Prophylactic Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy (PBSO) reduces the risk of developing ovarian cancer. However, the psychological mechanisms that may affect post-surgery Quality of Life (QoL) among patients who underwent PBSO are still largely unknown. Thus, this study aimed at exploring the direct and indirect associations of satisfaction with medical communication and cancer anxiety on post-surgery QoL among women at high risk of developing ovarian cancer. Post-surgery psychological QoL was unrelated from any sociodemographic or clinical variable. Cancer anxiety had a significant direct negative effect on psychological QoL, while satisfaction with medical communication had a significant positive direct effect on it. Finally, cancer anxiety significantly mediated the association between satisfaction with medical communication and post-surgery psychological QoL. Results suggest that post-surgery psychological QoL of patients who underwent PBSO may be increased with interventions, delivered in a genetic counselling setting, targeting quality of medical communication and cancer anxiety. Volume 13 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.840931 Background: Prophylactic Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy (PBSO) reduces the risk of developing ovarian cancer the psychological mechanisms that may affect post-surgery Quality of Life (QoL) among patients who underwent PBSO are still largely unknown this study aimed at exploring the direct and indirect associations of satisfaction with medical communication and cancer anxiety on post-surgery QoL among women at high risk of developing ovarian cancer Method: Fifty-nine women (mean age: 50.64 ± 6.7 years) who underwent PBSO took part in this cross-sectional study filling out a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire a battery of validated psychological measures and an ad hoc developed scale for the assessment of cancer anxiety We first examined the correlations among all variables of interest and then tested if cancer anxiety mediated the association between satisfaction with medical communication and post-surgery psychological QoL controlling both for time from surgery and education Results: Post-surgery psychological QoL was unrelated from any sociodemographic or clinical variable Cancer anxiety had a significant direct negative effect on psychological QoL while satisfaction with medical communication had a significant positive direct effect on it cancer anxiety significantly mediated the association between satisfaction with medical communication and post-surgery psychological QoL Discussion: Results suggest that post-surgery psychological QoL of patients who underwent PBSO may be increased with interventions delivered in a genetic counselling setting targeting quality of medical communication and cancer anxiety anxiety symptomatology specifically related to the worry of developing cancer) may also play a significant role in affecting post-surgery QoL They further report the need for supportive communications (Babb et al., 2002), in particular relative to the effects of surgical menopause, the link between Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and breast cancer (Meiser et al., 2000), and potential physical and emotional effects of the surgery (Hallowell, 1998) Literature on this population has several shortcomings. In accordance with Finch and Narod (2011) well performed follow-up studies on the long-term health and quality of life consequences of BPSO are still missing very few studies focused on the role of medical communication in the field of genetic counselling or prophylactic surgery and no studies focused on cancer anxiety after BPSO nor on the relationship between anxiety and QoL in this population In order to overcome these limits, we tested a mediation model in a population of PBSO patients, where the association between satisfaction with medical communication (i.e., the level of satisfaction regarding the medical communication received during the surgery pathway) and post-surgery psychological QoL is mediated by cancer anxiety. In accordance with Stark and House (2000) we hypothesized that a greater satisfaction with medical communication will reduce the overall levels of cancer anxiety leading to a greater post-surgery psychological QoL The majority of the participants attended high school (54.2%) they were mostly diagnosed with a BRCA 1/2 genetic mutation (81.6%) or had a history of breast cancer (67.8%) treated with a mastectomy (66.1%) and standard deviations for all sociodemographic and psychological variables examined in our sample of women who underwent Prophylactic Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy (PBSO; N = 59) Satisfaction with medical communication received in relation to the surgery was assessed through a single item on a Likert-type scale (i.e. from 0 = “completely unsatisfied” to 10 = “completely satisfied”) The item asked patients “From 0 (completely unsatisfied) to 10 (completely satisfied) how much satisfied are you with the medical information you received before and after the prophylactic surgery?” Cancer anxiety was examined through an ad hoc developed cancer anxiety scale composed by two Likert-type items investigating both “Cancer rumination” and “Cancer risk perception.” The items asked patients to