Australian Government Directory of Services for Older People 2011
Preventative care
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Assessment 
A health assessment is available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of all ages. The older person’s health assessment for people 55 years and over involves assessing health and physical, psychological and social function. Preventive health care, education and other assistance may be offered. It is recommended that this health assessment be undertaken annually.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who might be eligible for this health assessment should speak to their GP, health worker or clinic.
If your medical practitioner bulk-bills, you will not have to pay for the assessment.
Website: www.health.gov.au/mbsprimarycareitems
Cancer
The risk of cancer increases with age. More than twice as many cancers are diagnosed in people aged 60 years and over compared to people aged under 60 years. More than 13,000 cancer deaths each year are due to smoking, sun exposure, poor diet, alcohol, inadequate exercise or being overweight. These are deaths that can be prevented.Cancer Council Australia provides seven simple steps for minimising the risk of cancer. Fact sheets and information can be downloaded from Cancer Council Australia’s website.
Phone: 13 11 20 (Cancer Council Helpline)
Website: www.cancer.org.au
Dementia
Dementia is not a natural part of ageing, although after the age of 65 the likelihood of living with dementia doubles every five years affecting almost one in four people aged 85 and over.The Dementia Resource Guide at www.health.gov.au/dementia identifies resources that address dementia risk reduction strategies.
Phone: 1800 100 500 (National Dementia Helpline)
Website: www.health.gov.au/dementia
Diabetes
Diabetes and its complications contribute significantly to ill health, disability and premature death in Australia. Diabetes related complications include coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, blindness, kidney disease, amputation of limbs and impotence.There is evidence that the risk of getting ‘older onset’ or Type 2 Diabetes is significantly reduced by having a healthier lifestyle. This means being in the healthy weight range (through adequate physical activity, eating a variety of nutritious foods and reducing your fat intake), reducing your stress and not smoking.
Early detection and effective management are the keys to diabetes control. Good glucose control can delay the occurrence and slow the progress of complications in all types of diabetes.
See your medical practitioner or contact Diabetes Australia for more information.
Phone: 1300 136 588 (Diabetes Australia)
E-mail: admin@diabetesaustralia.com.au
Website: www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
Health Assessments
Australians aged 75 or over are able to access a Medicare rebate for an annual health assessment undertaken by their GP. This is a voluntary health assessment available regardless of health status. It is intended to alert your medical practitioner to risk factors and hazards to your health that may need further management.New residents of aged care homes are able to access a Medicare rebate for a Comprehensive Medical Assessment by their GP on admission. Existing residents are also able to receive a Comprehensive Medical Assessment annually.
If your medical practitioner bulk-bills, you will not have to pay for the annual assessment.
Website: www.health.gov.au/mbsprimarycareitems
Healthy eating
Good nutrition is fundamental to all aspects of good health and wellbeing. The Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults provide recommendations and practical advice on the types of food and the eating patterns that support and promote good nutrition and health. Each guideline relates to a key health issue and is like a piece of a good health puzzle. Free copies of the guidelines are available by contacting National Mailing and Marketing on the contact details below or by downloading it from the National Health and Medical Research Council website.Phone: (02) 6269 1080 (National Mailing and Marketing)
E-mail: health@nationalmailing.com.au
Websites: www.health.gov.au
www.nhmrc.gov.au (National Health and Medical Research Council)
Heart Foundation
The Heart Foundation aims to reduce suffering and death from cardiovascular disease by providing support and information, by raising community awareness, and by supporting programs to improve cardiovascular health and care.Phone: 1300 362 787 (Heart Health Information Line)
Website: www.heartfoundation.org.au
Lifescripts – Advice for Healthy Living
Lifescripts is a national program that helps GPs/Health workers provide lifestyle advice to their patients. Advice may be about quitting smoking, increasing physical activity, eating a healthier diet, reducing alcohol consumption or a combination of these.Your GP/Healthworker can help you by:
- assessing your current lifestyle for any health risks
- giving you personalised advice on healthy changes that work for your lifestyle
- giving you practical help to achieve your goals
- arranging specialised services and access to more information.
Website: www.health.gov.au/lifescripts
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Men’s Health Peer Education 
The Men’s Health Peer Education program aims to raise the veteran community’s awareness of men’s health issues by encouraging members of the veteran and ex-service community to share the responsibility for managing their own health and wellbeing. It is a self-help health management program run by volunteer facilitators. The program has a website that provides easy access to information on a wide variety of health conditions such as heart and vascular health, diabetes, mental health and cancers.Phone: 13 32 54 (Veterans — capital city callers)
1800 555 254 (Veterans—regional callers)
Website: www.dva.gov.au
National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
Bowel cancer is the second most common internal cancer affecting both men and women. It is the third most common cause of cancer related death. The risk of developing bowel cancer increases from the age of 40 and rises sharply and progressively from the age of 50.Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. About one in 19 men and one in 28 women will develop bowel cancer before the age of 75.
