Speak Out April 2018

Association news

THANK YOU TO everyone who participated in the campaign to promote Swallowing Awareness Day 2018. There was a huge amount of activity in the lead up to and on the actual day. In a first, Speech Pathology Australia was able to align its Swallowing Awareness Day with the efforts of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and together the day was marked on Wednesday 14 March. The Swallowing Awareness Day promotional collateral was well used and there was a lot of evidence that Dizzy, our mascot for the day, was busy promoting the campaign. Swallowing Awareness Day 2018

Activity on social media was very strong with a number of members and their clients actively using #900swallows and #dysphagia. In support of the efforts of the RCSLT, the hashtag #swallowaware2018 was also promoted. The day’s social media campaign received a strong following on Twitter, with a good showing on both Facebook and Instagram.

Michael Kerrisk Marketing and Communications Manager

Swallowing Awareness Day at The University of Melbourne

The Master of Speech Pathology students at The University of Melbourne used Swallowing Awareness Day to reflect on the experience of living with dysphagia. A challenge was set for the students to adhere to thickened fluids for one day to experience a daily reality faced by many individuals with dysphagia. "I was glad for the opportunity to understand how dysphagia can influence an individual's everyday experiences. I would hate to ask someone to do something that I haven't done myself!” Naomi Sellman – First Year Master of Speech Pathology Student

“Though it is difficult to get the whole picture of how individuals with dysphagia truly feel, this experience somehow shortened the distance between the individual with dysphagia and me.” Livia Li – Final Year Master of Speech Pathology Student Thank you to all of our students who embraced the challenge wholeheartedly!

Dr Megan Keage Lecturer, Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne

Swallowing awareness day in NSW People with a mental illness are at an increased risk of experiencing swallowing difficulties. To raise awareness of this, and the role of speech pathology in managing these difficulties, the speech pathology team at the Concord Centre for Mental Health in Sydney held an event as part of Swallowing Awareness Day 2018. Staff and patients were encouraged to read the posters and leaflets, take part in activities and quizzes to think about safe eating/drinking, and enjoy mouth-related lollies!

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April 2018 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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