While our relationship isn’t a marriage and you don’t have to take an oath (in sickness and in health), we take our connection pretty seriously.

With this in mind, we also want to let you know that we’re also here for you, richer or poorer as it may be.

We know some people in our Koru community are feeling pretty stressed out and worried right now about what is happening financially and we want to chat with you about it, as well as help you in any way we can.

So first things first.

If this is you, I have a question for you to consider below.

Are you experiencing financial difficulty, or are you just caught up in the stress of what’s happening in the world?

There is a big difference between being worried that you may experience financial stress, or are considering making some changes to how you spend and or being in financial hardship.

Obviously managing stress is different to managing your budget and therefore the advice and strategies will vary widely.

We will chat about your health and managing financial hardship first, followed by some practical stress management support.

Now we are never going to give you financial advice, but here are some things to consider if you’re worried about how you are going to pay for treatment, medications, supplements etc.  

YOUR HEALTH AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIP

If you’re currently experiencing financial hardship we want to know you have our support and can speak to any of our team in confidence.

In regards to treatment with us, we want to discuss a few options in regards to how to best manage your health while getting the outcome you’re after.

TIP 1 – CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT PLAN (PLUS EXTRA LOW FEE APPOINTMENTS)

If you have a chronic condition (lasting 3 months or more) you may be eligible for a chronic disease management plan, otherwise known as a CDMP.  

This is a medicare subsidised program, and medicare contributes $56 to the cost of these appointments.

There are certain eligibility criteria and your GP must write the referral.

You can find out more information about the program here.

If you have a low income health care card or are a pensioner, we are offering very low gap appointments with Osteopath Kayla Betheras, with out of pocket cost of approximately $10 per session for CDMP consultations. 

Kayla is currently available on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

TIP 2 – FOLLOW YOUR MANAGEMENT PLAN

Speak to your practitioner regarding what else you can be doing at home to assist in the recovery of your condition.

The more you can follow our recommendations and advice, the more likely you will require less ongoing treatment, which will reduce your cost over time.

TIP 3 – DON’T CANCEL APPOINTMENTS WITHOUT DISCUSSING WITH YOUR PRACTITIONER FIRST

Your Osteopath knows you and your body.  We will provide you with the best advice, support and options to help you help yourself and to come up with a workable solution.

TIP 4 – DISCUSS OPTIONS REGARDING SPACING FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS

The management for different conditions varies widely in regards to research and what is called “best practice,” your goals and other priorities you may have.

In addition, the recurrence rate varies a lot for different injuries. 

There are times when continuing with ongoing care, or a home based rehabilitation exercise program even though the pain has reduced or gone is very important and in some situations is less so.

This is important because if you have a recurring problem, we want to help find a way to reduce it from coming back, which in turn will save you from pain and having to deal with it moving forward.

Another example is if you are at high risk of falls, preventing a fall is better than managing an injury from a fall.

Speak to your practitioner regarding your individual circumstances about your best options.

TIP 5 – IF YOU TAKE MEDICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTS READ THIS…..

If you have been prescribed medications by a doctor or specialist and you are worried about either paying for food / rent / mortgage / keeping the lights on OR taking your medication, speak to your doctor now!

What we know is, people often start skipping doses to make medication last longer.

Your provider can often prescribe you a different medicine, either a cheaper version or a similar medication that may be far cheaper in some instances and give you comparable outcomes.

If you have been prescribed supplements, speak to the person who prescribed them for you, as similar alternatives can often be found.  

It’s also entirely possible that you may no longer require these supplements, you may have been given them a long time ago and not know that you can stop taking them.

Or alternatively, if you have put yourself on supplements, speak to one of your health providers now (including us) for further assistance.

TIP 6 – DO WHAT YOU CAN TO STAY HEALTHY, BEING SICK OR INJURED IS EXPENSIVE

Looking after the basics is important when it comes to your health and reducing your chances of developing preventable illness / injury.

Lifestyle really matters when it comes to your short and long term health.

So what are the simple things you can do:

• Prioritise bedtime (get enough sleep) For most adults this is 7-9 hours every night.
• Hydrate How much water you need varies according to your weight, physical activity and individual requirements, but 8 glasses is a good basic baseline.
• Eat whole foods Look for what’s on special this week, currently sweet potato, pumpkin, avocados, oranges, bananas and apples are cost effective options with loads of nutrition in the fruit and vegetable aisle. Consider frozen or canned options, as these can often provide good nutritional value and reduce your food spoilage, especially for fruit and veggies. Swap out more expensive grains for more cost conscious options, such as quinoa for rice and consider less popular meat cuts (just watch they’re not just full of fat first).
• Eat at home / make your lunch The cost of many staples in the pantry have gone up, but cooking and eating at home is still far more cost effective than eating out.
• Exercise People who exercise regularly (and appropriately) tend to get less sick, less often.  Remember you don’t have to pay for a gym membership, walking around the block, doing home based strength exercises, going for a bike ride or gardening counts too.

TIP 7 – AVOID THE WAIT AND SEE APPROACH

If you’re sick / injured, waiting to seek assistance can prolong or delay getting better. 

Consider calling Nurse On Call 1300 60 60 24 if you’re sick. Click here.

Or call us, we will happily have a chat and give you direction regarding what to do, be it first aid, see a doctor, do this / that (or wait this long) etc.

STRESSED ABOUT FINANCES OR THE STATE OF THE WORLD

If you’re not in financial hardship, you can pay your bills and or you have a financial buffer / assets etc., but you find yourself worrying about the cost of living, the stock market or the economy, it is worth really considering if the worry is costing you more.

What does that mean?

Stress is not only exhausting but has an insurmountable cost on our health and even our finances.

It is estimated in Australia that 3.2 days of work are lost each year just due to workplace stress, let alone any other type of stress.

Now if you don’t have sick leave, or you run out of sick leave, that gets expensive fast.

There is the cost to our mental health but also our physical health.

Stress is known to lower our immunity and increase our risk of developing chronic illness, such as diabetes and heart disease. 

Identifying what exactly we are stressed about is often helpful.

You know, the things that keep you awake at 3am in the morning.

Write them down and give yourself the mental space to think about these things during the daylight hours, this will help you not only uncover what is happening for you, but you can come up with a plan on how to deal with your concerns.

If you can’t get your stress / worry / anxiety / fear under wraps, then consider speaking to your GP regarding a Mental Health Plan referral.

Self-help tools such as breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness, tai chi or other forms of light exercise may be useful during this time.

You are welcome to speak to your practitioner about your concerns at any time.