Health (18 years +)
Table of Contents
Eating Healthy
Eating healthy is good for your body and gives you lots of energy. What you eat is called your diet. It’s good to make sure your diet includes lots of fruit and vegetables, as well as some protein (found in foods like meat and eggs) and some carbohydrates (found in foods like bread and pasta) each day. You shouldn’t eat junk food every day. Making sure you don’t eat too much is also important. You should try to drink lots of water – about 8 glasses of water a day is recommended for adults. You can find out more about healthy eating in this fact sheet made by the Queensland Centre for Intellectual Disability:
Exercise
Keeping fit is a big part of staying healthy. It is recommended that adults exercise at least 30 minutes a day, but even better if you can do longer. Some people like going to the gym to stay fit, but there are lots of other ways you can exercise:
• go for a walk or ride a bike around your neighbourhood
• go for a swim at the local pools
• join a sports team and take part in weekly training or games
• take your dog to the park and play fetch or frisbee.
Sometimes it can be hard to get motivated to exercise, so asking a friend, family member or support person to exercise with you can help. If you don’t like going out much, you can exercise at home using a treadmill or exercise bike. Even if you have a physical disability or an injury that can make some exercises difficult, there are people like personal trainers, occupational therapists (OT’s) or physiotherapists who can help you come up with some exercises that suit you.
Sleep
Sleep is a very important part of keeping healthy. If you don’t get enough sleep you can feel tired and grumpy during the day and have trouble focusing on everyday tasks. It’s recommended that adults get between 6 and 8 hours sleep each night. Some people need a little bit more than this, but too much sleep can also be bad for you. It’s okay once in a while to not get enough sleep, but if you don’t get enough sleep over a long period of time, it can affect your health and the way you feel mentally. For more advice about sleep, check out these links from the Reachout website:
Dental Health
It’s important to look after your teeth. You should book an appointment with your dentist at least once a year for a check-up. If you have a Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card you can go to a Public Dental Clinic. These are dental clinics owned by the Government where you can get dental work done for a lot cheaper than other dentists.
If you live in the country and there’s no Public Dental Clinic in your area then the Government will pay for you to see a regular dentist in your town through the Country Patients Dental Subsidy Scheme.
You might also be able to get free dental services through the Public Dental Service if you have an intellectual disability or autism. There are some rules about who can get these special services, so make sure to ask when you call. You can get more information about the special dental services by calling (08)
9201 9889.
There are 4 Public Dental Clinics in the South West and Greater Southern WA regions. They are in Albany, Bunbury, Busselton and Ravensthorpe. There is sometimes a waiting list so it’s a good idea to contact your local Public Dental Clinic to make an appointment ahead of time. You can find contact details for all WA Public Dental Clinics on the WA Dental Health Services website:
Visiting Your Doctor
You should go to your doctor if you are feeling sick for more than a few days, or if you need a new prescription for your medication, as well as for a checkup at least once a year. You might also need to go to your doctor if you need a letter from them to give to your boss if you’ve been sick off work, or to give to Centrelink if they ask for one. A doctor is sometimes also called a GP. If you don’t already have a doctor that you regularly see, you can ask a family member, friend or support person to help you find a good doctor.
If you have a Medicare Card, you might be able to get your doctor’s visit for free if your doctor does bulk billing. Bulk billing is where the doctor sends your bill to Medicare who pay it for you. Not all doctors bulk bill, and some will only do bulk billing for people with a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, so you’ll need to contact your doctor’s clinic and ask what they offer. To find a bulk billing doctor in your area, you can search on the HealthDirect website:
Medicare
Medicare is the name of Australia’s public healthcare system. If you have a Medicare Card, Medicare will cover all or part of the cost of:
• seeing a doctor or specialist
• most medical tests and scans such as blood tests and x-rays
• most surgery and procedures done by doctors
• getting treatment at a public hospital
• eye tests by optometrists (eye doctors).
The amount covered by Medicare depends on which doctor you see and what services you get from them, so it’s important to ask your doctor first. Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance costs or pay for things like glasses or contact lenses.
