Elephant In The Room | Wound Awareness Week 2008
News updates:
Courtenay backs Wound Awareness Campaign ~ 26/03/08
Welcome to The Elephant In The Room campaign website – a portal dedicated to raising awareness of the serious problem of chronic wounds in Australia.
You can best judge the fairness and decency of a society by the way in which it treats its most elde…
Wound Awareness Week 2008
Wound Awareness Week 2008 aims to build on the achievements of the 2007 campaign, as wound problems remain prevalent throughout Australia, with an estimated 270,000 Australians suffering from this condition. The reason most people overlook this issue is because there is a lack of awareness. People don’t know what you mean when you say the word wound. You don’t see sufferers of chronic wounds because the majority are left debilitated in nursing homes – away from the general public eye and consequently away from public conscience.
Generally speaking, you are only aware of wounds if you are a health professional, a person related to a wound sufferer or are a wound sufferer yourself. To make matters worse, images are too gory and horrific to broadcast as they are so shocking they would make you physically sick.
The purpose of Wound Awareness Week 2008 is to make this issue more "consumable"; to throw into the public spotlight.
The purpose of Wound Awareness Week 2008 is to make this issue more “consumable”, to throw into the public spotlight. The elephant in the room that no one is talking about encapsulates the whole problem of wounds – no one cares about it and therefore people ignore it altogether. This issue still does not feature in political discourse on public health.
The phrase originated to describe black civil rights. This year, the Association is using this phrase to talk about a health issue that is so severe it begs the question as to why it is occurring in a first world country.
If this level of ignorance continues, there is nothing stopping your grandparents, your parents or even yourself from suffering or dying from a wound. That is why we urge you to sign our online petition which calls upon the federal government to address this awful problem.
If this level of ignorance continues, there is nothing stopping your grandparents, your parents or even yourself from suffering or dying from a wound.
Best-selling author Bryce Courtenay will be fronting the 2008 campaign, with television appearances, interviews and as the front man of this years Community Service Announcement. Elephant in the Room stickers, badges and plush elephant toys will be circulating the nation during Wound Awareness Week in a bid to generate as much publicity as possible, so that this issue can finally be addressed.
The first Wound Awareness Week 26–30 March 2007
The Australian Wound Management Association is the peak body for wound management in Australia. It strives to raise awareness, develop knowledge and encourage best practice in the application of effective wound management. The Association registered Wound Awareness Week for the first time in March 2007, and needed a campaign that would address the awareness issue among primary stakeholders. The Week also needed to be used as a vehicle to work with the healthcare profession to develop treatment policy and agitate for change at a governmental policy making level.
Those suffering from wounds are also predominately senior citizens. The secondary target was those who care for people with chronic wounds. Carers are doctors, nurses and pharmacists as well as allied health workers including podiatrists, occupational therapists, dietitians and family members, each requiring different messages.
The primary problem was a lack of awareness and knowledge of the severity and suffering experienced by chronic wound sufferers
The awareness issue was addressed through the production of a Community Service Announcement, aired on national television throughout Wound Awareness Week. The primary problem was a lack of awareness and knowledge of the severity and suffering experienced by chronic wound sufferers, as well as an inequality in the way the health system dealt with the issue. The CSA allowed the Association to make the public and health sector aware of its role and existence, as well as directing patients, carers and health professionals to Association for advice and information.
The CSA was backed up with a cross-media public relations campaign. Experts including Professor Michael Woodward, Tal Ellis and Dr. Fiona Wood, former Australian of the year appeared on national and regional radio stations, engaging in talkback with the community as well as giving information regarding the issues faced by the wound care industry as well as sufferers. A national television health segment was also used.
Trade press was central to the strategy of communicating with health professionals. All communication with health professionals was designed to drive them to the Wound Awareness Week website that was implemented to receive feedback about the Association, the Week and the issue of wounds in general. This feedback loop was integral to the campaign, as it allowed the Association to evolve the awareness campaign for 2008 as well as giving them greater insight into the issues facing wound care and management.