The CJD Support Group network aims to assist and support health professional when dealing with an ‘at risk of CJD’, and that by working together we can create an environment where patients feel comfortable and confident of receiving equity of care when disclosing their at risk status.
Education and awareness
The CJD Support Group Network is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and is contracted to assist and support all families affected by CJD and people who are ‘at risk of CJD’ in Australia.
This year as part of our education/awareness program we have launched a DVD ‘Understanding CJD’. Our target audience is health care professionals and we are hoping to be able to present our DVD at many conference and information sessions.
We have been assisted in the production of this DVD by Professor Colin Masters and Associated Professor Steven Collins from the Australian National CJD Registry in Melbourne and have also worked closely with several representatives of state health departments as well as infection control experts in Australia.
In order to maximum exposure and benefit, we aim to present our DVD personally and by sharing some of our experiences we hope to dispel many of the myths associated with classical CJD (cCJD) and to bring a better awareness of this rare and fatal neurological disease and more informed care for CJD patients.
We also hope that our DVD will assist health professional when dealing with an ‘at risk of CJD’, and that by working together we can create an environment where these patients feel comfortable and confident of receiving equity of care when disclosing their at risk status.
DVD ‘Understanding CJD’ – Launched on 14th February 2008 at the Department of Health & Ageing in Canberra
Working with the Department of Heath and Ageing
We have worked very closely with the DoHA to ensure that the DVD is current with the revised infection control guidelines that were published in December 2007.