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Winter wellness on budget

Right, so winter has arrived with all the subtlety of a rhinoceros in stilettos. It seems like one moment you're thinking "ooh, lovely autumn colours," and the next you're scraping ice off your windscreen while simultaneously catching whatever delightful disease your children have dragged home from daycare. Again.

And let's be honest, kids do like to keep us on our tippy toes with what might be troubling them, even after you've taken them to visit the GP! And we can often find ourselves up late at night at the school of Google that somehow always leads to the conclusion that it's either nothing or bubonic plague. No in-between.

But here's the thing – now you have the option to get a second opinion. Enter AA Life Insurance's Connected Care. If you are an AA Life Insurance policy holder, you can receive online support for medical, mental health, and overall wellbeing, for you AND your entire family¹ at no extra cost to your insurance premiums². It's like having a medical expert in your back pocket.

The service covers medical questions, mental health support, and nutrition advice through actual humans, not some robot telling you "have you tried turning yourself off and on again?

Connected Care Laptop

So, let’s take it for a spin!

My 9-year-old has been pulling the classic "I can't sleep" routine for months. You know the one – lying there like a tiny insomniac owl, getting increasingly worked up about not sleeping, which naturally makes sleeping even more impossible. It's like some cruel joke designed specifically to torture parents.

Friends suggested melatonin, but giving your child medication based on playground advice feels about as sensible as letting them cut their own hair. So, I asked the experts:

"Is melatonin safe for my daughter? How much? For how long? Will she turn into a zombie?" (Okay, I didn't ask the last bit, but I was thinking it.)

Within 12 hours, I had a proper, thoughtful response from an actual medical professional. Not Dr. Google. Not my neighbour's cousin who "knows about these things." A real expert who took time to consider my specific situation.

The only downside? I couldn't send them a thank-you card or bake them cookies, which felt rude.

What else does AA Life Insurance Connected Care offer?

If you're dealing with stress, anxiety, or mood swings (and honestly, who isn't these days?), they'll connect you with mental health nurses and psychologists via video call. You get a dedicated support person, proper assessments, and actual treatment recommendations.

Plus, when you realise your food groups have become "beige," "brown," and "whatever the kids will actually eat without a meltdown" you have access to qualified dietitians. They can help you figure out how to eat like a grown-up again, set realistic goals, and maybe even convince your family that vegetables aren't actually poison.

Winter wellness doesn't have to mean choosing between heating and healthcare. Sometimes the best things really are complementary – even if they come with the mild inconvenience of having to remember your policy number.

Now if only they could also provide a service that explains why children suddenly develop mysterious ailments exclusively at bedtime and on weekends. That would be worth its weight in gold.

¹ Connected Care is available to AA Life Insurance policy holders, their partner, children, parents and parents-in-law. Mental Health Navigator, Mental Health Clinician and Nutrition and Fitness Consult are only available to people who are aged 18 years and over and are residing in New Zealand.

² To access Teladoc Health services via AA Life Insurance Connected Care (“the Portal”) at no extra cost, your AA Life Insurance policy must be in-force. The New Zealand Automobile Association (Incorporated) (‘AA’) reserves the right to withdraw or modify the terms of access to AA Life Insurance Connected Care at any time. Teladoc Health Australasia Pty Limited (“Teladoc Health”) is responsible for the provision of the Portal, all health advice provided via the Portal, and Teladoc Health may suspend or terminate your use of the Portal at any time. Asteron Life Limited and AA disclaim any liability in relation to health advice provided by Teladoc Health to users of the Portal, and for any loss, claim, cost, liability, expense, or injury suffered by any person as a result of the services provided by Teladoc Health or the information or content appearing on the Portal website, except where such loss cannot be excluded by law. The Portal is not insurance (including medical insurance), and it does not replace your relationship with your treating doctor or primary healthcare practitioner. Dental and emergency conditions are excluded from the services provided via the Portal. Please review the full Portal terms and conditions, here.