Bowel cancer screening is both acceptable and effective. In the 2008–09 Budget, the Australian Government provided $87.4 million over three years to expand the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to 50 year olds.
From July 2008, people turning 50, 55 and 65 years of age between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010 will be invited to complete a simple, yet highly effective, faecal occult blood test in the privacy of their own home and send it to a pathology laboratory for analysis. Up to 2.5 million people will receive an invitation to participate in this phase of the program.
Phone: 1800 118 868 (National Bowel Cancer Screening Program)
Website: www.cancerscreening.gov.au
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre
Funded by the Australian Government, National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC) is Australia’s source of evidence-based information on breast and ovarian cancer.In addition to providing information for health professionals to guide best practice care, NBOCC provides comprehensive information to inform people with breast or ovarian cancer about all aspects of their diagnosis and treatment.
If you or a member of your family have been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, NBOCC’s resources are available free of charge to support you in making decisions about treatment and care. For more information about NBOCC’s resources or to place an order, visit www.nbocc.org.au or freecall 1800 624 973.
NBOCC also works to raise community awareness about breast and ovarian cancer, and to ensure that Australian women are informed of and can act on the symptoms of the diseases.
NBOCC recommends that women of all ages get to know the normal look and feel of their breasts and see their doctor without delay if they notice a change – even if they are having regular screening mammograms.
Breast changes to look out for include:
- a new lump or lumpiness, especially if it is only in one breast
- a change in the size or shape of the breast
- a change to the nipple, such as crusting, ulcer, redness or inversion
- a nipple discharge that occurs without squeezing
- a change in the skin of the breast, such as redness or dimpling
- an unusual pain that does not go away.
The most common symptoms that may indicate ovarian cancer are:
- abdominal bloating/feeling full
- abdominal or back pain
- appetite loss or feeling full quickly
- changes in toilet habits
- unexplained weight loss or weight gain
- indigestion or heartburn
- fatigue.
Phone: (02) 9357 9400 (National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre)
1800 624 973 (Freecall to order NBOCC resources)
Website: www.nbocc.org.au
National Stroke Foundation
The National Stroke Foundation is a not for profit organisation that works with the public, government, health professionals, patients, carers and stroke survivors to reduce the impact of stroke on the Australian community.Phone: 1800 787 653 (StrokeLine)
Website: www.strokefoundation.com.au
Postal: National Stroke Foundation
Level 7
461 Bourke Street
MELBOURNE VIC 3000
Physical activity
No matter what your age, weight, health problems or abilities, you should try and do some form of physical activity. If you are starting an activity program it is important to start out slowly and increase your activity over time. Older people should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days. It improves strength and balance, and can reduce your risk of falls. It can make your heart healthier and increase your fitness and endurance. It can also contribute to independent living by helping to maintain, or increase, your ability to undertake activities of daily living.You can put together your 30 minutes of activity in as little as ten minute bursts. Doing some physical activity, no matter how little, is better than doing nothing at all. The more you do the better for your health and wellbeing. Try to be active every day in as many ways as possible, doing a range of activities that incorporate fitness, strength, flexibility and balance. Choose activities that you enjoy, maybe do it with a friend to help keep you motivated. This may be a combination of walking, dancing, swimming, bowls, tai-chi, cycling, a group activity class, an exercise class, strength training — anything that gets you moving.
If you have enjoyed a lifetime of vigorous physical activity, carry on doing so in a manner suited to your capability.
If you live with a chronic disease, or if you have stopped exercising because of a new health problem and want to start again, check with your doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, podiatrist or local fitness centre about the type and amount of activity you can do. Remember to start slowly and gradually build up your intensity and duration as your fitness increases.
A booklet, Choose Health: Be Active is a free guide to help older Australians improve their health and wellbeing by increasing their physical activity. The booklet shows a variety of ways people can be more physically active in everyday life.
For a copy of the free booklet call the Aged Care Information Line.