To see what’s covered by Medicare visit the Medicare website:
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
Some medications can cost a lot of money but if you have a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card you can get some medications at a cheaper price with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). You will need to check with your doctor to see if your medication is on the PBS. If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander with a Medicare card and a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card you can ask your doctor to put you on the Closing the Gap PBS Program so you can get PBS medications for free.
To find out more about PBS go to the Medicare website:
My Health Record
My Health Record is an online record of your health information. This includes things like any allergies you have, any medical conditions you have, and any medications you’re taking. My Health Record can be looked at by you, your doctor, and the Emergency Department of a hospital if you go there. My Health Record helps doctors and medical staff give you the right help when you need it. To learn more about My Health Record:
You also can control the privacy of your My Health Record, including letting people you trust like a family member or support person look at your My Health Record, adding your own notes and removing things you don’t want people to see. You can do this by linking your My Health Record to your MyGov online account. For information on how to link your My Health Record to your MyGov account:
My Health Matters
My Health Matters is an Easy Read folder that can help people with disabilities to communicate with their doctor. Once you have a My Health Matters folder you can add the name and phone numbers of people you trust so they can be contacted in an emergency, as well as adding information about your diet, your likes and dislikes, how you communicate, and lots more. You can download the My Health Matters folder to your device then print it out and add all your details.
To download the My Health Matters folder go to the Council for Intellectual Disability website:
After Hours GP
If you need to see a doctor at night or on the weekend and your regular doctor’s clinic is closed, you can visit an After Hours GP. You can find an After Hours GP in your area using the HealthEngine website:
Some after hours doctors can come to your home. ‘Doctor to Me’ are an after hours GP home visit service in Bunbury. They do bulk billing, so if you have a Medicare Card then your appointment will be free.
Phone: 1300 37 86 63 (Available Monday to Friday 6pm – 8am, and 24 hours a day on weekends)
Emergencies
If you or someone you are with is very sick or have a serious accident you should go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital. Emergency Departments are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and have doctors and nurses that can help. Getting help at an Emergency Department is free. Some examples of medical emergencies are:
- having trouble breathing
- having an accident and are seriously injured or bleeding a lot
- having heart pain
- having a serious reaction because of an allergy or a medication.
This link gives you a list of all the Emergency Departments in WA. It also tells you how much time you may have to wait in the Emergency Department before they can help you:
Department of Health WA Emergency
If you live in the country you may not have an Emergency Department nearby but most areas will have a nursing post. A nursing post is a clinic with nurses and other medical staff who can help you in an emergency. To find your closest nursing post go to the HealthDirect Find a Health Service link below and click on ‘Other Services’ then select ‘Nurse-led Clinics’
Calling 000 in an Emergency
If there’s an emergency but you can’t get to the hospital, you can call an ambulance by phoning 000. It’s free to call 000 even if you have no credit on your phone. When you call 000, you will be asked by the operator if you want the police, the fire service, or an ambulance. Try to stay calm and give the operator any details they ask for, like your name, address, and what the problem is. Trained ambulance staff called paramedics will pick you up in the ambulance and take you to the nearest hospital. Going in an ambulance can be expensive, so only call 000 in an emergency.
If you call 000 in an emergency but can’t speak, the operator will ask you to press 55. Pressing 55 connects you to the police who will be able to work out your address using your phone signal, and they will tell the ambulance where to find you.
If you live in rural or remote WA and have an emergency but can’t get to your closest nursing post, call 000 and they will organise the WA Royal Flying Doctor Service to pick you up in a small plane or helicopter and they will fly you to the nearest hospital.
If you have a speech or hearing impairment and use a telephone typewriter (TTY) or computer to make calls, you can call for an ambulance by phoning 106.
Police
You should ask for the Police if you see a serious crime happen, or someone is threatening to commit a serious crime. If you want to speak to the police but it’s not a life-threatening matter you should call 131 444.
