While many grandparents play a key role in the lives of their children and grandchildren, there is a growing number of grandparents becoming the key carers of their grandchildren.

This can happen for a variety of reasons however the reason is almost a moot point when it comes to the day to day challenges of raising a child. The ‘why’ isn’t as important as the ‘how’!

The love and willingness of a grandparent can become the impetus to meet any challenge head on, and those challenges can be great.

Financial – when an older person has come to the end of their active income years, money can be tight, and we all know raising a child can be expensive!  Thankfully there is more financial support from the government to alleviate this.

Health – as we get older the aches and pains seem to become more noticeable and often chronic conditions warrant assistance for the older person. Let’s be frank, keeping up with a young man who wants to play footie every afternoon can tax even the younger parents!

Times have changed – staying up-to-date with technology and education can make a grandparent feel ‘out of touch’ as so much would have changed since their raised their own children.

What hasn’t changed is the worry a grandparent feels when their grandchild is sick. And when it’s after-hours, the usual GP clinic is closed and everyone is tired and just wants to relax. The thought of a few hours at the local hospital can also be mentally draining.

And this is where the services of people such as those from Dial A Home Doctor can help. Provided the child has a Medicare Card, and it’s not life-threatening, a local doctor can come to the family home and see the child.

This House Call Doctor service can be accessed as easily as dialing 139999. In peak periods, there may be a wait, however waiting at home with a cuppa in the warmth of home is far more tolerable than the cold hard emergency room chairs sharing bugs with everyone else.

So, if you know of a grandparent looking after their grandchildren, tell them about Dial A Home Doctor and encourage them to call anytime they or their grandchildren need a doctor after-hours.

Dial A Home Doctor is a free bulk billed after-hours Doctor service – We Come To You.

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

Flu season seems to have become a fact of life – and with it numerous theories as to why it exists. Here are just a couple of theories making for interesting reading.

The temperature drops so the air con goes up a notch (or ten!), and the fires are lit.

Sunlight hours become shorter, and the days at work feel longer when you leave in the dark and arrive home after dark.

And there is almost always someone in the house with the sniffles, a scratchy throat and you wish you had taken shares in a pharmaceutical firm when you were young!

And for something so prevalent and routine, you would think that there would be some solid facts as to why this happens….

However there are just theories… and here are a few simplified theories for you to ponder..

Germs can linger for a long time on an underground train (Credit: Getty Images)

Theory #1 we spend more time inside

It’s cold, raining and or foggy, so we hang out together inside more so than in summer.

Because we’re in closer contact with other people who may be carrying germs, we’re more likely to come into contact with the bugs, viruses and bacteria than when we are outside in the sunshine and fresh air.

Theory #2 without much sunlight, we may run low on Vitamin D, weakening our immune system

Remember your mum or Nanna telling you to go and get some fresh air … It was for a very good reason! The sun and fresh air in the lungs doesn’t just make you feel better, Vitamin D is something we all need and with winter, less sunshine could equate to a lack of Vitamin D – and Vitamin D powers the body’s immune system.. so less of it could be impacting our susceptibility to colds and winter bugs.

Another popular idea concerned our physiology: the cold weather wears down your body’s defences against infection. In the short days of winter, without much sunlight, we may run low on Vitamin D, which helps power the body’s immune system, making us more vulnerable to infection.

Theory #3 Wet hair can give us a cold

Did you know that when we breathe in cold air, the blood vessels in our nose constrict to stop us losing heat? This may prevent white blood cells (the warriors that fight germs) from reaching our mucus membranes and killing any viruses that we inhale, allowing them to slip past our defences unnoticed. This is possibly the theory behind the thought that we tend to catch a cold if we go around with wet hair.

Theory #4 cold air is drier and means viruses and bugs float longer

In moist air, particles may remain relatively large, and drop to the floor. In dry air, they break up into smaller pieces – eventually becoming so small that they can float for longer. Colder winter air is drier than warmer summer, more humid air.

