Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week

This week Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week SCIAW! This is a national initiative to raise
awareness of the daily lives of people who have sustained a spinal cord injury. This year’s “I can” theme, is focused on challenging perceptions of what it means to have a spinal cord injury. Almost everyday in Australia, someone's life is changed forever by a spinal cord injury. There are approximately 12,000 Australians who have a spinal cord injury, and an additional 300-400 new cases each year. Young men are four times more likely to sustain spinal cord injuries than women. Tetraplegia, which is the paralysis of all four limbs, occurs in over 50% of all these cases. The impacts of spinal cord injury are usually life-long and can be devastating without appropriate rehabilitation and support. The estimated lifetime cost of tetraplegia is $9.5 million and the total annual cost of spinal cord injury in Australia is estimated to be $2 billion. 

The Hopkins Centre, along with our affiliate partner Spinal Life Australia, is keen to take this opportunity to raise awareness about important research, our influential Ambassadors and our talented members who are providing the highest quality services in this area. We have many projects in this area including the development of a smart app to assist people in managing the complications of SCI, supporting breathing post extubation for people with new spinal cord injuries with a unique ventilation mode via a mouthpiece, technologically accessible homes, access to health services, equine therapy and the use of singing to enhance breathing, voice and wellbeing. The important Back2Work project and the elimination of discrimination in employment for people with SCI will also be a focus for THC. 

During SCIAW, we will be tweeting and posting stories about our spinal cord injury research, as well as highlighting the incredible work of our partner organisations and our Ambassadors. Please look out for these stories, follow them and share them. Stay tuned for more information to come on our research projects, researchers and partnerships via our website and on twitter @hopkins_centre #SCIAW