News & Announcements

Department of Health are seeking applications for a Nurse Unit Manager to provide leadership to the Specialist Palliative Care Team across the North West Region.

A new podcast on palliative care aims to reach out to younger audiences, some of whom may eventually become caregivers to their loved ones with serious illnesses.

Australian society is facing monumental change as it ages  — and that change will reshape workplaces, national and household finances and the structure of communities.

Dr Ola Ziara, a Gazan paediatrician who has only known a childhood and working life under occupation and blockade, and Dr Rachel Coghlan, a non-Palestinian, Melbourne-based palliative care practitioner privileged to call Ola her friend

A landmark development for Aboriginal elders to age in place is on track in Beaconsfield.

Jatinder Kaur is, at times, the final person people see before they die. Working as a palliative care nurse she treats her patients like royalty in their final moments of life and holds their hands as they often slowly pass away.

A promised funding boost for end-of-life care in NSW will be cut by $150 million to help hire more nurses to fill staff shortages.

Premier Chris Minns confirmed the change, saying part of the $750 million pledged by the former coalition government for palliative care would be shifted to the broader health budget.

Despite a steady increase in palliative care utilization from 2004 to 2020, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander patients with metastatic breast cancer were less likely to receive palliative care than non-Hispanic white patients, according to results presented at the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held September 29-October 2, 2023.

A new online resource is available to help ease the burdens non-professionals providing palliative care face.

Led by Flinders University’s Research Centre in Palliative Care, Death and Dying, the website – CarerHelp – is aimed at family members, friends, neighbours and others who are providing physical, emotional and practical support for someone with a terminal illness.

Palliative Care Australia and Dementia Australia have framed nine recommendations to deliver better quality of life to people, families, and carers travelling life’s journey with dementia, including those in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay.

Rhonda Skinner is coming to terms with a hard truth of life — she is dying. 

The 84-year-old Mount Isa resident has chronic obstructive pulmonary lung disease and atrial fibrillation, and needs a constant supply of oxygen to breathe. 

In November, she was told she would be entering palliative care.

Palliative Care Australia has unveiled the finalists for the prestigious 2023 National Palliative Care Awards, recognising outstanding contributions to the palliative care sector. The awards ceremony, to be held on September 14 at the International Convention Centre, Sydney, honours individuals and teams who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, and dedication in Australia’s palliative care community.

In preparing for ‘life after living’, as Anna calls it, palliative care can provide a vital service for people with life limiting illnesses and their families. With the Palliative Care Navigation Pilot program underway, Matt, Anna, and Tim discuss their experiences with grief and loss, and make the effort to have these discussions for the benefit of themselves and everyone around them.

Like two friends catching up on their latest news, 16-year-old Summer Williams and her volunteer biographer Claire Davis leave no subject untouched.

Child advocates use fiction to guide parents on an effective approach.

A business case into a dedicated palliative care facility in Mount Gambier will soon begin following support for the project from both major parties in state parliament last week.

Australian peak health organisations have joined forces in a public outcry over the TGA’s announcement of the looming end to national supply of a critical pain medication.

A drug that is considered exceptionally effective for treating acute pain in palliative care and oncology patients may not be available in Australia for much longer. 

To continue the legacy of palliative care pioneer Cynthia Goh, who died in February 2022, her family and friends gave $6 million to set up an institute in her name.

A war in Sudan between two parts of the military government began in April 2023. Dr Nahla Gafer, a palliative care doctor, had to flee Khartoum, four days into the war which is devastating the capital.

The Calvary Health Care-run Clare Holland House will transition to ACT government control along with the public hospital in Canberra's north.

For 25 years, the Mount Druitt Hospital Palliative Care Unit has been a part of western Sydney history.

However, it’s not the walls of the building that hold the stories of those who’ve spent their final moments in the unit; it’s the staff and volunteers.

In just a few hours, Lily Thai’s life will peacefully come to a close.

It’s a moment that has been in talks for months and will enable the 23-year old to take her last breaths with dignity.

