24 September 2019: Tomorrow, the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release Causes of Death data for 2018. Whether the number of suicide deaths confirmed go up, down or stay the same is irrelevant for Sharon Jenkins. For Mrs Jenkins, the data released will be especially heartbreaking. One of those deaths listed is her husband, paramedic Tony, lost to suicide last year.
Mrs Jenkins is calling on every State and Territory to invest in saving the lives of those who are charged on a daily basis with saving ours. She has partnered with leading international suicide intervention training organisation LivingWorks to channel her grief into positive action and wants every paramedic to be supported to do LivingWorks Start, a new one-hour online skills-based suicide prevention program accessible to every Australian.
"I don't want other families, workplaces and communities to go through the immense loss we have. If every single person in this country did a LivingWorks Start, so many of us will be better equipped to have those tough conversations. I for one will be making it my life's work to support paramedics to learn these invaluable skills. Not only could it help them save lives in the work they do but it could also save the life of one of their loved ones."
LivingWorks Australia Director, Shayne Connell, said with his background in psychology and 20 years' experience in suicide prevention and training, he hasn't seen anything like this before and welcomes Ms Jenkins support for LivingWorks Start:
"Sadly, many people enrol in LivingWorks program after they have been impacted by suicide, like Sharon and thousands of others. We would like to see every Australian upskilled in suicide intervention skills before suicide comes into their lives. LivingWorks Start is a great place to start. It is learnable in as little as one hour from any computer or mobile device and empowers everyone to play a role in saving lives from suicide."
More than 2 million people have been trained to intervene through programs such as ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and safeTALK since 1983. LivingWorks training is provided across Australia, including the safeTALK in Schools program, the Australian Defence Force suicide prevention strategy, Lifeline Australia and various Universities and community organisations. The ASIST program, lessons from which have informed development of LivingWorks Start, has more than 30 published peer-reviewed studies of the impact of our training) and is thanks to years of consistent delivery of this short course by professionally trained local peers.
