National Women's Health Week

National Women’s Health Week runs from 4 to 8 September 2023 and, at The Salvation Army Aged Care, those within our Clinical team champion the importance of acknowledging the week beyond the formal calendar date.  

Margaret Williams, the Clinical Policy Lead for The Salvation Army Aged Care, speaks about the importance of promoting this week. With her role, she also ensures that women’s health is promoted from policy right through to practice. “From a policy point of view, we put equality and equity into our documents, and we ensure that we get to know our consumer’s; their background and what’s important to them. We do this by looking at different cultural and religious aspects, to ensure our care is person centred,” Margaret explains.  

When considering the needs of older women, Margaret considers not just their physical health, but also emotional health. “Research shows that women have a lot deeper need to have those close relationships and bonds and therefore we ensure we incorporate programs into The Salvation Army Aged Care’s Lifestyle and activity programs that focus on socialisation and relationship building,” Margaret says. “Things like craft groups, morning teas and the knitting groups – just to get that socialisation to make sure they’re not alone.”  

When asked about the significance of National Women’s Health Week, Margaret outlines how this week is a great reminder for the importance to empower older women. “It’s about ensuring that we do get all that information out to staff about diversity and equity. “It’s also about making sure everything is person-centred so that our residents and clients have a voice in how they want their lives to look and how they want their care and services to be delivered.” 

In the same tone, Colleen Fitz-Gerald, The Salvation Army Aged Care's Clinical Learning Specialist, also underlines the importance of this week and how it to relates to the day-to-day expectations of her role. “This week means putting a focus on women’s health and their wellbeing. It’s really closely connected to the objectives of the education and the training that I develop,” Colleen states.  

“Everything that I do is person-centred,” she says. “So, a resident’s well-being and health is always the main objective of the training that I develop, and we have all the resources and evidence to back that up. By having this particular week, it helps us improve the health and wellbeing of the women in our care. What I’m doing in my role is therefore a very mutual goal to the goals of Women’s Health Week.”  

When we asked what Colleen thinks is significant about this week, she noted the ability to consider the needs of women from all generations. “By putting a focus on having a National Women’s Health week, it does raise that awareness across all generations that women’s health needs to be a focus, it needs to be talked about, it really needs to be under the spotlight no matter what your age is.”