In her younger years, Amy was an avid reader and loved writing letters. She also played golf and competitive tennis and describes herself as an ‘amazing seamstress’, making all her kids’ clothing.

These days she enjoys playing cards and having quiet days with her family of four children, 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

Always one to be neat and tidy, Amy says that making your bed every morning is the only way to start the day.

Sirjana KC, General Manager Bupa Bankstown said Amy is a beloved member of the Bupa Bankstown family.

“You would never guess that Amy is 105! She’s always up for a chat and brings a lot of fun and energy to our home.

“All the employees here at Bankstown love spending time with her, and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate such a milestone achievement with her and her family today,” Sirjana said.

But by and large we look after 6500 residents, we have 9000 people who come to work every day wanting to make a difference and who genuinely care about the level of service they provide to all of those residents.

Where we have got things wrong, we are absolutely committed, and I am committed as the new CEO of this company, to ensure that we get it right.”

Listen to the full interview here:

For more on our response to recent aged care reports, click here.

"I go to physio three days a week because I’m keen to get back on the green. I am too far behind at the moment if you get what I mean? When you reach my age, you have to put everything else aside and focus on achieving something,” Mr Maiden said.

The 95 year old celebrated 18 months of physiotherapy with a putting session at the Breakers Country Club.

“My putt is pretty rough because I haven’t played in such a long time. I broke my leg four times and the doctor said that the rest would be up to me so I’m working hard in physio sessions so I can play golf again.

"The people who train me are doing everything they can to get me back on the course so I'm feeling optimistic about things,” he said.

Bill's story was covered on NBN News, WATCH the video here. 

Despite taking a few steps forward on the green last week, he feels as though time is catching up with him. A pair of dodgy knees and a leg that has been broken multiple times mean that he needs a little help from the Club’s golf pro.

"I can't really walk, which is a bugbear of mine because if you can't walk, you can't play golf. Nicky recently helped me get back to putting and I know it’ll take some time but I’ll play a full game one day or die trying.”

“When I go to physio, I am doing the same exercises that 19 year olds are doing so I may be old but still feel capable. I keep my clubs and irons in the corner of my room as a way of staying motivated.”

Bupa Bateau Bay’s General Manager Susan McLennan said they wanted to help Bill reach a mobility milestone by encouraging and supporting his dreams of playing golf again.

"Bill is living proof that the sport can be played by both young and old. It also demonstrates a wide variety of health benefits for people of all ages," Ms McLennan said.

“Our Recreational Activities Officer, Zac Rowling and I took Bill to the Club last week. It was the first time he had been anywhere near a golf course in more than a year and we thought he was overdue for a visit despite not feeling physically ready to hit the green yet.

“BiIl’s love for the game ties into a Swedish study I recently read about which found people who play golf lived an average of five years longer than non golfers.

“It’s so important for us as carers at Bupa Bateau Bay to celebrate the lives and achievements of our residents and to support and shine the spotlight on what makes them so unique,” she said.

Nicky Henderson from the Breakers Country Club Pro Shop said she donated a lesson and would donate more to Bill because of his tenacious approach to the game.

“I admire Bill’s dedication to keeping active, socialising and staying mentally alert through golf,” Ms Henderson said. “Granted he hasn’t played properly in a long time, he has been going to physiotherapy three times a week just so he can get back to doing what he loves,” she said.

HEALTH insurer Bupa is delivering value for Tasmanian customers with a range of initiatives to address premiums and reduce out-of-pocket costs for healthcare.

Since April 1, members under 30 years of age will receive an automatic discount of up to 10 per cent, while all members can elect to increase their hospital excess for a reduced premium.

Bupa is also reminding members it has the largest network of healthcare providers in Tasmania, meaning negotiations by Bupa provides certainty around cost.

Bupa says using its Member First network could save Tasmanian families hundreds of dollars by being more selective about where they go for dental, physiotherapy and chiropractic treatments.

Further savings could be made for those with children, with many Bupa products providing kids dental, physio, chiro and podiatry consultations as well as a range of selected glasses at Member First providers (up to yearly limits) with nothing to pay.

Bupa Health Insurance managing director Dr Dwayne Crombie said Bupa was acting to provide value for money for health insurance customers and reduce additional costs.