A century-old public hospital caring for palliative patients in the heart of Sydney is closing.

Neurologic illnesses, including Alzheimer's, brain cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and stroke, are among the most dreaded illnesses in medicine and leading causes of disability and death worldwide. Despite the huge burden of suffering these patients and families face, palliative care is not routinely offered and is used far less than in other illnesses.

Estimates from National Cancer Registry Programme suggest that at least 1 out of 9 Indians are likely to get cancer in their lifetimes. Moreover, nearly 15 lakh new cancer cases are reported every year in India and almost 8 lakh Indians lose their lives to cancer as each year passes by. But the good news is, advanced research and development in the field of oncology has been able to evolve cancer treatment through the last few decades while increasing the survival rate of people living with this ailment.

It was a five-week program, where 10 young First Nations people came together to make a possum skin cloak, but it resulted in so much more for the participants who learnt about culture and even mindfulness.

The cloak will be donated to a palliative care unit, where it will be used for safe passage into the Dreamtime

Paediatric palliative care and its important role within the health sector has been recognised with new funding from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.

The 2023 Murray to Moyne team has raised more than $11,000 and have purchased new equipment for Deniliquin Hospital.

The dedicated local team of cyclists and support crew have been participating in the annual event for 33 years - and Graeme Butcher has cycled all 33 of them.

Mr Butcher said the team worked in conjunction with Deniliquin Hospital to purchase a new Ook Snow All Bariatric Hospital Bed donated to the palliative care unit.

Paediatric palliative care and its important role within the health sector has been recognised with new funding from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.

Palliative Care Australia is excited to launch the scholarships program for the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference (OPCC) this September in Sydney.

Nominations have opened for the 2023 Palliative Care Australia (PCA), National Palliative Care Awards, hosted by Australian performer, writer and comedy legend, Jean Kittson.

An opportunity has become available for a Clinical Nurse Consultant (Clinical Lead - Specialist Palliative Rural Telehealth Service) to join Gold Coast Health (GCH) where the focus of our 12,000-strong team is on providing world-class health care to people living in the Gold Coast, and northern New South Wales region of Australia.

In the early 2000s, the management of Calvary Hospital in Canberra recognised they had a problem.

Nearly all Calvary’s terminally ill patients were saying they wanted to spend their final days in the comfort of their homes, surrounded by loved ones.

But appropriate professional healthcare support was not available at home. So patients were instead spending their final days in hospital.

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has been awarded two major grants, which total $11.6 million in Australian Government funding. The two programs combined will make a substantial contribution to improving coordination and collaboration, and patient outcomes in palliative care.

The Department of Health seek applications from Registered Nurses' for the vacancy of CNS - Palliative Care, based in NW Tasmania.

An opportunity has become available for an Occupational Therapist - Advanced (Specialist Palliative Rural Telehealth Service) to join Gold Coast Health (GCH) where the focus of our 12 000-strong team is on providing world-class health care to people living in the Gold Coast, and northern New South Wales region of Australia.

An opportunity has become available for a Clinical Nurse Consultant (Specialist Palliative Care in Residential Aged Care Project) to join Gold Coast Health (GCH) where the focus of our 12 000-strong team is on providing world-class health care to people living in the Gold Coast, and northern New South Wales region of Australia.

QUT research projects have received nearly $30 million from Federal Government funding to fund palliative care projects.

Live the life you please is a new documentary film about palliative care. It’s a portrait of the end-of-life and of how palliative care is transforming the lives of Australians with life limiting illnesses. As one of the participants in the documentary says, “by openly acknowledging the reality of death, we’re better equipped to engage with life.”

The evaluation of the Uniting AgeWell Dossy pilot of a simple video app designed for older people shows increased social and family connections and reduced feelings of loneliness among participants.

A new national program is set to revolutionise the landscape of palliative care in Australia after the government approved over $70 million in funding for programs set to enhance palliative care organisations and services around the country.

