The team at Just For U believe in living in a society where equality is central to the fabric of our society. Reconciliation Week provides us with the opportunity to focus on reconciliation and hear about the cultures and histories of Australia’s Indigenous peoples.

June is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements.

To view more about National Reconciliation Week please visit the links below
www.reconciliation.org.au or www.onlymelbourne.com.au

You will find Australia’s leading experts on pregnancy, baby and toddler, as well as amazing shopping and fantastic live entertainment for the little ones.

ABC TV’s sensation Peppa Pig will delight her young fans by performing at The Baby & Toddler Show to be held at the Royal Exhibition Building from 12 – 14 April 2013.

Adored by children aged 2 to 4 years, Peppa will invite them to sing and dance at her special stage show sponsored by Bio Oil. They also have a chance to meet and be photographed with the TV character.

The Baby & Toddler Show is jam packed with fun for families with young children

- Come to the LEGO® DUPLO® Brick Pit where your little one can play with big LEGO bricks made especially for little hands
- Have fun with face painting, balloon animals and family entertainment
- Mum and Dad can test drive the latest prams at the purpose-built Pram Trial Track
- Shop for everything from nursery furniture to nappies from 200 of the hottest brands (grab a bargain with exclusive show discounts)
- Feel like a VIP Mum in the Children’s Panadol Green Room

Change and feed your baby in our luxurious macro baby Feeding Room and Woolworths Select changing rooms

The Melbourne show offers a wealth of guidance for parents including seminars with baby whisperer Pinky McKay and toddler guru Angharad Candlin as well as the chance to learn life-saving techniques at Child Revive Sessions.

Discover the fun of early childhood at The Baby & Toddler Show proudly supported by Volvo.

A fantastic day out for the whole family!

Professor David Hillman, president of Sleep Health Foundation, said about 50 per cent of older adults report difficulty sleeping.

“It is quite common to meet people who have attributed symptoms of sleep apnoea to ‘getting older.’” He said pointing old age as the cause for sleep problems is a myth.

Common problems with sleep are associated with poor health outcomes, he said. For example, sleep apnoea is associated with increased motor vehicle and work-related accident risk, hypertension, heart disease, depression and metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

“Elderly people need about the same length of sleep as younger adults,” he said. But they may spend more time in bed getting sleep, due to disturbances such as body aches and pains.

Professor Shantha Rajaratnam, president of Australasian Sleep Association said, “Poor sleep in older people is most likely related to conditions that accompany getting older such as significant medical and psychiatric conditions, specific sleep disorders, increased use of medication and changes in circadian sleep-wake cycles.”

Some sleep disorders, such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea, are more common in the elderly, he said, but with diagnosis and specialty care, these issues can be treated.

Sleep problems should and can be prevented.

“Sleep, like diet and exercise, is a key to healthy living. Inadequate sleep adversely affects thought processing, decision making, vigilance, reaction times and mood. These are all ingredients in a happy, healthy life. Productivity, safety and wellbeing suffer as do other aspects of quality of life,” Hillman said

“Apart from its restorative function, sleep is also a time where there is a lot of information processing going on: memories are consolidated, lessons drawn from the day’s experiences and redundant material edited out. Problems are worked on,” he said.

“Hence the brain is busy in ways that are different to wakefulness but essential to optimal wakeful function.”

Hillman said everyone should think about their sleep habits because sleep is an important health investment regardless of age. And habits cultivated at a young age stay with us forever.

Adult sleep requirements become reasonably stable from early 20s onwards, unlike when one is much younger, which is when 9 to 12 hours of sleep is needed. The average adult sleep needed is around 8 hours a night. Hillman said some need more while others need less. Most know their own personal requirement from experience.

“If you try to get away with less on a regular basis you will function sub-optimally. Decision making, ability to think through problems, reaction times and mood all suffer when there is insufficient sleep,” said Hillman.

This post was brought to you by www.agedcareinsite.com.au

Caring for people with dementia can be unrelenting, physically taxing and highly stressful, said Dr Matthew Leach of University of South Australia.

Despite the 266,000 Australians suffering from dementia and the expected sharp rise of this number along with an aging population, lead investigator Leach said the well-being of those caring for dementia sufferers does not receive much attention.

“On top of the stress, carers often experience social isolation, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety and a reduced quality of life,” said Leach who is from the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Researchers are looking at the potential of a deep relaxation technique Transcendental Meditation and healthy lifestyle education to help reduce stress levels and improve the quality of life of the caregivers.

“Previous research from overseas has shown relaxation therapies, such as meditation, may be effective in reducing stress and anxiety,” Leach said.

“What we’re hoping to discover is whether Transcendental Meditation or healthy lifestyle education can improve quality of life and psychological function in dementia caregivers.”

