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Keeping Well
During Winter
Preparing my whānau to stay well this winter:
Immunisations & Vaccinations
Immunisations and vaccines are the first line of defence to protect you, your whānau, and those who are vulnerable in our communities this winter.
| Find out more about the key vaccinations to keep up with: | Saturday Immunisation Clinics: |
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Every Saturday 9:30am - 12:30pm Richmond Health Hub - 281Queen Street, Richmond Childhood, Pregnancy, MMR and 11 & 12 year old immunisations For more information, email [email protected] |
Healthy homes
Warm homes are healthy homes. Is your home insulated or heated? Do you have a safe way to heat your home? There are options for both home owners and renters.
Resources are also available for keeping a healthy home in winter, including reduced-cost firewood and free curtains.
Healthy kai
Fruits and vegetables are great for supporting our immune system in winter, but they are also less available and affordable in winter.
Click through for tips and community initiatives to access healthy fruit and vegetables.
Being smokefree
Being smokefree is the #1 thing parents can do to prevent RSV in tamariki.
Any time of year is a good time to quit smoking, but with the surge of flu, RSV, and bronchiolitis in the colder months, it is especially important to be Smokefree in winter to reduce harm.
Agencies who can support my whānau
There are a number of community agencies who you can reach out to for support at all of times of the year, but are especially helpful resources throughout winter.
Financial, cultural, mental, physical and more support is available across Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.
Mental health resources & support
The challenges of winter can take a toll on mental health or worsen already existing issues.
There are a number of services and resources you can access for support and care.
Safety in Winter
Winter brings a unique and additional lot of dangers that you need to be aware of to prepare for and avoid.
This includes support and saftey around fire, food, driving children and violence.
Where to get help if my whānau is unwell:
Health Navigator
Health Navigator is a good place to start to learn about what symptoms can be managed at home and what requires medical attention. Information on Health Navigator is reviewed by New Zealand health professionals.
Search Health Navigator by common winter illnesses:
Healthline
Community pharmacies
Pharmacists can help you treat many minor ailments with over-the-counter medicines. They can help you put together a Winter Wellness Kit before you’re unwell.
Many pharmacies also offer immunisations, including flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.
General practices
A GP (family doctor) is generally the first person you see for medical help if your condition cannot be managed at home (in non-emergency situations).
It is free to enrol, but they may charge a consultation fee per visit. Most practices offer zero fee visits for children <13 and reduced fees for a Community Services Card.
Māori wellness services
Te Piki Oranga is a kaupapa Māori wellness services provider that offers accessible health and social services that are consistent with the concepts of whānau ora and tino rangatiratanga (self-reliance and independence).
Learn more about they ways Te Piki Oranga can support your whānau.
Urgent medical centres
An urgent medical centre can help you with any urgent medical issue that you would see a GP for, as well as accident related injuries such as sprains or cuts.
They offer walk-in (no appointment) services, longer operating hours than most GPs and accept people who aren’t enrolled with GPs, as well as anyone who is not a permanent resident.
Emergency departments
If a life is at risk call 111 or go to the hospital emergency department (ED).
If you’re unsure, call your GP or Healthline on 0800 611 116 first to confirm if the ED is where you should be.
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Winter Wellness email newsletter archives:
Edition 1: Healthy Homes
Edition 2: Healthy Kai
Edition 3: Mental Wellness
Edition 4: Safety
Edition 6: Stories of Connection
Stakeholder Winter 2022 Reflections
Nelson Tasman Hospice
Looking back:
Winter has been busy – but we are busy all year round here at Nelson Tasman Hospice. What helps our team get through Winter is knowing that what we do matters to our community.
Our specialist interdisciplinary team of around 60 clinical colleagues care for around 240 people and their families/whānau with life-limiting illnesses in our community each month. We know that people with life-limiting illnesses need a holistic approach to their care, not only focusing on physical symptoms but also supporting patients and their whānau with the social, emotional, and spiritual impact of their illness. The level of care we provide is based on the needs of the patient and whānau.
