Quickword Podcast S1E12: December 2024

Hi, and welcome to another episode of Quickword, where we give you the headline features from our e-newsletter. This newsletter aims to connect and inform people that work with people, about different health related campaigns, events, and resources in an uplifting and positive way.

We Acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands that were never ceded, that we live, work, and record upon.

We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and to those who may be visiting our website or listening to our podcast today.

My name is Jennifer Farinella, and I'll be talking you through what you will find in this month's Quickword.

Let's dive in.

Quickword starts with a Q.

This month's Quote is

"A clarity that hurts you is better than a hopeful confusion that holds you."

This quote is by Kiranjyothi. See more on thoughts and frame on Instagram.

This month's Useful Facts

From the New South Wales Agency of Clinical Innovation, these short animations help young people learn how to find a general practitioner and the process for getting a referral for new services or specialists.

Young people can learn about what to look for in a general practitioner and what questions to ask as they transition to adult health care and understand the process of referrals to specialist health professionals as they transition to adult health care.

Find out more at aci.health.nsw.gov.au

This month's Instagram Highlight

Condoms are the best protection to prevent unplanned pregnancy and STIs. Condoms and the contraceptive pill can be used together. Family Planning NSW has some great info on contraception and protection.

Follow us on Instagram for more content like this.

This month's Campaign and Events

The first major TV advert in 40 years about HIV aired in Scotland. The film was informed by the Scottish Government funded research from YouGov into attitudes and beliefs about HIV in Scotland and produced by the Terence Higgins Trust, the UK's leading HIV and sexual health charity.

New research found worryingly low levels of knowledge about HIV. Just one third of people in Scotland would be happy to kiss someone living with HIV, despite it being known since the 1980s that HIV can't be passed on through saliva. The data also showed almost half of people in Scotland would be ashamed to tell other people they were HIV positive, demonstrating just how stigmatised a condition HIV remains today.

A lack of knowledge about how much progress has been made in the fight against HIV in the last 40 years is also clear in the data, with just a third of Scots aware that people living with HIV and on effective treatment can't pass it on to partners. Last year, the number of heterosexuals newly diagnosed with HIV was higher than in gay and bisexual men in Scotland, for the first time in 15 years, according to the latest data from Public Health Scotland.

Which is why it's important for everyone to know the realities of HIV and remove barriers to getting tested. The reasons why stigma is now more harmful than HIV is because of the huge medical progress in treatment. Treatment works by suppressing levels of HIV in the blood to undetectable levels, which means the immune system is protected from damage, and HIV cannot be passed on to partners.

But a lack of knowledge about this progress fuel stigma, negatively impacting people living with HIV, and makes others too scared to get tested.

This month's Know Your Websites

How do I see a doctor without my parents? There are no laws that stop you from seeing the doctor without your parents or guardians. However, if you plan on going alone, you should contact the doctor's office beforehand to confirm you want the appointment to be kept private.

While you can see a doctor without your parents or guardians, a doctor can only give you medical treatment if you give informed consent, except in emergencies where it is necessary to save your life or prevent serious damage to your health. Before you can give your consent to medical treatment, the doctor must make sure you understand the medical advice they have given you, the consequences of any treatment and any alternative treatments that may be available.

You can also choose to have someone else come to a doctor's appointment with you for support. That might be a friend or another family member. Youth Law Australia answers more questions about young people's rights at the doctor such as when can I consent to medical treatment? How do I keep my medical treatment private? How do I pay for medical treatment? What is Medicare?

Find out more at yla.org au

This month's Who Are

SANE is the leading national mental health organization for people with complex mental health issues in Australia and for the families and friends that support them. SANE, is unique in their focus on supporting people who experience complex mental health issues, trauma and supporting the mental health of those who are autistic and people with an intellectual disability. They provide a range of free digital and telehealth support services to bridge the gaps in mental health and support recovery including peer support, counselling, community forums, peer led groups, art and social groups and information resources.

Find out more at sane.org

This month's On The Blog

What makes you blush? It's the middle of a conversation and suddenly if you feel heat in your cheeks, you are blushing. Toes may be curling and skin also tingling, but the glowing cheeks are a giveaway.

The dictionary defines blushing as a reddening of the face, especially from shame, modesty, or confusion. So what makes you blush? Go on, tell us. It was a lunchtime conversation with an external partner from a non government organization last year that really got us thinking about this. Over lunch, the conversation led to books, and never missing a moment to self promote, we casually dropped in our What We're Reading library page.

Whilst scanning the fabulous books in our collection, our NGO partner said, OMG, those titles make me blush. Look, we get it. Talking about sexual health, relationships, vulvas, penises, anal sex and condoms could make you blush. And we talk about it every day, so we're used to it. Still blushing? But why?

Read the whole blog at caddyshackproject. com

This month's Resource

Why sound heals. We can feel it when we turn on the radio and our favourite song happens to be playing, or when we sit quietly and listen to the rain. There is a palpable peace when we are absorbed in quiet and a different kind of rejuvenation when we hear the wind in the trees.

 There is no doubt that sound has subtle but profound effects on our body, minds and spirits. How exactly does sound work though, to heal us?

Read the whole article at upliftconnect.com forward slash whysoundheals

This month's Diary Dates

Special thanks to all our fabulous On the Couch webinar guests in 2024.

Watch or listen to the episodes on caddyshackproject.com where you can also complete free online modules on sexual and reproductive health in your own time. You can read our monthly blog, find the map which shows you where to access free condoms at services who are part of the Condom Dispenser Project in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, and order a free bag of 144 condoms, now with lube from PlaySafe, NSW Health Australia.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Caddyshack's Quickword. We hope you learnt something, found a useful link or can pass it on to a colleague, friend or family member. You can find all the details on our homepage on the web at caddyshackproject.com

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram or check out our On the Couch podcast series.

 Until next month, peace, love and protection.