Ambulance
You should ask for an ambulance if someone is seriously hurt or their life is in danger. If you or someone else need medical help but it’s not an emergency then you should go to your GP or an after-hours doctor.
Fire and emergency services
You should ask for fire and emergency services if there is a fire, flood, or any kind of life threatening natural disaster. If you’re worried about fires, flooding, or another natural disaster happening in your area you should visit the Emergency WA website for updates and important information:
Sometimes you may need the police and an ambulance, like when there’s been a serious car accident. If you’re unsure which services you need, tell the 000 operator what is happening and they will be able to help you.
Health
The WA Police website has more information about knowing when to call 000:
The Red Cross RediPlan is a useful Easy Read emergency planning resource that you can download, print out and fill in. It has space for you to write down emergency contact details, helps you plan where to go in an emergency, gives you advice about insurance and wills, and shows you how to make an emergency kit. You can download the RediPlan from the Red Cross website:
Your Healthcare Rights
The Disability Discrimination Act and the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights WA make sure you have the same healthcare rights as everyone else. Your healthcare rights include the right to:
- receive the same level of care as everyone else
- be treated with respect
- have your health details remain private and confidential
- be protected from abuse and discrimination
- bring someone you trust with you to support you
- be given healthcare information if you ask for it.
You can view an accessible poster of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights WA here:
If you feel like you are not being listened to or are being discriminated against when you are receiving health care, there are a few different things you can do:
- talk to the healthcare staff looking after you and see if they can fix the problem
- make a complaint to the health service: most doctor’s clinics and hospitals have a complaint or feedback form you can fill in
- if you’re in a hospital you can ask to speak to the Patient Liaison or Aboriginal Liaison: these are people in the hospital who help patients stand up for their rights
- if you’ve already left the hospital but still want to make a complaint you can find contact details for Patient Liaisons here:
Healthy WA Patient Liaison Contacts
- make a complaint to the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO):
HADSCO Complaints (Easy English)
- if you’re using a healthcare service in the country, you can make a complaint to the WA Country Health Service:
NDIS & Health
NDIS will not pay for any medical costs, but if you have a NDIS Plan you might be able to get supports funded by NDIS to help you with keeping healthy. These supports might be things like getting a personal trainer to help you with your fitness, or group fitness classes, or a support worker to go with you to the local pools. NDIS can also fund supports like horse riding therapy, or a dietician to help you with choosing healthy foods and planning your meals. If you need special sporting equipment because of your disability, this can also be funded in your NDIS Plan. To see which supports you can get funded, contact your Local Area Coordinator (LAC).
Your LAC provider in south-west WA is APM.
You can call APM on 1300 276 522.
Aboriginal & Multicultural Health Services
The South West Aboriginal Medical Service (SWAMS) provides health services for Aboriginal people in the South West WA region. Their clinic is in Bunbury but they also do health visits to Australind, Busselton, Brunswick, Collie and Manjimup. To book an appointment call (08) 9726 6000 or fill in the Contact Form on their website:
Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service is a bulk billed GP service for Aboriginal people with 4 clinics in the Perth metro area. To book an appointment call (08) 9421 3888.
Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services
Nidjalla Waangan Mia Health Centre is a bulk billing GP in Mandurah for Aboriginal people. To book an appointment call (08) 9586 4580.
This Healthy WA Multicultural Health link has lots of translated health fact sheets:
Health WA Multicultural Health
Community Cue Cards is a picture communication system (PCS) with over 200 cards that can help people communicate with their doctor, emergency department staff or other health services if they have English language difficulties. It is available to download in over 60 different languages from the Eastern Health Services website:
For a list of all the community health services in the South West WA region, please click see:
Sexuality & Relationships
Sexuality is about your sexual feelings, thoughts and actions. This includes how you feel about your body, who you’re attracted to, and things like relationships, love, and having sex. Some people are embarrassed talking about sexuality, but it is a totally normal part of being an adult. This section will talk about some of the important parts of sexuality, relationships and staying safe, as well as contact details of places you can go if you need advice or support.
What is a relationship?
