Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

More than 446,000 Australians are living with dementia. For many, it's a diagnosis that can turn your world upside down.  But it doesn't mean life stops. For both Jim Rogers, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia in his 50s, and Debra Graves, who cared for her husband Don after his diagnosis, an important part of their new reality was prioritising travel.  It meant figuring out how to manage...

How's your day been? Any plans for the weekend? What do you do for work? Small talk might feel trivial, but in her new book Once Upon A Stranger, professor in the psychology of kindness Gillian Sandstrom says these tiny exchanges can help us live a kinder, more connected life. So how can we overcome the awkward, and get a little more chit chat into our lives?

Over the past three years, homelessness in Australia has grown by at least 10 per cent.  Meanwhile in Finland, a strategy known as Housing First has seen long-term homelessness rates drop significantly over the past decade.  The idea is simple: instead of moving people through hostels and emergency shelters, give them permanent housing first — and then provide the support they need. So could it wo...

For many Australians, the images of war and suffering flooding our screens aren't just distant headlines. Unless you've lived it, it's hard to describe the feeling of being physically safe here, while your homeland seems to be unravelling. That's where Witness to War comes in. It's a free mental health support hotline where people can speak to someone in their own language who understands, because...

Our teenage years are often a phase of experimentation and discovery as we figure out who we are and where we belong. Adolescence can also be a time the bigger questions about meaning, purpose, and spirituality start to emerge. So how do you encourage your child to explore those big ideas, while quietly hoping they don't land somewhere that completely scrambles your own worldview?

On the internet, a tiny piece of punctuation has become an unlikely battleground. The extra-long hyphen known as the em dash (—) has developed a reputation thanks to its frequent use in AI-generated writing. In a bid to reclaim the punctuation mark, a Sydney design agency has released new takes on some common fonts: Areal and Times New Human, featuring what they call the "am dash". The idea is sim...

"Over the hill". "Past your prime". There are plenty of cliches about ageing being all downhill. But a long-term Yale study suggests the opposite may be true. Researchers tracked thousands of adults over 65 for more than a decade, and found nearly half showed improved memory, cognition and walking speed — especially those with a positive attitude towards getting older. Could a good dose of optimis...

Whether it's the lyrics to a song from 25 years ago, or the entire script of a classic movie, our memory has a habit of holding onto things we don't technically need. So why is it that the brain sometimes fails when it comes to more everyday tasks, like remembering where we left our keys, or why we walked into a room? 

When you think of teaching your kids about road safety, you probably picture them behind the wheel of a car. But as e-bikes and e-scooters have taken over our streets, that definition has to change. A new program has launched in Queensland to teach teenagers about using these devices safely on the road.  But when the stakes are so high, is safety education enough?

When your pet is accused of a crime, how far should you go to clear their name? This week Katherine asks the Aunties where the line is between nosey neighbour and loyal pet owner.

Breaking up can be brutal, especially if you have children together. Navigating feelings of anger, sadness, betrayal and shock without bringing the kids into it can be complicated.  But if you can make peace, could it also be an opportunity for growth? After a bit of time, more breathing room and a new rhythm to your family life can bring moments of real joy that you didn't see coming. So what's t...

Are you happily married, but sleep divorced?  Even when sleeping in a different bed from your partner improves your relationship, your sleep and your mood, it can be hard to convince other people that sleeping in separate beds isn't the end of the world. So why are we so attached to this idea that sharing a bed equals love — and should more of us be getting a sleep divorce?

Video game therapy is an emerging service in the Australian mental health space. Practitioners are offering services from Fortnite therapy to counselling via Minecraft, explaining that an alternative approach can be more effective in building rapport with some clients, particularly young men and boys. So how does this work, and could it be the key to engaging groups who might not feel comfortable...

This week, Australia introduced age-verification rules designed to stop young people accessing online pornography. But proving you're an adult could mean handing over sensitive personal data, like photo ID or credit card information. What are the ethical trade-offs between protecting children and protecting privacy?  And is there such a thing as ethical porn?

Skate parks, playgrounds and BMX tracks are everywhere — but teenage girls are barely using them. An Australian survey found they make up just 6 per cent of outdoor space users. What would make our parks and playgrounds more inclusive of teenage girls? And could redesigning them benefit everyone?

It was a moment in the shower that changed everything for comedian Denise Scott. She knew it was bad immediately, and a few appointments later it was confirmed: breast cancer. The diagnosis came at a pivotal moment in her career, just after landing her first lead role on screen for the ABC's reboot of Mother and Son. She'd worked hard to get here and she wasn't about to let it go easily. Denise ha...

Office politics can be tricky. From petty disagreements with colleagues, to working with a power-tripping boss, workplace conflicts can bleed out of the work day and keep us up at night. According to world-renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel, most of these issues can be boiled down to one thing: power dynamics. So what can you do about it?

Australia spends billions of dollars a year subsidising childcare centres. But what if that money flowed to parents, instead of providers? The debate is gaining attention as a Senate inquiry investigates the quality and safety of Australia's early childhood system. Supporters say it would give families more choice, while critics argue it's not what's best for children. So how might an expansion of...

As humans we're hard wired to make decisions based on first impressions, but sometimes we get it wrong. And when we're the ones being judged, it can feel like an injustice.  But are there times when it's OK to judge others? And where do we draw the line?

If you could be in the crowd at your own funeral, listening to all the people who care about you talking about how much they loved you, would you go? This is the idea behind the living funeral: a chance to celebrate with your loved ones and say goodbye before you die. There appears to be a growing interest in living funerals in Australia, and for those who've taken part, it's offered a way to grie...

Learning to drive is a rite of passage for many Australians, but when it's your turn to be the teacher you might question whether you're actually qualified for the task.  A recent survey from one of Australia's largest car insurers has found some parents feel pretty apprehensive about teaching their teenagers to drive. So do we have the skills to prepare our learners to hit the road? 

Are your favourite things about work the breaks you get to take from it? Weekends, clocking off after an eight-hour shift, and taking paid holidays. There's a new proposal from the Australian Council of Trade Unions to increase annual leave from four weeks to five. So what would it take to make changes like this happen, and are they actually realistic?

Meals on Wheels has been around for more than 70 years, providing much more than food to the older Australians who rely on the service.  But in a growing number of communities across Australia, Meals on Wheels is facing challenges. From the end of the month, Meals on Wheels clients in the Alpine Shire in regional Victoria will instead receive a fortnightly delivery of frozen meals from a private c...

What would you do if you discovered while grieving your partner that they had been unfaithful?  How do you process the mixed emotions of betrayal and regret, and should you keep the secret?

If you had to rank your sex life between 1 to 10, where would you land?  According to a recent survey, nearly half of Australians are unhappy with their sex lives, putting us well below the global average. So what's going on? How do everyday relationship dynamics create barriers to intimacy, and how can you create a safe environment to speak your mind in the bedroom?