From Vision in Australia, this is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

From Vision in Australia, this is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

A desire for equality and fairness has always been one of my strong motivations and being part of the COAG and being involved in the area where multiculturalism and disability overlap has been really, really important to me.

A desire for equality and fairness has always been one of my strong motivations and being part of the COAG and being involved in the area where multiculturalism and disability overlap has been really, really important to me.

Welcome to the show. That was client reference group member D.A. Faye Renata talking about his work in the culturally and linguistically diverse portfolio and how it has intersected with his lived experience with retinitis pigmentosa. Dana was a guest speaker at the 2021 Vision Australia Annual General Meeting, and you'll hear more from him shortly and then later in the show. Peter Greco catches up with Dr Andrew Rochford from Digital Health to talk about how people who are blind or have low vision can access their vaccination certificate and take part in a survey to have their say about their experience with digital health platforms. And finally, this week, Helen Vella joins the program to talk about Christmas gift ideas with Sara from the Vision Australia store. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. And now here's Dino for Renato.

Welcome to the show. That was client reference group member D.A. Faye Renata talking about his work in the culturally and linguistically diverse portfolio and how it has intersected with his lived experience with retinitis pigmentosa. Dana was a guest speaker at the 2021 Vision Australia Annual General Meeting, and you'll hear more from him shortly and then later in the show. Peter Greco catches up with Dr Andrew Rochford from Digital Health to talk about how people who are blind or have low vision can access their vaccination certificate and take part in a survey to have their say about their experience with digital health platforms. And finally, this week, Helen Vella joins the program to talk about Christmas gift ideas with Sara from the Vision Australia store. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. And now here's Dino for Renato.

It gives me a great honor to be here in we're on dry land. Speaking in relation to the Climate Reference Group A and inspiring group of individuals volunteers who strive to make Vision Australia a better place. I first became involved with the Climate Reference Group back in 2017, when I was appointed as the first representative of the culturally and linguistically diverse portfolio. In that role, I represent the Vision Australia client base that perhaps does not have English as their first language or is part of one of the many culturally diverse groups that exist in Australia. I've I've worked with the CIA in that role during that time, and I've enjoyed every bit of it. If I could seek your indulgence and just address my own personal circumstances, I because I think they have really formulated a very important part of my enthusiasm and drive towards working with the Climate Reference Group and Vision Australia. I had vision problems from when I was very young and I remember the challenges of being in high school and not being able to read instructions written on the blackboard in chalk and being considered to be a slow learner simply because I was from a group that didn't have English as my first language. You can imagine the indignation that that created caused me to really focus on academic excellence through the rest of my education. Similarly, being the uncoordinated kid that really just couldn't catch a ball when it was thrown to him in the playground led me to focus on developing strength and finding my true home on a sporting ground. Being the front role of a rugby pack where, to be honest, ball handling skills are incidental at the best. All of those things have have been important in my life, and it really, for my life, has fallen into three distinct stages the first 20 years of adapting mechanisms to deal with my disability. The second 20 or so years where I dealt with those issues and went on to start a career work as a solicitor. Start a family, live both in Australia and overseas and really make the most of of the opportunities was sent my way. The last and perhaps most challenging stage has been the last 20 years where I'm coming to deal with the fact that retinitis pigmentosa is slowly bringing this to the screens down on my vision, and I'm starting to deal with the somewhat harsh realities of having extremely low vision. Throughout all of that, a desire for equality and fairness has always been one of my strong motivations and being part of the COAG and being involved in the area where multiculturalism and disability overlap has been really, really important to me. The COAG, as I mentioned at the outset, are an inspiring group of people. The members of the COAG range in age from their 20s to their 90s. They live in rural and metropolitan Australia. They bring an incredible, diverse life experience to the table, and I've really enjoyed working with all of the members of the COAG. Members of the COAG are insightful. The challenging. The thoughtful, but most importantly of all, the fun. It's been great working with them, and I look forward to continuing to do that. The surgery has undergone some changes over the recent time, and that has included a number of us moving away from direct involvement with project partners within Vision Australia to be more closely involved with specific strategic projects. And I think Ron and Graeme Craig for working with the COAG and tinkering with the model of the COAG and how it works to get us more involved in those specific projects. Some of those projects have been mentioned already by by Andrew and Ron. Some haven't. Boosting social inclusion has been a project that I've personally been involved in, and it's aiming to really implement one of Vision Australia's four pillars, enabling older Australians driving the strategy of delivering services to a key demographic of our client base. Vision Australia's client base being older Australians. And finally, the third project I did want to mention, which has already got quite a bit of great press, which is project employability. The fantastic work that Melissa Fanshawe and Stephen Belbin have been involved in, and that sort of stands out as being something that started from a discussion at a COAG meeting with the board, led by Melissa, taken through initial stages through to implementation and to the stage where it's going to make a real difference to the lives of especially young people who have had who have been blind or have low vision. So it's a fantastic testament to the success of the COAG. The COAG have also had some personnel changes onto acknowledge Katrina Tyler and Shaun Murphy, who have both been members of the COAG and have left the COAG in recent time. What that does is leave open some opportunities for people who are interested in playing a role within the COAG in the adaptive technology portfolio and the rural and regional portfolio, as well as Melissa's portfolio of family. So if you're interested in that, this I strongly suggest people contact Amy. I'm going to find out the opportunities to join the COAG. The COAG really are and want to be the voice of clients directly to Vision Australia. Our contact details are on the website and we really encourage people to contact us directly. Finally, and in conclusion, I wanted to give some thanks. I wanted to thank Andrew Moffat and Stephen O'Brien, who have been supportive of Vision Australia and given us quite considerable time to to Ron Hooton and Graham Craig. And particularly I remember going who have encouraged the COAG, COAG and given us time and energy. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, to the staff of Vision Australia, who have worked with us, answered all of our impertinent questions and really been made us feel part of the team. Thank you very much.