rate from 0 (“not at all”) to 10 (“very much”) how much they experienced the following mental states: (a) “I have recurring thoughts about cancer” (Cancer rumination); “I have the perception that my life is constantly threatened” (Cancer risk perception) Cancer anxiety total score is calculated by the mean of the two items and ranges from 0 to 10 Higher scores indicate higher cancer anxiety Sociodemographic and clinical information were collected using a structured ad-hoc self-report questionnaire Sexual functioning was assessed through the Italian version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; α in the current study: 0.96; Filocamo et al., 2014) The FSFI is a 19-items scale aimed at targeting the six domains of female sexual functioning: desire (two items are rated on a 6-point Likert-type scale (from 0 to 5) while the items of the subscales desire and satisfaction are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale (from 1 to 5) with higher scores indicating a better sexual functioning Sexual distress was investigated through the Female Sexual Distress—revised (FSDS-r; α in the current sample: 0.97; Derogatis et al., 2008) a 13-items scale aimed at assessing distress related to sexuality Respondents indicate how often each of the listed sexual-related problems (e.g. absence of desire and feeling of guilty) has caused distress in the previous 7 days on a Liker-type scale from 0 (“never”) to 4 (“always”) with higher scores indicating greater sexual distress The Italian translated version provided by the authors (copyright: American Foundation for Urological Disease Inc.) has been used in this research study Body image distress was assessed through the Italian version of the Body Image Scale (BIS; α in the current sample: 0.93; Cheli et al., 2016) The BIS is a 10-item measure of different dimensions of body image in cancer patients It uses a 4-point response scale (from 0 = “not at all,” to 3 = “very much”) with higher scores indicating worse symptoms and distress or more body image concerns we aimed at assessing body image beliefs in the last week and in relation to surgery consequences We performed an a priori power analysis (F test family and linear multiple regression with two predictors as statistical test) using the software G*POWER 3.1. We first extracted effect sizes from a similar study on QoL of women at high risk for breast cancer who underwent a prophylactic surgery (f2 = 0.17; Brandberg et al., 2008) The a priori power analysis evidenced that 60 participants were required to detect a medium-high effect size (f2 = 0.17) on psychological QoL (α = 0.05; Power = 0.80) Data were initially screened for assumptions. Thus, we tested for the presence of univariate and multivariate outliers, and examined the univariate normality of all variables of interest (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2007) We then investigated the possible relationships between sociodemographic through Pearson’s or Spearman’s r correlation coefficients The mediation model in the sample of patients who underwent Prophylactic Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy (PBSO; N = 59) All analyses were run with SPSS version 26 (SPSS, 2019) and a value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant Preliminary analyses evidenced that all variables were normally distributed while no univariate or multivariate outliers were identified the cancer anxiety scale specifically developed for this study evidenced good psychometric properties: a Principal Component Analysis with one extracted component explained 93.65% of the variance and both items had a saturation of 0.97 with the factor “cancer anxiety.” The internal consistency was also good Zero-order correlations between post-surgery psychological Quality of Life (QoL) and all variables of interest (N = 59) cancer anxiety had a significant negative direct effect on post-surgical psychological QoL (β = −0.392 while satisfaction with medical communication was a significant positive predictor of the dependent variable (β = 0.345 cancer anxiety mediated the association between satisfaction with medical communication and post-surgical psychological QoL (β = 0.112 with medium effects This model accounted for approximately 35% of the variance in the dependent variable This study sought to investigate if cancer anxiety mediated the association between satisfaction with medical communication and post-surgery psychological QoL a greater satisfaction with medical communication decreases cancer anxiety which in turn improves post-surgical psychological QoL very few studies have investigated QoL after BPSO and even fewer examined the predictors of long-term post-surgery QoL within this sample Our study provided a significant contribution to this emerging topic focusing on the needs and shortcomings of the current literature we hypothesize that a greater quality of medical communication focused on providing accurate information on (i) the risk condition or genetic predisposition using an emphatic and patient-centered style may be associated with a greater satisfaction with medical communication may enhance both the patients’ self-efficacy competencies and their focus on an internal locus of control (i.e. the beliefs that the outcomes of one own’s actions are results of one own abilities and choices) thanks to