Hervey Bay Choice and Change – Supporting healthy ageing for women

We warmly invite you to attend the CCQ Clinical Society event in Hervey Bay, at Hervey Bay Boat Club in February:

‘Choice and Change – Supporting healthy ageing for women’.

Clinical Context

This event will bring local interdisciplinary teams together for an evening of networking and learning centred on collaboratively promoting and supporting healthy aging for women. The clinical focus of the evening will be on maximising health during the perimenopause and menopausal transition.

The 2024 landmark Commonwealth senate enquiry into menopause and the perimenopause highlighted several key areas to improve support and healthcare for women during and after menopause. It identified that despite menopause being a natural transition for over 51 per cent of the population, it has ‘remained an area in women’s health where women’s voices and pain have been ignored or poorly understood’. This report highlights the need for an awareness campaign and further education for health professionals on the topic. It found that GPs are often perceived as having ‘limited knowledge’ and are unable to recognize perimenopause symptoms. These Commonwealth senate findings echo the priority health action areas identified in the

Queensland Women’s and Girls’ Health Strategy 2023 highlighting sexual and reproductive health as key areas for reform.

Feedback from attendees at previous clinical societies identified ‘maximizing healthy ageing’ and ‘improving women’s health in endometriosis and perimenopause’ consistently as the two highest priority topic areas for future events. It is proposed that this round of clinical societies fuses these suggestions with a focus on maximizing health during the perimenopause and menopausal transition.

Learning objectives:

1. Explore data to examine the current state of women’s health with age, particularly the impact of the menopausal transition.
2. Develop an understanding of evidence-based advice on lifestyle and healthy ageing to incorporate into consultations relating to menopause.
3. Describe the benefits and risks of menopausal therapy including hormonal and non-hormonal options.
4. Examine the role of integrated multidisciplinary care, particularly the role of a women’s health physiotherapist, in driving better outcomes for women around menopause.
5. Explore opportunities to develop and embed best practice women’s health service models in local communities.

Guest presenters:

• Dr Saberatma Ganeshananthan – Gynaecological and Obstetric, Hervey Bay Hospital and Health Service
• Doreen Black – Women’s Health Physiotherapist, Hervey Bay Physio
• Panel Members: Joining our guest speakers will be clinicians and health professionals who are local subject matter experts.

This event is CPD accredited, with RACGP & ACRRM points for GPs.

This is a catered event including dinner. Please register to inform us of any dietary requirements.