It gives me a great honor to be here in we're on dry land. Speaking in relation to the Climate Reference Group A and inspiring group of individuals volunteers who strive to make Vision Australia a better place. I first became involved with the Climate Reference Group back in 2017, when I was appointed as the first representative of the culturally and linguistically diverse portfolio. In that role, I represent the Vision Australia client base that perhaps does not have English as their first language or is part of one of the many culturally diverse groups that exist in Australia. I've I've worked with the CIA in that role during that time, and I've enjoyed every bit of it. If I could seek your indulgence and just address my own personal circumstances, I because I think they have really formulated a very important part of my enthusiasm and drive towards working with the Climate Reference Group and Vision Australia. I had vision problems from when I was very young and I remember the challenges of being in high school and not being able to read instructions written on the blackboard in chalk and being considered to be a slow learner simply because I was from a group that didn't have English as my first language. You can imagine the indignation that that created caused me to really focus on academic excellence through the rest of my education. Similarly, being the uncoordinated kid that really just couldn't catch a ball when it was thrown to him in the playground led me to focus on developing strength and finding my true home on a sporting ground. Being the front role of a rugby pack where, to be honest, ball handling skills are incidental at the best. All of those things have have been important in my life, and it really, for my life, has fallen into three distinct stages the first 20 years of adapting mechanisms to deal with my disability. The second 20 or so years where I dealt with those issues and went on to start a career work as a solicitor. Start a family, live both in Australia and overseas and really make the most of of the opportunities was sent my way. The last and perhaps most challenging stage has been the last 20 years where I'm coming to deal with the fact that retinitis pigmentosa is slowly bringing this to the screens down on my vision, and I'm starting to deal with the somewhat harsh realities of having extremely low vision. Throughout all of that, a desire for equality and fairness has always been one of my strong motivations and being part of the COAG and being involved in the area where multiculturalism and disability overlap has been really, really important to me. The COAG, as I mentioned at the outset, are an inspiring group of people. The members of the COAG range in age from their 20s to their 90s. They live in rural and metropolitan Australia. They bring an incredible, diverse life experience to the table, and I've really enjoyed working with all of the members of the COAG. Members of the COAG are insightful. The challenging. The thoughtful, but most importantly of all, the fun. It's been great working with them, and I look forward to continuing to do that. The surgery has undergone some changes over the recent time, and that has included a number of us moving away from direct involvement with project partners within Vision Australia to be more closely involved with specific strategic projects. And I think Ron and Graeme Craig for working with the COAG and tinkering with the model of the COAG and how it works to get us more involved in those specific projects. Some of those projects have been mentioned already by by Andrew and Ron. Some haven't. Boosting social inclusion has been a project that I've personally been involved in, and it's aiming to really implement one of Vision Australia's four pillars, enabling older Australians driving the strategy of delivering services to a key demographic of our client base. Vision Australia's client base being older Australians. And finally, the third project I did want to mention, which has already got quite a bit of great press, which is project employability. The fantastic work that Melissa Fanshawe and Stephen Belbin have been involved in, and that sort of stands out as being something that started from a discussion at a COAG meeting with the board, led by Melissa, taken through initial stages through to implementation and to the stage where it's going to make a real difference to the lives of especially young people who have had who have been blind or have low vision. So it's a fantastic testament to the success of the COAG. The COAG have also had some personnel changes onto acknowledge Katrina Tyler and Shaun Murphy, who have both been members of the COAG and have left the COAG in recent time. What that does is leave open some opportunities for people who are interested in playing a role within the COAG in the adaptive technology portfolio and the rural and regional portfolio, as well as Melissa's portfolio of family. So if you're interested in that, this I strongly suggest people contact Amy. I'm going to find out the opportunities to join the COAG. The COAG really are and want to be the voice of clients directly to Vision Australia. Our contact details are on the website and we really encourage people to contact us directly. Finally, and in conclusion, I wanted to give some thanks. I wanted to thank Andrew Moffat and Stephen O'Brien, who have been supportive of Vision Australia and given us quite considerable time to to Ron Hooton and Graham Craig. And particularly I remember going who have encouraged the COAG, COAG and given us time and energy. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, to the staff of Vision Australia, who have worked with us, answered all of our impertinent questions and really been made us feel part of the team. Thank you very much.

