The Alfred Foundation: A Report to The Alfred ... - Alfred Hospital

Biscuits and BeyondThis year we salute the Jack Brockhoff Foundation.Many of us grew up with the name Brockhoff biscuitsin our homes – they were an Australian icon. Andat the heart of their success as a company was SirJack Brockhoff’s understanding of community andcommunity relationships.The Alfred Foundation: A Report to The Alfred Community 2006/200716So it was not such a leap when in 1979,he set up a philanthropic fund focusingon community which became the JackBrockhoff Foundation.Sir Jack appointed Trustees whounderstood community issues and theguidelines he set up are still in placetoday. He encouraged the Trusteesto fund those agencies and servicesbased in their local communities and toregularly visit recipients to keep abreastof any changes.Diabetes and the over-60sDriven by lifestyle factors especially the dramatic increase in obesity, poor diet andphysical inactivity, the diabetes epidemic already costs Australian taxpayers over$3 billion a year.But numbers of cases continue to rise.A new AusDiab study shows that everyday, 275 Australians develop the disease,approximately 100,000 a year. Of those cases,type 2 diabetes accounts for 90%. And type 2diabetes can be a preventable disease.“Yes, education is crucial,” says SueWyatt, Diabetes Clinic Nurse ConsultantCoordinator at The Alfred. “For example,65% of us say we’re either too tired or lacktime to exercise. But walking for only halfan hour a day is the guideline for physicalactivity.“And rising obesity levels mean we’ve caughtup with America,” she continues. “67.4%of Australian men and 52% of Australianwomen are now overweight or obese.”The Alfred’s Diabetes Clinic sees 3000patients a year plus 500 new patients withdiabetes in the wards. “The AusDiab studyfindings really are a red alert for the ordinaryAustralian,” says Sue.As a result, the Jack BrockhoffFoundation in 2007 understands and isresponsive to the community it fundsand is a benefactor to a wide range ofservices.We will always be grateful thatthis extends to health and medicalresearch, for The Alfred has long beena beneficiary of the Jack BrockhoffFoundation. Over many years, wehave received funds for equipment,infrastructure and research. Several• Average age of The Alfred’s patients with diabetes: 64.3 years• Percentage of overweight Australians: 39.1%• Percentage of obese Australians: 20.5%*• Percentage of overweight or obese Australian men: 67.4%• Percentage of overweight or obese Australian women: 52%• Prevalence of diabetes in over 25 year olds in Australia: 7.5%• Percentage of diabetes patients at The Alfredtaking insulin:50%• Percentage of men with diabetes: 60%• Diabetes increases your risk of heart disease• In 2001, 1.2 million Australians had cardiovascular disease-relateddisability and this accounts for the largest number of hospitaladmissions• Globally the number of people with diabetes has doubled since 1985 and is estimated to grow from 240 million to 380 million by the year 2025***BMI greater than 30**International Diabetes InstituteSir Jack Brockhoff at his office, circa 1964staff members have been recipientsof the Brockhoff-funded ChurchillFellowship and most recently, theFoundation funded the Jack BrockhoffOperating Suite in The Alfred Centre.We thank Sir Jack for his foresightand vision and the Jack BrockhoffFoundation’s wonderful staff andTrustees for understanding our need.