Healthscope collapse puts viability of the privatised health sector in the spotlight
Health industry experts say the collapse of Healthscope is an early warning for the financial viability of privatising hospitals and clinics.
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SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
A man has become known for asking people to sit on him in public. Who is 'fake seizure guy'?
Noah thought he was doing the right thing when he saw a man collapse and seize at a park in Melbourne and — driven by instinct — ran over to help. "I don't know if it was a hero complex," Noah told The Feed. "But I was like: 'I'm going to help this man.'" When Noah arrived, he said the man insisted Noah sit on him. "He said: 'I need you to lay on top of me and hold me down.'" Noah now believes the man he ended up sitting on for the next 15 minutes is the same person referred to as "fake seizure guy" online. Many people have claimed the man has been faking seizures for as long as 10 years in Melbourne. There's a Reddit forum dedicated to reported sightings of the man and alleged encounters with "fake seizure guy". Several social media users says the man demanded they sit on his back and restrain him during his apparent fits, and he would insist they not call emergency services. "There were times when I was pinning him down that he was getting upset because I wasn't holding down his arms hard enough," Noah said. "I was thinking, he's being very picky for somebody who is taking time out of their day to lay on top of a man in a park in daylight." Lisa Todd from Epilepsy Action Australia said "there's never an instance where you would sit on someone" during a seizure. While it's unclear what "fake seizure guy's" motives are, many people with lived experience of seizures claim the man's behaviour is inconsistent with how someone experiencing a seizure would act. Todd criticised the brief trend on TikTok where people have faked seizures, which she said fuels cynicism about the severity of seizures. "It's mocking and it undermines the credibility of people who are living with epilepsy. How would you feel if someone was making fun of a health condition that you had?" Todd said faking seizures is "deeply disrespectful" for those who experience seizures. "Spreading misinformation fuels stigma [and] trivialises the lived experience of individuals with epilepsy and can re-traumatise those who have suffered injury or discrimination due to their condition," Todd told The Feed. "If they are in fact faking seizures, there must be some underlying reason why they're doing it," Todd said. However, she said there are legitimate explanations for why someone could be having a seizure, even if they don't have a diagnosed condition, like epilepsy. "There are things called provoked seizures … It looks like a seizure except that there's no electrical disturbance." Other episodes can be caused by psychological stress and in certain cases, the person could remain conscious during a seizure. A seizure happens when there's a sudden surge of uncontrolled electrical signals in the brain, which can lead to stiffness, twitching, or behavioural changes. Another Melburnian, Drew (not his real name), told The Feed he had a similar experience with "fake seizure guy". He was going for his usual walk in Port Melbourne, when a man fell to his knees and asked to be sat on. "He was shouting commands like: 'sit on me properly', 'put your weight into me', that sort of thing," Drew said. Drew said he heard about "fake seizure guy" after the incident and now he no longer walks his usual route. "I wouldn't want to be back in that situation again … it's just put a bad taste in my mouth." Drew claims he's since lost trust in people and will now think twice if he comes across someone seemingly experiencing a medical episode in public. "I'm less inclined to help someone if they just fell down in the street now," he said. The Feed understands the man believed to be "fake seizure guy" is facing charges for public nuisance and will face court later this year. The National Epilepsy Line, 1300 374537, operated by Epilepsy Action Australia, is a free, Australia-wide telephone, email, and telehealth service staffed by specialist epilepsy nurses.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Is it OK to exercise less in winter?
