CareSearch Blog: Palliative Perspectives

Death is something we all have to cope with, however, we seem reluctant to think about, talk about, and plan for it. Professor Jennifer Tieman, Director of CareSearch and the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying at Flinders University, discusses the aims of Dying2Learn and how the online course offers the Australian general community the chance to learn and talk about death and dying.

As COVID-19 continues to disrupt our health and aged care services, there is a strong case for prioritising advance care planning (ACP) as part of the national response. Linda Nolte from Advance Care Planning Australia discusses how ACP could be better used to manage a surge in healthcare demand during the pandemic, with recommendations on how this might be achieved.

The ELDAC Care Model is a guide to help aged care staff and health professionals meet the needs of older Australians coming to the end of their life. In her blog, Quality, Risk and Compliance Officer and Coordinator of the ANHF-ELDAC Program, Yan Yau, discusses how the Australian Nursing Home Foundation (ANHF) is using the ELDAC Care Model to upskill staff in key areas relevant to end-of-life care.

How online health information is presented affects its usability and developing an effective design can be a challenge if the target audience is broad and has diverse needs. Amanda Adams, PhD Candidate at Flinders University Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying, discusses her study on how interface designs can help everyone to access and use health information.

There is a need for more research led by nurses working in clinical environments. In the last of our blog series for International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, Dr Caroline Phelan of Flinders University and academic at the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePadd) discuss the important role of research nurses in developing evidence, and her personal experience.