a greater satisfaction with medical communication patients who underwent PBSO may experience psychological changes that promote psychological QoL and reduce perceived risk and rumination on cancer Despite the clinical significance of our findings the retrospective assessment of the satisfaction with medical communication and the use of an ad-hoc measure of cancer anxiety may limit the generalizability of our findings The retrospective assessment of the satisfaction with medical information could have been affected by a recall bias even if we tried to partially control for this systematic error entering time from surgery as a covariate in our mediation model satisfaction with medical communication and quality of medical communication are partially overlapping—but still distinct—dimensions the former may be influenced by other personal or clinical factors (e.g. not per se reflecting the quality of the communication satisfaction with medical communication may also be affected by health literacy and education even if we tried to partially control for this including educational level as covariate in the mediation model Findings support the importance to guarantee high quality of counselling provided to women undergoing PBSO it could be helpful (i) to include mental health practitioners within the genetic screening procedure or as part of the pre-surgical evaluation team and (ii) to deliver specific communication-based trainings for the medical team aimed at reducing the cancer anxiety experienced by patients High-quality medical communication and greater patients’ satisfaction could help those who undergo PBSO to better cope with the long-term psychological sequelae of prophylactic surgery and increasing—in the long run—their overall sense of wellbeing and QoL Better satisfaction with BPSO and subsequent greater QoL might be in turn related to a wider diffusion of prophylactic surgical treatments and the maximization of ovarian cancer prevention The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher the “Inner Wheel” Association and the Gorla Utensili SRL for their continuous and generous support Average risks of breast and ovarian cancer associated with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations detected in case series unselected for family history: a combined analysis of 22 studies Life quality of patients who underwent breast reconstruction after prophylactic mastectomy: systematic review Prophylactic oophorectomy at elective hysterectomy: effects on psychological well-being at 1-year follow-up and its correlations to sexuality Qualitative evaluation of medical information 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Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience director of operations for the Obici House leads a group from Suffolk Sister Cities through the historic residence Serene Cadamuro and Andrea Brugnera listen on Four Italian teens on Wednesday took a tour of Suffolk’s famed Obici House as a part of a Suffolk Sister Cities-hosted student exchange Serena Cadamuro and Andrea Brugnera all hail from around Oderzo the founder of the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company and the former owner of the house She walked the guests through each room in the house and told about the house’s construction and the people that lived in it The house was modeled after a villa in Obici’s native Italy and has many features made from materials brought in from Oderzo Tagg regaled them with stories of possible ghosts in the house talking about her experiences with doors creepily opening and slamming shut Each of the teenagers that came to Suffolk from Italy remarked about how different life in Suffolk is emphasizing differences ranging from the culture to the architecture “The whole experience for me is the most different,” Zulianello said Ghirardo said that another big difference is the openness of the people in America “The people are a lot more confident,” Ghirardo said “They will always start a conversation with you.” Ghirardo added that Suffolk is much more spread out because in Italy one can bike or walk from place to place Suffolk Sister Cities has made sure that its guests get to experience quintessential American sites and eaten plenty of American food in the time they have been here Brugnera and Cadamuro agreed that s’mores were the best American treat they had also praising hamburgers and fried chicken they enjoyed the tour and have liked Suffolk so far and it showed the connection between Oderzo and Suffolk The teens were accompanied on their tour by Theresa Sims the vice president of Suffolk Sister Cities; Joe Questore The airlines are hopping between Suffolk and Oderzo this summer — two Suffolk teens are currently visiting Italy and a delegation of 26 adults from Oderzo will visit here in August There are four games on the college basketball schedule on Monday that feature MEAC squads 10-2 MEAC) are traveling to face the North Carolina Central Eagles (12-17 The Miami Heat (28-31) are at home in Southeast Division action against the Washington Wizards (11-48) on Monday,… The Washington Capitals’ Dylan Strome and the Ottawa Senators’ Tim Stutzle are two of the best players to… The Norfolk State Spartans (25-4) will look to continue a 14-game winning stretch when visiting the North Carolina… What we learned about ‘Merchant