“When you or your family are sick, injured or need medical care the last thing you want to worry about is how much you will have to pay,” Dr Crombie said.

“We've heard the message about affordability and value for money loud and clear from our members. That's why we've acted to both address cost of health insurance and what members are then required to pay if they need medical care.

“Our Member First network of hospitals, dentists, physiotherapists and other health services means members have certainty around what they will be charged, and may even receive care with no additional charges. We list all of our Member First providers on our website or through the MyBupa app and research shows it can literally save a person hundreds of dollars each year.

“We're also moving to address the price of premiums. 80 per cent of our customers currently choose a policy with an excess and this will be the first time in almost 20 years they can choose a higher excess in return for a lower price.

“We will also offer customers aged 18-29 years annual discounts of up to 10 per cent off their private health insurance hospital cover premiums.

“The more under 30s we have taking up health insurance annually, the better it is for all health insurance customers because it helps to reduce costs for everyone,” Dr Crombie said.

Read more about what's affecting the cost of healthcare

"Oh it's lovely, it makes us feel young again!" resident Resident Eileene Courtney told 7 News reporter Carissa Kemp.

"It's really good to sit here and watch them all playing," said resident Sarah Maslen.

WATCH the story here:

Read more news from Bupa Aged Care

Before long laughter filled the home as the group got involved in some fun and gentle exercise kicking a velcro covered ball up against an inflatable dartboard.

Read the full article in The Daily Telegraph here.

You can also find video of the day here. 

Bupa's Director of Customer Growth, Justin James, told the paper that while it's not a regulatory requirement to change how sales staff are remunerated, it's the right thing to do. 

“I absolutely believe we are all facing the same expectations from customers and community and we all have to rise to that challenge,” he said.

Mr James said Bupa started making changes in 2014, away from a traditional sales only incentive framework, and towards a system that prioritises value-add conversations.

He believes all sectors should now be looking to review their business practices, as a result of findings of the royal commission. 

“The royal commission helped validate some of those (2014) decisions, improve them and correct them where they weren’t going as well as we would like.” he said.

“Everything you have seen in the royal commission reinforced that the customer wants transparency and choice and to be given the best for their needs and not to be conflicted by interests elsewhere.

“When you don’t deal with customers in an ethical way you don’t have any integrity to what you do.”

If you're a subscriber to the Australian. read the full article here. If not, read the coverage in HealthDispatch: Bupa scraps sales only framework.

Journalists and media outlets can find our Media Release here.

5 years on, not only is he walking, he's returned to doing the one thing he loves more than anything - performing.

He's thanked the team at Bupa Therapy and their co-ordinated care for helping with his extraordinary recovery.

He told his story to Seven News Melbourne reporter Nick McCallum.

Watch it here: 

Read more health news

Interested in receiving the latest Bupa news? Subscribe here

Read her story in The Macleay Argus newspaper here.

More from Bupa Eden:

• Golf keeps Bupa Eden residents fit and engaged
• Bupa Eden residents know how to make a splash

“We went out on the boat last year and again this year. We were lucky enough to have a humpback swim beside the boat then and this year they kept their distance but we still saw them,” Mrs Culle said.

“Even though I don’t know how to swim, I have a great respect for the ocean and I have always enjoyed being close to the sea,” she said.

Mrs Culle said it was not unusual for whales to come close to boats, as they are curious creatures and often interact with people in the same way.

Personal Care Assistant and organiser, Tammie Grimes said the trip is something that the residents look forward to all year round.

“This is the best time of the year to see them as they are south bound for Antarctica with their young,” Ms Grimes said.

"Last year, we had the whales close by the boat, at that time, they interacted with us and hopped beside us. It was truly amazing and this year we were lucky enough to see them again," she said.

The home’s General Manager, Kate Bain said the number of whales outside the Port has increased and so has the interest from residents in attending the cruise.

"We have new residents who weren’t on the cruise last year but had heard stories from residents who were."

"They were keen to have the beautiful creatures swim around them and I’m sure the whales were equally as keen to do some people spotting, which was really good for both us and them," Ms Bain said.

