To help you keep cool for the remainder of summer we’ve put together a few simple things you can do to keep everyone cool including a quick guide to Brisbane’s best accessible beaches.

Stock up on the Summer essentials

Having a bag full of summer essentials can really help when you’re out and about. Some of our favourite things to include is sunscreen, a spare hat, a portable fan and water mister, and our favourite summer hack, Kool ‘n’ Soothe  gel strips and ice packs!

These strips and ice packs require no refrigeration meaning you can just throw them in your bag and when you’re ready to use they stay cool for up to eight hours. Make sure to also freeze a few water bottles so that if you’re out for a long period of time they’ll slowly defrost and you’ll always have cold water available.

Head to the beach for a swim

Heading to the beach is one of the best things about summer, and thankfully this favourite Aussie pastime is becoming more and more accessible for everyone.

Volunteering Gold Coast have recently partnered with Surf Clubs across the Gold Coast to create accessible beaches for everybody, by providing beach wheelchairs, accessible beach AccessMats, a mobile hoist and a team of volunteers to implement the project.

The AccessMats, beach wheelchairs, and mobile hoist is available at the Surfers Paradise SLSC every Sunday from 8:30am – 3:30pm, and at the Neptune RLSC (Tallebudgera Creek) every Saturday from 8:30am – 3:30pm. All you need to do is book online here.

A little further north, the Moreton Bay Council and the Bribie Island Surf Lifesaving Club are currently trialling a Accessible Beaches initiative at Woorim Beach. A 30 metre beach matting has been installed at the main beach entrance just north of the Bribie Island Surf Lifesaving Club, and there are now two beach wheelchairs are available for free hire on weekends and public holidays.

To arrange to hire either of the beach wheelchairs, contact the Bribie Island Surf Lifesaving Club via phone (07) 3408 1188 or email bribiesc@bigpond.com.

Check out one of Brisbane’s free water parks

Can’t make it to the beach but still want to cool down with a splash? Brisbane has a number of great water parks that feature different water-play elements on including tipping buckets, shooting fountains and outdoor showers.  Some of our favourite accessible water parks include:

• South Bank Parklands Aquativity area featuring fountains, water features and tipping buckets
• Ferny Grove Aqua Park which features arch sprays, stream jets, bubblers, misting ground sprayers, and an interactive water table that provides wheelchair access
• Wynnum Whale Park which features water spraying whale pods that all kids will LOVE!
• Flagstone Water Play Park featuring tree-shaped waterfalls, and a ‘zero depth’ water course with jets, blasters and bubblers.

Invest in an umbrella for your wheelchair

And our last handy tip to keep you cool – an attachable umbrella for your wheelchair! Perfect for when you are heading outdoors or to the beach for the day and need to ensure you have shade to keep cool. The umbrella holder even allows you to adjust the height and position of the umbrella so that you can suit it to your specific needs.

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Thankfully here in Australia we’ve seen lots of businesses and tourism bodies leading the way in making holiday destinations and activities accessible and inclusive for people of all abilities. With hotels offering more and more inventory of accessible rooms, special low-sensory sessions in museum and galleries, and a number of designated wheelchair friendly beaches, there are lots of holiday options for families of all abilities.

Many hotels are now introducing ‘smart rooms’ that allows guests to use their voice to activate lights, aircon, televisions, and curtains, while accommodation booking platforms like HomeAway and Airbnb have accessibility filters to help make searching for the right accommodation even easier. There are even travel agents like Travel With Special Needs that are dedicated to helping plan the perfect all-accessible holiday!

To help you get started on your next all-ability or wheelchair friendly holiday, here are our top 5 accessible holiday destinations in Australia.

Take a cruise

Cruising holidays are one of the most popular holidays types for people of all ages from kids to mature adults. Cruise ships are a great option as they offer loads of different activities and nightly entertainment shows to keep you busy.  Head off to the comedy club, the cinema, live music shows, and that’s all without stopping at a port! There are special access cabins available on most cruise ships and P&O even offer escorted Limited Mobility Shore Tours!