Mental health is a crucial aspect of our overall well-being, and yet it has often been overlooked or stigmatised in the past. However, in recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the significance of mental health and the impact it has on individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole.

These concerns are also significant for cancer patients and those undergoing palliative therapies. A cancer diagnosis often triggers a range of emotions such as fear, sadness, anger, anxiety, and depression. 

For corporate lawyer, university student, mum of two, and volunteer, Sarah Mellowes she saw how important it was to document the lives of palliative care clients for them and their families.

A new palliative care pilot will be launched in South Australia to make care more accessible. 

Simon has been hit hard by tragedy. He lost a daughter to stillbirth and his wife and son both died within weeks of each other. He thinks people shouldn’t avoid talking about death openly.

Funding of almost $70 million will be directed into palliative care to enhance workforce education and training, the government has announced.

No one wants to face a final goodbye, but being prepared is important and knowing how you wish to live in those last few years can put your mind at ease and lift your spirits through a sense of familiarity and comfort.

Child advocates use fiction to guide parents on an effective approach.

As National Palliative Care Week comes to a close, In Home Hospice Care chair Maureen Klintberg reflected on how important the service is to the community.

A new palliative care handbook written especially for relatives and friends of families with children who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness has been launched in the ACT.

Do you know what to do when someone close to you is dying? How do they want their final weeks or days to look like? Have you considered your own plan?

They're confronting questions but palliative care researcher, Professor Samar Aoun, says it won't kill us to talk about our death, and it's not something we should leave to chance.

Listen as she explains to Jo Trilling the importance of open conversations to improve your end-of-life experience.

Nicole Winters is a Senior Aboriginal Health Worker in palliative care at Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals. Each time her phone rings, the threat of sad news hangs heavy in the air. After all, her team guides up to 60 Aboriginal patients and their families through their final moments each year – and it’s not a question of if, but when.

With one in three Australians reporting they’ve had a family member receive palliative care, it’s important for all of us to have important conversations with our loved ones and determine the best plan to maintain their quality of life while dealing with a life-limiting or terminal illness.

Palliative Care Nurses Australia wishes to acknowledge the difference all nurses make to #mattersoflifeanddeath in National Palliative Care Week 2023 and every week. As the largest health workforce, nurses make a significant impact to palliative care and its leadership. Palliative Care Nurses Australia recognises the significant pressures nurses have faced and continue to face in contributing to matters of life and death.

Over the past 25 years, Barry Whelan has made more than 20,000 visits to palliative care clients and their families.

The recently retired palliative care counsellor from Poowong, in Victoria's south-east, has guided people of different faiths and backgrounds through the final stages of their life.

It's given him insight into what happens when someone is at the end of their life.

Most people may not wish to devote much time to thinking about their death. However, it’s an unfortunate fact that the entry point into experiences or conversations around death and end-of-life care can happen abruptly.

Anniversary feels wrong. The word, I mean. Too much like a birthday, a jolly marking on the calendar, a party. But English doesn’t offer much else. Not that I can find. And lately I’ve been looking, as May 24 approaches.

Every time a patient dies at Dover Park Hospice, the nurses there observe a moment of silence and line up along the corridor to pay their respects as the patient is wheeled out of the ward for the last time.

Calvary Mater Newcastle has an opportunity for a Nursing Unit Manager to join their Palliative Care team. 

Calvary Mater Newcastle has an opportunity for a Registered Nurse to join their Palliative Care team. 

For some patients in palliative care, the future can seem grim or uncertain which may lead to a slump in their mood, apathy or symptoms associated with major depressive disorder (MDD).

More South Australians with a terminal illness will be able to receive treatment at home rather than in crowded hospital emergency departments, with $250,000 of state government funding to boost the number of pharmacies that stock palliative care medicines.

Sydney Local Health District has an opportunity for a Transitional Nurse Practitioner/Nurse Practitioner - Palliative Care to join their team. 