Read more about Bupa Eden:

• Golf keeps Bupa Eden residents fit and engaged
• Eden valentines find love again at Bupa aged care home

The Bupa Blog Awards were launched back in 2013, as a new way to share Bupa’s health and care expertise to a wider audience. Five years on, it’s become one of Australia’s most recognised blog award programs.

Alex McDonald, Head of Content and Social at Bupa Australia told Today Tonight Adelaide that it has given Bupa an opportunity to source local talent.

“The blog awards give such a beautiful opportunity for people to recognise their favourite bloggers and to give them that recognition they deserve for all of their hard work.

“There are more than 20 million health and wellness searches every month on Google.

“What we saw was a real opportunity - not for Bupa to provide all the answers but to source local influencer talent to help people connect to their health queries,” said Ms Mcdonald.

Sally O’Neil, the self-confessed fitness fanatic and health food lover created her own blog called the Fit Foodie.

O’Neil shares recipes, reviews and real life stories which have been turned into a cook book. Her blog is now up for a Bupa Blog Award under the category of wellbeing.

Categories for the award include wellbeing, lifestyle, family, personal, and pets with a peoples choice winner and an overall winner.

Find out more here.

Read more about the Bupa Blog Awards:

2018 Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced

2017 Bupa Blog Award winners announced

Bupa Blog Awards finalists announced for 2017

Nicole has been visiting Bupa Therapy for just under a month now with the assistance of Neuro Physiotherapist, Vicky Cook to help retrain her brain to walk again.

Vicky has been working with Nicole on the robotic gait machine which helps Nicole move and take more steps than she could if she was using other equipment such as a treadmill.

“With the harness and robotic features of the device we can get those repetitions happening and the intensity that’s needed to actually change the brain to heal itself,” says Vicky.

Bupa Therapy is the only place in Australia that has this new device that can be used on patients suffering a range of disabilities including spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, brain injuries and cerebral palsy.

UP NEXT:

Advanced robotics technology is helping people walk again

Find out more about Bupa Therapy.

Meet Vicky Cook, Bupa's physiotherapist

She fell in love with the idea of caring for people and has been on a mission to become a nurse ever since.

After successfully completing four certificates through TAFE NSW in Albury, she is living out her dream at Bupa Aged Care in Wodonga and is currently studying a Diploma of Nursing.

Sara is extremely passionate about working in aged care and spoke to Prime 7 about her incredibly rewarding role as a carer and how welcoming and supportive the staff have been.

"I love my job and I love being able to make a difference in people's lives," she said.

"The residents are so lovely and it's a privilege to be able to help someone who might be struggling. Bupa has been so supportive to me."

Watch the video below.

UP NEXT:

Hot property sold at a loss to help local fire station expand

The 74 year old who visited the home with his collection of mechanical masterpieces got his first set in 1950 when he was seven and has been spending money on it and sharing his wisdom with others ever since.

Garth and Margaret Ryan, Bupa's Head of Dentenia Services' went on the Weekend Sunrise show and discussed how Meccano is helping people with dementia.

Margaret says the people in the aged care home have stories that connect to Meccano and Garth mentions there was a great interest from the age care home residents.

Garth says Meccano is a museum piece says he enjoys making his own parts and restoring old ones.

Watch the full coverage here.

Rosalyn spoke about how Bupa has conducted research with its own employees and found while 25% reported a healthy diet, 86% said they wanted to be healthier.

Through this research, 2-3 years ago, Rosalyn said, Bupa started slowly transitioning their office vending machines to include low-sugar and low-salt snacks, such as air popped popcorn and low sugar drinks.

Tom asked if this is a way of removing temptations for people, with Rosalyn explaining it's exactly what they're doing. However, Rosalyn says it is about shaping an environment with healthier options being available to employees.

Healthier vending machines include food and drink labelled with green, amber and red dots. The traffic light system identifies foods nutritious value of food by the colours. Eg. Green= healthiest option Amber= moderate rating Red= least healthy.

Rosalyn also touched on the FoodSwitch app which was developed by Bupa and The George Institute to help Australians make healthier food choices when grocery shopping.

Scanning the barcode of a packaged food gives you easy-to-understand nutritional information with either traffic-light style or Health Star Rating (HSR) labels so you can see at a glance how healthy the food item is.