That was client reference group member Dana Farren Otto from the culturally and linguistically diverse portfolio. I'm Sam Kelly and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia, radio associate at stations of IPH and the Community Radio Network. If you'd like to find out more about the program, like where to find your local radio frequency or listen to past programs, you can find all this info and more on the Talking Vision web page. Just stop talking vision into your search engine, or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library. And now here's Peter Greco with Dr Andrew Rochford.

That was client reference group member Dana Farren Otto from the culturally and linguistically diverse portfolio. I'm Sam Kelly and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia, radio associate at stations of IPH and the Community Radio Network. If you'd like to find out more about the program, like where to find your local radio frequency or listen to past programs, you can find all this info and more on the Talking Vision web page. Just stop talking vision into your search engine, or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library. And now here's Peter Greco with Dr Andrew Rochford.

Andrew, great to catch up with you. Thanks for your time.

Andrew, great to catch up with you. Thanks for your time.

My absolute pleasure. Thanks for having me, Peter.

My absolute pleasure. Thanks for having me, Peter.

Now a lot of that hold a little bit of vaccine hesitancy at the beginning of the year, but as the cliché goes, Australians that seem to have really rolled up their sleeves and taking part now.

Now a lot of that hold a little bit of vaccine hesitancy at the beginning of the year, but as the cliché goes, Australians that seem to have really rolled up their sleeves and taking part now.

Absolutely. And I think like, like anything, people are always looking just to get their hands on the best information to be able to make informed choices. And I think there's a large percentage of people that feel comfortable in the beginning, obviously starting to learn more about the vaccination and how it's reducing hospitalisations and severe disease and and people, you know, being in a position where they felt like they could have an impact on changing lockdowns and restrictions and trying to get back to normal life. And then there's a group of people that need a little bit more time. They want a better understanding. They, you know, they want to find that good information. And I think now we've seen that they're starting to see just how important it is for us as a community, not only protect ourselves with vaccination, but obviously we're protecting the most vulnerable. And I think it's a really nice indication of Australia how quickly we've been able to turn that around. I think the

Absolutely. And I think like, like anything, people are always looking just to get their hands on the best information to be able to make informed choices. And I think there's a large percentage of people that feel comfortable in the beginning, obviously starting to learn more about the vaccination and how it's reducing hospitalisations and severe disease and and people, you know, being in a position where they felt like they could have an impact on changing lockdowns and restrictions and trying to get back to normal life. And then there's a group of people that need a little bit more time. They want a better understanding. They, you know, they want to find that good information. And I think now we've seen that they're starting to see just how important it is for us as a community, not only protect ourselves with vaccination, but obviously we're protecting the most vulnerable. And I think it's a really nice indication of Australia how quickly we've been able to turn that around. I think the

other thing is, or another thing is that, you know, if you've seen your mother, your father or your siblings or whatever have the jab and no repercussions and you think, well, if it's okay for them, then it must be okay for me to tell you. I think that's probably played a bit of a role as well.

other thing is, or another thing is that, you know, if you've seen your mother, your father or your siblings or whatever have the jab and no repercussions and you think, well, if it's okay for them, then it must be okay for me to tell you. I think that's probably played a bit of a role as well.

Yeah, like anything, I think everybody here wants to be first to be second. And I and I think that we know that that vaccinations is one of those things where, you know, you need those people that understand the science, understand the safety protocols and the reasons why things take time to end up in our community. And I know people are worried about vaccine. Is this being rolled out too fast? But you know, I think that it's for those that understand how therapeutics and vaccinations are developed and the safety requirements. Before anybody gets that put in, there are the ones that you know, they're comfortable to get in early. And then I think once they start getting it and we see more and more people obviously not having, you know, some of those outcomes that everybody thought, yeah, they get more confident and comfortable and they start to recognise that the benefits of being vaccinated. And I think it's an interesting part of human nature and vaccines very much fit into it is that we're more comfortable doing nothing than we are doing something in the hope that nothing bad goes wrong. It's just human nature. Whereas vaccines is preventative, you know, we're ultimately trying to protect ourselves and others. So it does. It does challenge a lot of us to be comfortable in that space where we feel like by injecting a vaccine, we're more worried about the outcome of what might happen from the vaccine, rather than the very clear reality that if you don't get that vaccine, you're at much greater risk of something bad happening.

Yeah, like anything, I think everybody here wants to be first to be second. And I and I think that we know that that vaccinations is one of those things where, you know, you need those people that understand the science, understand the safety protocols and the reasons why things take time to end up in our community. And I know people are worried about vaccine. Is this being rolled out too fast? But you know, I think that it's for those that understand how therapeutics and vaccinations are developed and the safety requirements. Before anybody gets that put in, there are the ones that you know, they're comfortable to get in early. And then I think once they start getting it and we see more and more people obviously not having, you know, some of those outcomes that everybody thought, yeah, they get more confident and comfortable and they start to recognise that the benefits of being vaccinated. And I think it's an interesting part of human nature and vaccines very much fit into it is that we're more comfortable doing nothing than we are doing something in the hope that nothing bad goes wrong. It's just human nature. Whereas vaccines is preventative, you know, we're ultimately trying to protect ourselves and others. So it does. It does challenge a lot of us to be comfortable in that space where we feel like by injecting a vaccine, we're more worried about the outcome of what might happen from the vaccine, rather than the very clear reality that if you don't get that vaccine, you're at much greater risk of something bad happening.

