Page 45 - Retail Pharmacy Assistants - November 2020

MEN’S HEALTH 43 “In response, we developed a product that sits at conversations.movember. com, which really builds up skills and the knowledge around how to have a really good health conversation with someone who you think might be struggling or might need some help. “It’s an educational tool that teaches how to have really engaging open- ended conversations where you go begin to into those second and third-line questions that make a real difference. “It’s also very much on point, being based on scenarios specifically for men who might be struggling with the Covid world. It covers the challenges men may currently be experiencing such as home schooling, loss of income, family tensions and so on,” he said. Only 27 per cent of men with mental health problems will seek help and encouraging them to do so is a vital part of the ‘Movember’ movement. “I guess the trick is to know your limits,” said Mr Gledhill. “Recognise when you’re out of your comfort zone and be ready with the next step. “For example, if you do need to refer someone out to a professional service, you need to know who those people are so you can encourage a man and say, ‘I really think you need to be talking to someone a little bit more qualified than me. Here’s the phone number of someone you can make an appointment with. I’ve spoken to these guys before they’re really, really helpful’.” More about ‘Movember’ Since 2003, ‘Movember’ has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men. There’s no question the organisation is doing an incredible job and their latest press release makes their purpose abundantly clear. “Why do we do it?” it asks, sharing the following statistics as their answer: • Globally, we lose one man every minute to suicide. • That’s six men a day in Australia. • We want to halve the number of deaths from prostate and testicular cancer by 2030. • Over 220,000 men are living with or beyond prostate cancer in Australia. • Nine men a day die from prostate cancer. • Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men. To date, ‘Movember’ has welcomed six million supporters, but they need more. We all need to man up and engage because men need our help more than ever before. With statistics like the above and a poignant ballad reminding us that men do want to talk about it, we all need to do whatever we can to encourage those life-saving conversations. “More than ever, we need men and women around the world to be connecting better and to be asking themselves better questions around how they’re doing.” RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • NOV 2020