risk factors for older people in these days of covid-19 self-isolation, there’s no doubt that older people can be more succeptible to mental and emotional issues than is necessarily the case in younger people. the organisation ‘beyond blue’ identifies that anxiety and depression in older people may occur for different reasons, but physical illness or personal loss can be common triggers. factors can include: f an increase in physical health problems/conditions e.g. heart disease, stroke, alzheimer’s disease chronic pain f side-effects from medications losses: relationships, independence, work and income, self-worth, mobility and flexibility f social isolation f significant change in living arrangements e.g. moving from living independently to a care setting admission to hospital f particular anniversaries and the memories they evoke. everyone is different and it’s often a combination of factors that can contribute to a person developing anxiety or depression. while you can’t always identify the cause or change difficult circumstances, the most important thing is that you learn to recognise the signs and symptoms and get support. if you’re concerned about an older person experiencing anxiety or depression, or just not coping, then it is important to show you care by having a conversation with them about it. beyond blue encourages people who may be experiencing anxiety or depression to give them call any time of the day or night by phoning 1300 22 4636 and select from the voice menu, or simply hold on the line to talk with a trained mental health professional. caring professional people are there to listen, provide information and advice, and point you in the right direction so you can seek further support for the cost of a local call (could be more from mobiles). for more information, please go www. beyondblue.org.au/ source: beyond blue what’s happening acting president’s message dear members, i am sure that you have been watching the news with keen interest and have observed the difference between australia’s and some other countries’ methods of managing the corona virus pandemic. ours has been impressive and contributed greatly to the comparatively low loss of life. although it is too soon to predict, there are clear signs of an earlier return to our former way of life, one unparalleled in its freedom. i for one am immensely grateful, on both counts. what is truly impressive in our u3a sunshine coast is how many of our tutors have now stepped out of their comfort zones and taken up the challenge to either present their classes live via a social platform, such as a zoom meeting or pre-recorded and available through the u3a website. and even more remarkable, is that their students have overcome their fear of trying these new techniques, to prove that we are indeed living our slogan “live, laugh, learn”. our course coordinator, wayne curran, has been doing a champion job in encouraging tutors to go online, and others have shown their own initiative to recommence classes. see the list of classes at the end of text. however, some issues have been raised. the first issue – refunds for course fees: at our last management committee meeting, held online using the zoom platform, we discussed the possibility of giving members refunds for courses that could not go ahead owing to the corona virus. what a nightmare for our treasurer! instead, as i mentioned in my last letter to you, dear members, it would be easier for our treasurer to simply credit you with the relevant portion of venue fees when we do return to our live classes. i do hope that common sense will prevail, and she will not be inundated with requests for refunds – some as little as $5. the second issue – zoom zoom is free! it provides a 40 minute free session to all who sign up to host a meeting, which may be automatically extended. however, our classes usually run for 1 or 2 hours. therefore, at the april mc meeting, the committee decided that our tutors would be reimbursed the monthly costs of $20.99 to run zoom meetings for their students. some tutors have asked one of their class members to act as the host for each meeting, and that host, instead of the tutor, can put in the claim to be reimbursed. as regards security, when the host of a zoom meeting issues emailed invitations to the members of that class, members must log on using the zoom generated password provided in the email. this ensures that only the bona fide members of that class can sign up for a ‘live’ meeting. it is worth noting that the university of the sunshine coast’s acting vice- chancellor, professor robert elliot, reports that usc has “supported over 3,500 zoom meetings daily with 18,000 staff and students logging-on.” despite some of the hilarious home exercise videos we have seen, classes like water aerobics, and table tennis, still do represent a challenge; however, from the list of tutors now offering their classes on line, it is wonderful to see that we are living proof of our slogan, to live, laugh - and learn new techniques of delivery – certainly one of our goals in our current strategic plan. i do hope you are all looking after yourselves, and each other, and look forward to seeing you again soon. subscriptions and security concerns: glyni cumming, acting president ‘wellness’ offers help for carers lyn harris is the new coordinator community engagement & volunteering for the sunshine coast region. previously a high school teacher, lyn moved to the sunshine coast and seven years ago began working with mental health carers. “frequently, there was a dual diagnosis so i quickly learned about disabilities, the ndis and aged care systems as well, and as a carer myself, i’m excited about the new carer gateway service and that i can continue working in this field.” lyn welcomes enquiries regarding support for family/carers. email lharris@wellways.org or call wellways on 1300 111 400.