And of course, the next step, if you like, is now being able to collate the information for ourselves. So we've got it in. One needs to find a spot that we can show our airline, our Paabo, wherever we're going to go to next, that might require us to be back.

And of course, the next step, if you like, is now being able to collate the information for ourselves. So we've got it in. One needs to find a spot that we can show our airline, our Paabo, wherever we're going to go to next, that might require us to be back.

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that this is, you know, such a, you know, it's a great moment and an indication of what digital health the my health record. You know, having that valuable information in one place, wherever you are, whenever you need it. I think this is a great example of how important that information is. And so without my health record, now that immunization information, including a COVID 19 digital certificate and immunisation history statement, is being uploaded into your My Health record, you can access that via the desktop computer. You can have one of the apps the Healthy Apple, the Health Now app on your mobile phone, and you can view that information. Share that information in a carry that information with you. And you know life's not going to be the same as it used to be. We're going to need to prove our vaccinations. We're going to need to be able to be on top of where we are when it comes to getting a test results and being able to do our test results and my health record. And I think that this is just starting to show how valuable it is to have those types of digital innovations and technologies to make life easier.

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that this is, you know, such a, you know, it's a great moment and an indication of what digital health the my health record. You know, having that valuable information in one place, wherever you are, whenever you need it. I think this is a great example of how important that information is. And so without my health record, now that immunization information, including a COVID 19 digital certificate and immunisation history statement, is being uploaded into your My Health record, you can access that via the desktop computer. You can have one of the apps the Healthy Apple, the Health Now app on your mobile phone, and you can view that information. Share that information in a carry that information with you. And you know life's not going to be the same as it used to be. We're going to need to prove our vaccinations. We're going to need to be able to be on top of where we are when it comes to getting a test results and being able to do our test results and my health record. And I think that this is just starting to show how valuable it is to have those types of digital innovations and technologies to make life easier.

Actually, I'm not sure what about you, Andrew? But I remember the first time we spoke, we talked about the digital health stuff. And I mean, for me, it was kind of a little bit new, but you must be a little bit shocked at the fact that this has been very timely as far as getting on board with this sort of movement, guys. Yeah.

Actually, I'm not sure what about you, Andrew? But I remember the first time we spoke, we talked about the digital health stuff. And I mean, for me, it was kind of a little bit new, but you must be a little bit shocked at the fact that this has been very timely as far as getting on board with this sort of movement, guys. Yeah.

And I think that that's that's a testament to the to the Australian digital health agency. I think they've done an incredible job in a very short time frame of needing to very much ramp everything up. I mean, no one predicted that a global pandemic would happen. No one predicted that we'd be restricted. We'd be in lockdowns. We'd all be trying to change the way that we go about our business, but still needing to stay connected to our health care professionals, still needing to access our health care information. No one could have predicted that. And what you've seen is the ability for, you know, technologies like the my health record technologies like electronic prescriptions, of which there's now nearly been 24 million electronic prescriptions issued. And how part of that rollout was because we weren't able to go sitting in a doctor's waiting room, see a doctor, get a prescription, go to the pharmacy. We needed to find ways to be able to do it. And now that's why digital has really filled that gap and Australians have taken it up. You know, we're seeing more and more telehealth people connecting with their health care professionals nearly 80 million telehealth services between March and October of this year. People are starting to recognize that there's other ways to look after their health. There's other ways to be efficient, get good outcomes, and you never, you know, wish that a pandemic has happened so that everybody all of a sudden figures out digital health might be a good way to go. But the fact that it happened, I think now has meant that something that a lot of people have been working very hard on for many years is starting to to show the benefits.

And I think that that's that's a testament to the to the Australian digital health agency. I think they've done an incredible job in a very short time frame of needing to very much ramp everything up. I mean, no one predicted that a global pandemic would happen. No one predicted that we'd be restricted. We'd be in lockdowns. We'd all be trying to change the way that we go about our business, but still needing to stay connected to our health care professionals, still needing to access our health care information. No one could have predicted that. And what you've seen is the ability for, you know, technologies like the my health record technologies like electronic prescriptions, of which there's now nearly been 24 million electronic prescriptions issued. And how part of that rollout was because we weren't able to go sitting in a doctor's waiting room, see a doctor, get a prescription, go to the pharmacy. We needed to find ways to be able to do it. And now that's why digital has really filled that gap and Australians have taken it up. You know, we're seeing more and more telehealth people connecting with their health care professionals nearly 80 million telehealth services between March and October of this year. People are starting to recognize that there's other ways to look after their health. There's other ways to be efficient, get good outcomes, and you never, you know, wish that a pandemic has happened so that everybody all of a sudden figures out digital health might be a good way to go. But the fact that it happened, I think now has meant that something that a lot of people have been working very hard on for many years is starting to to show the benefits.