of Venice’ by staging it in the city where it was set I read and reread the email from David Scott Kastan a Shakespeare professor and scholar at Yale inviting me into The Merchant of Venice Project in the Venice Ghetto in 2016 David had imagined an ingenious and provocative way to wrap together the 500th anniversary of the Ghetto’s origin and the 400th of Shakespeare’s death: to perform The Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto itself My heart and head pounded with exhilaration and a good measure of trepidation Merchant is a play freighted with decades of anti-Semitism The Nazis played it repeatedly to justify their own anti-Jewish killing machines; universities have banned its production; scholars have openly called this play unworthy of its author for its treatment of its larger-than-life character Shylock And the Ghetto represents both a thriving hub of Jewish world culture and a once-quarantined island confined and marginalized by the dominant Venetian culture I found myself wondering whether a performance in this reborn ghetto of 2016 might uncover something new in the play and in the culture Perhaps the exorcising of Shylock’s ghost might send an urgent message that we need to hear now more than ever How would the neighbors in the Ghetto respond to an American theatre company taking the lead in this production The Ghetto is located on a small island in the northeast part of Venice just as Venice was at its zenith as a trading and commercial city-state The informal mayor of the reborn Jewish Ghetto also a Shakespearean professor at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice and the founder of Beit Venezia is busy reviving the historic fabric of the Ghetto while trying to infuse it and repopulate it with vibrant cultural life Kastan and Bassi talked about my directing the play; the mayor was eager for the production not to be imported but rather to be “made in Venice.” That raised many production considerations: the languages to be spoken for an international audience both on the creative side and among the acting company It also afforded us a dream open-air venue the campo—the piazza at the Ghetto center with its stone floor resonant of all Ghetto life when the Ghetto’s inhabitants found their perches at balcony or window we would also find less welcome guests: the chirping cicadas with their incessant mating calls a backdrop of sexual longing that permeated the Venetian romantic high jinks of Merchant for the first 30 minutes They stopped every night abruptly at 9:05 p.m My theatre company, Compagnia de’ Colombari had many years of performing in Italy and working with an international ensemble under its belt and it was partly for this reason that Kastan approached me in the first place We had performed the medieval mystery plays on Orvieto’s stone streets and now we were planning to perform on the stone floor of the campo and I talked about the set being “the thing itself.” Peter approached the set with the same unvarnished urban immediacy designing a stadium seating for the audience and plunking it down in the campo facing the most interesting architecture: the Italian and German synagogues each with five expressive shuttered windows looking down Though Peter and I had much experience together on the island of Manhattan and the cliff town of Orvieto we never understood until in situ what it meant to build in Venice The steel traveled from the warehouse to a truck to a canal boat to a hand cart and finally landed on the campo for construction all courtesy of our remarkable Venetian technical director Several knowledgeable Venetians pointed me to Stefano Nicolao who has a well-appointed atelier just minutes away from the Ghetto on the Fondamenta Misericordia (next to some delectable eating places) Stefano responded to my aesthetic by pushing past the heavy period costumes and designing with a fluid elegance that honored the Elizabethan silhouette with a very light modern touch since costume changes would be as open-air as the play and would be woven into the performance itself At the invitation of Shaul Bassi and Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University we took “The Shylock Project” (as we called it) into workshop on Isola San Giorgio in the summer of 2015 There I developed my approach to The Merchant of Venice my directing assistant; in Venice we found a lively group of 15 Venetian performers the workshop gave me my first opportunity to sketch out the theatrical approach to Merchant We developed the play mostly in English with two scenes in Veneziano Italian In lively preparatory conversations with dramaturg Walter Valeri we chose an oration by Ruzzante “on love” to be spoken by Launcelot—or Lancillotto hence starting off the “comedy” on the scent of sexual love with bits of Spanish (for the Prince of Arragon) and bits of Arabic (for the Prince of Morocco) passages in French and German in the mockery of Shylock and heightened moments for each Shylock scene in Ladino In popular memory the play hangs on two famous speeches: Shylock’s plea for humanity (“Do we not bleed?”) and Portia’s argument for mercy (“The quality mercy is not strained”) The character of Shylock himself has become iconic over centuries in thematic portrayal And Portia is often characterized as a smart Yet the play seems to dig deeper into the