“We found it is a simple visual screening tool that can be used by GPs to identify people at risk,” Prof Ferrieres said.</p> <p>“This is more precise than cholesterol levels, as it is a sign blood vessels are already being damaged.</p> <p>“We would advise patients with wrinkly brows to see their GP and make lifestyle changes, such as more exercise and better diet.”</p> <p>While the risk of heart disease is inevitable as people age, there are ways to reduce the chances of being in a dangerous situation through lifestyle and medical interventions.</p> <p>Professor Kamila Hawthorne, the Vice Chair of the Royal College of GPs, finds the results “interesting".</p> <p>“Any research that seeks to aid better identification or treatment of heart disease, and further our understanding of the condition, is welcome, however strange the connection may seem,” said Prof Hawthorne.</p> <p>But Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, Professor Jeremy Pearson, says that these findings won’t be replacing traditional steps when uncovering heart-related problems.</p> <p>“Perhaps wrinkles can tell us more than we think about our heart health but counting lines won’t replace tests for well-understood risk factors, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure,” he said.</p> <p>What do you think about these findings? Let us know in the comments.</p>

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Here’s how much it really costs to call an ambulance in Australia

<p>Emergencies can happen at any given moment, hence the name “emergency”, and most of the time if a friend or loved one has an urgent health scare then our first point of call is an ambulance. But while it may seem like a cost that is covered by the public health system, many have yet to discover that it isn’t once they receive a bill in the mail.</p> <p>Research conducted by <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.finder.com.au/health-insurance/ambulance-cover" target="_blank">Finder.com.au</a></em> found that one in three Australians are under the impression that ambulances are covered by Medicare, and out of the 2,085 people Finder surveyed, 30 per cent believed that the cost of ambulance services was fully paid by the government.</p> <p>When in actual fact, the only time you avoid covering the costs of an ambulance is if you’re in possession of a concession or health care card. Results of the study also showed that 21 per cent of people surveyed have previously called emergency services for a non-life-threatening issue and had to pay a hefty bill out of their own pockets as an aftermath.</p> <p>“This research shows that many Australians think that, like other essential medical expenses, the cost of using ambulance transport is covered by Medicare, and unfortunately this isn’t true,” says insurance expert at Finder.com.au Bessie Hassan. “While some states do cover ambulance callout costs, most don’t, and it can cost thousands in some cases.”</p> <p><strong>The cost of ambulance callouts in Australia:</strong></p> <p>* Victoria: $1,776 for an emergency (rural), $1,204 if you’re not rural.</p> <p>* South Australia: $976 for an emergency, then $5.60 per kilometre.</p> <p>* Western Australia: $967 for an emergency.</p> <p>* Australian Capital Territory: $959 for an emergency, then $13.00 per kilometre travelled outside the ACT.</p> <p>* Northern Territory: $790 for an emergency, then $5.10 per kilometre.</p> <p>* New South Wales: $382 for an emergency, plus $3.44 per kilometre.</p> <p>* Queensland &amp; Tasmania: Free.</p> <p>Do you think it's fair to charge for an ambulance? Let us know in the comments. </p>

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Firefighters' new battle for cancer help: "The job is killing them"

