Children’s health Archives | Page 6 of 11

16 November 2023

Eligible patients can now apply online for the Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS).

CAPS is an Australian Government program which helps people over five years old who experience permanent and severe incontinence to cover some of the costs of buying continence products.

The new online application is available through the individual’s Medicare account on myGov or in the Express Plus Medicare mobile app.

Patients still have the option to use the existing CAPS application guidelines and application form, which can be downloaded or ordered from the Department of Health and Aged Care.

If someone else is applying on behalf of a patient, their representative must use the paper form.

Even if a patient applies online, they still need a registered health professional (such as a GP) to complete the health report section using the paper form.

The patient will then need to upload the report to their online application through their Medicare online account.

Please inform your eligible patients of the new online application process.

More information can be found at www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/caps and the department’s website.

21 September 2023

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience some of the highest rates of Otitis Media and associated hearing loss in the world.

Otitis Media is commonly known as ‘glue ear’ in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Left untreated, these conditions are directly linked to serious and long-term deficits. These include poor medical health, delayed communication and social skill development, challenging behaviour and learning difficulties.

With the COVID-19 lockdowns behind us, now is the time to complete crucial checks for children including:

regular ear checks
hearing assessments
onward referrals to ENTs / audiologists

Information for families

This article was written by members of the ‘Stronger Seeds, Taller Trees’ project which includes professionals from a number of government and non-government organisations in South Western Sydney. The group aims to support GPs working with families to navigate and access timely services when they have a concern about a child’s development.

20 September 2023

This week has been a timely reminder extreme heat can have a serious impact on people’s health.

Heatwaves and hot weather have killed more people in Australia than any other disaster.

Extreme heat can be dangerous for anyone, however it is particularly dangerous for those:

over the age of 75
babies and young children
overweight or obese
pregnant or breastfeeding
poor mobility
who are homeless
socially isolated, living alone
working in a hot environment
have a chronic illness (such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, mental illness)
have an acute illness (an infection with fever or gastroenteritis)
taking certain medications

Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency.

It occurs when the body temperature rises about 40.5 degrees.

Immediate first aid is critical to lowering the body temperature as soon as possible.

The effect of heat on chronic conditions

Most heat-related morbidity and mortality is due to the exacerbation of chronic conditions.

Conditions which most commonly contribute to death during a heatwave include:

cardiac events
asthma or other respiratory illness
kidney disease
diabetes
nervous system diseases
cancer

Dehydration and subsequent medication toxicity may exacerbate:

altered mental state
kidney stones
cardiovascular impairment
falls

Heat and medication

Some medications can increase the risk of heat-related illness. Some can also be less effective when exposed to high temperatures.

The following medications can be impacted by heat. (This list should be used as a guide only)

Interference with sweating, caused by:

anticholinergics, for example tricyclic antidepressants and benztropine
beta blockers
antihistamines
phenothiazines
vasoconstrictors

Interference with thermoregulation, caused by:

antipsychotics or neuroleptics, for example risperidone, clozapine, olanzapine
serotoninergic agonists
stimulants, for example amphetamine, cocaine
thyroxin

Decreased thirst, caused by:

butyrophenone, for example haloperidol and droperidol
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

Dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, caused by:

diuretics, especially loop diuretics
any drug causing diarrhoea or vomiting, for example colchicines, antibiotics, codeine
alcohol

Reduced renal function, caused by:

NSAIDS
sulphonamides
indinavir
cyclosporine

Aggravation of heat illness by worsening hypotension, caused by:

vasodilators, for example nitrates (GTN) and calcium channel blockers
anti-hypertensives

Levels of drug affected by dehydration (possible toxicity for drugs with a narrow therapeutic index), caused by:

digoxin
lithium
warfarin
antiepileptics
biguanides, for example metformin
statins
altered state of alertness, caused by any drugs which alter the state of alertness, for example alcohol, benzodiazepine and narcotics

Resources to help you prepare for heatwaves

At-risk community members can prepare for heatwaves and heatstroke using the resources below:

Heatstroke – Health Resource Directory

Preparing for a heatwave – Health Resource Directory

Healthcare providers can find more information at:

Beat the heat (nsw.gov.au)

14 September 2023

SWSPHN’s Disaster Management team will be sharing information about the importance of healthcare during a disaster or emergency, at the Wollondilly Emergency Services Expo on Saturday, 23 September.

The event will be held from 10am to 2pm at Victoria Park, Picton.

Representatives from the NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire & Rescue NSW, NSW SES, NSW Ambulance and the NSW Police Force will also attend the expo.

Our Disaster Management team will be holding a stall to provide community members with information about how to best prepare their health for a disaster.

They will also be distributing a flyer highlighting the five simple steps to follow to ensure your health and wellbeing can be prioritised during disaster.

