Vet-Treks Australia – Mobile Shed

AMSA 5th National Conference Presentation

INTRODUCTION:DVA MHPE Program & Vet-Treks Overview

1. MHPE inception in 1999 to present – collaboration since the 4th National Men’s Shed Conference August 2011 at the Brisbane Convention Centre.

2. Vet-Treks inception 1999 – interaction with MHPE Program.

DVA MHPE Program & Vet-Treks Overview

3. The Men’s Health Peer Education Program.

4. Rural & Remote Veterans - mental health issues.

5. Vet- Treks involvement with the Pit Stop / Spanner in the Works Programs.

The Vet-Treks Mobile Shed

Key Mobile Shed Trip in 2012 • Seven day 1,500 km road trip speaking on mental health to

Men’s Shed groups at Toowoomba, Roma, Charleville, St George and Lightning Ridge.

Key Mobile Shed Trip in 2013• Nine day 1927 km road trip promoting Mental Health Week.

Sheds at Warwick, Stanthorpe, Texas, St George, Roma, Mitchell, Charleville, Chinchilla, Dalby, Toowoomba & Highfields.

Purpose: ‘Showing the flag’ on behalf of the QLD Men’s Sheds Assn to offer moral support and encouragement to fledgling ‘bush’ Men’s Sheds. Still recovering from devastating floods damage, many rural areas are now suffering from severe drought.

About the Pit Stop Program• Developed in WA by Gascoyne Health to address the declining

health of men in Australian society.

• The idea behind Pit Stop is to attach the concept of regular mechanical tune-ups to men’s health

• Run as a series of stations, each involving a quick, simple health check e.g. Exhaust/Smoking; Chassis Check/Waist Measurement.

• Many Sheds through the AMSA are running a similar initiative called ‘Spanner in the Works’.

Pit Stop & MHPE / Vet-Treks

• MHPE/Vet-Treks works with local health providers to take health initiatives like the Pit Stop Program to where men gather.

• A recent example being the Sheepyard opal mining community one hour west of Lightning Ridge in North West NSW.

• For many years a ‘closed community’, locals eventually agreed to the Pit Stop health check event which exposed some significant health issues amongst the miners.

• Since then the ‘bush nurse’ has made regular monthly visits to follow up on health checks.

Conclusion

The Future: • MHPE/Vet-Treks interaction with the Men’s Shed movement

is making significant inroads into the improvement of men’s health literacy levels through education and awareness.

• This is achieved by visiting Sheds, offering guest speaker presentations together with healthy lifestyle information & delivering initiatives like Pit Stop, to identify personal risk for significant health issues in a non-threatening and fun way.

“Taking the message to the Sheds”

Questions