Queensland Police Union Journal

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QRPA QRPA NEWS – JUNE 2013 State Secretary: Jillian Steinkamp steinkamp.jillian@gmail.com 0411 401 596 QRPA website: www.qrpa.asn.au Email: queenslandretiredpolice@gmail.com There is no message this month from the State President, Mick O’Brien. Mick and Therese are pursuing their passion for cruising and are away from late April to early June. Doubtless, Mick will come back from his break reinvigorated and ready to share his boundless enthusiasm and recent travel experiences with us all upon his return. THE WIDER POLICE FAMILY The State Management Committee has recently been discussing how better the QRPA can connect with spouses of deceased officers: in particular, those who spent a lifetime supporting their partners in the policing role and who might enjoy still being connected to the wider police family. One way in which this can occur is to include spouses of deceased officers on distribution lists to receive QRPA news and newsletters. If you know of a police widow or widower who would like to receive news from QRPA, please let Jillian Steinkamp know on 0411 401 596 or at queenslandretiredpolice@gmail.com QRPA MEMBERSHIP FEES Annual membership fees are due on 1 July. Please take the time to ensure your 2013/14 membership fees are paid by the due date. • Membership fees are: • Members and Senior Members $20, Veteran Members $10, Associates $5 • Payment may be made: • To your branch Treasurer • Where not a member of a branch, directly to the State Treasurer by – Transfer to BSB 704 052 A/c 1013730, reference ‘your name’, or if transferring from your QPCU account to a/c 1013730S1, or – Cheque payable to ‘QRPA’ and mailed to The State Treasurer, 48 Betheden Terrace, Ashgrove 4060 IS THERE A CURE FOR OLD AGE? At the March QPRA meeting at Police Headquarters, Rob Thiel- Paul addressed members on good health and ‘staying strong’. Rob has kindly agreed to share his expertise with all QRPA members and has written an article which will be published in three parts. Part 1 is on Sarcopenia, which is the age-related decrease in muscle mass and function. Essentially, it is the first stages of disability in older people and leads to the development of chronic and lifestyle diseases. It gives another name to ‘old age’, and it shows that the signs are reversible. Rob Thiel-Paul is currently the Physical Activities Officer for the Queensland Police Service. His six years experience with the QPS has given him firsthand understanding of the health challenges police face during and after their careers. Rob has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Sports Coaching, is a qualified secondary teacher, and is currently undertaking a Masters of Exercise Science in Strength and Conditioning. Passionate about health and fitness, Rob’s background in professional sports coaching and athlete strength and condition gives him a complete understanding of the intricacies of human performance, be it on the field or in daily life. STAYING STRONG Part 1 – Sarcopenia In another 27 years, it is estimated that 30.1% of the Australian population will be over 60 years of age. In 2000, 16.6% of the population was over 60. An ageing population raises many challenges, but one thing is universally agreed on: people in retirement will need to take greater responsibility for themselves, because resources and services will be stretched thinner than they already are. What does this mean for you? It will pay to take control. A timeworn coaching adage is ‘control the controllables’ – your health is a controllable. Sarcopenia is the condition of age-related decline in muscle mass and strength. This condition is accepted to be ‘an important antecedent’ to the start of disability in older adults. There are more and more insights coming from the research about this condition, with some quarters even confident that in time they’ll find a cure for it, that is – a cure for old age. There is a complex range of hormonal and cell-signalling 78 Queensland Police Union Journal June 2013
QRPA changes associated with sarcopenia, and with advancements in molecular technologies, expect much more light to be shone on this area in the coming years. However, one of the most effective treatments in offsetting sarcopenia at this time is proving to be resistance training. Part 1 of this series will explore what happens under the skin as you age. Part 2 will look at the relationships between physical activity, specifically resistance training and chronic and lifestyle diseases. Part 3 will show you the way forward by offering up a resistance training program that you can do at home with no equipment that is suitable for all ages and strength levels. The good news with our ageing population is that there is an ever-increasing amount of new research and understanding about the ageing process. We know what to expect and how to best offset these effects. There will always be someone promoting a miracle pill, cream, food, supplement, device, or even a whole therapy, but the human body is a very complex organism and understanding one single approach won’t cure all our problems. If something seems too good to be generally true, it generally is. Taking control of your health starts with understanding it, and we’ve included this series of articles to start that process. Taking Control As you age, the following happens under your skin: • Your neural impulses weaken and decrease in ‘firing’ rate • Your muscle fibres decrease in size and number • You lose strength and power • You lose bone density • You become a little more unbalanced (only physically of course) • You become more likely to develop a chronic disease You lose strength and power Strength and power come from two places: motor units and muscle fibres. Motor units are responsible for the neural impulse that makes all your movements happen. They attach to muscle fibre and ‘stimulate’ the fibre to interact with its neighbour to create a contraction in your muscle. The impulse to stimulate your muscle