Category Archives: Waitara Medical News

Waitara Family Medical Practice aims to keep the local community as healthy as possible. We will be posting relevant medical centre news and GP advice.

National Carers Week -13-19 october 2024

National Carers Week 2021

National Carers Week will run from Sunday 13 to Saturday 19 October 2024. It is a time to recognise, celebrate and raise awareness about the 3 million Australians who provide care to a family member or friend.
Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental health condition, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged.

Anyone can become a carer, at anytime.

This year’s Carer Wellbeing Survey found carers who had good access to support had healthy levels of wellbeing compared to those who had no or limited access to help.

Below are some ideas of how you can help a carer today:

  • Check in Regularly
  • Offer a Break
  • Acknowledge and Appreciate
  • Intiate Support
  • Encourge Self Care

For more Information :https://carersweek.com.au/

WORLD CEREBRAL PALSY DAY – 6 october 2024

World Cerebral Palsy Day 2020 — How You Can Celebrate

World Cerebral Palsy Day is a global movement that started in 2012. Last year, it reached over 10 million people. It aims to bring together people living with cerebral palsy, their families, supporters and organisations from over 100 countries.

There are more than 17 million people across the world living with cerebral palsy. Another 350 million people are closely connected to a child or adult with cerebral palsy.Cerebral palsy is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. Many people with cerebral palsy have other related vision, hearing, communication and mobility needs. Its impact can range from a weakness in one hand, to almost a complete lack of voluntary movement.

It is a complex disability:

  • 1 in 4 children with cerebral palsy cannot talk
  • 1 in 4 cannot walk
  • 1 in 2 have an intellectual disability
  • 1 in 4 have epilepsy.

Get involved by:

  • Raising awareness on social media
  • Educating the community
  • Donating to the foundation

For more information, visit: https://worldcpday.org/

BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – JUNE 2024

Take action this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month - June 2024

June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month – Bowel Cancer Australia’s signature event to raise awareness of Australia’s second deadliest cancer and funds for the leading community-funded charity dedicated to prevention, early diagnosis, research, quality treatment and care, so everyone affected by bowel cancer can live their best life.

  • Bowel cancer claims the lives of 103 Australians every week (5,350 people a year) – but it’s one of the most treatable types of cancer when detected early.
  • 299 Australians will be diagnosed with bowel cancer this week (15,531 people a year).
  • A simple way to help show your support of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and Red Apple Day is to purchase a Virtual Bowel Cancer Awareness Ribbon.
  • Send a ribbon to someone you know
  • Dedicate a ribbon in remembrance.
  • Buy a ribbon to help raise awareness.

For more information :https://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org/bowel-cancer-awareness-month

MND GLOBAL AWARENESS DAY- 21 JUNE 2024

MND Awareness Day 21st June - CareFlex Accessories

Motor neurone disease (MND) is the name for a group of conditions involving the nerve cells that control voluntary movements. It is a progressive, life-limiting condition.

Understanding MND

Motor neurones are the nerves that control our body movement. With MND, something goes wrong with the motor neurones, and the messages from the brain stop getting through. This means the muscles that enable us to move around, speak, breathe, and swallow fail to work normally. As the nerve cells slowly stop working, muscles gradually weaken and waste.No two people experience the exact same speed and pattern of weakness, and therefore each person living with MND should be cared for in a way that best suits their needs.

Treatment and support: There is no cure for MND yet, but there are treatments and supports that improve quality of life and may help people to live longer.

Get involved this June by:

  • Raising Awareness on social media.
  • Getting a conversation going in the community
  • Volunteering with the foundation
  • Donating

For more information,visit :https://www.mnd.org.au/raise-awareness

NATIONAL BLOOD DONOR WEEK- 12-19 JUNE 2024

Every year in June, Lifeblood celebrates over half a million of our donors who make a difference through their generous life-saving blood donations. Each year, around World Blood Donor Day on 14 June, Lifeblood is proud to host National Blood Donor Week — it’s our way of recognising the impact and importance of our wonderful donors.

Why donate blood?

  • Blood that’s taken straight from a donor. After it’s donated, we usually separate blood into red blood cells, plasma and platelets in our labs.
  • Red blood cells only last 42 days from when they’re donated. Australia needs over 1.7 million donations every year to meet demand: that’s three every minute.
  • Did you know one blood donation can save up to three lives? Just think about how many lives you could change by coming back for more.
  • Get Involved :
  • Donate Blood
  • Spread awareness

For more information ,visit :https://www.lifeblood.com.au/blood/learn-about-blood/why-donate-blood

WORLD HAEMOCHROMATOSIS WEEK 1-7 JUNE 2024

World Haemochromatosis Awareness Week | Haemochromatosis Australia

Hereditary haemochromatosis (inherited iron overload disorder) is the most common genetic disorder in Australia. About 1 in 200 people of northern European origin have the genetic risk for haemochromatosis. People with the condition absorb too much iron from their diet. The excess iron is stored in the body and over time this leads to iron overload.