There are lots of different types of relationships. Friends, family members, romantic or sexual partners (like a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a husband or wife) and workmates are all examples of relationships. This section will mostly talk about romantic and sexual relationships.
Respect and Consent
One of the most important parts of any relationship is respect. Respect means showing someone that you care about them by treating them well. Respect goes both ways – you should be respectful to people you have a relationship with, and you also have the right to be respected by those people in return.
Having consent is one part of respect in a relationship. Consent is an agreement between two people to do something, like saying it’s okay for the other person to hug or kiss you. It’s up to you whether you consent to something or not. You have the right to say ‘no’ if you don’t want something to happen. The other person in the relationship also has the right to say ‘no’ to you, and that’s okay.
Having respect and consent makes sure that both people in a relationship feel happy, safe, cared about, and can trust each other. This is called a healthy relationship. Some signs of a healthy relationship are:
- listening to each other’s needs
- being able to talk about things calmly and openly, even if you don’t agree with each other
- telling each other how you feel about them to show them you care
- trying to help each other out when you can
- not getting angry or upset if the other person wants some time by themselves
- not getting angry or making the other person feel guilty if they say ‘no’ to something.
If the people in a relationship don’t respect each other, this is called an unhealthy relationship. An unhealthy relationship can make you feel sad, angry or even scared. Some signs of an unhealthy relationship are:
- ignoring or not caring about each others needs
- having a lot of arguments with each other
- abusing each other (this can be hurting each other physically such as hitting or punching, or hurting each other emotionally, like bullying or saying mean things)
- ignoring the other person if they say ‘no’ or making them feel bad for saying ‘no’.
Down Syndrome Australia have a really great Easy Read booklet about Healthy Relationships, Consent and Respect:
Down Syndrome Relationships & Sexuality
Your Rights and Responsibilities in a Relationship poster, made by VALID Victoria:
Where to get support if you are in an unhealthy relationship
If you are being treated badly or abused by a person you’re in a romantic relationship with, this is called domestic violence. Sometimes it can be really hard to speak up for yourself if you’re experiencing domestic violence, but there are places that can give you help and support:
1800RESPECT is an information, counselling and referral service for women who are experiencing domestic violence. Their phone line and online chat are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Phone: 1800 737 732
Online chat: 1800-Respect
Sunny is an accessible app that provides advice and support for women with disabilities who have experienced domestic violence. You can download it on iOS and Android devices from the App Store or Google Play, or you can download it here:
Staying Safe
It’s important to know the signs of feeling and being unsafe. It also helps to know the correct words for your body parts, and the different ways you can keep yourself safe. These things are called protective behaviours. This Family Planning Victoria flyer explains more about protective behaviours:
FP Vic Protective Behaviours (Plain English)
Ways to Stay Safe is an Easy Read booklet made by People with Disabilities WA (PWDWA) that talks about staying safe at home, work, and in the community, and who you can talk to if you need help:
Sexual Health
When you’re in a relationship with someone you might want to start doing sexual things to each other, like kissing and touching each other’s bodies, or having sex. Doing these sexual things can be very fun for both people, but it’s very important to make sure you do these sexy things in a safe way. This is called having safe sex.
Having safe sex helps prevent you and your partner from catching any infections or diseases from each other. Infections and diseases that spread by doing sexual things are called sexually transmitted infections (STI’s). Catching a STI can make you very sick, but some people with a STI might not have any signs at all. Some of the signs of having a STI can be:
- itching, sore skin, rashes or lumps on your body or your private areas (called your genitals)
- feeling like your genitals are burning when you go to the toilet
- pain when you touch your genitals or have sex
- feeling tired and unwell
- diarrhea or vomiting.
Safe Sex
There are lots of different ways you can have safe sex, but the most common way is by using a condom. A condom is a thin rubber sheath that goes over the man’s penis and stops any STI’s from passing between you and your partner when having sex. Condoms are also better at stopping STI’s than any other safe sex method, but any type of safe sex is better than having unsafe sex (which is called unprotected sex). Condoms also prevent pregnancy (having babies).