Most of us would have a MyGov account, particularly for you have to that taxes, et cetera. So this is a good starting point as far as getting this information all together in one place.

Most of us would have a MyGov account, particularly for you have to that taxes, et cetera. So this is a good starting point as far as getting this information all together in one place.

That's right. And that's and that's how you set up your my health record. Twenty three million Syrians going to my health record, not everybody has access to the access that my health record. And if you're one of those people, you might not even know what information is in there. And the way to connect that up is to connect your MyGov account and you connect up that Medicare account into your my health record. And then you can have that information flowing in there. Set up all the securities around that, and you can access your my health record and you can see what information is in there. You can start talking to your health care professionals to make sure that you know any any notes that you get from a consultation. Pathology results like electronic prescriptions, immunisation, register your allergy history, your past medical history. All of that stuff could start to get into and populate that. My health record. So like I said, you've got that information with you, no matter where you are, no matter when you need

That's right. And that's and that's how you set up your my health record. Twenty three million Syrians going to my health record, not everybody has access to the access that my health record. And if you're one of those people, you might not even know what information is in there. And the way to connect that up is to connect your MyGov account and you connect up that Medicare account into your my health record. And then you can have that information flowing in there. Set up all the securities around that, and you can access your my health record and you can see what information is in there. You can start talking to your health care professionals to make sure that you know any any notes that you get from a consultation. Pathology results like electronic prescriptions, immunisation, register your allergy history, your past medical history. All of that stuff could start to get into and populate that. My health record. So like I said, you've got that information with you, no matter where you are, no matter when you need

it and smart phone desktop, it doesn't matter what sort of device or technology you use, it can be part of it.

it and smart phone desktop, it doesn't matter what sort of device or technology you use, it can be part of it.

Absolutely. And it's a lot easier than carrying around a phone call that has a whole bunch of handwritten notes on it. That's the difference. That's what we're comparing. You know, all this information is used to sit in drawers or filing cabinets all over the country. So it's all in one place now, and it's a lot easier to carry around there.

Absolutely. And it's a lot easier than carrying around a phone call that has a whole bunch of handwritten notes on it. That's the difference. That's what we're comparing. You know, all this information is used to sit in drawers or filing cabinets all over the country. So it's all in one place now, and it's a lot easier to carry around there.

We chatted about the benefits of the digital health, and the organization is looking for some feedback. You've got a short survey that you'd like people to take part in Turkey.

We chatted about the benefits of the digital health, and the organization is looking for some feedback. You've got a short survey that you'd like people to take part in Turkey.

Absolutely via the digital health agency is running the National Digital Health Strategy Survey short 15 minute survey. The kind of thing you can sit down, you grab a cup of tea and work through the survey. The idea of it is to start to shape the future of what digital health looks like in Australia. So this is going to form the foundation and a big part of building the strategy, which is released next year, and this is the national digital health strategy into the future. This survey is asking anyone, the general public organizations, health care workers, developers, hospitals, no matter who you are, the information that you have to share and your opinions and what you like about digital health, what you're using, what you don't like, all of that's going to help shape policy and investment and kind of bring all the different agencies together. So that we can have a more connected health care system, we can have more of these benefits. I think, you know, for me, something really simple is that you are recently traveling. Luckily, I got the exemption. I had to get a wife to do some work in Indonesia. But part of that had to had to go see, my doctor had to get some other vaccines and get some scripts, and the electronic prescription of sitting in the chair taps away on a computer. All of a sudden I get a text message. I've got the electronic prescription. I walked to the pharmacy. I click on it. There's the QR token, they scan it, I get my vaccine, I go back and I, I get my typhoid injection. And it's it's so different. And there's so many parts, you know, I'm I'm already sold on digital health. I think it's great. I think the future will see even more exciting stuff where we're not spending as much time in hospitals. We're being monitored from home where, you know, we're a lot more proactive. I think there's going to be really interesting stuff around AI and predictive diagnoses and a lot of really exciting stuff in robotics. But for me, it's just really the simple, everyday stuff that's just as exciting that that idea of an electronic prescription. I don't have a balled up, scrunched up piece of paper in my pocket that I'm probably going to lose. And it's just so simple and easy. And that's what this is about. It's about people talking about the things I've used. They haven't used where they've seen problems, where things have worked, and that's going to help shape what happens in the future.