dark heart of humankind beneath these two uncompromising poles of justice and mercy; Shakespeare turns us to the mirror and opens the soul of our humanity For any director the challenge is to tear the play out of the expected I had considered the possibility of a famous actor to play the role of Shylock Certainly there have been many memorable performances of Shylock across the boards and on the screen Was there a 21st-century wavelength that would allow this ancient man But rather than concentrating the dimensions of Shylock on one actor’s interpretation and one consistent with my ensemble company: opening up the character to five actors of different age each actor playing one of Shylock’s five scenes The point was not to ignore Shylock’s Jewishness but to unlock and unveil the common humanity of his being Shylock the Jew is also Shylock the immigrant a five-actor Shylock would demand more of its audience; but my hope was that the audience would find itself in Shylock Of course Shylock cannot be painted with a single brushstroke: The play takes us through his keen mind In the Venice workshop we tested this idea Five actors played five very different aspects of Shylock: the businessman In the third scene of the play we meet Shylock for the first time when Shylock #1 (played by Sorab Wadia) spars with Antonio (played by Reg E Cathey in workshop and by Stefano Scherini in production) In the fierce negotiation between these two cynical  businessmen of the infamous bond Both are rivals and players in a high-stakes world and the other marked as a resident of the Venice Ghetto both well versed in the commercial law of Venice both inside this snarling recognition of the Other at the moment that they make the deal a mutual refusal to break the wall of pride which foretells the play’s tragic climax The ugly history of tribal enmity that shadows that first Shylock scene is surely one we recognize and hates this Venetian of the dominant class as a “Christian” who “rails” on him and his “well worn thrift.” Antonio embarrassed by his need to go to a social inferior for an exorbitant loan shall we be beholding to you?” Shylock sarcastically responds “Is it possible a cur can lend three thousand ducats?” and “Fair sir you spat on me on Wednesday last.” An odd intimacy infuses their mutual hostility—a Machiavellian respect for the enemy with whom you must ultimately reconcile so that business can resume and life can go on Both actors are locked in a laser beam of anger broken only when Shylock suggests the infamous pound of flesh the “merry sport” which forms the basis of the bond cackling sound which ignites Shylock to join him The idea is so ludicrous and transgressive and of a sudden Both at this point have no doubt that Antonio’s ships will come in to harbor Long before the famous court scene and Shylock’s demand for his pound of flesh and the cruel manipulation of justice which follows Shakespeare has provided the play’s thematic set-up: Antonio’s un-Christian excoriating of the stranger the cool machinations of Venice’s celebrated commercialism the reduction of human promise to a written bond Even the love story of Bassanio (played by Michele Guidi from Italy) and Portia (played by Linda Powell Cold mercantilism infuses all the transactions in Merchant: the enmity of borrower and debtor but also the play’s parallel theme of love and marriage the manipulative dance of the wealthy Portia and the needy aristocrat As I understood this play and developed the inner architecture of the production’s themes wherein the five Shylock actors would come together unified by the gold sashes which adorned them In the third Shylock scene comes that first crescendo at the very instant of Shylock’s desperate moment of the heart when he discovers his daughter has left him and run away with the Christians We watch as the humiliations of the marketplace and Venetian citizenship cast upon Shylock devolve into an even more crushing excoriation of family Daughter Jessica (played by Michelle Uranowitz U.S.) is drawn into an escape away from the protective rule-bound hands of her father by the irresponsible and greedy Lorenzo (played by Paul Spera On its surface we understand the prodigal nature of her revolt: It is a hormone-driven teenage rebellion Yet the intention of the Christian plotters is to humiliate Shylock—to steal away that which is most dear to him Jessica flees with Lorenzo and his pals into the carnival night This unhinging of the play is what I imagined as the first crescendo At the call of a haunting trumpet (played by composer Frank London) wafting from the rooftop the five actors playing Shylock emerge for the first time together forming a huge circle in the Ghetto’s playing space (Each actor also plays another role.) They are ritualistically dressed by the “black angels” (our visible performing crew) with cloak and thick golden silk sash wound around their torsos to mark them as the Jew The Venetians circle around the five Shylocks in the same spirit as that of Antonio earlier (these lines are all taken from the scenes between Salanio and Salarino) The third Shylock scene emerges from this circle of five as he discovers what we all have seen: that his daughter has deserted him into the hands of the Christians The third Shylock is played by a woman (Jenni Lea Jones cacophony of mockery with