You probably don’t think about wounds until you or a loved one develops one.
But did you know almost half a million Australians live with wounds that just won’t heal – and many don’t even know it’s a problem?
That’s why we launched Be Wound Aware – a national government-funded campaign by Wounds Australia to help people like you learn how to spot, treat, and prevent chronic wounds before they get worse.
The wound epidemic you’ve never heard of
Almost half a million Australians live with a hard-to-heal (chronic) wound each year, and the annual financial burden is over $6 billion. The costs associated with wounds are direct, in relation to wound care and treatment, and indirect, where patients’ ability to work is impacted (Australian Prescriber independent review 2023).
The number of these wounds continues to increase with our ageing population, higher rates of diabetes, and poor nutrition.
Know the wound warning signs
1 in 4 people would wait a week or more for medical attention for a wound.
Here’s what to look for in a chronic wound:
-
Pain & heat: a wound is red, hot, swollen and painful
-
Odour: the wound smells strange or unpleasant
-
Fluid: the wound is oozing a thick, yellowish fluid
-
Slow healing: the wound is taking more than a month to heal
If your wound displays any of the chronic wound warning signs, it’s time to seek support from a healthcare professional.
Why this matters (to you!)
Whether you’re:
- Living with a chronic condition
- Caring for someone living with a chronic condition
- Or just want to stay well and informed…
Understanding wound risks could save time, money – even lives. This newsletter is your go-to source for simple, bite-sized insights to stay wound aware and one step ahead.
Follow along as we share tips, advice, and facts throughout #BeWoundAware.
Wound Resources
We have great resources to help boost your knowledge about wounds, the risk factors for chronic wounds, self-care, and sources of professional advice.
These factsheets are fantastic tools to get you up to speed and wound aware and you can download our first two factsheets for free today!
What is Be Wound Aware?
Be Wound Aware is our national public awareness campaign, and we’re kicking off with informative resources to educate the public. We’re on a mission to get everyone up to speed with wound care and prevention tricks and tips – whether you’re a patient, carer, industry or health professional. Join us on this journey as we all wise up to wounds, together.
To start our campaign, we’re introducing #Wound101: the baseline for your knowledge to stay wound aware.
A wound is any damage or break in your skin. Most wounds heal quickly, but many don’t – in fact, as you read earlier, chronic wounds are Australia’s hidden epidemic.
Chronic wounds are wounds that don’t follow the normal healing process, taking longer than expected – more than a month, as a rule. Common chronic wounds include:
- Pressure injuries
- Venous leg ulcers
- Diabetes-related foot ulcers
- Any hard-to-heal wound you’ve had for more than 30 days.
If you think you have a chronic wound, you will likely need to seek professional advice, and we’ll look at this later.
A chronic wound can happen to anyone – but some factors can put you at greater risk. Health and medical conditions can delay healing, including:
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Cardiovascular disease
- Renal disease
- Lymphoedema
- Impaired mobility
- Infections
Around 1.3 million Australians live with diabetes, and that number has been steadily increasing from 3.3% in 2001 to 5.3% in 2022. Almost 2 in 3 Australian adults are overweight or obese, and over 4 million Australians have a cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) disease. A huge number of people are at risk of developing these wounds! (figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics)
Real Stories
It’s easy to get lost in the facts and figures about wounds, so let’s look at two real-life stories demonstrating their huge impact.
A small cut with big consequences for one Sydney man
James developed sepsis from a small cut on his foot, which became infected after an overseas holiday. Over a year since his amputation and after almost four months in hospital, James has made a remarkable recovery. James’ story demonstrates the significant impact even small wounds can have.
Who is Wounds Australia?
Wounds Australia is the national peak body for the prevention, treatment, management, and healing of wounds. We work to ensure patients receive the best quality care possible and, even more importantly, to minimise unnecessary suffering and expense by preventing chronic wounds from occurring in the first place.
Coming soon: tips, tools & personal stories
Over the next few issues, you’ll get:
- Wound care dos and don’ts
- Where to seek help
- Personal stories that hit home
- Advice for carers and families
- Free downloads and shareables
Follow us on social media!
Stay up to date with Wound Aware across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Don’t miss out – sign up here to never miss an issue! Sign up
You’re leaving our site
The link you clicked will take you to an external website.
Alternatively you can close this popup and continue on our site.