Aussies Get Their Socks Off Again
Every year there are more than 27,000 hospital admissions in Australia for diabetes-related foot ulcers. Many of these will lead to people having a limb, or part of a limb, amputated.
However, a new pathway tool developed by Diabetes Australia and the Australian Diabetes Society, will help health professionals deliver the care required to dramatically reduce the number of amputations in Australia.
To publicise this and highlight the fact 85% of amputations are preventable, Diabetes Australia organised a get your socks off campaign.
It encouraged Members of Parliament to get involved by providing them with statistics for their areas and ready-made tweets for them to publish on-line.
Photos with and without socks were recommended to accompany a draft press release suggested by Diabetes Australia.
The result was increased awareness among MPs and the public via the significant amount of publicity the event generated around World Diabetes Day.
Advocacy Action: If you make contact now with your national diabetes patient organisation (PDGN can provide you with details) you may be able to plan for a similar event for next year. Whatever you do, be sure to let PDGN know so we can all improve our advocacy learning from one another.