a howl that slams the Ghetto into silence As one audience member remarked of this moment mournful cry reached something deeper than pain The gathering of all five Shylocks knit together the cross-human DNA of loss Jones’s howl was also a kind of prologue to Shylock’s rhetorical questions after the blood-curdling confrontation in the courtroom U.S.) enters the scene in certitude demanding strict enforcement for the pound of Antonio’s flesh that belongs to him: “I will have my bond.” What had been agreed upon “in merry sport” now becomes deadly with the loan past due For the first time in Merchant we hear the word “mercy.” In the trial scene the presiding Duke (played by Jones) calls for it enters the trial with her wise argument for it Underlying her argument is her manipulation of the power of the state and Shylock’s impotence before it Ned and I spoke about how Shylock listens to Portia’s poetic and manipulative argument in which she appropriates mercy as a Christian virtue ignoring that it’s a central tenet of Judaism As the Hebrew prophet Micah put it: “He hath showed thee what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee and to walk humbly with thy God?” In the world of the play a mercy never expressed for the Jew in the street is conveniently required of the Jew in the court How must Shylock be listening to this specious argument What is ultimately cast upon Shylock—by a law that is not judicial but rooted in power and expressed in cruelty—requires that he give up his wealth That’s where Shakespeare leaves Shylock—and us The final scene is all restoration of lost rings and financial gifts the interplay of women’s wiles and men’s coarse assumptions I am certainly not the first director to puzzle over Shakespeare’s conclusion I saw Shakespeare’s gathering of the privileged ruling Venetians in Belmont as a setting for a reprise where the five Shylocks could enter—one at a time—and take to task the ruling culture by repeating Shylock’s words spoken at the beginning of the trial scene Referencing animals used as insults against him The final moment in the Ghetto performance deals with the mercy left unactivated in the play by the humans which had silently witnessed so much over the centuries Rakhamim”—to bring back in this final moment a word so eloquently spoken of but so categorically abandoned between those in power and those marginalized outsiders were brought centerstage all the more clearly and poignantly in two performances that followed immediately upon those in the Ghetto We performed at the Summer Theater Festival in Bassano del Grappa and the next day to the marginalized inmates of the Padova Prison In both cases the attention shown to the performances demonstrated that this Merchant Now, as we eagerly prepare its next incarnation, a North American premiere at Peak Performances in Montclair it may reasonably be asked: Will this Merchant speak to contemporary U.S It’s a play in which money and celebrity are valued above all by the dominant culture adn in which a marginalized Other is framed to expose the mendacity of the controlling system Support American Theatre: a just and thriving theatre ecology begins with information for all. 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Picture: Supplied The lockdowns and movement restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have meant more interactions have moved to the video world than previously thought possible All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueDoctors a cup of tea with your grandmother: 2020 showed all of it could be done with a smartphone camera and internet connection Now Centrelink is hoping that video technology will also play a part in the future of its interactions with customers with a virtual service centre in Tuggeranong the first step in offering some services without the need to queue up at a shopfront Like many businesses and public sector departments had to completely overhaul its practices in the early days of the pandemic and keep up with the extraordinary demand on its services Centrelink offices around the country were faced with queues of people out the door and around the block While most Centrelink interactions had already moved online one remained an in-person job - providing documents to prove identity That requirement was waived in the early days of the pandemic but now Centrelink if offering the ability to prove identity with documentation through an online video appointment more than 2000 video appointments have been completed something the agency says is the first step to incorporating the technology into more elements of service delivery At a visit to Tuggeranong's virtual service centre Government Services Minister Stuart Robert said the video appointments were part of the government's promise to deliver services that were "simple "The pilot is seeing excellent results and it is an innovative approach to service delivery I would like to see expanded to ensure Australians can access the services they rely on "Services Australia staff are doing an extraordinary job through a difficult period and the Virtual Service Centre pilot is an example of how staff are meeting Australians where they are to get the help they need in a COVID world." the national manager for Face to Face Transformation said the locations people had used the service from