This suggests that when you enter a cold but drier room its previous occupants ‘leftovers’ of coughs and sneezes are more likely to still be floating around. Viruses in drier air can float around and stay active for hours – until it is inhaled or ingested, and can lodge in the cells in your throat.

Air conditioning (provided they are regularly maintained) can filter out germs before they circulate which negates the claim you are more likely to get sick on a plane…. Although personally having just flown from overseas, I am sure I am getting a cold!

There is some suggestion though that germs may act somewhat differently in more tropical areas such as Northern Queensland.

Regardless of the theory, if you find yourself feeling under the weather and have a cold or the flu, how you got it doesn’t matter. Making you feel better does!

If you or a loved on becomes sick at night and your usual Doctor or medical centre is closed call your local after hours Doctor on 13 99 99 and we will be there in *90minutes Guaranteed

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

And it should – Australia has one of the highest bowel cancer rates in the world!

But there is a lot we can all do about it starting right now!

Start talking about it! Perhaps not at the dinner table, but when we are with our loved ones, our friends and even our colleagues, we need to demystify some of the ikkiness around what Bowel Cancer is and isn’t.

So here are a few DID YOU KNOWS for you to arm yourself with:

• Around 25% of cases highlight a family history – this is why talking about it with your family is vital, so when you go to your Doctor for your next checkup, you can share that information – it might save your life!
• Bowel Cancer is called a number of things, such as rectal cancer, or colon cancer.
• There are numerous tests and not all involve the one you are thinking of right now. The National Bowel Screening Program offers a private and personal approach that if you are over 50 you need to take advantage of.
• 90% of cases can be treated successfully and you know there’s a catch right? You need to CATCH IT EARLY!

Now if you want to know the symptoms, go see your GP! We are not going to send you to Dr. Google for this one, it’s too important.

Of course if it’s after hours and you don’t feel so well, you call us. We are your local after hours Doctor Service & can be there in *90minutes GUARANTEED

• We send your notes to your usual GP or medical centre the following day
• It’s not an annoyance for us to come and see you at home so call us!
• We don’t replace your doctor, we simply provide that added support after hours when your usual doctor has gone home for a break.

Just book online or call  13 99 99

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

*Source  https://bowel-cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au/statistics

In 2016 my nanna passed away from Bowel Cancer. She was 93. Having lived a full life, she became ill on the Thursday, was admitted to hospital on Tuesday and sadly passed away on the Friday. We were devastated as a family as she was our matriarch, our much loved inspirational woman who had lived through WWII as a farm girl meeting my Grandfather in her early 20’s. She didn’t have children until her mid 20’s which was quite old back then – I followed in her footsteps having my own children later in life.

Attending her funeral was amongst the hardest things I have ever had to do. I was thankful in the knowledge that she had lived a good life and had remained completely independent in her later years with her garden cat and church work.

It was a month after her passing that I decided that it was time.

Time for a check, the full ‘Monty’ as they say. A complete warrant of fitness. I was worried. Being in my 40’s and with children still at school, making sure I was healthy suddenly became more important.

A visit to my GP with blood tests and a poop test resulted in the all clear which was great, but it got me to thinking that it took my grandmother passing away for me to consider seriously the need for checking my poop and being a little braver than I had previously been in terms of being checked.

Bowel Cancer is a killer however from what I read and learnt since the passing of my nanna, it doesn’t need to be. Bowel Cancer Awareness Month goes some way into providing a focus and information as well as support for all of us regardless of age.

I know my Nanna lived a long life filled and I want to do the same!

For more on Bowel Cancer Awareness Month  this is a great resource page here to find out more about  https://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org/awareness

If you have any questions – remember always contact your GP or medical professional.

If you or a loved on becomes sick at night and your usual Doctor or medical centre is closed call your local after hours Doctor on 13 99 99 and we will be there in *90minutes Guaranteed

*Home Doctor Guaranteed within 90mins. If you book online Mon-Fri by 4:30pm, Sat & Sun by 10:30am. We reserve the right to take more time in case of giving priority to more serious conditioned patients as we always attempt to prioritise young children and the elderly.

The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition