CareSearch, Australia’s major source of evidence-based palliative care information, has today launched a national campaign designed to increase community awareness of palliative care as well as highlighting a host of free resources and information anyone can access.
Ahead of World Hospice and Palliative Care day on Saturday October 10, CareSearch is launching the Part of Life campaign to encourage all Australians to learn, care, and plan for death and dying.
The campaign launch follows significant work by CareSearch and its partners to assist health professionals and community members with access to quality information.
“Death and dying will affect all of us. It’s a part of life. And that means everyone has a role to play in palliative care,” CareSearch Director Professor Jennifer Tieman said.
“CareSearch provides evidence, information, and practical palliative care resources for everyone involved in providing care or supporting people at the end of life.”
Under the National Palliative Care Strategy, six guiding principles have been identified as fundamental to ensure that all people experience the palliative carethey need. The CareSearch Part of Life campaign therefore highlights six important elements of palliative care:
o Pallliative care is person-centred
o Death is a part of life
o Carers are valued
o Care is accessible
o Everyone has a role
o Care is evidence-based
“It’s important to know these fundamentals of palliative care because doing so enables us to better protect and plan for our own care and wishes – and those of our loved ones – at a time when it matters most,” Professor Tieman said.
“For many of us, it’s tempting to see palliative care as something for ‘other people’ to think about. In reality, it’s for all of us to consider – as family members, neighbours, community members and, importantly, young and old alike.
“Palliative care isn’t about death; it’s about quality of life. It’s about making decisions regarding our care and articulating our priorities well before we reach end of life.
“For some people, that might mean continuing to work for as long as possible. For others, it might be expressing a wish to die at home. We’re all different and that’s why learning about palliative care, supporting those who care, and making a plan are so important.”
CareSearch provides online access to evidence on palliative care for all Australians. The project is funded by the Australian Government under the 2020-2023 National Palliative Care Program and CareSearch is managed by Flinders University.