<p>Having served 32 years of his life in the Melbourne Fire Brigade, Eddie Brizzio has always made sure to put other people's lives before his own. The devoted husband and father of eight children makes sure his family is always a top priority, but the safety of his community members has come in a close second.</p> <p>“We get called out to a job when everything is chaos, everyone is running away from the incident, we are the ones going in,” he told <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/the-job-is-killing-them-firies-battle-for-cancer-help/ar-BBMdxAS?li=AAgfIYZ" target="_blank">A Current Affair</a></em>.</p> <p>“That’s what we love about the job because we are able to help.”</p> <p>But as of late, Eddie is the one that needs the help in return. While working in April, Eddie felt a searing pain in his lower back.</p> <p>“I made an appointment to go and see the brigade doctor on the following Monday and when I got there they said the lefthand side of my body was all fine, however, they found a mass, possibly a tumour, in my right kidney that needed further investigation,” he said.</p> <p>Doctors later discovered that Eddie was suffering from kidney cancer – one of the 12 cancers that are caused by exposure to toxins and carcinogens according to scientific research.</p> <p>Firefighters, especially ones who have been serving as long as Eddie has, are five times more likely to be diagnosed with one of these cancers. While their uniforms are able to withstand extreme temperatures, nothing is guaranteed to keep a firefighter 100 per cent protected.</p> <p>And like most people, Eddie never expected to be in this situation.</p> <p>“I took every precaution available to me as part of my career, as most of us do,” he said.</p> <p>And he isn’t the only firefighter dealing with life-threatening consequences. Bruce Beasley, a firefighter who has served for almost 30 years, was diagnosed with prostate cancer.</p> <p>“I remember back in the old days you used to wear your dirty fire gear as a badge of honour – ‘I’ve been to five house fires, 10 house fires, 100 house fires’ – and you had dirty helmets and dirty gear,” said Bruce.</p> <p>“We do the job 'cause we love it – simple as that. We love to do the job, nothing better than going out and helping people.”</p> <p>But he was shocked when he received the news about his diagnosis.</p> <p>“I’ve seen the worst, I’ve seen families decimated by house fires, car accidents, stuff like that. But it’s the stuff that comes through, things like this, that has probably caused the cancers we all have,” he said.</p> <p>But while both Eddie and Bruce are firefighters dealing with a form of cancer, the similarities end there.</p> <p>Eddie, who resides in Victoria, has yet to receive financial aid throughout his treatment process, with the situation forcing him to use up his annual leave for medical appointments.</p> <p>Bruce, on the other hand, who lives in Queensland, has had his treatments fully paid for, with no changes to his wages and leave balance.</p> <p>This comes down to something that’s called presumptive legislation.</p> <p>“The presumption is, based on the scientific evidence, that you are more likely to get this type of cancer if you’re a firefighter,” said the Secretary of the United Firefighters Union, Peter Marshall.</p> <p>The federal government first introduced the legal protection for aviation firefighters in 2011, along with the ACT. The first state to adopt the bill was Tasmania, followed by Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and then Queensland in 2015.</p> <p>But the bill has not been put forward before New South Wales politicians, and even more surprising, the legislation has been voted down three times in the Victorian parliament.</p> <p>Which means that firefighters in both of those states must fight for workers compensation and must be able to prove exactly which fire caused their cancer.</p> <p>“It could be any one of hundreds of different types of fires you’ve been to, and then you would have to prove which fire was it, and then even further, which toxin – out of the ten thousand – was the one that caused your illness? It’s impossible,” explained Mr Marshall.</p> <p>Guy Zangari, the current NSW Shadow Emergency Services Minister, is writing up a bill to be presented to the states and hopes to have it voted on by the end of 2018.</p> <p>“If we are not protecting them, how can we expect them to protect us?” Mr Zangari said.</p> <p>“It sends a big statement if the government doesn’t back in presumptive legislation, so we would call on the government to offer bi-partisan support on this very important piece of legislation.</p> <p>“A firefighter doesn’t discriminate when they go to a house fire, they go in and do their job and it is a reality that that job is killing them,” he said.</p> <p>Eddie agrees with those sentiments.</p> <p>“We are there to protect and serve the community – so are politicians – how about doing the right thing and just looking after us?” Eddie said.</p> <p> </p>

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"Game changer": Erin Brockovich throws her support behind Tracey Spicer's campaign

<p>Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has shown her solidarity with Tracey Spicer’s women’s organisation, NOW Australia, an initiative that was created in the wake of the #metoo movement.</p> <p>Brockovich has applauded the former Network Ten newsreader for spreading awareness of the Time’s Up campaign – a movement that fights for women’s safety in the workplace, throughout Australia.</p> <p>Brockovich, who has a Hollywood movie named after her starring Julia Roberts, called the initiative a “game changer” in Australian society.</p> <p>“I think there’s going to be a whole lot to go around on this NOW movement,” she said to Lisa Wilkinson while appearing on <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/2018/8/19" target="_blank">The Sunday Project</a></em>, “It’s a game changer for [Australian women].”</p> <p>“It is a moment where so many of us have been labelled and judged and suppressed where we can actually within ourselves speak up and speak out and rise.</p> <p>“We have always been the one that changes the game.”</p> <p>After gaining inspiration from the Time’s Up movement in America, NOW Australia was established in March to provide survivors of harassment with legal and counselling resources.</p> <p>Lisa Wilkinson has also applauded the movement and Spicer’s determination to get people talking, saying she was doing “fabulous work".</p> <p>“The power that has come as women realise that they’re not alone and that their combined voice is going to see change,” said Lisa as she highlighted how quickly organisations such as Time’s Up and NOW Australia lifted from the ground.</p> <p>The movement was created after many Australian musicians raised their voice against sexual harassment and abuse of power in the industry.</p> <p>In December 2017, hundreds of women took a stance and released an open letter to the Australian music industry titled #MeNOmore. Some of these names include The Veronicas’ Jessica Origliasso, Tina Arena, Missy Higgins and Sarah Blasko.</p> <p>Saying: “We all have our own stories or know someone who does. We are not whingers or vibe-killers. We are passionate people dedicating our lives to music.</p> <p>“In the face of uncountable discrimination, harassment, violence and the general menace of sexist jargon, we have gritted our teeth and gotten on with the job.</p> <p>“But today we say, no more.”</p>

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True love: 98-year-old shows his devotion to sick wife by walking 10km every day to see her

<p>At 98 years old Luther Younger, a Korean War veteran, walks 10 kilometres each way to visit his wife, who is currently paralysed and hospitalised according to <em><a rel="noopener" href="http://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/news/2018/08/17/elder-man-walks-miles-to-be-alongside-hospitalized-wife" target="_blank">Spectrum News Rochester</a></em>.</p> <p>Having been married for over 50 years, Luther’s devotion to his wife Waverlee is inspiring to say the least.</p> <p>“I ain’t nothing without my wife,” Luther told Spectrum News. “It’s been a rough pull. It’s been tough.”</p> <p>Luther and his wife both live with their daughter, Lutheta Younger. Working with her sister Joyce Johnson, they both have taken responsibility for their parents and vouch to take care of them the same way their mother did when she and her siblings were younger said Lutheta.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Luther Younger and his wife, Waverly, have been married more than 50 years. Due to health issues, she's been hospitalized for nearly two weeks. Even in the rain, he walks to be by her side. <a href="https://t.co/O1NbFS9hOP">pic.twitter.com/O1NbFS9hOP</a></p> — Spectrum News ROC (@SPECNewsROC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SPECNewsROC/status/1030296964968140800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">17 August 2018</a></blockquote> <p>“I moved them out of their house, moved them in with me,” she said.</p> <p>According to Lutheta, her father has been making the 10-kilometre trip for a long time now.</p> <p>“He doesn’t have to, but he wants to. I can drive him. He just doesn’t want to wait; he’s impatient.”</p> <p>Waverlee has suffered from brain cancer since 2009, but Luther still remembers the good times they shared together.</p> <p>“She’s the best cup of tea I ever had,” he said.</p> <p>“She would come in and kiss me and say ‘baby’ and feed me in bed, and this is what I need right here.”</p> <p>“The whole time she was sick, he would stay overnight [in the hospital],” Lutheta said, “You know, he just wants the best for my mom.”</p> <p>A <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gofundme.com/luther-and-waverlee-yonger" target="_blank">GoFundMe</a></em> page has been set up for Luther and his family to help with hospital expenses and travelling costs to and from the hospital.</p>

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