Shorter days and colder mornings can make regular exercise even more challenging in winter. The concept of "wintering", popularised by a book of the same name by Katherine May, even champions the benefits that come with slowing down during the colder months. But health and exercise experts say there's not much to support the idea of winter hibernation for your physical health. Mandy Hagstrom is an exercise scientist at the University of New South Wales, on Gadigal land in Sydney. She says we tend to expend less energy (by moving around less because it's unpleasant outside) and intake more energy (think comforting winter dinners) over the colder months. That's why — in her opinion — "it's probably more important to continue [exercising] from just a general health and weight maintenance perspective". However, Dr Hagstrom says "there are definitely benefits to taking times of rest and recovery in your training program". These breaks are usually short term, rather than seasonal, she says. "[Wintering] doesn't go hand in hand with [our] modern lifestyle, but the concept of nurturing yourself through times of stress and adapting exercise accordingly I think is really important." Meredith Woolsey, an exercise physiologist in Adelaide — on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people — says it would be unrealistic to expect to maintain an identical routine across the year. She says the sports people play, their schedules and the number of daylight hours all shift with the seasons. "Do what is going to work for you," Ms Woolsey says. "We just want to make sure we're doing an amount [of exercise] that is going to keep everything working well for you in your life." If your winter routine involves exercising out in the cold, she says it's even more important to do a good warm-up and cool down and to wear appropriate gear so you don't increase the risk of injuring yourself. Conan Shing is a PhD student at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland in Meanjin/Brisbane, and he says the "bare minimum" differs from person to person depending on their fitness and wellbeing goals. "It's important to be consistent because if you don't use it, you do loose it," he says. There are national guidelines, which Mr Shing says can "sound like a lot, but really it's just 30 minutes [of vigorous activity] a day during the work week". The Australian Government's physical activity and exercise guidelines recommend adults between the ages of 18 and 64 are active on most days, with a weekly total of "2.5 to 5 hours of moderate activity or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity or an equivalent combination of both". Dr Hagstrom says recent research shows that strength and endurance can be maintained with "minimal dose work" or fewer exercise sessions — provided the intensity is also maintained. It's OK to go through phases of doing less, she says, "but don't do nothing, because you can still maintain and gain with a minimalist approach". If the first sign of cold weather led you to abandon your routine entirely, Dr Hagstrom says you may need to "integrate exercise into other parts of your day". If you no longer feel comfortable running in the evening, consider running on your lunch break or joining a gym, she says. Dr Hagstrom says, a short-term or month-to-month membership that will see you through the coldest and darkest part of the year could be an option. Mr Shing says "not everyone can get a gym membership" and an at-home regimen of exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups and planks is another option. While consistency is important, he says you may need to be prepared to change up your activities, he says. For example, he says this could look like swimming in summer but hitting the treadmill in winter. This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
New immunisation plan to tackle drop in childhood vaccination rates
The federal government has revealed plans to tackle declining childhood vaccination rates with the launch of a new immunisation plan. It follows warnings from experts in recent months about the risk to herd immunity in Australia for some preventable diseases. In launching the National Immunisation Strategy on Thursday, Health Minister Mark Butler will tell a communicable diseases and immunisation conference: "The new strategy comes at a critical time. "Even though our childhood vaccination rates are still world leading, we cannot take this for granted," Mr Butler will say in a speech seen by the ABC. The plan sets a goal of increasing immunisation uptake around Australia over the next five years by reducing vaccine hesitancy and improving access. "Through this strategy, we will reduce the impact of vaccine-preventable diseases through high uptake of immunisation that is safe, effective and equitable across Australia," Mr Butler will say. Several priority areas have been identified as crucial to increasing immunisation coverage, including building trust in vaccines. First Nations communities will also be a key focus as they have lower vaccination rates than the rest of the Australian population for almost every vaccine. "The urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic … highlighted clear needs for more equitable access to vaccination, particularly for individuals with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rural and remote Australians, disadvantaged communities and CALD communities," the strategy reads. The public health agency focused on vaccine-preventable diseases, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, helped develop the plan. Its director, Kristine Macartney, said key to improving vaccine coverage is tracking public sentiment, especially in priority groups such as First Nations communities, older people, infants and children, people with disability and residents in rural, remote and regional areas. "We can do better at ensuring that partnerships are made with the community to really share information, share knowledge and address access or acceptance gaps," Professor Macartney said. "There's an important element to understanding an individual's journey through the healthcare system to say, is this working for you to go and get your vaccines? Do you have the information and the access and the support from healthcare professionals and healthcare system that you would like to be able to take vaccines up?" A real-time dashboard of coverage data for all Australian government-funded vaccines has also been flagged, which could publish up-to-date coverage data by "age group, scheduled vaccines, dose, socio-demographic detail, race and ethnicity, and pregnancy status". Vaccination experts have told the ABC that dashboard would be "best practice", if it is well developed. A no-fault vaccine compensation scheme will also be explored, similar to broader vaccine injury compensation systems in place in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Japan and South Korea. Australia implemented a claims scheme for people who suffered a moderate to severe impact following an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. The new strategy emphasises vaccines are "overwhelmingly safe with only very rare serious adverse events", but broad compensation schemes should be accessible.