Visit the Red Centre

One of Australia’s most iconic tourist spots, Uluru and the red centre should be on everyone’s travel list! Throughout Ayers Rock you will find the restaurants and shops all have wheelchair accessibility, and the surrounding hotels have plenty of special access rooms.

Once you’ve arrived in Ayers Rock make sure to book accessible private tour with Outback Tour Services. Their accessible tour will pick you up in their modern, purpose-built vehicle, which can take one wheelchair passenger who remains in their wheelchair as well as another who can transfer to a seat.

From there you can choose from a variety of camping options from bush camping to “Safari in Style” camping with permanent tents. The tour will take you into remote areas, where you’ll be able to utilise the purpose-built “off-road wheelchair” to enable you to track through riverbeds and rough terrain… as well as go for a swim in one of the fantastic waterholes in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Soak up the sunshine at the Gold Coast

The Gold Coast City Council have implemented a number of great initiatives to make visiting the famous Queensland city easy for people of all abilities. They boast over 10 surf life saving clubs that now offer beach access equipment including beach matting and beach wheelchairs. The Gold Coast Disabled Surfers Association also holds ‘Let’s go surfing’ days at Currumbin which are aimed at encouraging people with disabilities to get out into the surf and enjoy one of the best Aussie past times – surfing.

Once you’ve finished up at the beach you can also utilise their special access Changing Places toilets which provides a height adjustable adult-sized changing bench, a ceiling tracking hoist system, and additional circulation space.

The city has also put together mobility maps, which provide accessibility information to assist residents and visitors to plan their stay and move around the city safely. The map information includes the location of accessible toilets, change facilities, accessible car parking spaces, pathway gradients, location of kerb ramps and key buildings and services.

Head off on a motorhome road trip

When you think of a wheelchair friendly holiday, a campervan road trip but not be the first thing that comes to mind. But the team at Wheelie Campers have designed Australia’s first self drive wheelchair accessible camper vans which can be rented as self drive with pick up on the Gold Coast or delivered to your door nationwide.

The campervans can accommodate up to 5 passengers plus a driver and a wheelchair and come fitted with internal hoist (enter vehicle in motorised/manual wheelchair) and two integrated double beds, plus an 8 man tent. Take off along the Great Ocean Drive, take your time exploring along Australia’s famous east coast, or take a trip around the picturesque Tasmania.

Hit the slopes in NZ

While this list is all about the top holidays in Australia, we had to include New Zealand’s amazing Cardrona Adaptive Snow Sports program. The program has been designed to support people with physical, sensory & cognitive impairments allowing them to enjoying the freedom of skiing & boarding with their family & friends. The term “adaptive” comes from how the program adapts both the sport & the equipment to cater for every individual’s needs. You’ll see modified skis & snowboards, sit-skis, frames, outriggers & more.

The program is supported by trained volunteers who provide free on-snow support for anyone with a disability who requires assistance making it easy to zoom down the slopes on a sit-ski, modified skis or snowboard.

Image: Gold Coast Recreation

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Beyond Blue describes sadness as a cold, while in contrast depression is a serious flu. They might look similar from a distance, but they’re actually quite different up close. While you might not be able to spot the difference straight away there are some key points of difference between the two. Here are our 5 things to look out for when you’re concerned about someone you care for.

• Emotion or mental illness?

Sadness is a normal part of life and an emotion we will all experience at some stage. Afterall without a bit of sadness in our life we wouldn’t know what happiness is! Sadness is often a temporary change in mood that still allows someone to go about their normal daily activities and can often be improved with a little TLC.

Depression on the other hand is much more than just an emotion and can affect many areas of their daily life. A person suffering from depression may struggle to find joy in things they once enjoyed, have difficulty maintaining relationships with partners and family and friends, and experience changes in their general behaviour and physical appearance including:

• changes to their sleeping patterns
• loss or change of appetite
• significant weight loss or gain
• feeling, sick and run down
• experiencing headaches and muscle pains.

• Is it temporary or something more?

Because sadness is a normal human emotion it is often only temporary and will pass in due time. It can reappear in lapses throughout our life and can last for days or a week or so at a time. However someone experiencing a period of sadness can still experience moments in their day when they feel joy.

