Page 62 - Food&Drink Magazine Aug-Sep 2021

MACHINERY MATTERS
Wellbeing: it’s vital to
support each other
Welcome to another edition of Machinery Matters for 2021, brought to you by the APPMA in an exclusive partnership with PKN Packaging News and Food & Drink Business.
This issue I want to talk not so much about how the APPMA can help members, but how every single one of us can help each other.
It is excellent to see the vaccination roadmap is progressively allowing industry to re-open in a Covid-safe manner. This is a slow process, but that is not unexpected. Public support for the vaccination program indicates that the planned targets will be achieved pre-Christmas.
As progress is made in community vaccination levels, confidence that 2022 will represent a year of safe re-engagement and rebuilding across all industry sectors continues to grow. From an industry perspective, we are looking forward to 2022 to once again have networking events, travel and exhibitions, including the APPMA flagship event, AUSPACK 2022.
While the extreme lockdowns we have seen may – hopefully – be a thing of the past, the lasting mental-health impacts created by the pandemic are neither easily recognised nor addressed. Awareness of mental-health concerns is a positive step, however it is a well-documented fact that pre-Covid, only a small percentage of people living with mental illness sought support.
VicHealth’s Coronavirus Victorian Wellbeing Impact Studies revealed that during the first coronavirus lockdown, Victorians were feeling less socially connected, and many reported mental wellbeing issues along with lower levels of life satisfaction. The repeated lockdowns, and even the timeframe to achieve the targeted vaccination rates, will do little to reduce existing anxiety and mental health concerns in the short term for those families, businesses and communities severely affected.
The Black Dog Institute’s report “Mental Health Ramifications of Covid-19: The Australian context”, says anxiety, panic, depression, anger, confusion and uncertainty are common consequences of disease and pandemic outbreaks, with a quarter to a third of the community experiencing high levels of worry and anxiety.
“The repeated lockdowns, and even
the timeframe to
achieve the targeted vaccination rates, will do little to reduce existing anxiety and mental health concerns in the short term for those families, businesses
and communities severely affected.”
The report says during this Covid-19 pandemic, those with pre-existing mental health disorders, and those who worry excessively about having or contracting illnesses, are at risk of experiencing higher anxiety levels.
And then, of course, add financial stress and all its associated effects.
So it is with this knowledge that I say now is the time to continue looking out for each other – both within business and in the broader community. It is easy to make assumptions that people are “okay”, however the mental challenges along with the hesitancy of people to seek help, make it that much more difficult to give that help and support. I encourage everyone to look out for each other; support your family, friends and colleagues, and maintain activity and contact with your support networks.
As always, please stay safe.
MARK DINGLEY, CHAIRMAN
CONNECT WITH APPMA
There are various ways to stay in touch with APPMA, including our website appma.com.au and social media.
2 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 MACHINERY MATTERS
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