Carers will receive instruction on the Transcendental Meditation technique or complete a healthy lifestyle program during the 24-week study and complete questionnaires and basic psychological tests.

“In future we hope to see that these simple strategies could complement and perhaps reduce the need for other forms of intervention to assist many of the growing numbers of caregivers to cope with the demanding and often difficult caregiver role,” he said.

UniSA is leading the research, in collaboration with RMIT, the Maharishi Invincibility Centre and Adelaide Hills Council.

This post was brought to you by www.agedcareinsite.com.au

Since the first trial last year, there are more than 450 users of the platform, which bundles technologies like email, Facebook and Google+ into the one account for ease of use. Signing up takes about 20 seconds.

Founder Andrew Dowling said Tapestry is easy to use, bringing a set of online services together into one simple interface.

Its features include photo-sharing capabilities, simplified e-mail and web browsing, standard applications such as a clock and weather, as well as a simple application launcher to explore apps available on an Android tablet device.

Tapestry has already won several awards including Commercialisation Australia Skills and Knowledge grant, Commercialisation Australia Experienced Executive grant, and the 2012 National iAward for Innovation.

Asked whether users would be intimidated by this technology, Dowling said they received a lot of questions like this when they started out, particularly from potential investors. “So one of our first goals was to prove that the product could overcome these concerns,” he said.

They began with a trial in cooperation with Wesley Retirement Living, where half of the participants had never used the internet before.

“To our delight, it was actually this group which ended up being most enthusiastic about Tapestry, with all of them signing up as permanent users after the trial. We think the reason for this was how much work we had put into making the product easy and accessible for all users, no matter how comfortable they are with technology,” he said.

“The tablet doesn’t require any pre-existing knowledge of computers in order to be able to use it, for example. Navigation is very intuitive and clearly displayed in a large font to make it easy to use.”

Sydney resident Ruth Moore, 83, who has been a member of Tapestry since August 2012, said staying in contact with her family has been surprisingly easy.

“I used to have a computer a few years ago, but I think Tapestry is much better for my requirements,” Moore said. “It gives me exactly what I want – contact with my family, photos, information on the internet, and weather updates.”

“I’d never used the internet prior to using Tapestry. It’s been a revelation to me. I used to see internet addresses in magazines and television, but I could never do anything about it. Now I know exactly what to do.”

Ruth said she loved it, but the great thing is her family liked it too. “To be honest, I believe my 23-year old granddaughter from Tasmania is the most impressed. She can’t believe that her Nan is using the internet, let alone Facebook!”

Dowling and his team are looking forward to releasing features for the iPad, iPhone and Android phones. They are also working on more controls over data sharing from Facebook, as well as features that can be useful in retirement and aged care communities.

“Tapestry was conceived from the very beginning as a company that could help address the real needs of a large number of people in our community, needs that aren’t currently being met by today’s technologies,” Dowling said.

He said aside from complexity, people are concerned about privacy, security and the constant change in everything.

Some were worried over security and privacy on the Internet, so the team designed safety into the system from the ground up. “It’s a closed community that can’t be accessed from the outside” – unlike Facebook, he said.

“We’re very excited about what Tapestry is creating. It has the potential to not only improve the quality of life for many seniors, but challenge the way the aged care industry delivers its services,” he said.

“Although the fastest growing demographic in Australia is seniors over the age of seventy, one in ten seniors say that they often, or always, feel lonely.”

He said it is even more shocking that males over 80 have the highest suicide rate in developed countries. “The good news is that technology can play a role in helping address some of these issues,” he said.

“Research shows that simply using the internet to connect to the outside world reduces the incidence of depression in seniors by up to 20%.”

With Tapestry, family members may connect with and care for their senior relatives, which is why it has received strong interest from providers in the aged care sector looking for innovative ways to deliver services to seniors.

This post was brought to you by www.agedcareinsite.com.au

Kew Community Festival showcases the spirit of its local community groups and businesses with special events that include a vibrant street parade that ends at Kew’s Victoria Park where Kewmunity Day will take place offering a fun celebration of food, craft and market stalls, rides and free entertainment for kids.

When: Until Sunday March 24
Kewmunity Day: Saturday March 23

City of Casey Kids Carnival is a free event celebrating children and young people held at Akoonah Park in Berwick. With fun for the whole family, the festival features free carnival rides, roving entertainers, animals from the Myuna Farm’s Mobile Arc, a reptile display, circus acts, Aboriginal sand art and more.

When: Saturday March 23 – 10am to 4pm

Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, taking place at the heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, is Australia’s largest and most popular horticulture event with an enormous number of exhibitors, gardens designed especially for the show, celebrity guests and much more.

When: Wednesday to Sunday, March 20 to 24

Book for a minimum of 3 hours for our childcare services and we will give you an additional hour absolutely FREE!

Contact our care specialists now on 1800 587 836

Please follow the link below
www.easyweddings.com.au