In February 2015 local lady Tara Stomann will be embarking on an epic fundraising challenge. She will be taking on a bicycle ride across Cambodia to raise money for Lifeline Australia. The event will be with a team aiming to cover 350km over 6 days.
The team is seeking to raise $80,000 in total. Tara has taken up this challenge because she is currently a personal volunteer with Lifeline in Bendigo. She has had the opportunity to experience first hand just how critical the service is for people across Australia and wants to contribute further to the organisation.
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A new feature of the 2014 Victorian Mental Health Act is the inclusion of an individual known as a Nominated Person. Their role is to assist in providing support for the patient and also to protect their interests. In addition, the Nominated Person may help the patient in exercising their rights. They can also help communicate the views and preferences of the patient with regard to their treatment and recovery plans.
A Nominated Person will be provided with information throughout the patient's treatment and recovery. They will also be advised if there is a Mental Health Tribunal hearing to take place.
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In the image gallery below are all the entries received in this years Healthy Minds Art Competition.
If you click on the image on the screen, it will open the gallery properly so you can see each individual art work at a larger size.
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Advance Statements are documents that have always been available to mental health patients. However, with the advent of the new Mental Health Act in Victoria in 2014, it is worth revisiting these documents and changes that may affect you.
An Advance Statement is a document, completed by a person with mental health issues, that lists information about them and their desires for treatment in the event that they become an involuntary patient under the Mental Health Act.
The document provides information about the persons General Practitioner, Mental Health Worker, Psychiatrist and or Psychologist and any other workers or medical people they may refer to for their disorder or illness. The document also provides information about other people involved in the persons recovery such as carers and family members. It also sets out the contact details of anyone and their relationship to the person who have to be contacted if they are placed on an Order under the Act.
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The Loddon Healthy Minds Network have extended the junior Art Competition normally run in the Shire schools and created an Open Section. Anyone over the age of 18 can enter the competition which is to encourage people to think about Mental Health from an artistic perspective. Quite often the visual can convey messages that the printed word cannot. After all, we do think in pictures and not in words. The competition will adopt the theme of the Healthy Minds Network for the 2014 year which is "Five Ways To Well Being".
Its focus is to provide a mental health topic that will create art and conversations amongst our youth. The greater the awareness that people have about mental health issues, the more positive a society we develop mental health wellbeing is a core value. There is still considerable stigma surrounding the topic of mental health. Competitions such as this and the conversations they create do a great job of breaking down the taboos in society regarding mental health.
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Please note that the information provided on this page, or anywhere else on the site, is for general information only. It is NOT intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice from qualified practitioners. If you have concerns regarding your mental health, seek help from suitably qualfied people.