Those suffering from depression will feel a more constant sadness, and generally are unable to maintain their regular activities for two weeks or more. Their symptoms will appear continuous and they will feel as though nothing will ever be able to bring them joy or happiness again.

• Is there a trigger or sole cause?

Sadness is most often a result or reaction to a certain event or situation. Whether it’s a relationship breakdown, a difficult time at work, or the loss of a loved one, these experiences can cause someone to go through a period of grief or sadness. When someone is sad about a specific situation, they can still usually feel happy about other things, and with time or a change in circumstances their sadness will fade.

While specific events and situations can also lead to depression, they are often only a trigger and not the sole cause. Someone’s depression is not directly linked to a specific reason but can be brought on by a combination of environmental and physical factors which then lead to a sense of helplessness, loneliness, or lack of self-esteem.

• Are they self-critical or self-harming?

One of the key symptoms which distinguishes depression from sadness is a sense of self-criticism or low self-esteem. Those suffering from depression will often have a sense of worthlessness, believe they are not deserving of good things in life, or have thoughts that their life isn’t worth living. They may also be overly self-critical of their appearance and have other mental health issues including eating disorders or anxiety. These self-critical thoughts can also lead to self-harm, isolation, and withdrawal from social activities.

• Are there any risk factors for depression?

While both depression and sadness can affect men and woman of any age across all ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds, there are several factors that can put someone at a higher risk of developing depression than others. Being conscious of these risk factors can help in identifying potential depression and can help develop an effective treatment plan.  These risk factors include:

• Early childhood or teenage trauma
• Inability to cope with a devastating life event, such as the death of a child or spouse, or any situation that causes extreme levels of pain
• Low self-esteem
• Family history of mental illness, including bipolar disorder or depression
• History of substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol
• History of prior mental health disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or anxiety disorder

If you are concerned someone you care for is suffering from depression, it’s important to encourage them to seek help from their GP or medical professional. There are many forms of depression and a range of treatments and medications that can be included in a personalised treatment plan.

Contacts: Lifeline and Beyond Blue

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What exactly is an acquired brain injury?

Brain injuries can also be referred to as an acquired brain injury, or “ABI”, and are defined by Brain Injury Australia as any damage to the brain that occurs after birth and is caused by:

• An accident or trauma
• Stroke
• Brain tumours or infections
• Alcohol or other drug abuse
• Poisoning
• Lack of oxygen
• Degenerative neurological disease like Parkinson’s disease.

Symptoms of a brain injury can range from mild, moderate, to severe and can cause easily identifiable physical changes and disabilities as well as cognitive disabilities including changes to a patient’s thinking, emotions and behaviours.

Caring for someone with a brain injury

What you can do to help someone suffering from a brain injury will depend greatly on their individual case, their surrounding support system, and the treatment plan put in place by their doctor and rehab specialist.

Some general tips on how to care for an ABI include:

Make sure they get plenty of rest.

Like any injury or illness, rest should be made a top priority to allow the body and brain some time to repair and recover. This also means limiting the number of visitors during recovery and ensuring that the rehab plan put in place from the doctor matches their energy levels and ability.

Prevention is to causing further damage.

Always check with their doctor first before resuming regular activity like driving or exercise, and be conscious of situations that could cause further damage – this includes avoiding alcohol and smoking, and being conscious of physical situations like falls due to uneven ground or narrow/steep stairways.

Help them become organized.

If the patient is suffering from cognitive changes including memory loss it may be hard for them to remember who certain visitors are, where they put things, appointments they need to keep, or even how to accomplish everyday tasks. You can help by writing them lists, making sure items around the home like cabinets and draws are easily labelled, and explaining activities as much as possible before engaging in them. If they are still able to use their mobile device, set up calendar reminders for appointments or to remind them to take medications.

Use rehab if possible.

While there are many things you can do as part of their daily routine, finding a rehab specialist and doctor to put together an individualised rehab program will help your loved one recover as much as possible. Once you have a rehab plan make sure to be consistent and patient in achieving results!

Get support and help.

