2009 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards - Opening Video

Transcript

Director, National Centre for Farmer Health
Western District Health Service
“Farming people are often left off the radar in relation to health, well being and safety. We have a perception that they’re really a very healthy group, and in fact we’re finding that they’re not.”

Consumer:
“Our activity is our farm, it’s our livelihood and we bury ourselves in the work. If something gets us down we just go out and do more work.

“Before this project, I was like every farmer, you don’t go to the doctor unless you’re sick. You don’t really talk to your friends that often about private issues.”

Director, National Centre for Farmer Health
“Its not about health professionals running a program on health – its about bringing farmers together to learn about health, wellbeing an safety.”

Consumer:
“You are there with a whole heap of other wives and husbands and they’ve all got the same issues. You realise there’s a network out there you can actually talk to when you meet them down the street.”

Director, National Centre for Farmer Health
“The key success for healthy Australian farms are healthy Australian farm families and that’s the
impact of the whole program. And that’s important for everyone.”

Actor, Ilbijerri Theatre Company
“Well with this show we are trying to create an awareness surrounding Hepatitis C within Indigenous communities in particular.

1 in a 100 of the Australian community have Hepatitis C,
4 in a 100 Indigenous community and
60 in 100 in prisons.

“We just want people you talk about it and demystify any issues surrounding the disease.

“Going into communities and going into prisons and performing these shows, people really relate to it, because you are going through 15 years of two peoples lives in a 50 minute show  - kinda like they’re on the outside of the house looking in through the window, you know; rather than if its on TV, its looking at a screen they can turn it off at anytime, but they are there and they are on that journey with us.

“When we go to prisons we see big men sorta sitting there like – arms folded, real staunch you know, watching the show , ‘yeah ok, what’s this gonna be about’ kinda thing – and then by the end of the show , ‘hey hey hey sis you know – it was deadly you know’ or ‘I’ve got Hepatitis C and I’m inspired to go check it out.’

“Its when people, you know, are willing to get checked out, you know, or they’re able to share their story with us as well.”

Nurse, (Alfred Health)
“We’re always taught to respect our elders and I think often people don’t understand that the resources that they receive are really really low.

“So [a] busy Emergency Department or hospital ward isn’t the most appropriate place to meet the medical and nursing needs of an elderly person. It can often in fact be detrimental to the patient by increasing falls, deliriums, pressure ulcers, functional decline and even malnutrition.

“We take a really holistic approach. We go out into the community, see them in their home environment, we talk to their carers that are looking after then every day, we talk to the GPs that are managing them primarily, we talk to their families, and in doing so we try and put in a very individualised and tailored care plan.

“The majority of time they would much rather stay in their own home. They don’t want to come into hospital. Personally I see it as a privilege to be able to offer then a little bit of extra support and make sure that the end of their life is as dignified and comfortable as it can be.

Doctor, Royal Melbourne Hospital
“In someone like Tamara’s situation she was on dialysis and facing a number of more years waiting for a kidney transplant and even though she had a donor – the donor was of the wrong blood group – so she was no better off.”

Tamara (patient)
“You life’s on hold waiting for that call. You can’t live the life you want to lead because you are stuck on the machine every second night. You are wondering where you are going be at in five years. You don’t know if you are going to get that call – you don’t know if you are going to get that opportunity.”

Doctor, Royal Melbourne Hospital
“Building on work of colleagues in the United States, Japan and Sweden, we introduced new technologies into Australia. The medical, surgical and laboratory teams at the Royal Melbourne  worked closely together to create Australia’s first ABO incompatible transplant program.”

Tamara (patient)
“Reading the newspaper one day and one of the stories was about the first ABO incompatible transplant that was done in the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Alan, a friend of mine just said: ‘so when are we getting it done?’ ”

Doctor, Royal Melbourne Hospital
“We all do our job as doctors, but it’s been an extraordinary thing to be part of something that has broken down a barrier that could previously not be overcome.”

Tamara (patient)
“Its given me the chance to get back control of my life. So now I can work full time, I can just go away whenever I want. Everything is happening, we are back on track - you know.”

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