Category: Health

Support for young stroke survivors

Cloverdale Community Centre volunteer Jasmine West is providing important feedback on a support service being trialled for young stroke survivors. 

Jasmine, who suffered a stroke when aged just 25, became involved with the Young Stroke Service trial through her involvement with The Stroke Foundation.

“Eighteen young Australians have a stroke every day,” Jasmine said. “I was busy working one day and collapsed. I ended up on life support for 18 days.”

Jasmine (pictured) spent five months in hospital, learning the skills she needed to live independently. She has right-side weakness but has resumed university studies and volunteers up to 15 hours a week.

The Young Stroke Service supports young people with stroke aged 18 to 45.  It is an outpatient service established to fill critical gaps in care for young people with stroke and is being trialled in Victoria and South Australia.  

The Young Stroke Service can help:

  • Understand stroke and navigate services.
  • Understand and manage memory and emotional changes.
  • Explore transport options, including driving.
  • Explore options for work and study.
  • Suggest ways to connect with other young people with stroke.

The services are provided via telehealth for young stroke survivors from anywhere across the state. To access the service, you need a referral from a healthcare professional, such as a General Practitioner or Allied Health Professional. The Young Stroke Service details can be found at https://www.youngstrokeservice.org.au/. For more information phone 0427-259-191.

Connecting and thriving through food

The ability of food to bring people together is celebrated at Cloverdale Community Centre, where Lotus Kitchen and Lotus Catering continue to grow.

Lotus Kitchen was formed when the COVID pandemic struck and Issara Saeyim was in the early days of student placement as part of her Diploma of Community Services. At the time, Issara was challenged to find a creative way to connect to people who were in lockdown and isolated.

“I’m from Thailand and I love cooking, so I use food to connect people,” Issara said. The program not only brought people together to cook but gave them purpose and connected them with others in similar situations.

Each Thursday, a team of volunteers prepares and serves up to 600 boxes of affordable takeaway Thai meals. The meals are advertised and ordered through Cloverdale Community Centre’s Facebook page, or by phoning the centre before noon on Wednesday.

The dishes vary each week and might be an authentic red, green or massaman curry, chicken satay or stir fry. They are collected from the pick-up window of the centre’s kitchen.

Among the volunteers are women who have experienced family violence and have been helped by Issara, herself a survivor of domestic violence. They volunteer in the kitchen as a way of giving back to their community and connecting with others in a safe space.

Issara, who is now Cloverdale Community Centre’s multicultural and wellbeing co-ordinator, has also launched Lotus Catering. The catering business employs some of the volunteers and has provided food for events for the City of Greater Geelong, Cultural, Leisure Networks and other business and community organisations.

Issara won a City of Greater Geelong Women in Community Life Award for Education in 2023 and is currently studying a Bachelor of Social Work. She continues to inspire others with her simple philosophy: “You can create a good thing and change lives with your passion. I really love what I’m doing.”

For information about Lotus Catering, phone 5275-4415.

Weekly Lotus Kitchen menu and ordering information is available on the Cloverdale Community Centre Facebook page.

Healthy, friendly approach to weight

Finding a healthy way to lose weight and live a healthier life can be hard.  At Cloverdale TOWN, the approach is to use a supportive, social environment to encourage each other.

TOWN stands for Take Off Weight Naturally, a low-cost club that helps members take steps needed to change their lifestyle, eat sensibly, exercise and achieve a personal and healthy goal weight.

The group has been based at Cloverdale Community Centre over many years and wants to welcome new members, regardless of their goals and abilities.

Team leader Kim Milburn said the group can support members who want to lose a lot of weight or just a few kilograms.

“We aim to create a social atmosphere and a community where people feel comfortable,” Kim said. “As well as a weekly weigh-in, with incentives for members who’ve lost weight, we have different topics and tips that can help.”

Weekly topics include tips for a balanced diet, exercise ideas, specific foods, eating well and knowing how to re-set when things don’t go according to plan.

Roslyn Hearn has lost 27 kilograms in her first 12 months of membership and this year has taken on responsibilities as assistant leader.

Roslyn, who has an intellectual disability, said losing weight in a supportive, social environment changed her life.

“I needed to lose weight for medical reasons and found it hard until I came to TOWN,” she said. “It’s helped many parts of my life and now I want to help other people.”

As assistant leader Roslyn has responsibilities during the weekly meetings and also looks forward to the social aspects of the group.

Cloverdale TOWN meets on Thursday mornings. For more information phone 0438-517-215.