Absolutely via the digital health agency is running the National Digital Health Strategy Survey short 15 minute survey. The kind of thing you can sit down, you grab a cup of tea and work through the survey. The idea of it is to start to shape the future of what digital health looks like in Australia. So this is going to form the foundation and a big part of building the strategy, which is released next year, and this is the national digital health strategy into the future. This survey is asking anyone, the general public organizations, health care workers, developers, hospitals, no matter who you are, the information that you have to share and your opinions and what you like about digital health, what you're using, what you don't like, all of that's going to help shape policy and investment and kind of bring all the different agencies together. So that we can have a more connected health care system, we can have more of these benefits. I think, you know, for me, something really simple is that you are recently traveling. Luckily, I got the exemption. I had to get a wife to do some work in Indonesia. But part of that had to had to go see, my doctor had to get some other vaccines and get some scripts, and the electronic prescription of sitting in the chair taps away on a computer. All of a sudden I get a text message. I've got the electronic prescription. I walked to the pharmacy. I click on it. There's the QR token, they scan it, I get my vaccine, I go back and I, I get my typhoid injection. And it's it's so different. And there's so many parts, you know, I'm I'm already sold on digital health. I think it's great. I think the future will see even more exciting stuff where we're not spending as much time in hospitals. We're being monitored from home where, you know, we're a lot more proactive. I think there's going to be really interesting stuff around AI and predictive diagnoses and a lot of really exciting stuff in robotics. But for me, it's just really the simple, everyday stuff that's just as exciting that that idea of an electronic prescription. I don't have a balled up, scrunched up piece of paper in my pocket that I'm probably going to lose. And it's just so simple and easy. And that's what this is about. It's about people talking about the things I've used. They haven't used where they've seen problems, where things have worked, and that's going to help shape what happens in the future.

Digital Health Dot gov dot to use the website, the survey is on the front pages, he said. Andrew, you look for anyone to take part, as you said, whether you're just a person who's accessing health or if you're delivering health care, et cetera. And I like this one. You know, if you are involved in technology, maybe have some ideas to make the whole system work a little bit better if you've got that sort of expertise as well.

Digital Health Dot gov dot to use the website, the survey is on the front pages, he said. Andrew, you look for anyone to take part, as you said, whether you're just a person who's accessing health or if you're delivering health care, et cetera. And I like this one. You know, if you are involved in technology, maybe have some ideas to make the whole system work a little bit better if you've got that sort of expertise as well.

That's yeah, that's it. It's about everybody having their say. We were a very lucky country when we started this interview talking about how Australia has come together when it comes to vaccinations and and, you know, moving forward and reopening and getting back to normal life. And we've that's the nature of Australia, and this is another chance for us to come together, you know, give that information no matter who we are, whether it's good or bad, positive or negative. You know this, it's going to support Australia's health reform into the future. It's going to build on what's already helped and what's already working. And you can really, you know, might sound slightly cliched, but you can have your say about how that will look into the future. And you know, when you're sitting back in five years time and and all of a sudden you're wearing it as a watch on your wrist, it's telling you what your blood pressure is and your heart rate is and what your medication levels are, and all those types of fancy stuff and it's running straight to your doctor. You don't need to worry about that. I mean, you can sit back and think, Well, you know, maybe I was a part of something that's become more mainstream. And that's that's the nature of the Digital Health Survey.

That's yeah, that's it. It's about everybody having their say. We were a very lucky country when we started this interview talking about how Australia has come together when it comes to vaccinations and and, you know, moving forward and reopening and getting back to normal life. And we've that's the nature of Australia, and this is another chance for us to come together, you know, give that information no matter who we are, whether it's good or bad, positive or negative. You know this, it's going to support Australia's health reform into the future. It's going to build on what's already helped and what's already working. And you can really, you know, might sound slightly cliched, but you can have your say about how that will look into the future. And you know, when you're sitting back in five years time and and all of a sudden you're wearing it as a watch on your wrist, it's telling you what your blood pressure is and your heart rate is and what your medication levels are, and all those types of fancy stuff and it's running straight to your doctor. You don't need to worry about that. I mean, you can sit back and think, Well, you know, maybe I was a part of something that's become more mainstream. And that's that's the nature of the Digital Health Survey.

So people pretty much got the whole month of November to Typekit. It takes about 15 minutes. Digital Health Dr Dre, you is the website to go to the I on the front page and you just that's Andrew Rochford and you want to find out more or take part in the survey. The website is Digital Health. Dot gov. Dot our you.

So people pretty much got the whole month of November to Typekit. It takes about 15 minutes. Digital Health Dr Dre, you is the website to go to the I on the front page and you just that's Andrew Rochford and you want to find out more or take part in the survey. The website is Digital Health. Dot gov. Dot our you.

And that was Dr Andrew Rochford with Peter Greco there, and now his Helensvale Sarah's with Sarah from the shop.

And that was Dr Andrew Rochford with Peter Greco there, and now his Helensvale Sarah's with Sarah from the shop.

I don't know about you, but I am very keen for some Christmas spirit, a bit of Christmas celebration and some presents. So I thought we'd go through what we have in store. So we've got actually someone. You are not Julie from the shop. We've got Sarah from the shop. Hello, Sarah, how are you?

I don't know about you, but I am very keen for some Christmas spirit, a bit of Christmas celebration and some presents. So I thought we'd go through what we have in store. So we've got actually someone. You are not Julie from the shop. We've got Sarah from the shop. Hello, Sarah, how are you?

Hi, I'm well, thank you.