Listen to the full interview below.

The campaign is aimed at making people more aware of Bupa’s role, as not only one of New Zealand’s largest aged care providers, but also as a provider of independent living, rehabilitation, and dental services.

With the key theme “we are a ‘health & care’ company”, Bupa is showing how we are focused on providing individualised care to every person we care for.

Over the course of July, New Zealanders will see the wide range of health services Bupa has, both on TV and online.

Bupa’s Director of Marketing for Villages and Aged Care, Andrew Smith, says the campaign is an opportunity to show New Zealanders how much Bupa offers.

“When Kiwis think of us, they just think of care homes and aged care,” Smith says.

“We put health and care at the heart of everything we do across our retirement villages and care homes, as well as our rehabilitation centres and dental clinics.”

“This campaign aims to position Bupa as a health and care company and emphasise what caring looks like in all its different forms.”

“We want to show Kiwis across the country what care means to us. It is more than just words. It’s about providing personalised care that is unique to each and every one of our residents, customers and clients.”

To view the campaign videos, click here.

To find out more about Bupa go to www.bupa.co.nz.

Dr Dwayne Crombie, general manager of Australia's largest health insurer, Bupa, has confirmed reports manufacturer-linked technicians with sales-based incentives are being used in theatres.

He said some of these individuals were technicians and some were "more at the sales rep end", and could be in a position to influence specialists' choices.

"We're told that many of those reps are almost incentivised on commission basis to get their products sold," Dr Crombie said.

Read the full article from the ABC

Read more about factors driving up the cost of health care

Milking cows, caring for calves and walking greyhounds as she contributed to her parents' efforts to turn around the ailing family farm in Drom, Co Tipperary, gave Evelyn Bourke an early sense of what it takes to run an enterprise.

Read the whole article in the Sunday Independent here.

Discover more about Careers at Bupa

Mrs Holmes turned 89 yesterday surrounded by 47 junior school boys from Years 2 to 6 who went through a rendition of songs for the residents at the home.

“It’s a very good birthday present,” Mrs Holmes said.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to sit and listen to the boys and to mix with the young people.”

Year 6 student Jackson Smiddy said the exchange between young and not so young was enjoyable for the students too.

“We like to sing for them and it’s a great opportunity to sing and prepare for the eisteddfod which is coming up,” he said.

After the concert, the students mingled with the residents over morning tea and shared some of Mrs Holmes’ birthday cake.

Read the full story

UP NEXT:

Century old mystery solved at Bupa Care Home

IT’S the document doctors don’t want you to see.

The secret fee bible that recommends specialists charge up to three times more than the Medicare fee for thousands of hospital procedures can be revealed for the first time.

News Corp has obtained the Australian Medical Association’s “List of Services and Fees”, used by doctors to set their rates for more than 8700 common procedures.

And their greed is plain to see — some are charging 10 times more than what it recommends, contributing to the more than $1.6 billion a year in gap payments not covered by patients’ health fund or Medicare.

The peak doctors group has for years refused to make the fee list public and in doing so has made it impossible for patients to understand whether their doctor’s fees were reasonable.

Today we lift the lid on a massive overcharging scandal by showing that many doctors are charging even in excess of these higher AMA fees.

And we give consumers the power to find out if their doctor is overcharging via a new online tool that lets them compare the fees they have been quoted to those recommended by Medicare and the AMA.

For ACT residents, the recommended AMA and Medicare fees are the same as NSW, but gap fees may vary.

Read the full article and access the tool via the Herald Sun: 'The secret fee list your doctor doesn't want you to see', and in the Courier Mail, 'AMA list exposes overcharging doctors'.

Read more about what's affecting the cost of health insurance

Bupa has more than 4 million members with 102,000 of those members aged between 21 and 25 and listed as children on their parents’ policy.

Bupa’s Head of Customer Value, Tim Strahan, said there are many people who can still fall under their parents’ cover and not have to pay a cent.

“There are a lot of customers who are in their late teens that are covered under their family cover until they turn 21, which is standard,’’ he said.

“But if they continue studying up until the age of 25 they continue to be covered on their family cover.

“If they decide to go into the full-time workforce after age 21 they need to start thinking about their health insurance options.”

