Thursday, 9 October 2014

Mental Health and Access to Written Information


This week is Mental Health Awareness week. The ABC TV station  is screening nightly shows on different aspects of Mental Health. Check out ABC's iview for this week’s TV programs on Mental Health. Note being on iview, these are only available for a short time. story1, story 2, story, 3, etc.

This link takes you to various support and information, YouTube clips and other items on Mental Health.  

Mental Health Australia has released a 10 year reform plan called the

Point 1 is

Agree on what we want to achieve

A high-performing mental health system would maximise consumer and carer participation, prioritise mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention, be recovery‑oriented, and facilitate timely and equitable access to the right services matched to individual needs. Achieving this vision means addressing the many factors which enable people to live contributing lives: social and economic participation, accommodation, physical health, safety, prejudice and discrimination, and experiences of care, support and treatment 

See also some further  commentary and discussion about this plan. 

To achieve some intent with this plan consideration does need to be given to the significant numbers of People Living with Mental Health regarding their functional literacy. As Mental Health can be episodic also, there may be even more People Living with Mental Health who at times have greater needs with regard to accessing written information. Think about
- taking medication correctly;
- understanding side effects of medication;
- appointment no shows;
- learning about triggers and other aspects of their health and well being;
- accessing services, including accommodation, safety, and treatment options.

There are many other aspects of day to day living that People Living with Mental Health have to deal with. Have you considered what the literacy skills are of the people you support.

Talk to Cathy about how to improve the access to information via the use of Easy English for all aspects of a person’s life

Cathy

Cathy Basterfield
Access Easy English
Consultant Speech Pathologist
0466 570 855
 

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