With approximately 540 face-to-face contacts made and 405 phone calls made to, our nursing teams per month as well as patients and their families also making an average of 226 contacts with Allied Health Support Services per month. Our doctors also have an average of 205 contacts with patients a month also. Our care is available throughout the Nelson Tasman region and is provided in the home, in aged-care facilities, in hospitals, and in our purpose-built Specialist Palliative Care Unit (SPCU).
One of our biggest challenges at Nelson Tasman Hospice is always raising enough funds to ensure that we can keep the wide variety of services that we provide free of charge. With an approximate $3 million dollar shortfall each year, every dollar raised through our fundraising stays in the Nelson Tasman region to provide specialist palliative care in our community.
Looking forward:
We have a lot to look forward to this Spring with a whole variety of events coming up. Our YouTube vlog/podcast series “Know us for when you need us” has just launched which aims to introduce the people behind the service and dispel some of the myths around what we do here at Hospice. We are excited to be a part of the Te Whatu Ora “Step into Spring” community festival in October offering guided walks through our beautiful Hospice gardens. We have some important fundraisers coming up including the Trees of Remembrance campaign which features a national instore promotion at long-term supporters Farmers (18 November – 24 December) and a community Trees of Remembrance campaign in key locations around the area (2 - 9 December). The first annual Keir Wilkinson Memorial Golf Tournament, organised by Summit Real Estate, tees off on 23 September and Contestants started their dance training this month getting ready for the 2023 NBS Dancing for a Cause – Nelson Tasman Hospice happening next year.
You can keep up to date with what we are doing by subscribing to our newsletter on our website and following us on Facebook & Instagram.
Right: CNS for community team, Toni Phair. Photo credit: David Chadwick Photography
Te Kotahi o TeTauihu Trust
Looking back:
Like everyone, we had a lot of kaimahi (staff) out of action with Covid-19 or caring for whānau with Covid or the flu this winter. We pulled together and covered each other’s work to ensure services for whānau were not compromised. What got us through was sheer determination to ensure no whānau is left behind. We were able to help a lot of whānau, not just with kai but with all sorts of things – employment, personal development and growth, sorting issues that had been piling up and stressing out whānau. We’re here to tautoko in whatever way we can.
Looking forward:
As it goes with kōanga (spring), we have had a growth spurt and have put in place a new Ngā Ringa Whakahaere (Senior Leadership Team) to lead us into 2023 with renewed vigour and energy.
As well as more time outdoors with whānau, we’re looking forward to February, when we plan to run a community celebration in Whakatū to help set free the difficulties of the past few years. Stay tuned for more!
Right: Some of the Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu Trust kaimahi at the Motueka Hiwa event in June.
Nelson Bays Primary Health
Looking back:
The Nelson Bays Primary Health Executive Leadership Team acknowledges the hard work from our Richmond and general practice teams, Golden Bay Community Health, and COVID-19 workforce, over the winter months. It was a winter of challenges for the 22 general practices across Nelson Bays. The health care teams in general practice were supporting significant health care needs for people experiencing respiratory and COVID-19 illnesses. What got the teams through was knowing that they were contributing to support whanau to be well and safe in their community. We would like to acknowledge general practice and pharmacy services for their services over this long winter. We also wish to acknowledge the primary care community who responded to meet the needs during the recent flooding response. It is because of the great relationships across general practice and non-government organisations that we support health care needs in the community. Nelson Bays area has demonstrated this nationally by being one of the areas with the best outcomes for hospital avoidable admissions.
Critical to this, is the Medical and Injury Centre (MIC) which is Nelson Tasman’s dedicated Urgent Care Centre. MIC specialises in patients with injuries, fractures, and any other urgent medical needs, and is open with extended hours of 8.00am – 10.00pm, daily. Backed by Nelson Bays Primary Health and Nelson Bays General Practice Ltd is a collaboration of the district’s general practices, MIC is well supported to be there when needed.
Looking forward:
Nelson Bays Primary Health acknowledges the flooding events, and we want to be involved with our community during the recovery and build resilience in our community.
We will be launching our new website on 27 September 2022, which includes up-to-date information on the services we provide to our community, including Rongoā Kākāriki (Green Prescription), Mate Huka (Community Education – Living Well With Type 2 Diabetes) and General Practice Based Wellbeing Services. There will be up-to-date information on all our health services, general practice availability/fees table and upcoming education for the primary care workforce.
