Alfred Health

Young artists are being invited to pick up the brush and submit their work for a charity art show that is raising funds for youth mental health services. “The art show is free to enter," said gallery director Andrew Rutter. "We supply canvasses, and artists have the opportunity for their art to be seen and purchased in support of a great cause." headspace Bentleigh Youth Advisory Committee member Bella is also encouraging young artists to grab a canvas and get creative. "Your art could help support the amazing community work that the headspace Bentleigh Early Psychosis team does to support local young people experiencing psychosis and other mental health challenges," Bella said. Funds raised will support the work of headspace Bentleigh. Artists have until 2 August to register their participation for the exhibition which will be shown at the Minister of Art in Highett on 22 August. Email [email protected] for more information.

Diagnosis of an STI could soon be as simple as the click of a button with just a smartphone, thanks to artificial intelligence and a new app developed by researchers at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and Monash University. Follow the link to learn more: https://bit.ly/4cT8fHw

We were fortunate to be able to hear the wonderful music of singer-songwriter John Wayne Parsons at The Alfred this week. John, a proud Yuggerabul Ugarem le (man) based on Narrm (Melbourne) on the homelands of the Kulin Nation, shared his music with our staff in a fitting follow-up to NAIDOC Week 2024. Together with his band members, Cisco and Kiko, John took us all on a journey of meaning behind symbolism on both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, and on an acoustic trip across the lands and oceans. Thank you for the moving musical experience.

A new gym has opened in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at Caulfield Hospital, with the latest fit-for-purpose training equipment offering patients a greater variety of ways to rebuild their cardiovascular fitness following a heart attack or other cardiac event. The modern exercise room is made possible by a generous donation from the hospital’s Cardiac Support Group, with Unit Manager Mary-Anne Beer expressing her gratitude to the group for their continued support. “We have patients who will come to us from such a variety of backgrounds before their cardiac event, and even some quite young patients who are very strong and fierce otherwise,” said Mary-Anne. “Overwhelmingly, their goals will be that they just want their life back and to return where they were before. “So, this more targeted equipment means we can safely reintroduce high-level exercise for them, which is fantastic for their self-esteem and the majority of the patients who come through here.” “We even have a gentleman we’re helping with his golf swing!” Secretary of the Cardiac Support Group David Robertson, who was on hand to help officially open the new rehab room, explained that the new cardiac rehabilitation exercise room was a proud example of the support group’s donations at work. “Our voluntary organisation has been running for more than forty years and is made up entirely of cardiac care patients, and so the donations that we receive are almost entirely from people who have been through the unit, and who are highly appreciative of the rehabilitation services that they receive here,” said David. “We continue to recognise the role of exercise following cardiac surgery or cardiac events.”

So You Need An Operation? A new podcast series aims to help make preparing for surgery even easier, with patients and what they want to know front of mind for co-hosts A/Prof Christine Ball and Dr Jamie Smart. “I think we realized that there wasn’t much out there for patients which explained the whole journey,” said Dr Smart. “Patients would get information about specific things like quitting smoking or the type of surgical procedure they’re having, but there's so much more to the whole patient journey. “So that was where the idea for the podcast started.” To learn more and start listening today, visit: https://bit.ly/3XEHyRW

For mother-of-one Vanessa Pouthier, Sunday 14 April began like any regular day. “I got up early and thought I’d do some work. I prepared my hot water bottle and sat on the couch with my laptop,” said the university lecturer. Within seconds the hot water bottle had exploded on her lap and Vanessa was rushed into a cold shower by her quick-thinking partner. “I was in an extreme pain I’ve never felt before,” said Vanessa, who sustained 11 per cent body burns, eventually requiring two surgeries, a two week admission to The Alfred including three days in ICU, and a skin graft. “I’ll never use one again.” Read more: https://bit.ly/3RGSRVT

Inviting the foods of places like Greece and Italy into your kitchens is often referred to as the Mediterranean Diet. This diet encourages eating an abundance of fruits, vegetables, wholegrain carbohydrates and red meat alternatives – and research shows is linked to a variety of health benefits. Two of our dietitians Tim and Ashley have combined in the below video to shed some light on the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, and offer some quick tips on how to get started. To learn more about making sustainable changes to your diet, including which foods are right for you, reach out to a community dietitian through your GP or local community health centre.

For the up to 20 per cent of women suffering from a condition known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), the days leading up to their period can often feel like an almost insurmountable challenge. PMDD manifests as a severe major depression that is linked to a woman’s menstrual period, explains Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM, Director of the Multidisciplinary Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) and HER Centre Australia. “It comes on cyclically, related to the menstrual cycle, and is due to fluctuations in the gonadal hormones oestrogen, progesterone and the other hormones,” said Prof Kulkarni. “But it’s in the brain that this is all happening.” But for those suffering from PMDD, seeking or finding help for their symptoms can often be challenging, with understandings of the impact that hormones can have on mental health only now beginning to grow. Watch the video to learn more.

This simple puffer holder has helped our lung function team become greener, cutting the use of inhalers from 5000 per year to just 50. "Infection prevention measures meant staff previously used a new puffer for any patient requiring inhaled medication during their lung function assessment," said physician and sustainability researcher Dr Michael Loftus. “We know that - due to their propellant gas - an entire MDI canister has the same carbon footprint as driving a petrol car more than 150km, so were keen to find a meaningful solution.” More: https://bit.ly/3RxXBgu

A trip to a hospital emergency department can be intimidating for anyone, but can be particularly daunting for young children who may be visiting for the very first time. For the team in Sandringham Hospital’s ED, where one-in-three patients are under-18s, the anxiety created by a visit to hospital is something they see every day. We do a lot to make children feel at ease in our care, but we wanted to do more, said Dr Rohan Laging, Director of the Sandringham Emergency Department. This thinking inspired the first of a new series of videos from the teams at Sandringham Hospital and the Alfred Emergency Academic Centre, shedding light on the hospital experience through a child’s eyes. “We recognise that it’s important that children have a resource which speaks to them in a language they can better understand,” said Dr Laging. “And this, to us, is a key difference with what we’ve tried to achieve and what’s already out there. “We wanted a resource to try and help ease the anxieties of our youngest patients before they come to hospital, so we created ‘H is for Hospital’ to better engage them and build the kind of trust to help ease their minds.” Already being played on screens around Sandringham Hospital, you can also watch ‘H is for Hospital’ with the young ones in your life below.