Bupa said that if you are working and no longer studying and are aged between 21 and 25 you can stay on your parents’ cover at an extra cost, but once you reach 25 you need to consider taking out an individual policy.

The cost to remain on your parents’ policy is cheaper than taking out individual cover.

Read the full story from news.com.au

Read more health insurance news

Sergio Scarpa, married to his wife Hansi for 65 years, has a fairly pragmatic attitude when it comes to love.

"You get married, you make a contract, and you don't break the contract, do you? And you have to be happy with what you get," he says.

There are four other couples living at the home, married for between 37 and 70 years.

UP NEXT: read the original story: Love is in aged care at Bupa Morphettville - the secret to happy relationships

As Seven News reports, the technology, which was initially designed for elite athletes and later modified for medical use, has become available in Victoria for the first time at the new Bupa Therapy centre in West Melbourne.

David has been visiting Bupa Therapy on a fortnightly basis after a stroke on Cup Day last year.

Along with speech pathology, David began seeing occupational therapist Jacelyn Goh to help with his rehab and recovery, and to work on his goals to get back to work and to drive again.

As part of his therapy, he has been using the Dynavision D2 machine, the only one in the state of Victoria.

Jacelyn says it can help improve attention span, cognitive abilities, eye-hand coordination, and visual perceptual skills, for people with acquired brain injuries.

After just 12 weeks of therapy, David has been able to return to his carpentry business on a part time basis and is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.

UP NEXT:

Read more about the Dynavision technology and David’s road to recovery.

Find out more about Bupa Therapy.

Learn more about Occupational Therapist, Jacelyn Goh.

She started coming as a visitor with her dogs to see her elderly uncle, and quickly realised how much of a difference the dogs were making to residents at the home, boosting their health and emotional wellbeing. So, even after her 95 year old uncle passed away, she continues to volunteer with her four legged friends every week.

Bupa Donvale welcomes pets into the home and encourages visitors to bring them along whenever they can. 

Research shows that simply having pets around can help to boost a person’s health and wellbeing, and the benefits can also be seen socially, emotionally and even cognitively.

Owning and caring for a dog, for example, can encourage increased levels of motivation and physical activity, and can provide an all-important feeling of companionship and being needed. Owning a pet may also help some people deal better with stress and grief. Some research has also found that dog and cat owners make fewer visits to the doctor and spend less time in hospital; they also tend to have lower cholesterol and blood pressure than non-pet owners.

Jill, Martin and their dogs also feature in a beautiful coffee table book called Happiness is Dog Shaped. Find out more about the book here. 

Everyone acknowledges and accepts affordability is a big concern for consumers of health insurance.

If private healthcare is going to be sustainable and an effective choice for Australians, then collectively we need to solve the complex challenges that surround it.

Australia faces a challenge almost all countries in similar circumstances struggle with, and very few manage health system cost growth below 5 per cent (public or private).

Total federal health spending has historically tracked between 5 and 7 per cent a year....

Read the full article in the Australian.

Read more news about healthcare affordability

1. Be excited about the new change. If you are enthusiastic and confident, your children will be too.
2. Plan clothes and lunches the night before to avoid the early morning rush and any unnecessary stress.
3. Start and maintain daily routine that will add structure and make your child more at ease, like dripping your child off at school at the same time each morning.
4. For children catching public transport, do some practice runs so they are confident about what train or bus they need to catch. Develop and Plan B (and C) on what to do if they miss a bus or train.
5. Don’t forget a healthy and nutritious breakfast. Students are more alert and perform better at school if they eat a good breakfast.
6. Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep each night during the school week.
7. Take 15 minutes out at the end of the day to listen to your child’s stories.
8. Take time out for yourself. It can also be an emotional time for parents, particularly when the little ones are going to school for the first time. That first drop off can be a tearing one – and not necessarily for the kids! It always helps to talk with someone about how you’re feeling. Reach out to another parent for a cup of coffee and a chat.

Kids Helpline @ School

The Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing program, which is a free in school program run by Kids Helpline counsellors and funded by Bupa, covers the following topics:

• Bullying – helping students identify, manage and prevent bullying
• Developing resilience – helping students learn to bounce back and deal with challenges and changes
• Friendships – developing healthy friendships and conflict resolution skills
• Managing emotions – mental health literacy and emotional self-regulation
• Transition to High School – coping with change and strengthening essential skills.

