To provide a service to veterans all over the state DVA staff go “on the road”nearly every week of the year! (See our Country Visits calendar)

Staff are available for personal interviews to answer individual queries and also run information forums on a variety of topics. As part of our regular Outreach visit to Albany in February, staff from DVA and VVCS - Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) joined forces to run a day-long forum at the Albany RSL, entitled Health, Wellness and You.

As well as presentations by DVA and VVCS, there were speakers from local community service groups and ex-service organisations. Discussion topics included emotional and mental health, men’s health issues and DVA services.

The busy schedule of the day still allowed some time for participants to develop contacts and support networks to assist with their health and wellbeing after the forum. An informal get together and barbeque organised by the TPI Association provided a relaxing end to the day.

During December, seventeen ‘Men’s Health Peer Educators’ (MHPE) came from across the state to DVA in Perth for some “refresher” training.Presenters at the training course included medicos, staff from the VVCS - Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service and a representative from Diabetes WA.

MHPE is an initiative of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which aims to raise the veteran community's awareness of men's health issues by encouraging members of the veteran and ex-service community to share the responsibility for managing their own health and wellbeing.

The aim of the refresher was to give practical and useful updates on health topics such as prostate, diabetes, alcohol and suicide awareness. The course also provided the opportunity for participants to support each other and share ideas about what makes for successful peer education.

Participants agreed that educators need to be compassionate and supportive and should take every opportunity to talk about health issues with their mates.At the end of the course participants commented that it was “great to network with each other” and that they “gained enthusiasm … a feeling of being recharged”.

Interested in becoming a Men’s Health Peer Educator? click here for details of the next training course.