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April 2017 Speak Out 7
THANK YOU TO everyone who participated in the campaign to promote Swallowing Awareness
Day 2017. There was huge amount of activity in the lead up to and on the actual day. The
Association’s hosting of Swallowing Awareness Day, followed closely on the heels of the
European Swallowing Awareness Day on 6 March.
There was interest from the media during the awareness day, with the Association’s National
President Gaenor Dixon, doing a series of radio interviews. She was ably supported by a number
of other Association members who were also able to secure their own local media, regional radio
and newspapers.
The Swallowing Awareness Day Campaign Kit was well used and there was lots of evidence that
Dizzy, our mascot for the day, was busy promoting the campaign.
Activity on social media was very strong with a number of members and their clients actively
using #900swallows and #dysphagia. The day’s social media campaign received a strong
following on Twitter, with a good showing on both Facebook and Instagram.
If you haven’t seen it visit and check out our
Swallowing Awareness Day animation!
Association news
Swallowing
Awareness Day
The team at West Moreton Hospital and Health
Service arranged a number of activities for Swallowing
Awareness Day. Some of the activities included:
• the team screen printed the Swallowing
Awareness Day logo on to the back of pink shirts
which speech pathologists wore on the day;
• the West Moreton design team put the logo
on the screen savers on all computers in West
Moreton Hospital and Health Service;
• the West Moreton communications team created
a facebook post on West Moreton Hospital and
Health Service’s page of our team’s activities on
the day;
• a stall at the main entrance of the hospital with
a game to “guess that food or thickened fluid”,
which included sampling thickened fluids, a give-
away of cupcakes and information sheets;
• the Ipswich Hospital Foundation had a one page
spread promoting Swallowing Awareness Day to
the Ipswich community; and
• cupcakes were baked with different sensory
input (e.g. gooey, chewy texture, dual texture)
at the Ipswich Health Plaza’s Community Based
Rehabilitation Team service.
The day was a huge success with staff, patients and
visitors to West Morton Hospital Health Services
incredibly engaged in the day’s events.
Congratulations to all involved.
West Moreton team celebrates Swallowing Awareness Day!
Michael Kerrisk
Communications and Marketing Manager