Our theme, ‘Millions of Reasons to Care’, aims to broaden the awareness of the 2.65 million Australians caring for their family members and friends. Carers represent a diverse range of cultures, ages, experiences and responsibilities, but all of them balance of caring responsibilities with other responsibilities like work, study and their physical and mental health.

More than one in ten Australians are carers. They make an enormous contribution to our community as well as our national economy.

There are so many ways to take part in #NationalCarersWeek! Closer to the date, we will be providing resources you can download to tell your community why you care about carers and to celebrate carers in your community or workplace.

About

October is National Safe Work Month—a time to commit to building a safe and healthy workplace.

Being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone.  

There is more we can do, and together we can make a difference.  

The primary objective of National Safe Work Month is to encourage all individuals and organisations to prioritise safety in their workplaces and work towards reducing the number of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities. 

Get involved this October by:

• Taking care of yourself and colleagues in the workplace
• Raising awareness on social media

For more information, visit:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/national-safe-work-month

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst women in Australia.

Its incidence is increasing – with 1 in 7 Australian women and about 1 in 600 Australian men expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime.
9 Australians still lose their life to the disease every single day.

Symptoms of breast cancer may include:

• A lump or thickening in the breast, especially if it is only in one breast
• Changes to the shape or size of the breast
• Changes to the shape of the nipple, such as crusting, sores or ulcers, redness or inversion (a nipple that turns in when it used to point out).
• Changes to the skin of the breast, such as dimpling (sometimes looking like an orange peel), a rash, scaly appearance, unusual redness or other colour changes
• Fluid leaking or discharge from the nipple that occurs without squeezing
• Persistent, unusual pain that doesn’t go away
• Swelling or discomfort in the armpit
  
  

Get involved with Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October by:

• Educating yourself and spreading awareness about breast cancer
• Making a donation
• Volunteering
• Speaking with your GP if you have any questions

For more information, visit:https://nbcf.org.au/about-breast-cancer

On World Heart Day 2023, we’re asking the world to: USE ❤️ KNOW ❤️

World Heart Day is a reminder to everyone around the world to take care of their hearts. This year’s campaign focuses on the essential step of knowing our hearts first.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world’s number one killer, causing over 18.6 million deaths per year. 

CVD is a class of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels (veins and arteries). More people die from CVD worldwide than from any other cause: over 18.6 million every year. Of these deaths, 85% are due to coronary heart diseases (e.g heart attacks) and cerebrovascular diseases (e.g. strokes) and mostly affect low- and middle-income countries.

However, although impressive and strong, your heart can also become vulnerable from habitual risk factors like smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, eating an unhealthy diet, or living with high blood pressure.

Get involved this September by:

• Informing the community
• Taking care of your heart health
• Raising awareness on social media
• Volunteering

Home

Dementia Action Week 2023 is from Monday 18 September to Sunday 24 September, with World Alzheimer’s Day occurring on Thursday 21 September.

This year’s theme is Act Now for a Dementia-Friendly Future.

Since 2019, the focus of the Dementia Action Week campaign has been to reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with dementia and their carers.

Communities that take action to become dementia-friendly have:

• less fear and a greater understanding of dementia
• less stigma and discrimination
• more support and better systems for people living with dementia to live well in their community for longer.

Some ways you can do this include:

• Host a morning tea or other event.
• Meet with Dementia Advocates or your local Dementia Alliance.
• Encourage your friends, family and co-workers to become Dementia Friends.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ,VISIT:

https://www.dementia.org.au/dementia-action-week

It’s our national day of action when we remind Australians that every day is the day to  ask, ‘are you OK?’ and start a meaningful conversation whenever they spot the signs that someone they care about might be struggling with life.

R U OK? is a harm prevention charity that encourages people to  stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times in their lives. Their work focuses on building motivation, confidence and skills as a person who can have a meaningful conversation with someone who is struggling with life.

R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention efforts by encouraging  people to invest more time in their  personal relationships and building the capacity of informal support networks – friends, family and colleagues – to be alert to those around them, have a conversation if they identify signs of distress or difficulty and connect someone to appropriate support, long before they’re in crisis.

Get involved this September by:

• Starting a conversation with friends and family
• Hosting an event
• Fundraising at work or in the community
• Volunteering with the organisation

For more information, visit:
https://www.ruok.org.au/join-r-u-ok-day

Dry July is a fundraiser that encourages you to go alcohol-free in July to raise funds for people affected by cancer.

The funds you raise as part of your Dry July will provide invaluable services for cancer patients, their families and carers. Having a month off alcohol also has great health benefits.

To get involved this July:

• Sign up for the challenge to go alcohol free in July
• Ask family and friends to sponsor you
• Make a donation to someone completing Dry July
• Raise awareness on social media

For more information, visit: 
https://www.dryjuly.com/