New Work Trend: As baby boomers extend their careers, and Generation Z workers launch theirs, we’ve arrived at four-generation workforce.
Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, Millennials and Gen Zers each have their own perceptions of work and personal time – both at the office and when they travel for business. But across all four groups, there’s a clear trend: That elusive goal of “work-life balance” is giving way to a more fluid “work-life blending” that better fits the dynamic schedule of the modern worker.
Work and Play
According to the National Car Rental State of Business Travel Survey, 65% of people believe it’s an unrealistic goal to keep work and leisure separate. Instead, more than half of respondents are now blending work life and personal life. The survey found most business travellers engage in some form of bleisure travel, including incorporating leisure activities into business travel, extending business travel into leisure trips and booking a holiday around a business trip.
Millennials are more likely to have done bleisure travel than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. In addition, senior/executive leaders are almost twice as likely to extend their business trip into leisure travel or book a holiday around their business trip than non-managers.
When travelling for business, workers who engage in bleisure travel report better quality of life while on the road than non-bleisure travellers. They also report such additional benefits as following a healthy diet, exercising and coming back feeling invigorated.
Seventy-nine percent of bleisure travellers are more likely to volunteer for a business trip if they know they can extend their stay, and fewer people felt the need to downplay their leisure activities to their boss or their coworkers.
Importantly, the majority of bleisure travellers believe business travel contributes to their career success and helps them build key relationships they otherwise couldn’t without business travel.
Ballycara: Have you got a parent who needs a little extra help to stay in their home? Or do you yourself want some “home friends” to help you stay independent? In our cover story, we investigate the services that Ballycara are offering to add extra support to people in their later years.
BallyCara want people to live fulfilling lives regardless of age. And at Silver Magazine, we are all about the living-well mantra. So it is no surprise that we are really impressed with this not-for-profit! Their Wellness Program has been developed and delivered by qualified health professionals. It promotes optimal physical, mental and emotional wellbeing at every age.
CASE STUDY
John has had a couple of falls. He has been told he can’t play tennis anymore because he’s lost his balance a little.
Craig James, Health and Wellness Manager at BallyCara: I’d like to see if there was a way that we could modify or adapt the “no tennis” rule. For example, we could try standing tennis – somebody could hit the ball back and forth to him. Tennis is a great way to keep up your strength and your balance.
John says he is very passionate about playing tennis. If you want to mitigate risk and minimise having falls, you need to improve balance. The way you do that is to challenge your balance, in a safe way. If tennis is what he wants to continue to do, we could have conversations around ways he could still be involved in tennis. This could be in a safer setting with softer tennis rackets and tennis balls and working it into a program. And ideally, if his main goal is to return to tennis, we would try to support that. You can take small steps along the way. It might not get to the point of fully playing tennis again, but it’s the journey that counts. If you can keep moving forward with your passion, then that’s a result in itself.
CASE STUDY 2
Meena felt like she had lost her balance and didn’t have the stability to be able to stand for any period of time. She lost her confidence to cook.
Craig James, Health and Wellness Manager at BallyCara: When Meena came to see us, her main goal was to get back to cooking a curry in the kitchen. So we tailored the exercise program around that goal for her. We adapted the program and brought exercise into play. If it’s related to what the person wants, the motivation kicks in. As you get older you can improve your muscle strength, and you can improve your balance.
We went into the kitchen with Meena while she was cooking the curry. We supported her and advised her on how to move around while keeping her balance. She can now bend down and pick up pots and maintain her safety. The message that we want to get out there is you can improve no matter where you are on the aging timeline.
BALLYCARA EXERCISE SESSIONS
Many people find it difficult to start an activity program without the support and guidance of an experienced health professional. Ballycara’s exercise sessions give people the confidence to continue their fitness journey.
Craig James, the Health and Wellness Manager at BallyCara, says their health and wellness program on the Gold Coast is going from strength to strength. “It is a mobile program, and our main goal is to prevent chronic conditions. We support that in a reablement way. We work with our exercise physiologists across the community at a number of different locations, from Northern Gold Coast all the way down into Northern New South Wales. Our clients come to us through a range of referrals including General Practitioners, The Heart Foundation, walking groups and various other health fields that align closely with us. We also take on people privately.”
Recovery
“People might call us for a variety of different reasons. It might be recovery from injury or illness, rehabilitation, post surgeries, or prior to going into something in the hospital. Sometimes they have to lose weight or be fitter for a medical appointment. They might call us because they want to increase their ability to keep their strength to play with their grandkids. They might want to do things around the home, and just feel a bit better in themselves when they’re doing things.