We want to continue to encourage people to access the FOUND Directory, which lists the community and organisations in our region: https://www.found.org.nz/ Nelson Bays Primary Health is proud to be a sponsor of this directory.
Hospice Marlborough
Looking back:
The Hospice social club committee organised a spring celebration recently and shouted everyone a sausage sizzle lunch. It was a great occasion to relax and share fun, pārekareka and food, kai together as a team, and staff and board members together. It was especially good to see our colleagues from Te Whatu Ora joining us as well. And a very special guest, – Eliza the lamb, very cute.
Looking forward:
Hospice Fundraising Events:
- Fabric-a- Brac: A fabric sale from lovers of projects, who just have too many projects. If you’re looking for some great bargains, funky old fabric and a great vibe – Fabric-a-brac is for you.
- Saturday 17 September 2022
- 10am - 2pm
- Connect Blenheim, Cnr. High Street and Beaver Road Blenheim
- Hospice Golf Tournament, Friday 2 December at Rarangi Golf Club. (email [email protected] for entry form)
- Fashion and Art in the Garden Sunday 4 December 2022 - an afternoon of live music, live art auction, silent auction, art and fashion parade (note: clothing also for sale).
Sport Tasman
Sport Tasman is one of 14 charitable regional sports trusts that support New Zealanders to be more active and healthy, with the aim of improving community wellbeing through physical activity. One of the programmes Sport Tasman runs is Healthy Active Learning, or HAL. HAL is a joint government initiative between Sport New Zealand and the Ministries of Health and Education to improve the well-being of tamariki. HAL supports kura and schools to create healthy and active learning environments and better connections to their local communities.
Michelle Kirker, Sport Tasman’s Regional Tamariki Lead, heads a small team working with primary and intermediate schools in Nelson and Buller. Michelle shares some of the HAL team's highlights from winter and looks forward to what spring will bring.
“A highlight for us was attending the National Healthy Active Learning hui in July. It was a great opportunity to connect with and learn from others around the country also involved in HAL kaupapa. We picked up some great tips at a workshop run by Kimiora Insley, HAL Advisor, Sport Bay of Plenty. She gave us lots of activity ideas to get tamariki moving, working together, being inclusive and problem-solving while continuing to reinforce their classroom learning – tips we’ve been able to bring back to the schools we are working with.
Another highlight was the ‘Try Your Kai’ project with Auckland Point School. After observing and talking with students, teachers and the Principal about Ka Ora Ka Ako, Healthy School Lunches programme, we identified an opportunity to help students gain both knowledge and understanding about food and nutrition, but also gain confidence around trying new foods and flavours.
With this in mind, we are implementing a programme where students work with us in small groups to design a lunch. We then prepare and make lunch with the group and enjoy eating our creations together. We know that positive and enthusiastic role modelling by teachers and peers who are confident eaters can help encourage and support less confident children to try new foods.
We’re lucky that our team is supported by Vicky Stedman, Public Health Nutritionist for Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Nelson Marlborough. Her expertise and enthusiasm are helping us to help tamariki make great decisions around healthy food choices.
The wetter than usual winter and the extreme weather events on the West Coast, Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough tested the resilience of our team, and the schools that we work with. In the weeks following the most recent flooding event, we sent the schools that we work with small care hampers packed with healthy treats to let them know we were thinking of them.
The longer and lighter days mean spring is here, and we are heading towards summer. Better weather means more time outdoors and the Livewires sports leaders can continue the great mahi they are doing in their schools. Livewires is another great project we support where peers support peers to be active. Over winter the sports leaders learned new games and are now able to pass their knowledge on to other students at lunchtime and at other times during the school day.
The Livewires sports leaders have been running weekly games, helping children who are less active become more active as well as offering a safe place for students who may otherwise be feeling disconnected. The sports leaders are eager to learn new games, keen to build up their kete of resources and willingly share the games with other children. What amazing role models!
The Livewires sports leaders are enthusiastic and starting to show deep-level thinking in regard to the games they choose, always keeping the age of the tamariki they are catering to in mind.
Our thanks go to everyone who supports HAL – the teachers, students, whānau, community and other supporters – together we’re making a big difference!”