WILLS & ESTATE

ACCESS EXPERT ADVICE TO ORGANISE YOUR AFFAIRS

In this feature, a range of experts share advice on how to handle the various aspects of organizing your estate and making your will. Understanding what is required can unravel what could be considered a complex issue and with that comes peace of mind and knowledge that you have made the right choices as you complete this necessary tasks. Included in this feature, is a profile of the Flying Doctor Service including the work they do and importance of this essential service. A service such as this is reliant on the goodwill of others and as you make your will, perhaps this is one area you may include in your estate. Jo Mahony puts her heart in to caring for her patients. Jo is the Nurse Manager – Aeromedical and Primary Health Care at the RFDS Charleville base. Along with her team she cares for the patients of the Southern, Central & Western Queensland. Jo is one of nine Flight Nurses, eight Doctors and five Pilots working from the Charleville Base. The Flying Doctor isn’t just there in an emergency, they provide primary, dental and mental health care too.

It’s easy to imagine that a life in the outback is a healthy one, but deaths from heart disease are 60 per cent higher for people living in rural and remote areas of Australia than for those living in metropolitan areas. Outback Queensland has the highest coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rate of any region, with a rate almost twice that of the Sunshine Coast. The people most likely to develop heart disease are men in middle age and the Flying Doctor team are proactive in delivering health information and education to men aged 18 -50, encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

For 18 years, Nurse Manager Jo Mahony has been a driving force behind the Flying Doctor’s primary health care team in Southern, Central & Western Queensland.

Growing up on the land, Jo says she was drawn to working rurally and knew innately that she would work in healthcare.

“I was always interested in nursing and I knew I wanted to join the RFDS because of the broad scope of practice you experience as a flight nurse. “The work we do is uniquely varied, rewarding and challenging at times.”

“There has been, and still is, an attitude of ‘she’ll be right, mate’ when it’s comes to people’s health in the bush. People in rural and remote communities are resilient and selfless — they don’t like to fuss over themselves and often see their own health as a lower priority. Unfortunately, because of this stoic mindset I’ve seen too many emergency retrievals for conditions that could have RFDS Flight Nurse Manager Jo Mahoney been entirely preventable had they sought treatment earlier.” “That’s why it’s important for us to engage people early, make them more conscious of their health and to encourage them to access healthcare sooner rather than later.”

In addition to the Flying Doctor’s regular primary health care clinics, the Flying Doctor also holds programs to provide communities with the tools to take care of their own health.

“Last year, we received funding to facilitate an exercise program for Indigenous people over 55 years of age and non-Indigenous people over 65. These kinds of preventative programs help promote health consciousness and hopefully allow people to avoid more serious issues in the future.

Jo says the comprehensive healthcare the RFDS provides allows staff to become valued members of the community: “Because there are no specialists in the area, we’re quite heavily involved in every aspect of our patient’s healthcare.

It’s truly humbling to be accepted and trusted by our community. People don’t work for the Flying Doctor to climb the career ladder — the work we do is so much more than that. Queenslanders have faith in the Flying Doctor; we don’t want to let them down.” For more info. visit: flyingdoctor. org.au/donate

Rest in Peace – How to Manage an Estate Dispute

without Inheriting Heartache will help you navigate your family’s estate contest in a healthy way that can prevent an all-out family war. Written by specialist succession lawyer, collaborative practitioner and nationally accredited mediator Zinta Harris, Rest in Peace sets out the legal and personal information you need for understanding and resolving wills and estate disputes, showing how you can negotiate an agreement that will free everyone to get on with life without ongoing confl ict.

Scan QR code to purchase a copy of the book.

PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF ESTATE DISPUTES / SIMPLIFIED ESTATE ADMINISTRATION

t: 07 3371 0795

e: advice@resolveestatelaw.com.au w: resolveestatelaw.com.au

We believe in making it personal.

Wills aren’t about lawyers, they’re about you, and your desire to ensure that the results of all your hard work are well protected. Our mission for over 30 years has been to provide easy to understand wills that are custom made for you and flexible enough to change as your circumstances change. We are pleased to announce our bespoke estate planning tool, to assist you in creating and updating a professional legal Will easily and efficiently online. To find out more visit degroots.com.au or call us today on 3221 9744. Phone 3221 9744 degroots.com.au