fibres comes from your brain, down your spinal cord, and then onto the muscle. Some muscle contractions can come directly from your spine and we generally call these ‘reflexes’. Understand that nerves are a two-way street. Impulses also travel the other way, to your spinal cord onto your brain. How else would we know that that foot is ours? The other factor is your muscle fibres and they can have different characteristics. They can be thin, have a slower contraction rate, and be resistant to fatigue. On the contrary, they can be thick, have a fast contraction rate, but fatigue quite quickly. A great example of this is the differences in body shape and size of 100m sprinters and marathon runners. For people who have a ‘general condition’, their fibres will be a hybrid of these two types. The decrease in strength and power as you get older is caused by a decrease in (a) the strength of the neural impulses, (b) a decrease in muscle fibre size and number, and (c) decrease in number of motor units (remember they are attached to muscle fibres). Research has shown that you can lose up to 30% of your strength and muscle mass between the ages of 30 to 70. In early adulthood, skeletal muscle makes up approximately 35-40% of your body weight. So let’s say you weigh 70kg when you’re 30, approximately 28% of you is muscle. By the age of 70, you could lose up to 8.4kg of muscle fibre. The very interesting thing is the more muscle mass you have, the higher your chances of survival! This is the same for serious burns: the greater amount of muscle mass you have, the more likely you are to recover from third degree burns. Greater muscle mass significantly decreases your chance of developing chronic lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes and surviving diseases such as cancer. Another fall-out of a decrease in muscle mass and function is less stability for your joints. Muscle acts over joints to either move them or stabilise them. A consequence of weaker muscles is weaker joints. As you age, there is also a decrease in blood supply to joints, and an increase in degeneration of cartilage (spongy ‘stuff’ that sits between bones) and joint fluid. As you age, there is a decrease in bone density. Bone isn’t a static, rock-hard substance that never changes. It’s a living, ever-changing part of your body. In this regard, it could be compared with coral you find under the sea. During adolescence and early adulthood, your body lays down as much bone as it can and then it works at continually renewing it. As you move through adulthood, the rate at which it can ‘renew’ is slower than the break-down rate, so you end up with ‘less dense bones’. The magnitude to which your bone mineral density decreases is dependent on a few things: genetics, gender, diet history (specifically calcium intake over your lifespan), and your muscle mass and strength. The final, notable consequence of the loss of muscle mass is a decrease in balance. For young retirees, falling over and breaking a hip may not be as immediate a concern as it is for well-seasoned retirees, but understand that becoming ‘unbalanced’ isn’t something you wake up and notice one day. It’s a gradual process and highly treatable. Four Pillars to Good Health Get high quality sleep Eat a nutritious diet Be active Have a caring GP Queensland Police Union Journal June 2013 79
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JUNE 2013 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF T
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Contents also in this issue... COVE
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General President & CEO activity fo
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General Secretary and together you
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Southern Region Roundup DARREN LEES
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Far Northern Region Roundup MARTY B
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Northern Region Roundup PETER THOMA
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Central Region Roundup BILL FELDMAN
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North Coast Region Roundup GRANT WI
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Metro South Region Roundup TONY COL
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CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR STATION Please
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QPU Conference 2013 QPU Conference
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QPU Conference 2013 Interstate and
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The QPU’s New Life Members STEVE
Page 29 and 30: The QPU’s New Life Members Margar
Page 31 and 32: Vale Gene Poole “He appreciated a
Page 33 and 34: Vale Gene Poole A TRIBUTE By Sergea
Page 35 and 36: A Glock at a gunfight? Is it a spea
Page 43 and 44: Clean Up Horn Island Day Down in th
Page 45 and 46: Your dream home now has a dream rat
Page 47 and 48: International Police Perspectives C
Page 49 and 50: International Police Perspectives
Page 51 and 52: Day in the Life of Senior Sergeant
Page 53 and 54: Fast-track your savings with a QPCU
Page 55 and 56: Book Review - Police Don’t Move -
Page 57 and 58: THE GOLD COAST POLICE LEGACY RACE D
Page 59 and 60: Police Living Police Living Picture
Page 61 and 62: Out and About Out and About NOOSA F
Page 63 and 64: Gilshenan & Luton 2012 Legal Overvi
Page 65 and 66: DRIVE AWAY WITH a great DOUBLE DEAL
Page 67 and 68: ‘Grandparenting’ Orders • the
Page 69 and 70: Updates: EB and The Stewart Restruc
Page 71 and 72: QInvest’s Financial Advisers are
Page 73 and 74: Women’s Advisory Committee Overvi
Page 76 and 77: Letters to the Editor Letters to th
Page 78 and 79: Police Health Police Health by Pete
Page 82 and 83: QRPA THE ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE For the
Page 84 and 85: QRPA IPSWICH The Ipswich branch of
Page 86 and 87: Don’t break the safety chain Repo
Page 88: Thinking of hopping into a new car?
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