“If you want to join up, you can get a referral from your doctor. The first step is to have a conversation with us and get an initial assessment. We’ll measure your strength and work out how you are coping in your day-to-day life. But we’ll also get to know you as a person – what your likes and dislikes are. We want to make sure what we prescribe is safe. But we want it to be enjoyable too, so that you’ll want to participate and stick with it.”
You can do your program on a one-to-one basis or participate in exercise classes. If you want to attend with a couple of friends, that’s also possible.
BALLYCARA: INDEPENDENCE
Says Craig, “I have clients that are still living at home and driving a vehicle at the age of 99. And they are coming in for exercise. They are feeling confident and living independently at home. I think a lot of people want to stay independent in their own homes. And they want to keep doing the things that they love. And exercise is just the tool in ways in which you can achieve that.
“We love to answer general enquiries! But if you have more detailed questions around specific reasons for wanting to attend, we can refer you on to our senior exercise physiologists on the Gold Coast. They can work out whether an individual session or maybe a group class in a community centre might be best suited for you. We want people to enjoy what they’re doing. It’s about coming along and having fun while getting the benefit out of the sessions.”
BALLYCARA: JOINING UP
Alongside their Wellness offering BallyCara is an accredited Home Care provider. BallyCara has a flexible approach to the delivery of services ensuring a package is tailored to what you require in order to support you to achieve and maintain your individual goals well into the future. The local BallyCara Gold Coast Home Care team will help you through the journey by listening and exploring with you, your background, needs and preference to ensure your independence and continued enjoyment of community living.
It is important to note that Veterans Affairs and Home Care package subsidies are available for your Wellness and exercise journey. You can also get a Chronic Disease Management Plan referral from your GP. If you are eligible for a Home Care package or would like to find out more along the lines of funding and payment options, the BallyCara team are on hand to help navigate and support you through this journey.
The day has come. The first superyacht has gone on sale whereby you can pay for it using cryptos or NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens).
Built by the Benetti company, the 52m (170 ft) superyacht Vianne comes with a helipad and sky deck jacuzzi. And that’s not even the most unusual thing about it. What’s really unusual (for now) is that the owner has confirmed that the super yacht is for sale. And, that fiat currency is not the only way you can pay (fiat is normal money of a country, like Australian Dollars, Vietnamese Dong, or Thai Baht, for example). The owner wants 10% of the price paid to them in fiat currency. But they will accept the rest of the payment in any cryptocurrency. They will also accept any top tier NFT including: Cryptopunks, BAYC Apes.
SUPERYACHT: PRICE
On sale for €8.9m, Vianne is a steel-hulled superyacht with transatlantic range. She recently underwent a full technical and cosmetic refit in 2021 at the Italian shipyard Arpeca. She has new Ralph-Lauren-branded furniture inside and out, with a refresh of her water toys, including a new waterslide and floating water deck with pool. Vianna can accommodate 12 guests in 5 staterooms Vianna can accommodate 12 guests in 5 staterooms and is crewed by 12 staff.
Vianna is also on the charter market this winter, available at US$196,000 per week in the Caribbean. Whilst cryptocurrency payments are increasing in the yachting industry, this would make Vianne the largest ever yacht to be purchased with NFTs.
SUPERYACHT: WHAT IS AN NFT?
“Non-fungible” means the digital object is unique and can’t be replaced with something else. For example, a bitcoin is fungible — trade one for another bitcoin, and you’ll have exactly the same thing. A one- of-a-kind trading card, however, is non- fungible. If you traded it for a different card, you’d have something completely different. So now, you can “stamp” a digital artwork, or “trading card” online… And it will always be the original, no matter how many times it is copied. Artists and musicians are making their original songs or artworks into NFTs… and these NFTs are becoming very very valuable. So valuable, in fact, that they can be used INSTEAD OF money. Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, made the very first Tweet – his own- into an NFT and then sold it for charity.
The Food Safety Information Council takes food safety seriously. Food poisoning in particular, has been their focus recently. They aim to create awareness for the community and education about the risks associated with food poisoning, prevention and those most at risk such as the elderly.
Food Safety in the Warmer Weather
With the weather getting warmer, food safety in Queensland becomes a real issue, and people should be mindful of food spoilage and bacterial contamination. The temperature range between 5°C and 60°C is known as the “temperature danger zone” for food. This is because in this zone, food poisoning bacteria can grow to unsafe levels which can make you very sick. The best rule to stick by is to ‘keep hot food hot and cold foods cold.’
Snap frozen meals are by far the safest choice when buying pre-cooked and prepared meals. Fresh and chilled meals have a much higher risk factor and a greater chance of ‘going off’, which can be very dangerous, especially to the elderly. By choosing snap frozen meals you minimise any risk, taking meals straight from the freezer to the microwave or oven.
