I Kidney Check! Kidney Health Week

Transcription

1 I Kidney Check! Kidney Health Week 22 May 28 May 2016 Kidney Health Week 22 May 28 May 2016 National Office & Victoria 125 Cecil Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 GPO Box 9993 Melbourne VIC 3001 Contact Us: Freecall: Telephone: Facsimile: Patron-in-Chief His Excellency General The Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) Patrons Lady Margaret Brabham Normie Rowe AM The Australian Kidney Foundation Trading as Kidney Health Australia ABN: Thank you for supporting Kidney Health Week. This year s theme I Kidney Check focusses on encouraging Australians to care about their own kidney health. Kidney disease can affect anyone - and it could be you! So, Why Kidney Check? We invite you to help us shine a light on chronic kidney disease - known as the Silent Killer with 1.7 million Australians having signs and most not knowing. We aim to highlight that you can lose up to 90% of kidney function without warning signs and plan to spread the message that one Australian dies with kidney related disease every 25 minutes - that s 16 times the road toll! We want Australians to understand that if you have kidney disease, you are more likely to die of a heart attack, and that kidney disease causes high blood pressure and high blood pressure damages kidneys. The critical thing is, early detection and effective management can halt chronic kidney disease or slow progression by as much as 50%! Kidney Health Week will highlight that it is critical to know the risk factors and to take action with an annual kidney health check with your GP or a visit to your Amcal or Guardian pharmacist to discuss the KidneyCheck Program. Please help us to ask Australians if they have any of the risk factors: Diabetes High blood pressure Established heart problems or have had a stroke Family history of kidney failure Obesity with a body mass index (BMI) 30 or higher Smoking 60 years or older Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin History of acute kidney injury. If the answer is yes to any of these, a regular kidney check is essential! Understand risk factors and take early action. This can save lives!

2 You Can Help! We ask you to share the downloadable materials found with your community, and join us to help raise awareness of the importance of early detection and looking after your kidneys. A competition will be held throughout Kidney Health Week with great prizes for the best community kidney health educational activities. Stay tuned to find out how you can enter. We will be announcing winners in our June update! The downloadable promotional pack includes everything you need to plan Kidney Health Week activities within your community: Meet your Kidneys A3 poster Blood Pressure A3 poster Why Kidney Check A3 poster Blood Pressure DL sized information cards Kidney Disease DL sized information cards Further information will soon follow at this same location including: Suggestions for social media activity Template media release for your local newspapers Donation tins and additional packs are also available. To order, or for further information about Kidney Health Week visit the above page or contact Annette Smith on or volunteering@kidney.org.au Thank you for your support of 2016 Kidney Health Week! Together we can make a difference!

3 Fundraising & Promotional Suggestions There have been some wonderful and creative activities held in the community for Kidney Health Week over the years. Here are just a few ideas that will get you and your team thinking about what you can do to help raise much needed funds and awareness! Host a morning/afternoon tea, or dinner party, asking attendees to make a donation to Kidney Health Australia. Dress in red for a day at your workplace or school and ask for a gold coin donation to Kidney Health Australia. Set up a red display using the posters, balloons and postcards. Leave out a donation tin. Host a Big Red BBQ and fundraise to support Kidney Health Australia! Visit our social media channels, share our posts and make a donation online. Encourage your friends to do the same! Speak with your local library to organise a promotional area on-site. Share your I Kidney Check stories in the Community Gallery. Display posters in public areas such as lifts, bathrooms, main foyers, clinic offices and reception areas. Organise a stand for conducting blood pressure checks and doing risk factor assessments. Set up an information table in a main public area and distribute the collateral while discussing the risk factors of kidney disease. Send the Kidney Health Week media release to your local newspaper, workplace newsletter editor, radio station or community television station. Invite your local Member of Parliament or local sporting hero to attend your Kidney Health Week event and invite the media to take photos. To order additional Kidney Health Week material, including donation tins to support your activities please contact Annette Smith on or volunteering@kidney.org.au Fundraising helps us continue our important work. If you do raise money you can direct proceeds to our ANZ account: ACC NAME: Australian Kidney Foundation trading as Kidney Health Australia BSB: ACNT: REF: KHW (then insert your name, company name or phone number)