Tags for the week: #WHW2024 #beatoverload

The key messages of the week are:

  • Haemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder in Australia
  • If you are the 1 in 200 affected, it can cause serious health problems
  • Ask your doctor to find out if you are storing too much iron

To get involved :

  • Donate to the foundation.
  • Raise awareness on social media.
  • Sponsor an event.
  • Volunteer.

For more iformation ,visit:https://haemochromatosis.org.au

WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY-31 MAY 2024

World No Tobacco Day | May 31 - Calendarr


Youth step in and speak out #TobaccoExposed T


World No Tobacco Day 2024 will give a platform to young people across the world, who are urging governments to shield them from predatory tobacco marketing tactics. The industry targets youth for a lifetime of profits, creating a new wave of addiction. Children are using e-cigarettes at rates higher than adults in all regions and globally an estimated 37 million youth aged 13–15 years use tobacco.

Key facts

  • Tobacco kills up to half of its users who don’t quit (1-3).
  • Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke (4).
  • Around 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries.
  • In 2020, 22.3% of the world’s population used tobacco: 36.7% of men and 7.8% of women.
  • To address the tobacco epidemic, WHO Member States adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2003. Currently 182 countries are Parties to this treaty.
  • The WHO MPOWER measures are in line with the WHO FCTC and have been shown to save lives and reduce costs from averted healthcare expenditure.

Get Involved :

  • Raising awareness in family, friends and social media
  • Volunteer
  • Host an Event

For more information :https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-tobacco-day/2024

WORLD MS DAY – 30 MAY 2024

World MS Day brings the global MS community together on 30 May to share stories, raise awareness and campaign with everyone affected by multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS is the most common acquired chronic neurological disease ,
As yet, there is no cure.
There is no known single cause of MS, but many genetic and environmental factors have been shown to contribute to its development.
In MS, the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks and damages the fatty material – called myelin – around the nerves. Myelin is important for protecting and insulating nerves so that the electrical messages that the brain sends to the rest of the body, travel quickly and efficiently.

  • Nearly 3 million people live with MS worldwide.
  • There are more than 33,300 Australians living with MS.
  • Average age of diagnosis is between 20-40 years.
  • 3 out of 4 Australians diagnosed with MS are women.
  • MS affects more young adults than any other acquired chronic neurological disease.
  • Get Involved :
  • Volunteer.
  • Raise Awareness .
  • Donate.

For more information,visit:https://www.msaustralia.org.au/supports-and-services/

FOOD ALLERGY WEEK -26MAY – 1 JUNE 2024

Food Allergy Week A&AA

Food Allergy Week aims to raise awareness of food allergy including anaphylaxis. During Food Allergy Week, Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia is calling on all Australians to unite to help increase awareness and share information on what we can all do to improve safety for people who live with food allergies.

The theme for Food Allergy Week 2024 is: When eating out, Always Ask, Always Tell

  1. Australia has one of the highest rates of food allergies in the world, with more than 1.5 million Australians living with a food allergy.
  2. We also have one of the highest rates of hospital anaphylaxis admissions in the world.
  3. There has been a 51% increase in anaphylaxis presentations to emergency departments in a 5-year period, growing to more than 11,500 per year.

Get Involved :

  • Paint one nail
  • Donate to the foundation
  • Raise awareness on social media
  • Volunteer

For more information,visit :https://allergyfacts.org.au/faw-get-involved

World Thyroid Day -25 may 2024

World Thyroid Day" Images – Browse 266 Stock Photos, Vectors, and Video |  Adobe Stock
  • Thyroid is a gland in your neck that helps control many important functions of your body.
  • You can experience a range of health problems. if your thyroid becomes overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism),
  • Once diagnosed, most thyroid problems can usually be treated effectively.

This year’s Theme: Thyroid Diseases are NCDs

  • Worldwide 1.6 billion people are thought to be at risk of thyroid disorder.
  • 1 in 8 women will develop thyroid disorder in their lifetime.
  • 30,000 babies born with Congenital Hypothyroidism go undetected and untreated every year.

Get involved by:

  • Making a donation
  • Promote awareness and understanding of thyroid disorders and their complications.
  • Volunteering
  • Raising awareness on social media

For more Information ,visit: https://thyroid-fed.org/international-thyroid-awareness-week-3/