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Subscriber only They broke 12 of his ribs giving CPR and administered eight shocks with a defibrillator but for Alstonville resident Greg Apps, the people who saved his life are angels. It was three days before Christmas in 2020, when Mr Apps, while shopping with his wife Robyn, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in a shop in Alstonville s busy main street. Local butcher Ashley Thomson was first on the scene when he ran out of his shop and immediately commenced CPR, using skills developed when he worked as a lifeguard. I heard a rib crack, he said. But it was more important to keep going.
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Imagine recovering from a debilitating stroke but not being able to form the words to communicate properly with your loved ones and your healthcare professionals.
This is the reality for nearly one third of people recovering from a stroke in Australia.
But now, thanks to Southern Cross University speech pathology lecturer Dr Kirstine Shrubsole, it could soon be a problem of the past.
Dr Shrubsole is breaking new ground with her research into aphasia, a neurological disorder caused by damage to the portion of the brain that is responsible for language and commonly affects 30 per cent of stroke victims.
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Subscriber only New data has revealed that 3.83 per cent of the region s aged care residents have received the COVID-19 vaccination. On Wednesday March 10, 2021, Healthy North Coast reported of the approximately 6,000 aged care residents in 80 Residential Aged Care Facilities, as of March 9, 2021, 545 residents or 9.8 per cent have already been vaccinated, including 230 or 3.83 per cent on the Far North Coast since the national rollout commenced on Monday 22 February. Northern Rivers residents can use the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker to determine when their turn to receive the free vaccination is available and a centralised national online appointment booking portal is planned for the near future.
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Subscriber only Remediation of Mullumbimby Hospital site continues to drag on with Byron Shire Council blaming ongoing asbestos issues for the delay. According to the council s Manager of Assets and Projects, Phil Warner, the discovery of further deposits of asbestos beyond what was originally thought to be there, is the reason for the setback. He said the clearing and remediation of the site started in January 2019 and unfortunately it is taking much longer than first anticipated This project is taking a lot more time than we thought but when it comes to asbestos we need to be very thorough, Mr Warner said.
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Subscriber only Australians suffering from a severe form of eczema will now have access to a life changing medicine through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Page MP Kevin Hogan said it would help support to patients and their families. The medicine Dupixent (dupilumab) will be available to Australians over 12 years of age living with severe atopic dermatitis, also referred to as eczema, who are not adequately controlled on topical therapy. Eczema Support Australia managing director, Melanie Funk, said it was the best news ever . There will be tears of relief that this breakthrough medicine is now available for Australians with severe eczema, regardless of their ability to pay, she said.