Life Support

A survey by a Perth law firm has found one-third of people aged 18 to 29 years old are "reliant on inheritance" for their financial future.

$5.4 trillion is expected to be passed on in the next 25 years.

One lawyer said it was important for families to plan their financial future early to stave off disputes.

This is probably very similar everywhere else in Australia.

How can our police think they can beat someone up this way? They were convicted but police violence is becoming more evident (e.g. Sydney's attack on Herzog protestors).

How can we better protect people like this woman with acute mental illness? How can a correctional centre let her out alone without her medication? It's not just police who need better training but corrections staff too.

We will be facing challenging times so make use of the Life Support community to swap knowledge, words of encouragement and experience that can help yourself and others.

Here's the 'official' Life Support description:

The main aim is to support ourselves and each other with evidence-based knowledge. A second aim is having a group that will be sympathetic to people’s questions and situations, if these arise, without trespassing on privacy. It is not meant to be an Agony Aunt column.

Topics can include: • ways to look after health at different stages of life

•     family interactions, triumphs and challenges

•     people who are on their own and their triumphs and challenges

•     children and education

•     technology in people’s lives: effects, coping and solutions

•     money, housing, and work issues 

•     race, gender and sexuality

•    where to find support and what alternatives there might be

The Life Support community takes the form of:

• plain, useful information about topics and where to find practical help
• sharing articles about health and social issues and how they affect people personally
• sharing experiences or questions and asking others to respond with suggestions or examples from their lived experience

It will always be a work in progress depending on what people bring to the community, so don’t be shy. If we have a genuine interest or question and we are respectful we can give this experiment a whirl.

The strategies include an online peer support community that is anonymous.

New data shows only 16 per cent of Australian women know dementia is the leading cause of death.

Almost half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 risk factors [listed in article].

The federal government says it will consider a national dementia campaign to raise awareness.

Prevention is possible

Women reading this article, what are you doing to look after brain health?

When we seal our homes to keep heat in, we also capture moisture and allergens, affecting the air we breathe. Here’s a few simple ways to fix it

In Germany, there is a practice called Lüften. Or as popularised on TikTok, House Burping.

It is the simple act of opening windows and doors for a short 10-15 minute burst twice a day, letting the house breathe in clean, fresh air.

Because dry air is easier (and cheaper) to heat than damp air, a quick burst of fresh air could actually make your heater more efficient.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/33107405

This free, family-friendly event is all about our youngest Queenslanders with live kids’ entertainment, creative activities, food trucks, and helpful resources for parents.

Kids can:

🐾 Explore local parks & wildlife through fun, hands-on activities 🌱 Discover the wonders of nature and learn about conservation 🌏 Build early awareness of sustainability in simple, engaging ways

Find your closest event at: https://events.premiers.qld.gov.au/littlequeenslanders/find-an-event.aspx

It’s scientifically proven that laughter reduces stress hormones, relaxes muscles and can improve heart, immune and mental health [in adults].

This is even more true in children who rely on laughter to strengthen social bonds and personal wellbeing.

A new evidence-based book by early childhood expert Dr Jacqueline Harding, The Brain That Loves to Laugh, shows that laughter in children contributes to their ability to handle stress and embrace new experiences.

So have fun and laughs with the children in your life. Everyone wins!

https://connectsci.au/news/news-parent/9408/Children-s-laughter-linked-to-resilience-and

Messages, content and influencers once confined to fringe or radicalised online communities are now showing up in young men’s social media feeds. Young men don’t necessarily seek out this content, the algorithm takes them to it.

What’s striking is how these manosphere ideologies show up and spread – embedded within the culturally relevant topics and trends young men care about, such as gaming, fashion, sports and music.

The Albanese government introduced laws to ban kids from using social media, but it’s done little to stop kids from being subject to online gambling ads.

Australia Institute research shows that almost one in three 12-17 year-olds gamble. In fact, Australian teenagers are more likely to gamble than to play soccer, basketball, cricket or any other sport.

Like big tobacco, the gambling industry knows if it can get kids hooked, it has a pipeline of customers for life. That’s why they pour so much money into gambling ads and lobbying efforts to keep their profits rolling in.

And it works. Australians are the biggest gamblers in the world. We’re also the biggest losers – Australians lose over $30 billion to gambling a year. That’s more per capita than any other country in the world.

The solutions are not hard or complicated. If we ban online gambling ads, fewer people – fewer children – will be lured into a gambling habit that could last and cost a lifetime...

The only thing that’s missing is the political will.

✍️ Add your name now to join the call for gambling reform!

^https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/gambling

When families have stable housing, manageable financial pressure, and access to mental health care, children are less likely to develop serious mental health problems later on.

Early support for parents and the above factors don't sound like rocket science but we need to keep reminding our governments. Preventing the development of problems at home early in the piece will lessen bigger social problems later on. The article also provides links to programs (including online) that help with parenting.

Are they more harmful to kids?

Yes. This is because children have much smaller airways than adults, which can become blocked or irritated more easily. They also breathe more quickly relative to their body size, meaning they may inhale more potentially toxic substances at a time.

Children are often drawn to these metallic-looking cake products because they appear to be sparkly. They are also more likely to accidentally inhale cake dusts, for example while helping decorate cakes or blowing out candles.

In the Queensland case, the child inhaled about one tablespoon of gold cake dust before he started coughing, became unresponsive and ultimately spent days in an induced coma. It’s likely the inhaled dust entered the boy’s lungs, where it blocked his airways.

This case shows the importance of keeping toddlers away from anything they could swallow, or that may settle in their lungs.

Aluminium, copper, zinc? We're doing to cakes what we're doing to our bodies in order to look glamourous or whatever 🙄 😠

This is a useful article that gives you a pretty comprehensive list of available after-hour services.

I proposed to our admins starting a new community that focuses on how current issues affect people personally, in their everyday life. All of a sudden, here it is! Not really happy with the name so if you have a bright idea, pitch it!

The main aim of the community is to find ways to support ourselves and each other with evidence-based knowledge. A second aim is having a group that will be sympathetic to people's questions and situations, if these arise, without trespassing on privacy. It is not meant to be an Agony Aunt column.

Topics could relate to:

• ways to look after health at different stages of life
• family interactions, triumphs and challenges
• people who are on their own and their triumphs and challenges
• technology in people's lives: effects, coping and solutions
• children and education,
• where to find support for diverse issues and also what alternatives there might be
• whatever else may be useful for people to know which may support them in their daily living or give them insight.

I was going to add points on race, gender and sexuality because no one should be excluded but as I am by no means an expert, I thought it better to leave these topics out unless people think they apply to them and that they would contribute with posts that would be supportive to them and help everyone else to get understanding.

I'll be moderating and I hope some other person(s) will join me. If you like the aims of the community please say so. If you'd like to add to or change any of the above, also speak up. It's early days.