4 Social Media Join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to celebrate #KHW16 and share your #IKidneyCheck stories in our I Kidney Check Community Gallery at There will be lots of info, fundraising ideas, health tips, plus official profile pics, covers and posts you can use. We d love to see how you re getting involved! Enter our photo competition by posting your pics on social media and tagging #KHW16. Or them to events@kidney.org.au - great prizes on offer! Follow us FACEBOOK Like us to follow our week of KHW activities! Campaign hashtags Join the conversation! We d love to hear from you on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to use our official hashtags so we can find you! #KHW16 #IKidneyCheck

5 Template Kidney Health Week Media Release Below you ll find a template media release which you can edit with your event information to distribute to your local media outlets. An electronic version of this release can be found on our website For more information about sharing your story with the media, please contact Cassandra Bradshaw on or cassandra.bradshaw@kidney.org.au FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Locals Raise Awareness During Kidney Health Week (May 22-28, 2016) (name of group or individual s name) of (your town) is getting behind Kidney Health Week (May 22 28), Kidney Health Australia s national awareness week which is urging all Australians to I Kidney Check! Approximately 1.7 million Australians have indicators of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), yet less than 10% realise they have the condition. Meanwhile, the general population is largely unaware of the critical role the kidneys play in keeping the body healthy and the crucial need to get their kidneys checked every 12 months. (your name) said: We re getting involved in this campaign to let everyone in (name of community) know the importance of I Kidney Check and to learn about the risk factors and warning signs before it s too late and they need to go onto dialysis, or get a kidney transplant. (your name/group name) will be (detail what activity you are doing) on (date of activity and time). Anne Wilson, CEO Kidney Health Australia, believes the general public needs to be more aware of what their kidneys do. The kidneys are a vital organ just like the heart, brain, or lungs if they shut down, your body shuts down. It is time for Australians to consider I Kidney Check and to understand the devastating impact that sick kidneys have on the body. We can also learn about the links between kidney disease and other chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure one of the most common causes of kidney disease, said Ms Wilson. In fact, approximately 90% of people aged with high blood pressure don t know it. Prevention and early detection is vital, and I encourage all Australians particularly those at increased risk to speak to their GP or pharmacist about checking the health of their kidneys before it s too late, she added. Warning signs of kidney disease: You can lose up to 90% of kidney function before experiencing any symptoms High blood pressure Changes in the amount of and frequency urine is passed, colour of urine, or blood in the urine Pain in the kidney area Tiredness Difficulty sleeping Loss of appetite Headaches and lack of concentration Nausea and vomiting Bad breath or metallic taste in the mouth Shortness of breath In Australia, 60 people die with kidney-related disease every day, and more Australians die with diseases of the kidney and urinary tract each year than from breast cancer, prostate cancer, or even road deaths. For more information about Kidney Health Week, visit or find Kidney Health Australia on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Kidney Health Australia is a national health care charity with a vision to save and improve the lives of Australians affected by kidney disease. As the national peak body, Kidney Health Australia promotes good kidney health through education, advocacy, research and support. -END- For further information please contact: (your name) T (your phone number) E (your )

6 If you are a Health Professional During Kidney Health Week, health professionals are encouraged to host an awareness event to inform the general public about their risk of developing kidney disease. As a health professional, you have a few different options to choose from. Choose your event There are three levels of events to choose from: 1. Information only: Provide information or education about risk factors for kidney disease, healthy lifestyle, how to get a kidney health check and how to access information from Kidney Health Australia. 2. Basic monitoring: Personal risk assessment and blood pressure measurement. 3. Basic monitoring plus a QKidney screening: Application of the QKidney tool to provide a more detailed assessment of kidney disease risk. QKidney is available as an app or online at Get in touch with us If you do choose to run an event we would like you to register it with Kidney Health Australia. By registering your event, we can assist you by providing resources to distribute, a kidney health screening form and QKidney information. Basic support from your local office may also be available. To register: events@kidney.org.au Phone: or your local office Alternatively visit Kidney Health Australia s website Register as a Nurse Link member Renal nurses are encouraged to join Nurse Link. Nurse Link members receive up to date information about all Kidney Health Australia events. For Kidney Health Week we will register your event and send out a Nurse Link Events pack. To join Nurse Link: nurse.link@kidney.org.au Or visit the health professional section of to download the Nurse Link form. Thank you for helping us raise awareness about kidney disease in your community!