Speak Out June 2017

Flinders University SPA representatives help to promote Swallowing Awareness Day

Congratulations to the talented Monica Welsh on your winning artwork. Congratulations Monica, and well done to everyone else who entered and showed enthusiasm towards Swallowing Awareness Day. The Executive Committee would also like to thank Monica for her enthusiasm and assistance at the recent Pregnancy, Babies and Children’s Expo.

The Flinders University SPA student representatives, Julia Montatore, Genevieve Tan and Paula Messina, organised a creative competition to promote the recent Swallowing Awareness Day. Many students dusted off their connector pens and Adobe Photoshop skills to produce some absolutely fantastic master-pieces. The Branch Executive Committee voted at the April executive meeting and came to a unanimous decision.

Farmers’ market stall for Swallowing Awareness Day

The Community Awareness Committee of the SA SPA Branch held a stall at the local Farmers’ Market at the Adelaide Showgrounds in March. The committee worked hard to develop a community friendly approach to increasing awareness about swallowing difficulties. The stall was a big success even on a very hot day! Volunteers and committee members engaged people of all ages through an interactive display including: jars of modified fluids, a board for everyone to write down the foods/drinks they could not live without. There was a competition, with prizes, for people to fill out the location of structures required to swallow, and a survey to collate the current level of swallowing awareness in the community. Handouts and recommendations about where to go to find extra information about swallowing difficulties were also made available. We found that people were generally surprised by the varied populations who experience swallowing difficulties, such as children and infants. Being at a farmers’ market, it was no surprise that majority of the “could not live without” foods included lots of vegetables and fruit, with the occasional “coffee!” Overall, we found it to be a very productive day and have already begun brainstorming new ideas for the next Swallowing Awareness Day in 2018 where we hope to continue to engage the community and increase awareness.

Community Awareness Committee South Australian SPA Branch

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June 2017 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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