Safety Programme
Gourmet Meals have the most stringent food safety program and have done for nearly 29 years. With four audits per year, they adhere to the highest and strictest of food safety and quality assurance standards. They follow well-documented processes outlined by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Auditors are always praising the well-trained chefs who are from Switzerland and Germany. They have a strong work ethic and strict cleaning schedules. Browse their tempting menu at gourmetmeals.com.au
Canine Myofascial Therapy: Katie Hunt is the name behind the new pet service called Canine Myofascial Therapy. She tells us all about what she does for pets in pain.
Is your pet in pain? Have they slowed down or can no longer jump onto the couch or into the car? It could be myofascial pain. This is pain in muscles or fascia (a type of connective tissue that surrounds muscles). Myofascial pain can appear in any body part on animals. The pain is steady, aching, and deep, ranging from mild discomfort to excruciating and “lightning-like.” Knots may be visible or felt beneath the skin, and the pain does not resolve on its own.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy using trigger-point release techniques can be very effective in pain relief of this condition. Once the trigger points are gone, the animal is then able to move that muscle more freely again. They will regain a range of motion to the limb the muscle was affecting, whilst supporting the long-term health of the local muscle system.
Dry needling for the treatment of myofascial pain is also a useful tool. It is a modern treatment designed to ease muscular pain and its popularity is growing. Dry needling is called this because no liquid is injected into the body. Therapists place a stainless-steel filiform needle into the “trigger points” in muscle or tissue. The needle helps release the knot and relieve any muscle pain or spasms, increasing blood flow to the area and stimulating the body’s natural healing abilities.
Dry needling must not get confused with acupuncture although the same type of needles are used. Acupuncture works on the body’s energy flow and meridian pathways.
Hydrotherapy
Katie is currently in the process of starting up her own hydrotherapy clinic here on the Gold Coast. Hydrotherapy is an underwater treadmill. It helps your pet to regain muscle strength after surgery (and other medical issues including weight loss). The buoyancy of the water helps to take the weight of the joints so the animal can exercise with minimal pain whilst building strength, muscle mass and increase their mobility and agility.
Enter Canine Myofascial Therapy, started up by Katie Hunt. She has quite the qualifications in her arsenal, including a certificate in Animal Dry Needling, through the Australian College of Eastern Medicine. She has Cert 4 in Vet nursing, a Certificate in Canine Hydrotherapy, Cert 111 Animal Care and Husbandry, Cert 111 Captive Animals (zookeeping certificate).
Says Katie, “I have been in the animal industry for 20 years. I started out working in pet shops and volunteering at Zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, trying to gain as much experience as possible with every and any animal. But I don’t have a favourite I love them all. I started vet nursing in 2005 and then became a zookeeper not long after, specialising in reptile and avian care. In 2013 I wanted more out of my job and to be able to care for my animals in a more in-depth way. I decided to go back and study vet nursing but specialise more in the care of wildlife. So, I did a 12-month placement at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital. I have been a general practice vet nurse for the past 7 years and was previously a vet nurse for AWLQ at Coombabah and Daisy Hill.”
Canine Myofascial Therapy: Dry Needling Benefits
Since discovering the benefits of dry needling to relieve pain on pets, Katie has been offering dry needling treatments since the beginning of this year. “I currently dry needle at the Aussie Pet Collective in Slacks Creek and a few other locations along the Gold Coast and Tweed area.”
Katie is passionate about making animals better. “It all started in 2005, I got a kelpie Dalmatian cross puppy and named her Indiana, at only four month of age she was hit by a car and needed her back leg amputated. Because of her 3 legs we did lots of swimming to keep her muscles nice and strong, and this helped to take the weight off her remaining legs. I was very aware of how this could affect her later in life.
“In 2017 she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and given 6 months to live, so we got a little brother for her and me – Paddy the Frenchie. Indiana went on to live another 3 years! Unfortunately, I had to make the devastating decision to put her to sleep, a month before her 15th birthday. She is my reason for studying hydrotherapy and dry needling. She was my soul dog. I want to help all the 3-legged and 4-legged puppies! I just want all animals to be able to live and experience a pain-free life.”
Katie has experience with all sorts of animals from geckos, crocodiles and snakes, cats and dogs, to goats, chickens, horses and cows. If your pet suffers from any of the above conditions, you can contact Katie.
Canine Myofascial Therapy:
THE MOST COMMON SIGNS OF PAIN IN YOUR PET
-Decreased activity – take notice if your pet is not playing as much as usual
-Not going up or down stairs – could be an early sign of osteoarthritis
-Reluctance to jump up onto surfaces – this especially applies to cats
-Difficulty standing after lying down, is a sign of osteoarthritis
-Decreased appetite – this can be a sign of mouth pain
-Over-grooming or licking a particular area – can be a sign of referred pain
