‘Rotary opens opportunity' is not just a logo. Instead, becoming Rotarian brings opportunity of personal development in multiple aspects, including specialized and professional area. This is manifested by the recent experience of Rotary Norwood members participating into Mental Health First Aid courses provided by MHFA Australia.
Mental health illness has become one of the major public health issues in Australia. The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing conducted in 2007 found that an estimated 1 in 5 (20%) Australians aged 16–85 experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months. A mental illness can be defined as ‘a clinically diagnosable disorder that significantly interferes with a person’s cognitive, emotional, or social abilities. The term itself covers a range of illnesses including anxiety disorders, affective disorders, psychotic disorders, and substance use disorders. It is estimated that mental health illness has become 3rd largest disease burden of Australia. Therefore, intervene and treatment upon mental health illness should be emphasized in our public health effort.
Since its inception in 2000, MHFA has evolved into a global movement that shows no signs of stopping. Over 4500 MHFA courses are run in Australia each year, and over 900,000 Australians have completed MHFA courses. The MHFA training has been quite helpful to improve health and wellness of people suffering from mental health illness, and the happiness of families and communities.
RC Norwood has been in contact recently, with Deb Gleeson, one of the MHFA instructors to attend our meeting as guest speaker. Deb introduced how the course targets frequent mental health illness such as anxiety and depression, which have become pandemic in society, particularly since breakout of COVID-19 pandemic. Deb also explained that through the courses, attendants will have opportunity to learn how to recognize symptoms of mental health problems, and how to provide support.
RC Norwood members, together with members from Kensington Residents Association and volunteers from City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters Council (NPSP), have attended and completed the standard MHFA courses recently. Through this journey, we learned how to recognize mental health illness, how to provide assistance for people with potential mental health problems, useful resources for seeking further help, and other relevant knowledge.
The knowledge we have taken during the course will support us when embark on our ‘Music for Dementia’ headphone project to help people living with dementia, as well as provide professional development opportunities with the knowledge and certificate we could acquire through the entire course. Also, it is a great opportunity to engage with local community as we interacted with residents and volunteers from NPSP Council. Great thanks to Mental Health First Aid Australia’s instructors who provided the attractive and interesting learning experience to all participants!