ZedCare Ability Services

  Australians with disability are at heightened risk during COVID-19 because many have other health conditions (for example, problems breathing, heart disease, diabetes). This makes them more prone to be sicker or die if they become infected. People with disability are also quite likely to be poorer, unemployed and socially isolated which make them more likely to experience poor health outcomes during the pandemic. Many people with disability, particularly those with complex needs, require personal support, which puts them in close contact with other people. Different workers will come through residential disability care settings, sometimes moving between multiple homes and services, just as in aged care. The potential for coronavirus spread is also high because some residents may have difficulties with physical distancing and personal hygiene. They may have trouble understanding public health recommendations and/or have behavioural or sensory issues that make these recomm...

  COVID-19 has turned Australia into a nation of screen addicts sustained by snacks and lollies as the overwhelming majority of us obey restrictions on meeting friends and going out. Stuck at home without sport to watch, bars to drink at or live music to enjoy, Australians turned to baking, gardening, puzzles and household chores as well as shouldering the burden of educating children not able to attend school. From working at home to walking the dog, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected women’s lives more than men, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Surveys of households from March to May found women were more likely than men to have increased their consumption of fruit and vegetables, snack foods, alcohol and vitamins during the pandemic, while men ate more takeaway meals. Almost half of people surveyed were working from home (56 per cent of women compared to 38 per cent of men), while 58 per cent reported spending more time watching television or staring a...