Spending your final moments of life surrounded by family, in your own comfortable bed or chair, with a loved one’s hand holding yours, is the rosy picture most of us prefer to draw when we picture the end of life – if we picture it at all.

“The idea seems entrenched,” says Dr Muckaden. “People seem to think of palliative care as being about death and dying. I prefer to use the term supportive care. It seems easier to change the word that describes what you’re doing than change the entire system.”

While many people shy away from the idea of death and dying, a Bunbury researcher is breaking the taboos in a quest to make the journey to death easier and more person-focused.

The addition of palliative care skills as a core requirement of aged care training is a welcome step that will strengthen the workforce and deliver better care to vulnerable Australians.

Morphine was first introduced to the country 30 years ago, but as the burden of cancer increases, thousands of people still lack access to even basic treatment or pain relief.

Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has submitted 18 recommendations to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, in the hope of greater access to end of life care.

With dementia taking over as the biggest health issue for Australians aged 65 and over, Dementia Australia reinforces the need for an interconnected, dementia-informed healthcare system to ensure everyone impacted by dementia receives appropriate support and care throughout their experience of the disease.

Former President Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at home, the Carter Center announced over the weekend.

Did you know that more than half of us will be unable to make our own medical decisions at the end of our lives?

Despite this scary statistic, too few of us take the time to discuss our medical treatment preferences in our final days, potentially leaving us without a voice. An advance care directive gives you the ability to make your medical treatment preferences known in situations where you’re unable to communicate or make decisions.

Irrespective of their age, identity, gender, nationality and status in the society, chronic conditions are challenging to deal with. Facilities and services like palliative care has been treatint patients from within and yet remain hidden among many of us.

An independent evaluation of a recent national advertising campaign led by Palliative Care Australia adds further weight to the need for greater investment in the palliative care workforce and services.

As health professionals, we know that the need for health care treatment does not always occur at a time when the individual is able to participate in their own decision-making. Over 50 percent of people approach their end of life unable to make their own decisions. I witnessed this on a daily basis as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, caring for adults of all ages needing an ICU admission and unable to speak for themselves.

More children with life-limiting conditions will have access to specialised palliative and respite care thanks to a $16 million funding injection from the state government to expand these services.

I have lost count of the number of times I hear people complain that an older family member is “troublesome” or “burdensome”, or elders expressing fears of “bothering” their adult children.

This is especially common when health goes downhill and the elders — once caregivers to their children and grandchildren — need to be cared for themselves.

Southern NSW Local Health District has an opportunity for a Nurse Practitioner/Transitional Nurse Practitioner - Palliative Care to join their team. 

Aged care workers, health staff, nurses, and GPs across Australia are benefitting from a new toolkit aimed at improving end-of-life care for residents with dementia. The Advance Project toolkit, developed by HammondCare and funded by the Australian government, has already been accessed by 993 people in the aged and primary care sector.

The Companion Animal Network Australia (Australia CAN) wants to see Government-funded pet care supports introduced as part of in-home care packages and aged care, and is calling on the public to provide their input on what pet-friendly services are needed for older people.

Death is a topic that few people like to dwell on – but it is not something to be frightened of, say three nurses from hospices around Ipswich. 

For people living in rural and remote areas in Australia, accessing timely palliative care after-hours can be challenging due to factors such as geographical location, absence of specialised palliative care services, poor transportation to name a few. The lack of support services and advice available after-hours can make managing complex symptoms challenging.

Jan, my mother-in-law, is dying. There’s a strong chance that by the time you read this, she will already be gone. The moment has been coming for years – she has untreated terminal cancer – but even so the final decline has been stunningly swift. 

We know how strongly Bronnie Taylor feels about the health system.

She described herself in her inaugural speech as a “proud nurse.” She spoke of studying nursing at the University of Sydney as “a decision to this day I am so grateful for,” adding “I knew I had found my niche when I started caring for people affected by cancer.”

