Club Information
Welcome to our Rotary Club
Alexandra

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
Alexandra Golf Club
Gordon st
ALEXANDRA, VIC 3714
Australia
First, third & fifth Wednesday 7.00pm Apologies/Guests Ros Humphries, by mid-day Monday at the very latest! Email: roshumphries2943@gmail.com or text on her mobile: 0407 689221 Secretary Helen Gibb 0419893370
Home Page Stories
At their most recent meeting, members of Alexandra Rotary listened to an informative address from Finn, specialist family violence children's clinician at Nexus Primary Health.
Finn has been helping children and families affected by family violence in our area for over 20 years.
She reached out to Alexandra Rotary for financial support because the government redistributed the funding for the specialist family violence unit, leaving 6 very experienced staff and hundreds of vulnerable children and their families without support. 
Nexus Primary Health resolved to retain the three therapists under community health funding, and with additional community support such as Rotary's donation will be able to cover the copayment for families seeking counselling. $13 may not seem a lot, but for some families it can be the difference between feeding their families, or not, tonight.
Family violence is not just a personal tragedy; it is a community crisis affecting our whole community.
Statewide statistics
In 2023 Victoria Police responded to 94,170 FV incidents- one every 6 minutes. 1 in 3 women in Victoria have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since age of 15. FV incidents have increase 38% over the last 10 years.
In Murrindindi in 2023-24 there were 1201 reports of family violence.                                 Definition- Family violence includes physical, emotional, psychological financial and sexual abuse, coercive control within family groups. It is a disproportionate use of power to gain control over others.
Regional areas including Murrindindi experience higher rates of FV compared to metropolitan areas ( less access to resources partly to blame, less anonymity.
Challenges include limited emergency housing options for victims seeking immediate safety, geographical isolation hinders access to support services.
 
Understanding Elder Abuse 
Definition Elder abuse involves harm to older individuals by someone they trust, often a family member.
Forms of abuse Psychological (63%) and financial (62%) abuses are the most reported. Physical abuse accounts for 16% of reports, social abuse 11%.
Perpetrators In 91% of cases the abuser is a family member, commonly sons (39%) or daughters (28%)
Prevalence Approximately 1 in 6 older Australians experience some form of elder abuse.
Local data is limited , but demographic trends suggest the issue is pertinent in Murrindindi Shire, although our rural setting may exacerbate challenges in reporting and accessing support services. 
Community Response and Support
Local- resources and information available through Murrindindi Shire Council
Statewide-  Safe steps is a  24/7 family violence response centre
Seniors Rights Victoria offers advice and support for elder abuse victims.    
Community Role - encourage community members to be vigilant and supportive,
-promote education and awareness programs.
 
This is a community problem, we all have a role to play in addressing both family violence and elder abuse, supporting prevention and intervention. Please share this information with your family, friends and colleagues.
A wonderful community event. Thanks to all those who helped an example of what a club effort can achieve. Great job Ian and Chris Smith organising the day. John Cannon and Ian Gibb have started their new careers in entertainment. Helen organisation of the raffle was much apprecaited.  So many to thanks.May be an image of 3 people and gooseMay be an image of 3 peopleMay be an image of 5 people and text
 Guest Speaker is Leigh Munro, speaking about Defibrillators
 
Leigh and his wife Heather arrived in Alexandra in 1988 to take up teaching roles at Taggerty and Alexandra respectively before joining the ambulance service. 
Heather has left teaching and is now a fulltime paramedic.
Leigh started as a volunteer with ADASS (Alexandra and District Ambulance Service) and transferred to Ambulance Victoria (AV) , initially as an Ambulance Community Response Officer or First Responder where he served our community for 23 years. He stopped working in acute response when the required skill levels intensified and switched to teaching First Aid in workplaces such as Council and schools.
 
Anyone can use an AED (automated electronic defibrillator).
If you encounter someone who has stopped breathing, first assess the situation for any dangers, then commence chest compressions as soon as possible while help is sought from 000 or 112.
The cycle is 30 compressions to 2 breaths, but mouth to mouth is not expected-use a mask if available. Clear the patient's airway of blood, vomit, broken teeth before commencing compressions.
Maintaining compressions is essential.  If the brain is deprived of oxygenated blood for longer than 6-7 minutes brain tissue starts to die. Swap with someone else if tiring.
Familiarise yourself with where AED's are located eg at Foodworks inside front door, the library, golf club, Fawcett Hall to name a few. 000 operator will advise where the closest registered AED can be found.
Follow the spoken instructions from the AED unit and operator while staying on the line.
If patient is in cardiac arrest, the heart has stopped beating.
Applying a shock may restart heartbeat and breathing. If breathing restarts, calm the patient, and put in recovery position to protect airway.
The machine will not deliver a shock if the patient is in asystole, but you should continue CPR until paramedics arrive, or the first aider is exhausted. (Paramedics swap over every 2  minutes when doing compressions).
If a mask is not available, continue with compressions at rate of 100-120/minute, depth 5cm for an adult patient.
Ensure that patient's skin is dry before attaching defibrillator pads, and that connecting cable is not under the pad.
Do not apply pads over implanted pacemaker (usually but not always near left collarbone.
If the patient has a significant bleeding wound, locate the source and apply pressure bandage before starting CPR (reduces blood loss).
Once CPR has been started, do not stop. 
Every minute of delay in starting CPR decreases the chance of recovery by 10%, so a 10 minute delay = 0% chance of recovery.
Batteries in the units last about 5 years, and cost $300 to replace.  Pads have a life of about 12 months.
Units cost about $1500 (down from about $3K previously). If your community group or business purchases a unit, ensure that it is registered with 000. This assists GoodSam volunteers in the area to respond effectively
Do not be afraid to use the AED units. It is better to do SOMETHING, than to do NOTHING.
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