Phone: 1800 500 853 (Aged Care Information Line)
13 32 54 (Veterans — capital city callers)
1800 555 254 (Veterans — regional callers)
Website: www.health.gov.au
Pneumococcal vaccination
Pneumococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. Some types of the bacterium are commonly found in the upper respiratory tract (nose, throat and windpipe) of healthy people. The bacterium can spread between people through infected droplets in the air and by touching an infected person. The disease can cause:- meningitis (infection of the membranes that enclose the brain and spinal cord)
- pneumonia (lung infection)
- septicaemia/bacteraemia (blood system infection)
- middle ear and sinus infections.
People aged 65 years or over should discuss immunisation with their doctor or health care provider.
Adults aged 65 years or over are at higher risk of contracting pneumococcal disease than the rest of the population, with the majority of deaths from this disease occurring in this age group.
Two doses of vaccine are given with the second dose given five years after the first dose.
Phone: 1800 671 811 (Immunise Australia Information Line)
E-mail: immune.coord@health.gov.au
Website: www.immunise.health.gov.au
Postal: Department of Health and Ageing
MDP 13
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2601
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Seasonal influenza vaccine
The vaccine is a very important way to help prevent catching influenza (the flu). The best time to be vaccinated is in autumn, before the outbreak of flu in winter.People eligible to receive the free flu vaccine include:
- people 65 years of age and over
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 15 years of age and over
- pregnant women
- individuals 6 months of age and over with underlying medical conditions which predispose them to the risk of complications from influenza.
Concessional or carer status has no bearing on the eligibility for subsidised seasonal influenza vaccine.
Phone: 1800 671 811 (Immunise Australia Information Line)
E-mail: immune.coord@health.gov.au
Website: www.immunise.health.gov.au
Postal: Department of Health and Ageing
MDP 13
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Sensible alcohol consumption
For many older people, drinking is an important and enjoyable part of a social life. However, people age at different rates and older people who drink alcohol need to reassess their drinking regularly. Older people are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol due to changes in body composition, decreased metabolic capacity and the presence of other medical conditions. Alcohol can also interact with many medications — check with your GP or pharmacist for details. Research studies have shown that alcohol can increase the risk of falls, motor vehicle accidents and suicide in elderly people.The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol recommend that, for healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury; and on a single occasion, drinking no more than four standard drinks reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.
For more information, go to www.alcohol.gov.au. There you will find posters and brochures which set out the Guidelines messages, and other useful information about alcohol consumption. The Guidelines materials have also been translated for culturally and linguistically diverse audiences.
E-mail: alcohol.policy@health.gov.au
Website: www.alcohol.gov.au
Staying on your feet and avoiding falls
Slips, trips and falls can happen to anyone, but they are more common and more significant as we get older, because we are more likely to injure ourselves. People often dismiss falls as ‘part of getting older’ or ‘just not concentrating’ but falls are often a warning sign that something is not right so it is important to discuss any fall with your doctor.The good news is that many falls are preventable and there are many things you can do to reduce your risk of falling. There is a booklet to help people reduce their risk of falls and fall-related injuries. This booklet is entitled Don’t fall for it. Falls can be prevented! A guide to preventing falls for older people and is available free of charge. It is available in English, Polish, Chinese, German, Greek and Italian.
Phone: 1800 500 853 (Aged Care Information Line)
Website: www.health.gov.au
The Right Mix 
The Right Mix provides veterans with a range of resources to recognise if they have the right balance of alcohol in their lives, tips on actions to take if they need to reduce their drinking and help on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.Phone: 13 32 54 (Veterans — capital city callers)
1800 555 254 (Veterans — regional callers)
E-mail: therightmix@dva.gov.au
Website: www.therightmix.gov.au
Tobacco use
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in Australia. Scientific evidence confirms that smokers face significantly increased risks of death and or illness from numerous cancers, heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and other respiratory diseases. Smoking also causes blindness, dental problems, erectile dysfunction and contributes to osteoporosis.Exposure to second-hand smoke also causes premature death and disease in adults and children who do not smoke. There is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke.
Quitting at any age has benefits, with the largest reduction in risk in those who quit the earliest. For medical advice about giving up smoking see your medical practitioner/health worker or pharmacist. For general information about giving up smoking ring the Quitline.
Phone: 13 78 48 (Quitline)
Website: www.quitnow.info.au
Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service 
The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) is a specialised, free and confidential Australia-wide service which provides counselling and group programs to Australian Veterans, peacekeepers and serving Australian Defence Force Members and their families. VVCS services are also available to eligible War widows and widowers. VVCS staff are professionally qualified with skills in working with veterans and their families.Veterans of all conflicts and peacekeeping operations, as defined by the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, can access this service. Your partner and in some cases, your children, can also use this service.
Phone: 1800 011 046 (Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service)
Website: www.dva.gov.au
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