If you’re becoming a carer for someone with an ABI you may want to join a local support group so that you can talk with your newfound challenges with those who have experience dealing with ABI’s. There’s also no need to face your daily challenges alone, and that where services like us here at Real Community Services come in hand. We offer both in-home and community support and services tailored to your specific needs.

Real Community Services has a wonderful Support Worker crew who are very competent in developing relationships and caring for those who have an acquired brain injury.  Check out our testimonials of Neil and Helen who have become part of the RCS family and receive support from our invaluable team.

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Here is Brisbane playgrounds are slowly becoming more and more accessible and inclusive for children with Brisbane City Council now listing 40 All Abilities Parks across the city. These parks feature inclusive equipment including accessible carousels, sand diggers and pits, wheelchair friendly rockers and swings, and sensory panels and elements – just to name a few!

To help get you and your family out into the playground we’ve rounded up our favourite accessible and inclusive playgrounds in Brisbane.

Brisbane Botanic Gardens

The ‘All Abilities Playground’ in Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens is part of the city councils broader changes to the park, which includes wider footpaths and upgraded toilet facilities with ceiling hoist for people with disabilities.

The playground itself includes an accessible carousel, harness swing, and an accessible sand digger. There is also a range of sensory and musical activities including spinning hand objects, clear shapes to look through, and musical chimes. For those with sensory difficulties the park also offers a quiet zone with sculptures so children can escape the noise but still play.

Robelle Domain

Just 30 mins north of Brisbane the Robelle Domain Playground at Springfield Lakes is an 11 kilometre pathway network that works its way through rainforest walks, a lake, waterfall, and Australia’s first Icon on Galaxy interactive play equipment in an all abilities playground. The park also features a zero-depth water play area complete with a huge tipping bucket and water jets.

There are lots of shaded areas to escape the sun, and an amphitheatre which often hosts free events including Jazz afternoons and markets.

Capalaba Regional Park

A popular playground for bayside families, Capalaba Regional Park is a modern and colourful playground with lots of things for kids to explore. The playground features sensory installations including steel drums and an audio spinning wheel, and a sandpit and totem pole maze. There is also a liberty swing available, and all other sets of swings feature reinforced seats with back and head support. Away from the playground you’ll find the lagoon, which is perfect for spotting ducks, turtles and eels. There are wheelchair friendly paths throughout the park and multiple picnic tables making it a great spot to spend the entire day.

White Hill Reserve

The Whites Hill Reserve ‘exploration’ playground has equipment suitable for kids of all ages and abilities. This 170-hectare park features lots of sand and water play, a hidden forest for quiet play, and raised pathways giving easy access to lots of play elements. The popular Sway Fun Glider is wheelchair accessible with room for two wheelchairs as well two large benches for other passengers. In the swing section you’ll find a birds nest swing, hammock swings, two standard seats, baby seat and support seat. The little ones will also love the sensory section, which features drums and two pipe instruments.

Do you have another park that you love for its accessibility and inclusiveness? We’d love to hear about it!

Image Credit: Brisbane Kids

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Smartie Cookies

Bright and cheerful these are simple cookies that your children will love. Just be sure not eat all the smarties before you get started! Let your mini chef pick which shape they’d like the cookies- dinosaurs, stars or circles, the options are endless.

Mini Pizzas

Pizza is a favourite for most kids but by making it home you can add lots more veggies. Cut up lots of different toppings like capsicum, pineapple, carrot, and mushrooms and give your child the opportunity to pick what they’d like to eat on their pizza. This is a great way to encourage them to try a new veggie.

 Mini Meatloves

A delicious, kid friendly and easy dinner these are perfect to make in advance and keep in the freezer for those last minute dinners. Encourage your child to mix the minced beef and eggs together with their hands to introduce a new sensory experience.

Your favourite cupcake or muffin

If you need something quick and easy don’t be afraid to grab a muffin mix from your local grocery shop. Just mixing the batter and spooning it into the muffin tray will help your mini chef’s muscle tone and hand eye coordination. Plus they can get creative with their icing and decorations!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

A childhood favourite for many, the humble chicken nugget is a great way to involve the kids in making of their favourite meals. This is particularly great recipe if you have more than one child in the kitchen as you can set up an assembly line. One child dips the chicken into the egg who passes it onto the next to cover it in the bread crumbs – the perfect way to introduce team work. Plus it’s much healthier than store bought!