Hi, I'm well, thank you.

It's good. Welcome. Welcome to the team. And sorry, we are talking Christmas. I know it's November, but it seems that everyone's in the mood for some presents and getting in early. We know what it's like with the post, so tell us what's in store and what will be flying off the shelves, do you think?

It's good. Welcome. Welcome to the team. And sorry, we are talking Christmas. I know it's November, but it seems that everyone's in the mood for some presents and getting in early. We know what it's like with the post, so tell us what's in store and what will be flying off the shelves, do you think?

Yeah. Well, look in the vision store. We're really excited for Christmas too. It's a great opportunity to get something nice for your loved ones. We've definitely got a range of gifts. It could be anything from sort of like a stocking filler to something nice under the tree, especially for someone if you haven't seen them for a long time. And I would like to highlight a few items that I think would be sort of special and make people feel, you know, a bit more careful. Mm-Hmm. Obviously, calendars. It's that time of year to sort of, you know, get ready for the the new year. Hopefully a lot more things to look forward to next year. And then a few other little ones, such as gifts and a sort of $50 would be we've got little liquid indicators.

Yeah. Well, look in the vision store. We're really excited for Christmas too. It's a great opportunity to get something nice for your loved ones. We've definitely got a range of gifts. It could be anything from sort of like a stocking filler to something nice under the tree, especially for someone if you haven't seen them for a long time. And I would like to highlight a few items that I think would be sort of special and make people feel, you know, a bit more careful. Mm-Hmm. Obviously, calendars. It's that time of year to sort of, you know, get ready for the the new year. Hopefully a lot more things to look forward to next year. And then a few other little ones, such as gifts and a sort of $50 would be we've got little liquid indicators.

Oh, they're fantastic. Those are

Oh, they're fantastic. Those are

really handy. And I don't think people know how handy they can be for someone who's at home who just doesn't have those abilities to be able to see, you know, any kind of

really handy. And I don't think people know how handy they can be for someone who's at home who just doesn't have those abilities to be able to see, you know, any kind of

liquid, can you kind of explain what they do?

liquid, can you kind of explain what they do?

Absolutely. So it's just like a little device that sits on the side of the glass and you can use it for both cold and hot liquids. And as you are pouring in, say, you know you're boiling water for your cup of tea is it gets to a height or start to bait in vibrate, and therefore it lets you know that you're getting to the top of the cup.

Absolutely. So it's just like a little device that sits on the side of the glass and you can use it for both cold and hot liquids. And as you are pouring in, say, you know you're boiling water for your cup of tea is it gets to a height or start to bait in vibrate, and therefore it lets you know that you're getting to the top of the cup.

Oh, very smart. I know there a few life hacks on online of blindness, low vision people using their finger. But when it's boiling hot water, that's not really an option. So, yeah, a very kind of cheap and inexpensive gift that I think will do wonders. Absolutely.

Oh, very smart. I know there a few life hacks on online of blindness, low vision people using their finger. But when it's boiling hot water, that's not really an option. So, yeah, a very kind of cheap and inexpensive gift that I think will do wonders. Absolutely.

And you can get one that sort of like $30 or this, you know, it's slightly more expensive one which will both vibrate and make a noise. Mm-Hmm. The other thing that I would say is our digital magnifier is there is a great gift that people a little bit more expensive. But the nice thing about it is someone who's been struggling with a magnifier, just a hand-held for a long time. It's nice to get something that is not only going to be for just one magnification, but for a series of different things that they could use it for.

And you can get one that sort of like $30 or this, you know, it's slightly more expensive one which will both vibrate and make a noise. Mm-Hmm. The other thing that I would say is our digital magnifier is there is a great gift that people a little bit more expensive. But the nice thing about it is someone who's been struggling with a magnifier, just a hand-held for a long time. It's nice to get something that is not only going to be for just one magnification, but for a series of different things that they could use it for.

Definitely. I think the old magnifies are out. Electronic ones are in

Definitely. I think the old magnifies are out. Electronic ones are in

100 per cent. I couldn't agree more than the just the visual, you know, quality of the images that we get now is so good.

100 per cent. I couldn't agree more than the just the visual, you know, quality of the images that we get now is so good.

Yeah. And I think more people are used to using like a phone camera or something. So that's exactly what they do that electronic magnifier uses.

Yeah. And I think more people are used to using like a phone camera or something. So that's exactly what they do that electronic magnifier uses.

Yeah. And it's great because it's on a much bigger screen. So anyone who's you know, looking at letters and things like that. Anyone who wants to write the actual text is a lot bigger. That's really handy, too. Mm-Hmm. Yeah.

Yeah. And it's great because it's on a much bigger screen. So anyone who's you know, looking at letters and things like that. Anyone who wants to write the actual text is a lot bigger. That's really handy, too. Mm-Hmm. Yeah.

What else do we have in store?

What else do we have in store?

Obviously, some gifts are a bit of family fun. We have very much into the large sort of scrabble, the monopoly. You know, anything that's going to bring the family together to have a bit of fun.