The flyer, which provides practical advice about preparing your health for disaster as well as information about access to services, will also be available at:

Emergency Ready Day, Sunday, 24 September, 11am to 3pm, Koshigaya Park, Campbelltown
Community Links Wellbeing Festival of Fun, Sunday, 26 November, 10am to 2pm, Bargo Sports Ground

During an emergency, PHNs are the first points of contact on primary healthcare coordination and service availability, as part of the overall coordinated health response.

Health outcomes for our community can be greatly improved and enhanced when we prepare and respond to emergencies together.

17 August 2023

Fussy eating can lead to stressful and prolonged mealtimes, delayed oro-motor skills, and poor health outcomes including nutrient deficiencies (eg iron), slow growth and constipation.

Early intervention is required when fussy eating is caused by sensory sensitivities with food textures, or when it leads to highly restricted diets (less than 15 to 20 different foods) or challenging behaviours at mealtimes.

Children may require referral to speech pathology and/or occupational therapy.

When and how to refer

Mealtime strategies

Set up routines – Serve food at the same time and in the same place each day.
Create an engaging mealtime environment – Remove distractions (eg screens, toys) and share meals together as a family to model positive mealtime behaviours like trying new foods.
Encourage food exploration and play – Participate together in food preparation and play games with food like sorting by colour or texture, or building houses.

Start Them Right: A parent’s guide to eating for under 5s

07 August 2023

State-wide Referral Criteria (SRC) are clinical decision-support tools which give health professionals the referral criteria they need to refer their patients to public specialist outpatient services across NSW.

SRC helps people who need to see a health professional in a NSW public specialist outpatient service be referred and prioritised in a safe and timely way.

They support patients and the health professionals looking after them to make a referral and assist NSW public specialist outpatient services with screening and triaging these referrals.

Please visit the NSW Health website for more information.

07 August 2023

In recognition of Mental Health month this October, SWS Local Health District will be hosting a creative project competition for school-aged children in South Western Sydney.

Students are asked to create an artwork which highlights ones or more of the Five Ways to Wellbeing:

Connect
Be Active
Take Notice
Keep Learning
Give

The winning artwork will be displayed online to promote Mental health month and raise awareness of the Five Ways to Wellbeing.

Entries open Monday, 10 August 2023 and close Monday, 16 October 2023 —Term 4, Week 2

Five Ways Schools Creative Project 2023 – entry information

24 July 2023

The Junior Australian Sports Program will run from Monday, 31 July to Monday, 18 September, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm at Michael Wenden Aquatic Leisure Centre, 62 Cabramatta Avenue, Miller.

The eight-week multi-sport program is offered for children aged between four to 12 years of all skill levels, who engage in a range of sports activities including soccer, cricket, basketball, hockey, volleyball, AFL and touch football!

The program will centre around learning new sporting skills or refining skills, gaining tips and tricks from qualified and accredited coaches, and meeting new friends.

The program costs $100 per participant, and Active Kids Vouchers can be used to get $50 off.

Find out more/ register

20 July 2023

Some children have difficulty processing and responding to information from their senses.

This includes sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, proprioception (body awareness) and vestibular (movement) input.

Signs of sensitivities:

Seeking sensations (touching, smelling or licking textures, closely watching moving objects, difficulty sitting still)
Over-reacting to sensations (becoming upset when touched, easily distracted by noise/light, picky with food textures and smells)
Under-responding to sensations (appearing to ‘tune out’, low response to sound/touch, poor pain perception)

Download:

Sensory seeking versus sensory sensitive

When to refer:

Refer to an occupational therapist when a child’s sensory sensitivities interfere with everyday routines or engagement in learning. Early referral is key in improving functional, social and academic outcomes.

Download:

Early intervention – where and how to refer

Further information about sensory sensitivities

19 July 2023

SWSPHN has teamed with Western Sydney University (WSU) and Wests Tigers to support an initiative to improve girls’ health and wellbeing through sport.

Beyond the 80 (BT80) is a family-based healthy lifestyle intervention for girls aged 7 to 11 years and their families in South Western Sydney.

The program will harness the popularity of the Wests Tigers National Rugby League club and use rugby league to engage families to promote health and well-being and address health priorities in the region.

Through participation, spectatorship and community engagement, sport has the potential to improve health outcomes, empower individuals and unite communities.

BT80 will be launched in September, initially as a feasibility study (phase 1), and involve about 30 families or 120 participants.

It will be delivered over 10 weeks and will include weekly education and physical activity sessions at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.

Education sessions will be delivered to girls and adult family members and will focus on building healthy family routines around key lifestyle behaviours, including: physical activity/sedentary behaviour, healthy eating, mental health and sleep.

Data will be collected on a range of health and wellbeing outcomes before and after taking part in the program. Based on findings from phase 1, the program will be optimised and delivered to a larger sample in the pilot trial (phase 2, 2024-25), before being rolled out on a large scale in phase 3.

SWSPHN, WSU and Wests Tigers share a vision to improve health and wellbeing in South Western Sydney.