Vegan café in Corio

There’s a new vegan dining option in Corio, with Happily Ever Vegan operating at the rear of Corio Central Dental in Bacchus Marsh Road.

Owner James Blackman is an experienced chef whose diverse career includes fine dining restaurants and working as a private chef overseas, where he cooked for the ‘rich and famous’ including actor Will Smith and past US-presidents.

James said he had been operating his vegan café business from a food van for the past eight years, most recently in Torquay. He had been looking for a space in Geelong for “a couple of years” when the owner of the dental clinic offered space.

The business opened in early November offering fresh, wholesome food that can be eaten onsite or take away. There is also an option to buy take-home meals to re-heat. 

“Everything is organic, so the menu changes to feature what’s available at any time,” James said. “It includes salads, pasta, pies, soup and toasted sandwiches. I can also do catering and cakes.”

James said the new food option had been well-received. The dental clinic staff are customers and a growing number of local residents are also becoming regular diners.

Menus are promoted on the Happily Ever Vegan Facebook page and updated regularly. For orders or more information, phone 0487-001-434.

Happily Ever Vegan is at the rear of Corio Central Dental at 68 Bacchus Marsh Road, Corio and is open Monday to Friday from 10am until 4.30pm.

Looking into school lunch boxes

Researchers at Deakin University want to talk to parents and caregivers of primary school aged children about packing school lunch boxes.

Honours student Kimberley Watson-Mackie’s research project is “School lunch boxes: are parents and caregivers under pressure?”

“The project aims to explore the experiences of lunchbox preparation by parents and caregivers in Victoria, and their adherence to the school policies,” Kimberley said. “This research will shed light on the lunchbox options of primary school aged children in low-income families, including any challenges in creating healthy lunchboxes.”  

Participation in the research involves an interview, lasting approximately 30 to 60 minutes, that is conducted either remotely or in person.

Parents and carers will be invited to talk about managing their child’s tastes, working with school policies, cost pressures and trying to make the lunchbox as healthy as possible.

Participants will receive a $20 voucher to thank them for their time.

If you receive the Parenting Payment or JobSeeker Payment, have children in primary school and would like to participate in an interview about the pressures associated with lunch boxes, contact the research team.

For more information, contact Dr Fiona McKay, phone 9251-7183 or email [email protected].

Vaccination booking and transport help

Do you or someone you know want a COVID-19 vaccination and either can’t use technology to make the booking or don’t have any transport options to get to a vaccination centre?

Volunteering Geelong’s Community Transport service has regular bookings, Monday to Friday, at the Barwon Health Community Vaccination Hub in Norlane.  They can assist you to get to your vaccination appointment with a team of helpful, friendly volunteer drivers.

The service provides a reliable transport option to eligible individuals within the Greater Geelong and surrounding regions.

To book a vaccination, check your eligibility and type of vaccine and then call Volunteering Geelong on 5221-1377 and they will help book your appointment and transport.

Determine which vaccine you will receive by calling the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080 or check the eligibility tracker online (https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid-19-vaccine-eligibility-checker) Remember, the vaccine is free and will help protect family, friends and the most vulnerable Victorians.

Walking for community impact

Norlane resident Ben Le Fevre has completed a significant personal challenge to honour lost loved ones, raise money and awareness of suicide prevention activities in Geelong.

As well as playing a key role in the annual Geelong Suicide Prevention Awareness Network (SPAN) walk this month, during July he walked 200 kilometres on his way to raising $2791 for RUOK?

The RUOK? event raised money to help provide counselling in remote areas and develop programs for schools and workplaces about how to ask RUOK? and know how to follow up if the answer is no.

The 200 kilometres, about six kilometres a day, were at night and mostly alone. Sponsors supported his effort and contributed to his fundraising result, which exceeded his original goal of $1000.

“I decided to do the kilometres at night because my loved ones were in a dark place at the time,” he said. “I also carried a weighted bag, because I know they would have been carrying a lot of emotions with them.”

Ben, 26, is a Geelong SPAN committee member and has joined its annual walk since it began in 2010. Ben has lost six loved ones to suicide since 2008 and joined SPAN to get support for himself.

“I then realised that Geelong still had an issue with suicide and depression being a taboo subject,” he said. “I wanted to help raise awareness.”

The traditional SPAN walk was replaced by a virtual walk on September 13, with Ben providing a welcome to participants via a Facebook live feed. He said the walk helps dismantle the stigma around the taboo subject and is a safe place to talk about loved ones lost to suicide.

Ben said he has experienced depression himself and knows what a merry-go-round it can be. He wants everyone to have access to support when they need it most.

If you or someone you know needs help phone, Lifeline on 131-114 or Beyond Blue on 1300-224-636. You can support SPAN Geelong by going to its website https://www.spangeelong.com/

Help is a phone call away

Bethany Community Support has launched a new program to support people as they work through impacts of COVID-19. These include sudden loss of income and jobs, social distancing, working from home and daily messaging in the media that can increase levels of stress and anxiety. 

Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. The Bethany COVID-19 Support Line – 1300-655-598 – is a new and easy pathway to speak with a trained counsellor. 

Bethany’s support services include the provision of emergency relief to help those who are struggling to cope with financial stress, support for individuals and families including therapeutic counselling, family support and housing services, occupational therapists and speech pathologists to assist with your NDIS journey and support for gambling-related harm.

Bethany is committed to supporting the community and has adapted the way staff deliver all of their services, which are now effectively delivered over the phone; online via secure video conference or video calls; or in person with strict precautions to manage safety.

Therapists can also invite carers, support co-ordinators, language interpreters and any other people the participant would like to include in the session.

Bethany COVID-19 Support Line counsellors will listen, provide support, advice and helpful strategies as well as guide you to services that might be useful for your particular situation.

No problem is too big or small.

If you, or someone you know needs someone to talk to, call the Bethany COVID-19 Support Line on 1300-655-598, from Monday to Friday, 10am-3pm.

Keeping active at home

The City of Greater Geelong has put together a health and wellbeing resource to help residents create and live a healthy lifestyle, particularly in times of isolation.

Healthy at Home shares a range of ideas that can be easily adopted, like nutritious recipes, mental health support, information about positive relationships and tips for keeping active at home.

Increasing your daily activity can come from small movements around the house that build up throughout the day. Cleaning and doing laundry, working in the garden, or trying some stretches during TV ad breaks all count.

Aiming for a little more movement whenever, wherever and however you can, is a great way to boost your physical and mental health.

Mayor Stephanie Asher said the Healthy at Home toolkit has been designed to help people support the health and wellbeing of themselves and their families.

“It can be a difficult balance, juggling this new way of living, supporting others’ wellbeing and trying to eat well, exercise and get enough sleep yourself” she said. “The toolkit features a lot of very helpful information and practical tools.”

Cr Pat Murnane, Chair Community Health, Wellbeing and Safety portfolio is encouraging residents to check out the toolkit, as there’s something for everyone.

“There are tips on sleeping well, mindfulness exercises, links to online fitness classes, recipes for delicious infused water, and even a meal planning template and sample shopping list,” Cr Murnane said.

Find the Healthy at Home toolkit at www.geelongaustralia.com.au/healthyathome

Residents without access to the internet can register for a printed toolkit by phoning 5272-5272.

Barwon Health North is making a difference

Northern suburbs residents are turning to Barwon Health North’s Urgent Care Centre for treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, as well as x-ray and medical imaging. The new facility, located on the corner of Cox Road and Princes Highway, opened in late January and is a walk-in service for people with minor illnesses and injuries.

The Urgent Care Centre is staffed by highly-skilled nurse practitioners, registered nurses, medical imaging staff and patient services assistants.

Nurse practitioners can examine, diagnose illnesses/injuries, treat wounds including sutures, plaster, prescribe medication/treatment and make referrals. Nurse practitioners have a direct video link to doctors at University Hospital Geelong’s Emergency Department.

Barwon Health North’s Urgent Care Centre is open seven days, 2pm to 10pm, including x-ray and medical imaging. More services including child and family, healthy at home and adult and paediatric specialist clinics will open in the coming months.

Bell Park mother Tiana Dawes used Barwon Health North’s walk-in service for a quick result after their two-year-old son Ollie swallowed a coin.

Tiana called her mother in a panic after Ollie lodged a 10-cent coin in his throat, anticipating spending hours waiting at the Emergency Department as a less urgent patient.

“I was about to head into town, but Mum told me Barwon Health North was open and it was closer,” she said.

“We came here and by that time he had swallowed the coin. It was two days before he was due for a tonsillectomy, so that was my main concern. The facility is excellent and the staff were great. They made us feel welcome and took us straight through.

“The staff observed his breathing while he had a bit of a run around and play, and made sure he was OK before they sent us home with the all-clear.”

For more information about Barwon Health North go to www.barwonhealthnorth.org.au or phone 4215-8000.