Let’s talk about health, baby

IT has been said that a woman confides everything to her hairdresser.
‘Talking Health’ builds on that unique relationship between hairdresser and client.
Through this innovative program, clients are referred to community agencies in Cardinia Shire for assistance with health and social issues such as family violence, depression, grief and bereavement.
Council’s Health Promotion co-ordinator Georgia Davies-Jackson has praised the value of the program that is helping to achieve an action in council’s municipal public health and well-being plan to raise awareness of family violence programs and services within the shire for the community.
Hairdresser Donna Power (June for Styles, Kooweerup) said clients often “pour their hearts out” when they visit the salon and she and fellow hairdresser Skye Power are now able to help people take the next step to get support.
“We attended a ‘Talking Health’ workshop about referring people to appropriate services and it has really helped us to assist where we can,” Ms Power said.
About 20 hairdressing businesses in the Cardinia Shire have participated in the program, attended the workshop or had an in-salon session and as a result have additional information and knowledge of what’s available locally to provide support.
The hairdressers provide brochures on various health issues for their clients and a wallet-sized list of useful contacts is also available from their salons.
Talking Health, initiated in October 2007 is managed by Southern Health Cardinia–Casey Community Health Service’s Community Health Nurse Shakti McLaren in partnership with Kooweerup Regional Health Service’s Health Promotion Practitioner Aileen Thoms.
Support was also provided by Women’s Health in the South East and through a $10,000 grant from Body Shop.
“We have found the program to be particularly successful in the shire’s rural townships where the local hairdresser is the only, or one of only a few, places that provide the atmosphere for people talk about issues that may be affecting them in their life,” Ms McLaren said.
Aileen and Shakti have presented the project at conferences and it has been adopted by other regional health services in Victoria and South Australia.