The death of a child goes against the natural order of life events. For many families, planning their child’s funeral can be a daunting, overwhelming, and highly emotional time. Some families like to plan, while others are unable to discuss the impending death of their child until after it occurs. Some families may have specific requirements, cultural and religious tradition or rituals that are important and help to bring comfort. Some children like to be included in the planning of their own funeral.

There were significant increases in the use of palliative care for recently hospitalized veterans whose primary care team had additional social work staffing, according to the results of this study involving 43,200 veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system. These findings suggest that social workers may increase access to and/or use of palliative care. Future work should assess the mechanism for this association and whether the increase in palliative care is associated with other health or health care outcomes.

If some pass on with anger in their hearts, there are some others who spread love and joy around them in the brief time they are with us. This is story of a brave young girl whose sweet but painful memory will always be with us.

The role of the palliative care nurse and the palliative care team is to provide an extra layer of support, guidance, and advocacy, and to be part of the village/care team surrounding the child and family.

Blue Care is embarking on an exciting transformation to expand its palliative care services around the state of Queensland. With it, comes an incredible opportunity for an experienced Nurse Practitioner to lead a team that is renowned for the quality of palliative care it provides to clients and their families.

Palliative care researcher Professor Samar Aoun has been named the 2023 WA Australian of the year in recognition of her work supporting people facing end-of-life care. 

The WA Australian of the Year wants us to talk more about one of the only certainties in life… death.

When a patient died in front of her as a student nurse, Teresa Plane fled down the fire escape and vowed never to return.

But she did go back. She completed her training to become a registered nurse.

Reforms to the aged care sector will see aged care facilities staff Registered Nurses (RNs) 24/7 to improve the quality of care, but a national palliative care peak body has said there’s a missed opportunity to improve that care even more. 

Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service has an opportunity for a Clinical Nurse - Post Acute Rehab Aged Care (Palliative Care) within the Division of Primary Health Care, Thursday Island within the Post-Acute Rehab and Aged Care Program.

Northern NSW Local Health District has an opportunity for a Nurse Educator – Palliative Care to join their team. 

Regional health centres around South Australia will benefit from 10 new senior full-time equivalent palliative care nursing positions opening across all six regional Local Health Networks.

Gold Coast Health (GCH) has an opportunity for a Social Worker - Senior to work within the Specialist Palliative Care Service. 

Three professionals who work with death and dying have described the one thing they all have in common.

Southern NSW Local Health District has an opportunity for a Palliative Care Nurse Manager to join their team. 

Three professionals who work with death and dying have described the one thing they all have in common.

The North West Specialist Palliative Care Service has an opportunity for a Clinical Nurse Specialist to join their team in Burnie.

A new program being trialled in Southern Cross Care facilities aims to bring emergency department-level infection control to aged care, a shift its backers hope will reduce transmission of COVID-19 among vulnerable residents.

Culturally-appropriate palliative care kits will be rolled out across Australia to help Indigenous families care for their dying loved ones on Country.

Image Credit Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS

After the recent introduction of aged care reform into Parliament, a peak body is asking the Labor Government to include palliative care within the plans for 24/7 nursing in residential aged care.

A hospice in the Forth Valley has received funding to deliver palliative care training to ambulance crews.

Strathcarron Hospice received the £9,276 grant from the Hospital Saturday Fund (HSF) to deliver the training programme to the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Murrumbidgee Local Health District is reminding community members to not shy away from having difficult conversations with their loved ones around end-of-life.

Palliative Care Tasmania (PCT), the peak body for palliative care, this evening announced the winners of the sixth annual Tasmanian Palliative Care Award at Government House in Hobart.

A hospice is using virtual reality (VR) to help patients relax and transport them away from their beds.

Demand for palliative care services has risen by up to 40 per cent since the pandemic began, putting strain on health workers and patients. 

Here, Vice President of Palliative Care Nurses Australia and palliative nurse practitioner Joshua Cohen, Chair of Palliative Care Australia and palliative care doctor Professor Meera Agar, and Queensland dad, Simon Menelaws share their experiences during this challenging time with ABC News.