Egg Muffins

Not only are these muffins fantastic for letting your child count the eggs, but they can also mix and match which vegetables, cheeses and herbs they’d like to add. Be sure to try and include lots of colourful optiosn like red and green capsicum, bright orange carrot,  green spinach, and yellow corn.

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There are tasks in the kitchen to suit every age and ability, from washing vegetables for dinner, to cutting out cookies and even making their own mini pizzas. The key to encouraging your buddy-ing chef is to start slow with simple quick recipes and most importantly making it a fun experience for everyone. Here are our top 5 reasons to get your kids involved in the kitchen.

1. FAMILIARISES CHILDREN WITH NEW FOODS

All children are picky eaters who love something one week and hate it the next! But involving them in the preparation and cooking of meals will allow them to slowly recognize new foods and over time they will be more open to trying them when served at mealtime. Encourage your child to touch, smell, and feel the foods your preparing – yes that’s right you should encourage them to play with their food! If they have helped washed and peeled the carrot before they’re chopped up and thrown into your spaghetti bolognese your children will be less likely to pick it out and push it to the side of their plate. Most of the time children are hesitant to try new foods simply because they don’t know what it is!

2. BOOSTS THEIR SELF CONFIDENCE

There’s no greater joy then making a batch of fresh cookies from scratch and sharing them with your friends and family. Encouraging your child to share their new skills and success in the kitchen will do wonders for their confidence and give them their own sense of accomplishment. The key to building their confidence is to start slowly with tasks they can manage and gradually increase their responsibilities. When starting out in the kitchen you might have your child mix the cookie dough and cut out their favorite shapes, then over time as they become more confident and can start measuring out the ingredients themselves.

If you’re having trouble getting them in the kitchen to start, trying watching videos online of other children cooking so they can see others having fun and will know what to expect before you start cooking.  Buying them their own baking set is another great way to encourage them to take pride in their cooking, and be sure to offer encouragement, praise and gently direction as you’re cooking together.

3. TEACHES THEM IMPORTANT MOTOR AND LIFE SKILLS

Children with special needs are often faced with low muscle tone and poor fine motor skills, which will take small and consistent tasks to improve. Getting them involved in the kitchen is a great way of slowly teaching them problem-solving skills, concentration, patience, and hand eye coordination. Something as simple as rolling out pizza dough can over time help their muscle tone, while scooping flour out of a container and pouring into a bowl is great way to improve hand eye coordination.  Cooking a meal from start to finish is always a great way to teach concentration and patience as the child must wait for everything to be cooked (and cleaned!) before they enjoy their meal. Don’t forget to involve other members of the family in the cooking to also encourage teamwork and communication! Over time these little tasks will build up the basic skills to needed to conquer bigger tasks outside the kitchen.

4. IMPROVES THEIR NUMBER AND LITERACY SKILLS

Be sure to use visuals and simple instructions to help them follow a recipe.  Recipes cards like these are a great tool and will slowly introduce them to key words and phrases.  Let them identify on the cards what they’ll need for the recipe and then encourage them to count out the ingredients – 3 eggs, 1 cup of milk etc.  Overtime they will be more confident as they are able to measure out ingredients and understand clearly written instructions.

5. IT’S FUN!

This is one of the simplest yet greatest reasons to invite your child into the kitchen. Creating something new in the kitchen can be messy, creative, and bring lots of laughs and smiles. It’s a fantastic way to spend one on one time with your child and encourage family bonding with siblings. Be sure to keep it fun by putting on some upbeat music, throwing on a bright silly apron, and of course enjoying the finished product together.

At Real Community Services we understand it can be difficult for busy parents to be able to spend as much time cooking in the kitchen with their kids as much as they would like and that’s where support from one of our care givers can help.  This is a great way for a care giver or support worker to bond and interact with their client and to help them achieve a greater sense of achievement and confidence.

If you’re excited to get your child into the kitchen check out some of our favourite recipes that are quick, easy, and perfect for children with special needs.

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