showed how useful it was "Customers have participated in video chats from a variety of locations while they're out and about "People with young children and those working full time have especially appreciated the convenience of video chat They can access the service at a time and place that suits them I report on a range of issues in federal politics and the public service, with a real passion for how decisions made in Canberra affect the lives of Australians. Today's top stories curated by our news team Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers We've selected the best reading for your weekend Get the latest property and development news here tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert Your digital replica of Today's Paper Test your skills with interactive crosswords For 110m hurdler James Weaver (coach: Laura Turner-Alleyne 2018 has been a topsy-turvy year in his development A pelvic injury sustained in the 60m hurdles heats in Bratislava in January cut short his season before it had even begun has ended the season strongly following victories at Manchester International London Inter Club Challenge and a second place finish at Ospiti Di Gente Unica in Brugnera After returning to form following a lengthy lay-off the 21-year-old is hoping to rediscover the enjoyment that competing brings with it and shake off all his injury problems and get a solid season under his belt He said: “This season has been one of those things The injury flared up at the start of December ahead of the race at the end of January and I knew heading in it wasn’t right “It was one of the strangest competitions I’ve ever done I was on the start line but it didn’t feel as though I was actually there I did the race and couldn’t walk afterwards “This isn’t the first time I’ve had that scenario In 2015 as a second-year junior I blew out my knee in a freak training accident I fell over and bust my PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) which killed the season but at the time I don’t think I realised how difficult mentally this rehab process would be compared to 2015 “I’ve thought a lot recently about the mental side of the sport and if you’d have asked me what 2019 holds at the start of the year I’d have said ‘I want to win this & that’ but I’m not joking when I say I just want an injury-free season and to enjoy my athletics again.” Weaver fell into athletics off the back of a PE lesson where he excelled when the hurdles were placed in front of him Despite not taking up training properly until his final two years of school the Enfield & Haringey man enjoyed success at local level before earning international acclaim in 2016 with his first British vest at the Mannheim Gala He went into the weekend in Germany having set a personal best 13.53 the month prior in Bedford and shaved 0.2 seconds from that time returning to the UK ranked joint-second in the world he has represented the British team in the finals of the IAAF World U20 Championships and the European U23 Championships “That day when the hurdles were placed in front of us I thought ‘no’ But our teachers showed us all the technique and I could do it really easily They entered me into all the competitions at district level and I won all of those really easily I didn’t train and I was fuming because I didn’t win,” he joked I started training seriously in my last two years of high school and it spiralled from there Mannheim was when I got my first British vest and that whole weekend was a whirlwind I went into it with a PB of 13.53 and came out of it ranked joint-second in the world in 13.33 “It really hit me because I thought if I could get a fair run at that season injury-wise I could really do something but ended up tearing my quad in the semi-finals at world juniors and finishing seventh “European U23s was a funny one because I tore my quad six weeks before the season started and it was a hotchpotch job to see if we could salvage something I found my feet late in the season and I was doing things I’d never done before I was running super-quick but in the final it just didn’t quite come together “I ran a PB and everyone was telling me I should be pleased but in the back of my head I know I could have run quicker U23s felt like a shot at redemption after world juniors but it wasn’t meant to be I came into form really late in the season and then my quad started playing up again.” Weaver’s exploits led to him earning a place on the British Athletics Futures programme which has helped to support his training and more recently The programme has been of major benefit to Weaver and having support and faith invested in him that he can compete amongst elite athletes is something that has given him more drive to succeed in 2019 “For me it’s been massively helpful because of all the injuries I’ve had The medical cover has been superb and they have helped my coach Laura (Turner-Alleyne) with coaching education and for me “They’ve enabled me to see the sports psychologist this year as well which has been really beneficial throughout the injury process and it’s been great to have that available “It means a lot because it gives you the feeling of believing in yourself My coach believes in me but it’s nice to have external people that also believe in me but they believe in my ability and that one day can I compete at the top