‘Our village must mobilise to support the well being of elders,’ read a recent headline in the West Australian Newspaper. The headline twists the African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’.
Category Archives: Social issues
Aboriginal women and NAIDOC Week 2018
Aboriginal people across Australia celebrate NAIDOC Week which starts today, Sunday 8th July, and goes to 15 July. Since since I was a very young woman, the paths of some Aboriginal women have crossed mine and enriched it it many different ways.
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Our Souls at Night – Book Review
Our Souls at Night by American novelist Kent Haruf managed to sooth my soul and stimulate my imagination. The beautiful poetic prose in this slim book and the theme of love of different kinds in old age work together to create magic.
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Linen cupboards then and now
Linen cupboards have exercised my mind lately. It started when my friend, writer Louise Allan, re-posted a Facebook memory about sheets she had folded meticulously. She said, I think with tongue in cheek, The epitome of housewifeliness — folding the sheets so you can’t tell the difference between the fitted and flat ones.
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Nurses terrorised in outback Australia
Nurses terrorised at nursing posts in remote areas of Australia will never forget their experiences. The recent murder of Remote Area Nurse Gayle Woodford will have reactivated many memories.
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Nesting dislocation syndrome
Nesting dislocation syndrome is probably not a recognised mental condition. You won’t find it mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), for example. That bible of psychiatric medicine is now in its fifth reincarnation. But it doesn’t list nesting dislocation syndrome.
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Twelve steps to prevent elder abuse
Prevent elder abuse. That’s like saying, Prevent domestic violence. Or prevent child abuse. At first glance, preventing abuse seems an impossible task. But there are steps we can take to prevent elder abuse.
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Australia Day confusion
Australia Day post – a day late. I couldn’t access the internet yesterday. Frustrating. Australia Day perplexes me. What could be a joyous response is clouded by difficult issues. I’m a traditional Australian, to my core. But Australia Day does not fill me with unmitigated delight.
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Fear of ageing? No way!
Fear of ageing struck unexpectedly. The effect paralysed me. It began the day I stepped backwards off a curb and tore my gastrocnemesis (calf) muscle.
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Ann O’Neill – researcher, educator
Ann O’Neill, like Rosie Batty, is an amazing woman. Both have survived horrendous domestic violence. They have been traumatised. Their children have been killed. I had the privilege of hearing Ann speak to a small group this morning. Hence another blog about domestic terrorism.
