Jean Hailes for Women’s Health is dedicated to getting relevant health information to women in every corner of Australia. So, when the organisation learnt of a gap in menopause information for First Nations communities, the team got to work.
‘Menopause – ‘the change’’ is a collection of information resources designed for First Nations women and the health professionals who care for them. Available for free on the Jean Hailes website, they feature artwork by First Nations artists and illustrators. Rural, remote and urban First Nations communities helped develop the content.
Menopause information: A missing piece
Over several years, Jean Hailes has worked with First Nations-led health services around Australia to develop relevant, culturally appropriate information on various health topics. Gaps in menopause information came to light through this work.
Laura Hinds, a remote area nurse and midwife with the Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation, explains: “Working within the remote space, at times, there is not enough information about sensitive women's health issues.
“We talk about puberty and conception and what it is like to have a period, or what it’s like to have a baby, but resources that support women later in life are very few and far between.”
Working with community
To bring the menopause information to life, Jean Hailes worked closely with First Nations-led organisations, including Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (WA), Kalwun Development Corporation Ltd (Qld) and Coolamon Creative (NT).
The resources include a booklet for women and presentations for health workers that explain why menopause happens, the symptoms and how to stay well.
Samantha Campbell, from Coolamon Creative in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), says the artwork that features on the cover of each resource “represents being at peace amongst change.
“There are women talking together at the centre, with the yellow dots representing peace around them. It also shows the surrounding elements of environment, the empty waterholes, full waterholes, tracks, flowers, which represents the always changing land, just like our own bodies are always changing. The blue represents water and connecting people to peace.”
Hinds describes the resources as “culturally safe and evaluated by women of community”.
“Having resources that are both in online format and hard copy has also been a big win,” she adds. “Sometimes our teams are not able to travel out to communities with a lot of luggage, so having the online versions has been very useful.”
Menopause, periods, PCOS and more
The menopause resources add to the growing Jean Hailes library of free information for First Nations communities. On the website, you can also find culturally appropriate, relevant and accessible information on periods, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and health checks. To access the resources, visit jeanhailes.org.au.
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