CareSearch Blog: Palliative Perspectives

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) manages the National Aged Care Advocacy Program. OPAN provides information, education and free, confidential individual advocacy to both community and residential aged care and potential consumers, their carers and families. Lewis Kaplan, former CEO of OPAN, discusses what is the relationship between good advocacy services and good palliative care.

Health professionals, as well as patients and their carers and families, need easy and rapid access to reliable information to make informed and often difficult decisions about care. Professor Liz Reymond, Deputy Director of Metro South Palliative Care Service at Metro South Health Queensland writes why evidence on palliative care is crucial, and how CareSearch helps.

Paediatric palliative care is a holistic approach to the care of children with life-limiting illness and their families. It aims to enhance the quality of life for the child and provide support for the family. Dr Anthony Herbert, Director of Paediatric Palliative Care Service in the Division of Medicine at Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, writes how CareSearch supports clinicians delivering paediatric palliative care.

The rise of ageing and chronic illnesses means that most Australians are living with ill health and significant disability for many years before they die. In our 6^th CareSearch@10 anniversary blog post, Kim Devery of Flinders University and End-of-Life Essentials writes why health professionals need trustworthy evidence. 

Doctors caring for palliative patients encounter myriad of challenges. Dr Chris Moy chair of the Central Adelaide Clinical Council for Adelaide Primary Health Network and chair of the Federal AMA Ethics and Medico-legal Committee writes about the common hurdles faced by doctors, and how CareSearch can help them spend more time in caring for patients and their families.