Obviously, some gifts are a bit of family fun. We have very much into the large sort of scrabble, the monopoly. You know, anything that's going to bring the family together to have a bit of fun.

And I must admit, going through lockdown, there was a lot of games and board games coming out. So if you are very keen to kind of keep that going, we'd highly recommend, you know, trying out a monopoly that's tactile or even, you know, something as simple as, I don't know, a Rubik's Cube. Yeah, can actually come in a tactile form, $100.

And I must admit, going through lockdown, there was a lot of games and board games coming out. So if you are very keen to kind of keep that going, we'd highly recommend, you know, trying out a monopoly that's tactile or even, you know, something as simple as, I don't know, a Rubik's Cube. Yeah, can actually come in a tactile form, $100.

And we've also got things like, you know, snakes and ladders and stuff. And not only can that be used as like a family game, but we have children who just love to play with it and feel it because that's, you know, it's so much more fun than just a game. Mm-Hmm. Yeah.

And we've also got things like, you know, snakes and ladders and stuff. And not only can that be used as like a family game, but we have children who just love to play with it and feel it because that's, you know, it's so much more fun than just a game. Mm-Hmm. Yeah.

Anything else? Well, what?

Anything else? Well, what?

I think that really covers everything. The only thing that I will also make mention, too, is anything, you know, that's going to help someone who's now working from home. Maybe next year we do have a lot of facilities, you know, that will help with that. So we've got large print keyboards and we also have magnifying software that can go on your computers. So those things, I think, will make a massive impact to someone's life. Sort of looking forward to the future and you know, things things for the new year. That will be amazing. Christmas presents,

I think that really covers everything. The only thing that I will also make mention, too, is anything, you know, that's going to help someone who's now working from home. Maybe next year we do have a lot of facilities, you know, that will help with that. So we've got large print keyboards and we also have magnifying software that can go on your computers. So those things, I think, will make a massive impact to someone's life. Sort of looking forward to the future and you know, things things for the new year. That will be amazing. Christmas presents,

definitely. And I hear that, you know, one of the most used and well-loved screen reader platforms, Jaws has just gotten a reboot. So the 2022 version, so yeah, check that one out. I hear it. It it, it's very quick. Using office program so your your outlook, your emails. So that might that might be a good stocking filler, too.

definitely. And I hear that, you know, one of the most used and well-loved screen reader platforms, Jaws has just gotten a reboot. So the 2022 version, so yeah, check that one out. I hear it. It it, it's very quick. Using office program so your your outlook, your emails. So that might that might be a good stocking filler, too.

Yeah, definitely. Again, just something to look forward to and for your new year. That's it. It's nice to think about something that someone can actually use. Yeah, just being a gift.

Yeah, definitely. Again, just something to look forward to and for your new year. That's it. It's nice to think about something that someone can actually use. Yeah, just being a gift.

That's right. That's right. Well, Christmas is I think about a couple of weeks away. So, you know, try and get in early, if you can.

That's right. That's right. Well, Christmas is I think about a couple of weeks away. So, you know, try and get in early, if you can.

Yeah, definitely make note to shipping as well. Also sort of cut off period for shipping would be Wednesday, the 1st of December. So if you are wanting to post things to family and friends, get them before that date just to make sure that with this low postage at the moment that it's going to get there.

Yeah, definitely make note to shipping as well. Also sort of cut off period for shipping would be Wednesday, the 1st of December. So if you are wanting to post things to family and friends, get them before that date just to make sure that with this low postage at the moment that it's going to get there.

Yeah, and I believe we have $100. If you spend $100, you get free shipping. Absolutely. That's pretty good. So here we go. We've been speaking to Sarah from the Vision Australia shop. You can browse all the items mentioned today and hundreds more online by visiting Shop Dot, Vision Australia dot org and the product description, the deal that they're all online. So I feel free to check that out. Thank you.

Yeah, and I believe we have $100. If you spend $100, you get free shipping. Absolutely. That's pretty good. So here we go. We've been speaking to Sarah from the Vision Australia shop. You can browse all the items mentioned today and hundreds more online by visiting Shop Dot, Vision Australia dot org and the product description, the deal that they're all online. So I feel free to check that out. Thank you.

No worries. You're welcome and come and see me if you want to.

No worries. You're welcome and come and see me if you want to.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to talking vision, talking vision is a production of Vision Australia radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the program together. And remember, we love your feedback and comments. You can contact us at Talking Vision at Vision Australia dot org. That's talking Vision All one word Vision Australia dot org. But until next week, it's bye for now.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to talking vision, talking vision is a production of Vision Australia radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the program together. And remember, we love your feedback and comments. You can contact us at Talking Vision at Vision Australia dot org. That's talking Vision All one word Vision Australia dot org. But until next week, it's bye for now.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 103000 eight four seven four six. That's one 300 847 four seven four W6 or by visiting Vision Australia dot org. That's Vision Australia dot all.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 103000 eight four seven four six. That's one 300 847 four seven four W6 or by visiting Vision Australia dot org. That's Vision Australia dot all.