‘Talk to a mate’: speaking up the first step to healthy life, says Regional Men’s Health Initiative educator

Glen Dunkerton, a community educator with the Regional Men’s Health Initiative, says speaking up about health issues and checking in with mates is the first step to staying on track health-wise.

The health initiative travels across the State to community groups, events, and shows or field days to talk about men’s health.

One of these events is being held this week in Albany, with community organisation Play in the Park hosting a free dads and kids breakfast at Eyre Park on Saturday morning, from 7am.

The Regional Men’s Health Initiative and Amity Health Communities for Children will be set-up for the morning and available to speak to any attendees.

The initiative is also travelling to agricultural shows and field days to offer what they call a “fast track pit stop”, designed as a 10-minute overall health check-in, wherein they measure weight, blood pressure and mental health.

“Men are behind in a lot of health areas, including heart problems and cancer, and there is no reason men should be dying first of these diseases apart from the fact that they’re not engaging with the screening processes and catching it early,” Mr Dunkerton said.

“The idea is it’s a simple framework, but it gives you a pretty good overall picture.

“Health check-ins can be as easy as that, five or 10 minutes just to go ‘am I okay?’ and that can make all the difference.”

Mr Dunkerton said the stigma of men not talking about their wellbeing was more true in the regions, and encouraged anyone to talk to a mate.

“The biggest thing is getting the conversation started,” he said.

“It’s a bit of a stigma that blokes don’t talk, and that’s the value of a group like a men’s shed, that’s where that idea comes from.

“A lot of blokes aren’t comfortable talking face to face but will talk shoulder to shoulder.

“So while they’re working on fixing a car or a piece of machinery, often guys are happy to talk while part of their energy is focused on something else.

“Speaking up about how you’re feeling and what’s going on in your life is the first big step, and it’s the one a lot of men struggle to take.

“Our motto is before it all gets too much, talk to a mate, and that’s the crux of it really.

“It doesn’t have to be a big serious thing, it can just be having a chat and checking in now and then, and making that a regular part of routine that you’re comfortable with.

“If health and wellbeing can come up in conversation amid the fishing, the farming and the footy, men will be better off for it.”