What are STI’s? is an Easy English booklet made by Family Planning Victoria:
FP Vic What are STI’s? (Plain English)
Contraception
Contraception is something you or your partner can use to prevent getting pregnant. Having a baby is a very big decision and is a decision that both people in a relationship have to agree on, so it is important to use contraception if you don’t want to have a baby. Using a condom is a very effective type of contraception, and is the only contraception that also stops STI’s.
There are also lots of other types of contraception, like a tablet that a woman can take every day called the contraceptive pill, as well as injections and other methods that can be given to females by their doctor.
SECCA’s Safe Sex Brochure was made for people with disabilities to learn about STI’s, contraception, how to have safe sex, and who to contact if you need support or advice:
This Easy English booklet by Family Planning Victoria talks all about safe sex and contraception:
FP Vic Contraception (Plain English)
Sexual Diversity
The most common type of romantic relationship is between a man and a woman. This is called a heterosexual relationship. But sometimes people want to be in a romantic relationship with people that are the same sex as them – this is called being homosexual. Some examples of this are when a man is attracted to other men – this is called being gay. And when a woman is attracted to other women, its called being lesbian. And sometimes, people like to be in a romantic relationship with more than one person at a time – this is called polyamory.
Sometimes a person is born a male, but wants to be a female, or a person is born a female and wants to be a male – this is called being transgender. And some people don’t want to be called either male or female – this is called being non-binary. All these different types of sexualities are part of sexual diversity. Everyone has the right to do what they want with their bodies and their lives, and you should treat everyone the way you want to be treated, and respect their sexual diversity.
The Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) website has lots of information about gender and sexual diversity:
What is LGBTQIA+? is an Easy Read booklet about sexual and gender diversity, made by Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA):
Where to get support and advice about sexuality, sexual health and relationships
SECCA is an organisation that helps people with disability learn about sex, sexuality, relationships and sexual health. They also do workshops, sex education and counselling for people with disability and their families and carers, and have lots of resources that you can download on their website. You can visit or contact them for more information:
City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi St, West Perth
Phone: (08) 9420 7226
Email: admin@secca.org.au
SECCA have also made an accessible free App that teaches people with disability about relationships and sex education and helps them to communicate their sexual needs. You can download it from the App Store or Google Play or by going to this link:
On the Family Planning Victoria website you can find heaps of Plain English sexual health fact sheets about things like consent, protective behaviours, sex, contraception and more:
Mental Health
Mental health is about keeping your mind healthy. Your feelings can change the things you do and how you act. Making sure you look after your mental health is very important. This section will give you ideas and tips on how to look after your mental health. It will also talk about different problems that can change your mental health, and where you can get support to feel better.
Ways to look after your mental health
There are lots of different ways you can look after your mental health. You could:
- go for a walk
- go to lunch with a friend
- visit a friend or family member
- go to the movies
- watch a funny TV show
- go to the gym
- put on some music and dance around
- go to the beach
- take a long relaxing bath.
You can choose to do these things, or you can choose to do things that make you feel good that aren’t on the list. It’s up to you.
Council for Intellectual Disability (CID) have this Easy Read booklet with more tips to help you keep mentally well:
Mental health concerns
We have all had times where we feel sad or angry, but sometimes you might feel sad or angry for a long time. You might not even know why you are feeling sad. If you feel this way for more than 2 weeks and your feelings are making it hard for you to cope, then you might have a mental health condition.
The first thing you should do is talk about the way you are feeling to someone you trust such as a friend, family member, or support worker. You can ask them to come see the doctor with you if you want. Your doctor knows a lot about mental health and can help you work out what supports you might need to start feeling better. These supports are called treatments.
GP Mental Health Care Plan
If your doctor agrees that you need support to look after your mental health, they can make a GP Mental Health Care Plan for you. A GP Mental Health Care Plan can include referrals to people who are trained to support you with your mental health like a psychologist or a social worker. Medicare will cover up to $124.50 per hour of the cost of seeing a psychologist for up to 10 sessions per year. This means if your psychologist costs more than $124.50 per hour you just have to pay the difference. This is called a gap fee.