You’ll find more tips for parents and carers about ways to support their children here. Or, find out how to sign your primary school up for the free Kids Helpline @ School Wellbeing program here.

Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25 – call 1800 55 1800 or visit kidshelpline.com.au

UP NEXT: Kids Helpline and Bupa take on mental health and bullying in schools

Read the full story.

WATCH the story here. 

UP NEXT: Read the full story -  Alf Always Delivers. 

“It’s one of those things that creeps up on you.”

So how loud is too loud?

“It’s about what we call the “dose”, and the dose is the volume over a time,” Mr Davis told Justin and Kate.

by Aaron Patrick

Read the full article

The $5000 in-and-out procedure - which can help people improve their walking and running - has become an unexpected frontline in the national productivity debate.

Peer-reviewed research has found little or no benefit for many patients, especially those over 55.

Large health insurer Bupa, which has spent almost $343 million over six years on knee arthroscopies, is publicly urging orthopedic surgeons to cut back on the operation. "I don't think there is a deliberate conspiracy on the part of surgeons," says Chris Dalton, Bupa's medical director. "If people have been doing something for decades it's hard to get them to change."

Full article

Health insurance giant Bupa has named former Labor minister Nicola Roxon as the new chairman of its Australian arm.

Ms Roxon, who was health minister in the Rudd government, will take over from John Conde when he steps down in March next year after a decade at the helm of the British giant’s Australian business.

Read more

By Sarah-Jane Tasker

The Australian

A survey of 1535 people commissioned by health insurance giant Bupa revealed that Australians had identified addressing rising costs as the single most important factor for improving the healthcare system.

Dwayne Crombie, Bupa’s Australian health insurance boss, said the research presented the industry with an interesting conundrum because while people held insurers most accountable for costs, it was medical specialists and hospitals that set the fees, while insurers and governments were left to pick up the tab. 

Read the full story in The Australian.

Interested in finding out more about what's driving the cost of healthcare? click here.

Bupa’s Australian health insurance boss, Dwayne Crombie, has dismissed concerns about increased transparency around doctors’ fees and performance, arguing it was patients driving the push, not insurers.

"I think Michael Gannon and the AMA need to get real. Consumers will give feedback — they’re giving feedback now in a completely unmoderated fashion. It’s time to listen to the feedback."

Read the full story here.

Richard Bowden tells News Ltd's Jeff Whalley Bupa is determined to address affordability.

He also says Bupa does not back “risk rating” for health insurance.

Read the article here.

Dr Chris Dalton, the National Medical Director for Bupa Australia & New Zealand has some advice.

“If you are over 55, we encourage patients who have been recommended a knee arthroscopy to get a second opinion, and be aware that if you’re doing it because of pain there’s no good evidence to show that it’s beneficial.”

Dr Dalton says as people get older knee joints start to wear out, while osteoarthritis can be a cause of pain, long term injuries and degeneration are often the culprit.

“It seems likely large numbers of these procedures are being performed for degenerative disease,” he says.

“People get aches and pains and the idea was that if you trimmed or cleaned up any torn cartilage or damaged tissues in the knee you’ll relieve some of that pain.”

An analysis of Bupa data from 2011 to April 2016 shows the total number of knee arthroscopy episodes was 73,874, with 51% of these performed in patients over 55.

The total spend by Bupa on knee arthroscopies from 2011 to March 2017, including known out of pocket costs, was close to $343,000,000.

With affordability being the biggest issue for private health care, Dr Dalton says spending vast sums on these sorts of procedures just isn’t sustainable.

“It’s better for everybody because that encourages people to take up private health insurance if the cost is lower and that takes strain off the public system.

Dr Dalton refers to trials in which an ‘operation’ was done by making an incision on a patient’s knee but not actually performing any procedure.

“They compared those patients to people having cartilage trimmed up or loose tissue removed. The patients were unaware which group they were in and there was no difference between the two groups.”

“That was pretty good evidence this procedure wasn’t achieving anything in terms of pain relief or improved function.”

“Because the knee is deteriorating these minor procedures won’t do anything to alleviate that.”

