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Welcome to the June edition of 'Let's Talk' for 2019!
‘Let’s Talk’ is published quarterly for Aboriginal health professionals and those working with Aboriginal communities who are proudly leading the way to a cancer free future in WA.
If you have any questions or would like any further information about any of the articles included in this newsletter, please contact me at thansen@cancerwa.asn.au.
Kind regards,
Taneisha Hansen
Aboriginal Projects Coordinator
Cancer Council WA
New Video Resource: Culturally Appropriate Palliative Care in the West Kimberley
The Palliative and Supportive Care Education (PaSCE) team is proud to offer a new educational video resource developed in partnership with the Yiriman women of the West Kimberley. The video is made for health professionals working with Aboriginal people, especially Aboriginal people originating from the West Kimberley region.The ladies from the Yiriman Project wanted to be involved and share their cultural beliefs and what was important to them around end of life care.
Video Launch event
The PaSCE team will be launching the video at our head office during NAIDOC Week on Monday 8 July. All are welcome, so please register to attend.
Meet Aboriginal Cancer Course participant, Kimika!
Kimika attended our Cancer Education Course for Aboriginal Health Professionals earlier this year and has recently achieved an accreditation for the unit. We had a yarn with Kimika about her role and her experience during the course.
National Reconciliation Week 2019
National Reconciliation Week is held each year from 27 May - 3 June. As part of our commitment to reconciliation, we provided Cultural Respect Education Sessions for our Perth Metro staff and participated in National Reconciliation Week activities.
Aboriginal Cancer Education Video
Mawarnkarra Health Service have been showing our Aboriginal Cancer Education Video in the waiting room of their service to help spread awareness. Doesn't it look great?
Free Palliative Care Workshops and Clinical Placements
The Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) is facilitating free palliative care workshops in the upcoming months for health professionals across metro and regional WA.
PEPA also have free clinical placements in palliative care settings available for all Aboriginal health professionals in metro and regional towns.
New LiveLighter Deadly Tucker recipes
LiveLighter have added eight new deadly tucker recipes to their website! These recipes were produced in response to feedback from over 100 Aboriginal people consulted in the Perth metro area. The recipes were originally published in the “More Deadly Tucker” recipe book produced by the North Metropolitan Health Service.
Cancer in the Country
Are you a regional health professional? Help us identify cancer needs in your region by completing our Regional Education Survey.
The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Find Cancer Early Local Stories
Cancer Council WA has a new website featuring the stories of regional Western Australians - like Rita from Kununurra - encouraging people to Find Cancer Early.
If someone you know from regional WA has had a prostate, breast, skin, bowel or lung cancer diagnosis after noticing an unusual symptom, please encourage them to share their story via the Local Stories page on the website. Sharing lived experience could help motivate others to Find Cancer Early.
Want to learn more about Workplace Cancers?
It is estimated that 3.6 million Australians are exposed to at least one carcinogen at work and approximately 5000 cancers each year are caused by workplace exposures.
Cancer Council has developed a free e-learning module for GPs and health professionals to improve awareness of workplace carcinogens and cancers. The module includes sections on workplace carcinogens, the role of an exposure history, common workplace cancers and the Australian compensation system.
The 60 minute module is accredited with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
Aboriginal people and skin cancer
While the risk of developing melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers is lower for Aboriginal people than the general population, the burden of disease from skin cancer in Aboriginal people is surprisingly high:
Skin cancer is the second most common cancer for Aboriginal males to be hospitalised for (behind lung cancer) and the third most common for Aboriginal females (behind breast and lung).
The skin pigmentation of Aboriginal Australians provides some protection against UV damage that causes skin cancer, however, Aboriginal people with fairer skin might underestimate their personal risk of skin cancer. The presence of other skin conditions that are common in Aboriginal people (such as chronic inflammatory skin conditions) may also increase a person’s chances of developing skin cancer.
Similarly with other cancers, Aboriginal people with skin cancer present later for treatment and have worse outcomes than non-Aboriginal Australians. To prevent a delay in diagnosis, it is important that health professionals are alert to the possibility of skin cancers in their Aboriginal patients.
While there are gaps in what we know and understand about skin cancer in Aboriginal people, we do know that Aboriginal health professionals play an important role in encouraging and promoting skin cancer awareness and prevention. More information on skin cancer.
Remember: if the UV is 3 or above - Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide
Although it’s the beginning of winter, areas north of Perth have an average UV Index above 3 even in the cooler months. In the Pilbara and Kimberley, the UV Index averages between 5 and 8 at this time of the year. If the UV is 3 or above, make sure you use full sun protection.
'Drop that Smoke' Hip Hop Music Video
Take a look at the new ‘Drop that Smoke’ music video, written and recorded by kids from Kellerberrin and Merredin with the help of the Ngamari Free and Indigenous Hip Hop Project teams.
The video was launched on World No Tobacco Day on 31 May and aims to spread the Ngamari Free message throughout the Wheatbelt.
Useful links
- Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap 2019-2029
- Cancer in Australia 2019 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
- Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status in WA - Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
Australian Burden of Disease Study: impact and causes of illness and death in Australia 2015 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Current Vacancies at Cancer Council WA
- Aboriginal Cancer Education and Research Funding Program Manager - No closing date
- SunSmart Project Officer - No closing date
- Cancer Support Coordinator - Fiona Stanley - No closing date
- Cancer Support Coordinator - Great Southern - No closing date
Cancer Council Western Australia acknowledges the traditional Aboriginal owners of country throughout Western Australia and pay our respect to them, their culture and their Elders past and present.
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420 Bagot Rd, Subiaco WA 6008
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