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The views and opinions expressed in our blog series are those of the authors and are not necessarily supported by CareSearch, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health.
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.
Dying to Know Day (August 8th) is an annual campaign that encourages community members and organisations to host events that encourage critical discussion and planning around death, dying, and grief. Holly Rankin-Smith, Communication Director at The Groundswell Project, discusses their campaign and the importance of having these critical conversations particularly during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussions about CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) are difficult because they confront the person with death. However, when cardiac arrest occurs there is no time to ponder the pros and cons of CPR or to discuss this with the person’s substitute medical treatment decision-maker. Dr Barbara Hayes, Clinical Lead in Advance Care Planning and Palliative Care Consultant at Northern Health, discusses the importance of increasing awareness of CPR decision-making prior to acute illness and why discussions and decisions are a necessary part of medical treatment planning.
Informing people with vastly different backgrounds, literacy levels and capacity, as well as roles is a challenge. This is why in the 2017-2020 project period, CareSearch and palliAGED began the Engagement Project working with specific groups (allied health, aged care and patients, carers, and families) to learn more about how they find and use health care information and what information about end of life and palliative care they need. Dr Katrina Erny-Albrecht, Senior Research Fellow for CareSearch discusses some key findings from the project and the central importance of context.
COVID-19 has caused many disruptions but has also created new approaches and innovations, especially when it comes to existing palliative care patients and the palliative care workforce. Palliative Care Australia (PCA) brought together experts in a range of disciplines including clinical, academic, research, policy, and advocacy. In this blog, PCA CEO Rohan Greenland discusses the work of the Australian COVID-19 Palliative Care Working Group and the range of activities being undertaken to build the capacity of systems and to foster collaboration.