Taking strain off the knee though weight loss and strengthening the muscles around the knee is a better option in many cases.

Dr Dalton stresses every case is different and with inevitable deterioration the ultimate solution is a knee replacement.

But there’s some hope. From 2014 to 2016, there’s been a 26% decline in the numbers of knee arthroscopies in Bupa members over 55 years old.

“It’s a better deal all round. If we can hold costs down, we can hold our premiums down,” says Dr Dalton.

Dr Blakley, one of Bupa's senior leaders, spoke to Franklin Women - a community for women working in health and medical research related careers.

She reflects on the journey that's taken her from rural New South Wales to medical school, the military and now Bupa.

"In a management position like this, you need to be able to change tact at any minute or hour of the day, from one topic to another – but I enjoy that. In my role, I really enjoy realising change."

Read the rest of Dr Ros Blakley's interview with Franklin Women here.

Dr Crombie is hopeful the Federal Government will oversee reforms to address affordability.

The Huddo Family Stand is a joint initiative by the Hawthorn Football Club and Bupa to recognise Peter Hudson’s legacy as a Tassie hero, a Hawks Club legend and a valued Bupa employee.

The Huddo Family Stand will host Auskick families at every Hawks game in Tasmania from today.

“Family is something that’s close to my heart, and it was support from my family which helped me succeed in life – on and off the field.”

^{Hawks Club legend Peter Hudson and Isaac Allan, 6, of Launceston. Pic Tess Brunton, Launceston Examiner}

The naming of the stand was for the Hawks and Bupa to honour Peter Hudson and his legendary status in the AFL game and his enormous contribution to Bupa throughout his 20-year career with the organisation.

“It’s a real honour to be recognised with The Huddo Family Stand. It's been made possible by the Hawks, my former club, and Bupa.”

Over the past 18 years, Bupa has worked closely with Life Be In It, to bring to life the Bupa Kidfit Series, a children’s triathlon series, to get Tassie families out and active together.

It’s something Huddo backs all the way.

“It’s a great investment in the health of the community and has become part of the local fabric here.”

“I’m so proud to work for Bupa, who share my commitment to help make a positive difference to the health of Tasmanian families.”

Bupa is excited to be part of the naming of the stand.

“What better way to bring together three of Huddo's passions – footy, healthy children and family - than by honouring an area that ensures his legendary status will continue to grow for the generations of the future?” says Bupa’s Head of Health & Care Marketing, Marketing, Adrian Baillargeon.

For the record, 12,000 people were on hand to watch the Hawks draw with Greater Western Sydney

New research by the George Institute reveals some servings of junk food have ballooned by more than 60 per cent.

By Sarah-Jane Tasker Picture: David Geraghty

The head of Australia’s largest private health insurer, Richard Bowden, warns short-term thinking on healthcare policy and a lack of bipartisan support could stifle much-needed sector reform.

Mr Bowden, who returned to the top job at Bupa’s Australian and New Zealand arm earlier this year, said while he talked to ­government about both long and short-term objectives, unfortunately the political focus was often pulled back to the short term.

“We need a 10-year, or longer, view and you need a bipartisan view on healthcare in a country like Australia,” he said.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/bupas-richard-bowden-urges-longterm-view-for-healthcare-reform/news-story/7a381a02ab4caceed1121efe497d6ac3

Bupa Kyneton resident Lorna James (94) recently went on a trip-of-a-lifetime as part of the the Wishing Tree Program.

Lorna took to the skies to fulfill her dream of a hot air balloon ride across the Kyneton area where she grew up.

Bupa Kyneton General Manager Katrina Bolmot said that it was a great opportunity for Lorna and she was thrilled to be able to make this dream become a reality.

"For us, it's about putting our residents first."

Bupa Kyneton is one of several Bupa homes that offers this program.

Bupa Kyneton in the media:

• Lorna James appeared on Channel 7's Sunrise program to chat about fulfilling her life dream. Watch here

Topics covered included:

• What drives healthcare costs
• End of life care
• Transitioning care to the community, where appropriate, to drive down costs
• How the community rating impacts private health insurance costs
• Looking at ways to encourage young people to take up private health insurance
• Private health insurance's value to the community