Pet Therapy is not exactly a new idea in the aged care space, but over the last few years there has been a definite increase in the number of aged care facilities utilising animals to combat issues of loneliness and social isolation amongst residents. 

To encourage better end-of-life conversations, Calvary Health Care and its partners, Mercy Health and Catholic Cemeteries + Crematoria, have launched the I Am Living initiative.

If ever there is a time when you really do need to see a doctor in person, as opposed to seeing them on a screen or talking on the phone, it is when you are visiting the palliative care doctor.

Palliative Care ACT will receive $2.59 million from the ACT Government, providing ongoing support for Leo’s Place, Canberra’s only non-clinical home-like palliative care respite facility for patients and their carers. This follows a successful 18-month trial of the concept, the first of its kind in Australia.

Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service has an opportunity for a Clinical Nurse to join their team in Rockhampton.

Applications are now open for a small grants program aimed at strengthening the Tasmanian community’s capacity to discuss, facilitate and provide palliative care.

Based on the most recent data, 682 people took the first step in the initial 12 months of WA's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws, with about a quarter ultimately using the scheme to end their lives.

Volunteers for Palliative Care's rocking horse raffle has been drawn, and it raised $740 for their services.

In Home Hospice Care services have been secured for several more months after receiving $74,200 under the State Government’s palliative care grants.

Applications are now open for The Dame Quentin Bryce Palliative Care Nursing Research Fund – a new funding opportunity created to support research into palliative care nursing. The funds are offered by the Centre for Palliative Care (c/o St Vincent’s Hospital) and the Department of Nursing, The University of Melbourne.

Nurse practitioner in palliative aged care Juliane Samara says many older people arrived in Australia as refugees or asylum seekers and have suffered some level of trauma that can return as they age.

Image: Ben Harris (ABC)

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has agreed to a request by the new Labor government to extend the period for submissions in the case for a 25% pay rise for aged care workers.

Innovative solutions by Dementia Australia will be on display from tomorrow, June 9, at the Alzheimer’s Disease International Conference 2022 in London.

The new Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, has outlined her plans for the sector, saying now that international borders are open she will be examining the prospect of using overseas staff to assist in filling tens of thousands of job vacancies.

Hummingbird House is Queensland's only children's hospice and provides specialised paediatric palliative care to babies, children and young people with a life-limiting condition.

Aged care workers, nurses and carers in the community can look to receive more critical support when delivering end-of-life palliative care services, thanks to two new Flinders University-led research projects supported by SA Government grant funding.

A toolkit to help aged care providers integrate virtual reality into the lives of residents has been launched, following a QUT Design Lab-led trial conducted in facilities in Queensland and Victoria.

End-of-life planning needs to become a routine part of everybody’s health care. Despite this, discussing the end-of-life with loved ones can be taboo in our culture.

"Too many don't know it's available for children. It's not just about the end of life but the living of life, too."

Kyran is one of an estimated 5,700 children living with a life-limiting condition in Queensland. The paediatric palliative care unit at the Queensland Children's Hospital estimates up to 80 of those children will die this year.

Palliative carer Donna Watling admits there is an inherent sadness in her work, but that is entwined with pride and an appreciation of the profound experiences she gets to witness as she assists people in the final days of their life.

Persistent misconceptions around palliative care have perpetuated stigmas within the service, but for LGBTQIA+ community members, the fear of discrimination is a main barrier to receiving the end-of-life care they need and deserve.

Maryan Bova has worked as a registered nurse (RN) with palliative care for over 25 years in the community, helping people die at home with dignity.

Faye Tomlin and Emma Graham are palliative care nurses in central Queensland who are on a mission to take the fear out of dying and encourage more people to talk about it.

There are moves to change our general view of the end of our lives from a mostly solitary event to one that involves our community and social networks.

Dementia Australia says it looks forward to working with the new Federal Labor Government to ensure quality dementia care and ongoing reform across the aged care sector.

As part of this week's National Palliative Care Week, