Health & Wellbeing

Staying hydrated is more important for health, wellbeing and enjoyment of life than many people realise. Dietitian Ngaire Hobbins explains why.

I am often frustrated by the ageism I witness in health messaging. This failure can end up causing unnecessary harm. Ngaire Hobbins, dietician and aged-care consultant

If you have diabetes, actively managing your health needs can boost your chances of living the independent, enjoyable life you want.

Having a healthy smile is not just for the cameras—oral health is important.

The Australian Government has updated its advice about COVID-19 booster doses for Australians aged over 60.

From your mid 60s, eating for health and wellbeing needs a different approach.

Can anything reduce our chances of developing dementia in older age? What we eat and how we live could make all the difference.

Oral cancer is more common in older Australians, and early detection often leads to better outcomes.

Our feet, often overlooked in our younger years, bear the brunt of a lifetime of activity. But it’s never too late to start taking care of them.

Every day our hands help us work, relax, care, create and share, yet it’s so easy to take them for granted. Find out how to boost your hand health.

Neglect is a form of elder abuse that can be unintentional, and hearing loss in older people can leave them vulnerable. What can we do to prevent it?

It's never too late to start protecting your skin from skin cancer. Here we talk about some ways to prevent it and what to do if you see something suspicious.

The Men’s Sheds community helps deter elder abuse by offering older men somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to.

Many Australians incorrectly believe that a person with dementia cannot make any decisions for themselves. Supported decision-making can be all that’s needed.

The language we use to speak about dementia and people living with dementia can unhelpfully focus on changes in behaviour rather than the circumstances in which someone living with dementia might respond to the environment and people around them, says Dementia Australia.

As silent indicators of health and wellbeing, dry mouth and other saliva changes are surprisingly significant. Find out why – and how – you should pay attention to this condition.

While many age-related eyesight conditions cannot be completely prevented, taking care of our eyes can minimise vision loss and support our independence.

Strength training is important for a healthier, more independent life as we age – and it’s easier to do than you might think.

Urinary tract infections in older people are rarely discussed openly, yet they affect quality of life and can have serious consequences – as Marianne discovered.

New research from the University of Queensland finds that staying strong and preventing frailty could influence your risk of developing dementia.

Adequate and appropriate nutrition is no less important in old age than at any other time of life.

The nutritional needs of older people are quite particular, and if those needs aren’t met it can affect not only the person’s health, but also their independence and quality of life.

Occupational therapy is an allied health profession that supports people who are finding it hard to continue doing meaningful activities. For older people, it can have very real benefits.

Sleep is essential for your health and wellbeing, regardless of your age. Here are some tips to help you nod off.

The question of surrendering our drivers licence touches on autonomy, capability and readiness. But the key consideration is safety: ours and others on the roads.

The effects of trauma are more widely acknowledged now than in the past. How do older people experience trauma, and how can they recover?

When older people enter aged care, their families can find the change traumatic. OPAL Institute director Dr Catherine Barrett and aged care advocate Steve Grady discuss why.

Physical or psychological distress from other people’s traumatic experiences is called ‘vicarious trauma’. For care service workers supporting older people, the risk is very real

You’ve seen an astonishing amount of social and technological change during your lifetime. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s not surprising.