Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

So many of the day-to-day activities many of us take for granted — grabbing a coffee, going to a weekly gym class, catching up with friends — are the things that make life worth living. For some people on the NDIS, these fall under the category of "social and community participation". It's a clinical term for supports and programs that help people stay connected, build confidence and independence....

If you could freeze your brain and body and be brought back to life at a later time, would you do it? A new survey reveals 1 in 4 doctors believe it is somewhat possible, or at least plausible. It raises the question: just because we can, does that mean we should? And what would redefining death mean for our sense of humanity?

Whether it's fire, flood or another natural disaster, the majority of people who are risking their lives to protect you are highly trained and totally unpaid. In fact, 90 per cent of firefighters and the emergency services workforce are volunteers. National Volunteer Week is upon us, which raises some bigger questions: how sustainable is a critical system that relies so heavily on unpaid labour, a...

They say friends come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Sometimes people drift apart when kids come into the picture, or when one friend moves away, or their career takes them in a different direction.  But there's another factor that can up-end friendship dynamics: money. So how do you handle it when being on different financial trajectories tests the strength of your friendsh...

Connected cars have been described as a "privacy nightmare on wheels". Features designed for safety allow these vehicles to transmit data continuously, tracking location, monitoring calls, recording your voice and even capturing images from inside and outside your car. But there are concerns these features can be easily weaponised, with the eSafety commissioner warning victims of domestic violence...

Less than 4 per cent of statues in Australia are of real Australian women. And sure, it's just a bit of brass, but the people we literally put on a pedestal matter. They matter because it's their stories we choose to remember, valorise, and keep alive. One woman has chosen to bring those women to life not in statues but in stories, through walking tours across the country and a new series of talks...

Parenting styles are continually challenged, evolving and ultimately judged. But when did child-rearing become so competitive, and why do we hold ourselves to such high standards? A new trend called "beta-parenting" has been coined to describe a parent who is a bit more relaxed, less focused on perfection and prioritises being in the moment with their kids. It's been seen as a reaction helicopter...

Gambling is Australia's national sport. More than half of us have had a punt recently, and we lose around $32 billion each year in the name of a flutter — making us the highest losers, per capita, in the world. The rise of online gambling has changed the game, and there are growing concerns that children and young people are at risk of serious harm. So how can we protect future generations from sl...

The school library is full of hidden treasures, and it's where a young Andy Griffiths stumbled across a book that showed him how something totally fantastical could also be totally accessible.

There are more than 6,300 cemeteries across the country, marking the final resting place of millions of Australians who've died. But space is at a premium, and cemeteries in some of our biggest cities are likely to reach capacity within the next decade. Many already have, and in some cases, the mourners visiting these sacred places are dying out too. So could we find a better way to use these publ...

Have you had the word peptides start to pop up more frequently on your social media feeds or in conversation? What used to be more familiar in chemistry circles is now touted as the next big health trend to combat ageing, help with weight loss, grow muscle and even make you more tanned. Although the use of peptides is becoming normalised on social media, the use of these chemicals is unregulated. ...

No matter where you live in Australia, homelessness is getting worse. But it's a particular form of homelessness that's putting pressure on local councils to address the issue. Since, COVID, there's been a 39 per cent increase in the number of people sleeping rough. When housed residents see this in their local parks, public squares or bus shelters, they call council to report it. But of all the l...

Having the odd hang-up around sex is normal, even if it is difficult to talk about.  Whether you feel self-conscious about your body, or have trouble with performance anxiety, most of us experience sexual hang-ups at some point or another. But the experts say normalising honest conversations about sex can help you figure out where these anxieties come from, and work through them to prioritise plea...

Family photo albums can hold immense sentimental value, documenting a shared history and keeping memories of relatives long since passed alive for future generations. But when the family parts ways, who decides where those memories go?  This week, the Aunties help a listener figure out how to reunite the family albums with their rightful owner while keeping the peace between separated parents.

A Grattan report indicates that over a million Australians a year are delaying or skipping specialist health care because they can't afford it. Specialists do vital work, and they're highly trained. But uncapped fees means costs can keep growing and people can't keep up. What can be done to balance the scales and what is the reality for the specialists?

New research has outlined the urgent need to better equip the people who become our de facto therapists — the beauticians, hairdressers, nail techs —with the tools to respond to what we tell them. Because the casual conversation in the salon chair can get heavy out of nowhere, and when the scissors, shampoo and blow dryers are packed away, the salon workers are left holding all our messy baggage w...

Traditionally, most Australian children were given their father's surname at birth, and most women who went on to marry would take their husband's surname. And while there are plenty of other options, the standard expectation remains: a woman will walk back down the aisle with a new name. So what does our surname say about us, and what does it matter whether you decide to keep it, change it, or cr...

Would you be up for a sing-along session with your work colleagues, in the name of collaboration and productivity? Research suggests music can be a powerful tool in promoting connection and group identity, and one project based in Queensland is looking at the benefits for support workers.

If you could go back and give your teenage or early 20s self one piece of advice about dating, what would you tell them? For Dee Salmin, host of triple j's sex and relationships show The Hook Up, there were enough gems to fill an entire book.  The modern dating scene is a far cry from the one portrayed in fairytales, rom coms and the stories that most of us grew up with, yet so many outdated ideal...

The government has laid out the federal budget for the next year, and there's a theme: intergenerational fairness. There will be articles about budget winners and losers, but does this have to translate to mean good guys and bad guys? We know the scales are not tipped in favour of young people, in fact your kids and grandkids might be the first generation whose living conditions actually go backwa...

If you cast your mind back to the school library of your childhood, what comes to mind? Whether it's a tiny one-room demountable, or a state-of-the-art facility, the school library is where so many kids first develop a love of reading, and learn the skills they need to understand the world outside those four walls. But the very existence of those libraries is largely dependent on the discretion of...

What is it that motivates you to get to the gym? Is it the toned bodies on screens telling you quick ways to get muscle, or just a general approach to wanting to be healthy? An investigation overseas has monitored the rise of companies using AI influencers to sell programs promising results that experts say are unrealistic.  So how does marketing impact the health industry and what role does AI pl...

After a player went through a serious mental health episode on the field, the AFL implemented a new rule: all clubs must have an in-house psychologist to keep an eye on players' mental fitness.  So if the footy field was actually your office, could you spot the signs? Could you jump into action and deliver first aid not for a physical injury, but a mental one?

Have you ever wanted to use an outdoor gym but weren't sure where to start? It's a sentiment that many people share and a new program from the Adelaide University is looking to get over-50s into the space. Researchers are interested in not just the health benefits but how the program can combat social isolation and increase a sense of belonging.

There are three million carers in Australia looking after a loved one who's unable to care for themselves anymore. But what happens when carers need a break? To go to the doctors, to help your own kids, or just to have a rest? There's meant to be a system of respite care to serve this need, but that system is under strain. With nowhere else to go, it's leaving carers at breaking point.