To get a GP Mental Health Care Plan you need to make an appointment with your usual doctor. It’s a good idea to let them know that you want to get a GP Mental Health Care Plan when you book your appointment because it can take a bit longer to write your Plan than a usual appointment. At your appointment be honest with your doctor about how you’ve been feeling so they can choose the right supports for you. You might find it useful to write down your feelings so you don’t forget to mention anything important. Your doctor will give you 6 psychologist sessions in your Plan to start with. If you think you need more sessions after the first 6 then go see your doctor to talk about it and they can add another 4 psychologist sessions to your Plan.
For more information about GP Mental Health Care Plans go to the Headspace website:
Medications
Your doctor might decide to give you medication to help with your mental health. Your doctor will talk to you about the different types of medications available as well as how it will help you and any side effects. If you start taking a medication but it doesn’t make you feel better within a few weeks, or it makes you feel even worse, make sure you speak to your doctor straight away.
Community mental health services
Community mental health services are free services run by the Government for people with serious mental health conditions and for people who have just gotten out of hospital so they can stay mentally well. Each community mental health service has a team of doctors, nurses, social workers and psychologists that support people to look after their mental health.
You can find Community Mental Health Services in the South West WA region in the WACHS South West Health Services Directory:
WA Country Health SW Mental Health
To find Community Mental Health Services in the Great Southern WA (Albany) region go to the Great Southern Mental Health Service website:
WA Country Health GS Mental Health
Support groups
A support group is a small group of people with the same condition who meet regularly to talk about their feelings and experiences and to share ways that help them cope. Support groups are a really good way to meet new people and to learn more about looking after your mental health. Most support groups are free.
You can find support groups in your area using the Black Dog Institute website:
ConnectGroups has a directory of contact details for hundreds of different support groups across Western Australia:
NDIS and Mental Health
The NDIS uses the term psychosocial disabilities for people who have a disability because of their mental health condition. If you have a psychosocial disability you might be able to get funding in your NDIS Plan for supports to help you stay mentally healthy. Some examples of supports you might get funded include getting a support worker to help you with everyday tasks or to help you participate in activities in your community, or funding for a psychosocial recovery coach. A psychosocial recovery coach is a person who will spend time with you and the people who help you (like your family members or support people) to understand what your needs are and will give you advice and information about different services and supports that might help you.
To get psychosocial funding from NDIS you will need to be able to prove your psychosocial disability has a severe and lifelong impact on your ability to do everyday tasks. To do this you will need to get your doctor and your support worker or other appropriate person (like a social worker or mental health worker who supports you regularly) to fill in a NDIS Evidence of Psychosocial Disability Form.
If you already have a NDIS Plan and want to see if you can get more supports added to your plan because of your psychosocial disability you should talk about it with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC).
Your LAC service provider in the South West and Great Southern regions of WA is APM. You can contact APM by calling 1300 276 522.
For more about how NDIS can support people with psychosocial disabilities as well as fact sheets and information on how to apply go to the NDIS website:
The Reimagine Today website helps people with psychosocial disability to understand the NDIS, including who can apply, how to apply, and how to make sure your NDIS Plan helps you get the supports you need:
Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA) has made this set of really useful NDIS resources that includes fact sheets, tips, and printable booklets you can fill in that will help you choose the supports and services for you:
Mental health crisis helplines
Mental Health Emergency Response Line (MHERL)
Phone line for anyone involved in a mental health emergency including the person’s family members, carers, people in the community or health professionals. MHERL can give information, advice and referrals to people in the Perth metro and Peel (Mandurah-Waroona) areas.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Perth metro area: 1300 555 788
Peel (Mandurah-Waroona area): 1800 676 822
RuralLink
After-hours mental health phone service for people living in country and remote WA regions. The trained mental health staff can give advice, information and referrals to other mental health services. Available Monday to Friday 5pm – 8am and 24 hours a day on weekends.