level,” he added There is added support for the Londoner from his parents who watch his progress from the stands but Weaver admits they don’t understand fully what he does he feels having them able to watch him competing at various meets internationally and domestically is a reward to them as much as him for their efforts in getting him to where he is “I’ve been doing athletics for so many years but he doesn’t really get it I tell him I’m competing at the weekend and he’ll be like ‘oh right that’s cool’ or I’ll come in and he’ll ask how training was I’ll explain it and you can see his face get confused because he doesn’t get it “My mum came to world juniors and then both of them came to Under-23s last year she comes to all my competitions and stands in the car park “But it’s nice because it’s a real family affair and they’ve helped me out massively since I first started competing It’s nice for them now to see me getting into bigger comps and they can see the progression,” he added Developed by Mikayla Brightling (bronze) and Kallon McVicar (gold) Picture: GREG TOTMANTAFE Illawarra has recorded its best result at the Australian leg of the ‘‘trades Olympics’’ with five apprentices now bound for Brazil to test their skills against the world’s best Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueTeam Illawarra emerged from the WorldSkills Australia competition in Perth with a record nine medals Sam Spong (bricklaying) and  welder Kallon McVicar ‘‘It’s going to help me in the long term career-wise and with my skills Illawarra Institute director Dianne Murray said the gold medal haul was the biggest of any team competing in Perth The long-running contest remained an important industry benchmark and a potentially lucrative launch pad for young tradies ‘‘What does it do for a business to be able to say the very best bricklayer works for me ‘‘This is an internationally recognised competition that used to be called the Skills Olympics and that’s truly the level at which these young people are competing.’’ Team leader Patrick Rawnsley said his young charges made a close-knit unit supporting one another during the  more stressful moments ‘‘A number of these kids have never been overseas,’’ Mr Rawnsley said.  ‘‘It’s going to be a great culture shock for them who can be headhunted to work at an overseas company.’’ Find out what's happening in local business Gathering for the cheque presentation: Don Palmer and Pat Tait from the Arnprior and District Food Bank; Oscar Brugnera MPP John Yakabuski and MP Cheryl Gallant look on in the background held by Metro brand ambassadors: Member of provincial parliament Cheryl Gallant; Arnprior Mayor Lisa McGee; Oscar Brugnera Arnprior Metro celebrated the completion of major renovations at the store with a hefty donation to the Arnprior and District Food Bank and the information within may be out of date “The Metro store in Arnprior is proud to donate $10,000 to the Arnprior and District Food Bank to help in their fight against food insecurity,” reads a press release As part of Metro inc.’s first companywide fundraising campaign the store is grateful in a large part thanks to the generosity of its customers who donated at the checkout during the 2022 holiday season in December “We are pleased to share that the Arnprior store raised $7,150 with Metro Ontario donating the remainder of the $10,000 to commemorate the store’s grand reopening,” reads the release “Metro’s purpose is to nourish the health and well-being of our communities I would like to thank our Arnprior customers and our store team who were able to help raise much-needed money for the Arnprior and District Food Bank,” said Joe Fusco The refurbished store represents a major investment by Metro to improve and expand on the products and services its customers expect while tailoring the store to the evolving needs of consumers “Highlights of the store include homemade artisanal stone-baked pizzas made from fresh ingredients and served on an authentic focaccia crust; choose from one of our many fresh sandwiches and ready-made meal options; select from over 100 varieties of imported and domestic cheeses many cut right in store; on-site butcher who can provide custom cuts of meat to your specifications and more,” reads the release The store also proudly supports fresh and dry grocery suppliers from the local Ottawa area through Metro’s Locally Sourced program “Our goal is to give our customers what they want whether it’s fresh-cut fruit and salads along with our new fresh juice selection made daily our fresh baked bread or our beautiful floral department for gift ideas The store has also integrated elements of the community so that our product offering and store decor reflect our neighbourhood,” said Jason Spratt Customers can shop at the Metro Arnprior store daily from 7 a.m Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Duty Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace presiding was told by Inspectors Andrew Agius and Ritienne Gauci that both men attempted to carry out this robbery on Wednesday between 8.00 a.m The accused were also charged with causing 2,500 euro worth of damage to the establishment stating that both men need help as they are both unemployed and have a drug habit The Court turned down the request for bail and both men continued to be detained under arrest