Page 3 - Lansdowne Gardens Newsletter Winter 2019_Final

3 LANSDOWNE NEWS, WINTER 2019
Feature Article & News from Cranbrook Care

Harvest

Collective

Program Winter is upon us which means shorter

days and colder nights. More time is spent
Lansdowne Gardens is taking indoors around others and that increases
part in the Harvest Collective our risk of exposure to the flu virus.
Gardening Program in
conjunction with North Sydney
Council. Harvest Collective is an Anyone, even healthy people can get sick with the
apartment‐based approach to flu and problems related to flu can happen at any
sustainable food, providing residents of North Sydney age, but older people are at a greater risk of
with the skills and knowledge to set up a food garden developing serious flu‐related complications if they
and increase their understanding of sustainable food – in get sick. People over the age of 65 and people with
a shared apartment common area. It is more than just a certain chronic medical conditions like asthma,
planting day – it is designed to build capacity and help diabetes, or heart disease are at even higher risk of
residents manage and maintain their food garden. Since developing serious complications from the flu
2018, residents living in apartments have been provided because of weakened immune systems. Most
the skills, resources and knowledge to create a shared people who get flu will recover in less than two
space, learn from each other, and grow and harvest their weeks, but some people will develop complications
own food collectively. like infections, pneumococcal pneumonia, and even
organ failure. Complications can be life‐threatening
What does Harvest Collective hope to achieve? resulting in hospitalisations and even death. It is
important to stay healthy not just for ourselves but
 To increase engagement and capacity for Strata to
grow their own food in North Sydney for others around us which is why health officials
 To increase local food production and consumption recommend getting a flu vaccine every year.
Because pneumococcal pneumonia is a serious flu‐
 To reduce food waste going to landfill
related complication that can cause death, health
What does it involve? officials also recommend for those over age 65 to
get a pneumococcal vaccine at the same time. Both
Harvest Collective is a structured program of seed‐to‐ the flu vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine are free
table workshops, with the aim of increasing local food to those over the age of 65. Other ways to help stay
production and consumption through a combination of healthy this winter and not spread the flu include:
facilitated hands‐on learning and capacity building.
Some materials and resources will be provided to help  Washing your hands regularly, especially before
get the food garden up and running. and after visiting people who may be at high
risk.

 Cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing.

 Using disposable tissues and throwing them in
the bin immediately after use.

 Keeping surfaces like telephones and door
handles clean.

For more information on Cranbrook at Home
please call 02 9458 9950 or email
contact@cranbrookathome.com.au