Speak Out April 2017 low res FINAL

39 / 56

June 2017 Speak Out 39
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.
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.
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
Flinders University SPA representatives help to
promote Swallowing Awareness Day