International Nurses Day takes place on 12 May every year and provides an opportunity to recognise nurses around the world for their contribution to health care. The day is celebrated on 12 May as this is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the founder of modern nursing.  This year the theme for International Nurses Day is Nurses: “A vision for future healthcare”.

“Nurses are consistently named one of the most trusted professions, year after year. Taking care of people during times of vulnerability allows nurses to form a special bond with their patients.”

Get involved by:

• Making a donation
• Showing your appreciation to the nurses in your local community
• Volunteering
• Raising awareness on social media

For more information, visit:
https://www.icn.ch/what-we-do/campaigns/international-nurses-day

Miracle Month of May is a time to highlight the work of Miracle Babies supporting premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals who care for them. As well as the stories of Australia’s littlest miracles.

Each year, more than 48,000 babies require specialised care.

To get involved with Miracle Month of May:

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

For more information, visit: https://www.miraclebabies.org.au/

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an international campaign to promote safe and healthy work ethics. These are crucial in moving ahead in our fast paced society to maintain quality of life and working standards.

The annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally. It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and on how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.

Get involved this April by:

• Learning about the safety and healthy protocols
• Donating to the foundation
• Raising awareness on social media
• Informing family and friends of importance of health and satefy at work

For more information, visit: https://www.un.org/en/observances/work-safety-day

‘ANZAC’ stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. 

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”.

On the 25th of April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula. These became known as Anzacs and the pride they took in that name continues to this day. 

Lest we forget.

For more information, visit: https://www.army.gov.au/our-heritage/traditions/anzac-day

Every year on 17 April World Haemophilia Day is recognised worldwide to increase awareness of haemophilia, von Willebrand disease and other inherited bleeding disorders. This is a critical effort since with increased awareness comes better diagnosis and access to care for the millions who remain without treatment.
Specialised treatment is needed to help blood clot normally. With appropriate treatment haemophilia can be managed effectively.

The theme this year is “Access for All: Partnership. Policy. Progress. Engaging your government, integrating inherited bleeding disorders into national policy”. By raising awareness and bringing hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders to the attention of policymakers, sustainable and equitable access to care and treatment can be increased.

Get involved this April by:

• Spreading awareness on social media
• Educating family and friends
• Making a donation to global advocacy efforts

For more information, visit: https://www.wfh.org/en/events/world-hemophilia-day

Waitara Medical would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Easter for 2022!

Waitara Family Medical Practice will be closed from Friday 15 April – Monday 18 April. The Practice will reopen on Tuesday 19 April 8am.

To make an appointment, please contact Reception on 02 8038 1070 or book online at Waitara Medical.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects a person’s control of their body movements.  Parkinson’s disease is degenerating and often life threatening, requiring an immediate stop.

• A diagnosis can occur at any age with the most common age of being 65.
• 10% of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s are under the age of 45.
• There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but there are effective treatment and therapy options that can help manage symptoms, so people with Parkinson’s disease can continue to enjoy many years of independent and productive lives.

To promote awareness on Parkinson’s disease, get involved this April by:

• Organising a fundraiser event
• Raising awareness on social media
• Making a donation
• Spreading information about Parkinson’s disease amongst family members

For more information, visit:
https://www.parkinsonsnsw.org.au/support-us/world-parkinsons-day

World Autism Awareness Day is a worldwide initiative aiming to increase understanding of the disability. Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.

• Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
• Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often.
• Early intervention affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver benefits across the lifespan.

Show your support this April by:

• Wearing blue
• Volunteering with the foundation
• Raising awareness on social media
• Fundraising
• Informing family and friends of the disability

For more details, visit: https://www.autismspeaks.org/world-autism-awareness-day

Every year, at 8:30 pm on the last Saturday of March, millions of people across the world show their support for our planet, raising awareness of nature loss and climate change – the two biggest threats facing our one home.

Earth Hour began as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007, and is now one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment. Earth Hour engages millions of people in more than 180 countries and territories, switching off their lights to show support for our planet.

Earth Hour is more than just an Hour for the planet – it’s a movement for the future. 

This year, Earth Hour falls on Saturday 26 March, running from 8:30pm. Switch off your lights for an hour on Saturday March 26 2022 at 8:30 pm your local time to get involved.

For more information, visit: https://www.earthhour.org/

Purple Day is a campaign run each year where people around the world are asked to spread the word about epilepsy by wearing purple. Epilepsy is a medical condition that affects the electrical messages sent by the brain, causing seizures. Disrupted electrical activity in the brain can lead to a change in a person’s movement, behaviour, level of awareness, and/or feeling.

Purple Day aims to encourage people to talk about epilepsy and to remind those who live with seizures that they are not alone. Purple Day is dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide.

Get involved with Purple Day by:

• Wearing purple to demonstrate support
• Spreading awareness on social media
• Buying merchandise or making a donation
• Organising a fundraiser or volunteering

For more information, visit: https://epilepsyfoundation.org.au/you-can-help/fundraise/purple-day/ and https://www.purpleday.com.au/