Greater Shepparton City Council has joined the push to raise awareness for amputees by lighting up Riverlinks Eastbank, the Monash Park tree and the Mooroopna tower during National Amputee Awareness Week 2020 (NAAW20) (5-11 October).
NAAW20 is a Limbs 4 Life annual initiative, offering an opportunity to raise awareness of amputees, provide health messages and allow the community to show those living with limb loss that 'they are not alone'.
The week is dedicated to acknowledging Australians living with limb loss, raising awareness of this lifelong disability, reducing the stigma that amputees can face, and sharing limb loss prevention information.
There is more than one amputation performed every hour in Australia, which equates to 28 per day and almost 9,000 amputations ever year.
People undergo amputation for a variety of reasons: traumatic accidents; cancer; diabetes; vascular disease; and, infections (e.g. meningococcal disease, sepsis). It's a growing community made up of people of all ages, from all cultures and backgrounds, and living in every part of Australia.
NAAW20 works to break down misconceptions about amputees, supports good quality of life outcomes, and educates the wider community of the prevalence of amputation in the hope they better manage their healthcare.
