82
Tuesday 9 July 2013
healthy living
A helping hand for those left behind BY JAMES TAYLOR SOME of Australia’s leading experts on suicide have helped launch a major not-for-profit organisation designed specifically to support and help people across Victoria who are left behind after a suicide. It is now estimated that people who have been bereaved by suicide are six times at greater risk of suicide than the general population. According to Postvention Australia, the national association for the bereaved by suicide, seven Australians die by suicide every day and 178 people attempt suicide daily. Half of those will require hospitalisation. The hidden costs of suicidal behaviour are estimated to be $17 billion a year. Postvention Australia, launched last month, is an umbrella association for all agencies and services within Australia that are committed to help people bereaved by suicide. It will be working to establish a network that provides holistic, physical, emotional and spiritual support, comfort and understanding for the health and wellbeing of every person bereaved by suicide. It is creating an interactive website and will use Facebook and Twitter to get messages across. Alan Staines, who has worked extensively with the Salvation Army, said Australians did not realise suicide was such a major problem. “Suicide prevention is everyone’s business.� Cindy Mills lost her daughter Victoria to suicide when Victoria was just 17 years old. “Postvention Australia is a real step forward. “It is acknowledgement that survivors of suicide must be supported. Suicide does not discriminate,� she said. “It was only thanks to a support group I believe I managed to survive the tragedy of suicide.� Postvention Australia board member Professor Diego de Leo said there was not enough support for individuals and families left behind. “Many people don’t realise that after a suicide has happened, people left behind may well be at risk of suicide themselves.
Cindy Mills and Alan Staines, from the new Postvention Australia Group.
“We will work to prevent suicide by supporting our members to build a stronger suicide postvention sector. “Our big vision is to have a network that provides
practical, emotional and spiritual support to people bereaved by suicide.� Postvention’s national office, phone lines and website are expected to be up and running by the
end of the month. In the meantime, any person bereaved by suicide who would like information should phone Alan Staines on 0412 164 575.
Funding available for healthy projects COMMUNITY organisations that provide innovative health and wellbeing initiatives are being encouraged to apply for funding of up to $50,000 as part of the nib foundation’s community grants. Applications are now open for this year’s round, which marks the foundation’s fifth anniversary of grant making. Since its establishment in 2008, more than $10 million in funding has been committed to support 51 charities across Australia. This year, the foundation is again looking
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“Our community grants support key health issues, including youth mental health, family and youth disadvantage, chronic and rare disease, and disability.� Last year, the community grants program supported the expansion of Special Olympics Western Australia’s (SOWA) unique community sports link program, which helps break down barriers to sports participation for youth with a disability. SOWA state manager Di Bruce said the funding had enabled them to provide students with a disability the opportunity to participate in a range
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to partner with about 10 organisations to help them deliver programs that run for up to 12 months. The chairman of nib foundation, Keith Lynch, said the foundation was searching for projects that offered practical and unique approaches to delivering important health and wellbeing results to metropolitan and regional communities across Australia. “We are looking to bring about real change at a local level by partnering with organisations that foster community engagement and improved health outcomes in their own backyards.
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of sports in a friendly and welcoming environment. “Almost 65 per cent of people with an intellectual disability don’t participate in sport as they have little choice in how and where they can participate. “With the nib foundation’s support, we have introduced more than 750 young students with a disability to new sports and physical activities bringing to their attention their abilities to participate in sport.� The 2013 community grant funding round will be open until July 19. For more information and to download an application form, head to nibfoundation.com.au.
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BY JAMES TAYLOR
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