Staying healthy

A series of three informative and interactive peer education sessions presented by the Council on the Ageing (ACT) will be held at Dickson Library on Tuesdays from 11.00am-12.00pm starting on 29 July. Bookings are essential, phone 62059000.

Generic and Quality Use of Medicines - Tuesday 29 July
This session promotes active involvement in your health care, and will inform you about the possibility of drug interactions, both prescriptions, over-the-counter, herbal and natural. It will give you the tools to manage your medication and those you care for. It will also provide avenues for consumers to pursue better health care management for themselves. It will tell you what a generic medicine is, how you can make an informed decision when the pharmacist asks “Would you like a cheaper version?”, what the differences and similarities are between brand name and generic medicines are, and how to best manage a change.

BeyondMaturityBlues: Depression and Older People - Tuesday 5 August
COTA’s most recent partnership is with BeyondBlue, the national depression initiative, for the project BeyondMaturityBlues. Depression in older people is often ignored or misdiagnosed due to a vast array of reasons. Did you know that one in five people will experience depression in their lifetime and the highest suicide rate is in men in their 80s? Depression is more than just feeling blue and people need to know how to spot changes in people that may indicate a bout of depression.

Moving Right Along: Falls Prevention and Mobility - Tuesday 12 August
This session focuses on trip and slip hazards in everyday life, how best to maintain maximum mobility, things that change in life as you age and how to manage them to live more independently and healthily. For example, did you know that at age 65, you need three times the illumination to see well than when you were 20? Small changes can be made with maximum positive impact.