Freecall: 1800 552 002
Lifeline
Crisis support given by trained volunteers to anyone experiencing mental health distress. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Phone: 13 11 14
Text chat: 0477 13 11 14
(Available everyday, 10am – 10pm AWST)
Online chat: Lifeline Crisis Chat
(Available everyday, 5pm – 10pm AWST)
Beyond Blue
Talk to trained mental health professionals and get advice, information and referrals to other mental health services. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Phone: 1300 22 4636
Online chat: Beyond Blue Councellor Chat
(Available everyday, 11am – 10pm AWST)
Suicide Call Back Service
Phone line and online chat with trained counsellors who can give support and advice to anyone affected by suicide. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Phone: 1300 659 467
Online chat: Suicide Call Back Service
More mental health resources
Visit the SANE website for more information about the different types of mental health treatment available:
SANE Treatments Mental Illness
Healthy Mind is an Easy Read website created to help people with intellectual disabilities look after their mental health by doing fun online activities and worksheets:
People who can help me with my Mental Health is an Easy Read booklet made by the University of NSW:
Online Safety
Doing things online can be useful and fun but it’s important to know how you can keep yourself safe online.
Keeping your personal information safe when you’re online:
- Be careful about sharing your personal information, including where you live, and where you go to school or work
- Use passwords that people won’t be able to guess
- Keep your passwords safe and don’t tell other people. You might want to share your passwords with a loved one, but don’t share them with friends or strangers
- If you use a computer that doesn’t belong to you, always log out when you have finished
- Don’t use public computers or public WiFi to do your online banking or shopping.
Making and meeting online friends and online dating:
- Always talk to someone you can trust if you are thinking about online dating
- Never give anyone on an online dating website your personal information, such as your address or bank details, and never send people money
- Remember anyone can make a fake profile – you don’t really know if they are who they say they are
- Never meet a stranger for a date by yourself, and never meet in places such as their home. Choose a busy public place such as a café
- If something feels wrong, tell a parent or someone else you trust immediately
- If you have been hurt or abused by someone you met up with from online, tell the Police.
Tips for staying safe on social media:
- Don’t put too much personal information in your profile
- You can change your privacy settings in Facebook so that only your Facebook friends can see what you post
- Don’t accept friend requests from people you haven’t met or you don’t like or trust
- You can ‘un-friend’ anyone who is upsetting you
- You can also block people so they can’t see anything about you on Facebook, and you can’t see them.
Tips for staying safe when using online banking or online shopping:
- If you use internet banking, make sure it is the real bank website. You can do this by typing the URL into the address bar and making sure there is a locked padlock icon next to the URL
- Don’t let your computer auto-save your username or password
- Always log out of online banking when you have finished
- Contact your bank to block cards and bank accounts if you’ve been hacked.
To report an online scam go to the ScamWatch website:
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is online bullying. Some examples of cyberbullying are:
- People saying mean things in text messages and emails
- People sending you messages, pictures or videos that make you upset or embarrass you
- People gossiping or spreading nasty rumours about you.
What can I do if I’m being cyberbullied?
- Leave any groups or chats where people are being mean and upsetting you.
- Keep copies of messages or photos that have been sent to make you feel bad. You can do this by taking screen shots and saving them or printing them out.
- Don’t reply to the person who is bullying you. Don’t say bad things back to them either, because this can also get you into trouble.
- Block the bully’s phone number and social media account so they can’t contact you.
- Talk to someone you trust about what is happening.
You also need to make sure you don’t become a cyberbully yourself. Don’t share anything online that could upset someone. This could be things like mean comments, gossiping, cruel or rude jokes, rude or upsetting photos or videos.
For more information about Cyberbullying visit the eSafety Commissioner website:
For fact sheets and Easy English resources about staying safe online, visit the ThinkUKnow website:
More online safety resources
The eSafety Commissioner website has Easy Read booklets about being safe online and image-based online abuse:
ESafety Living With Disability (Easy Read)
Down Syndrome Australia have made this useful booklet about how to stay safe online: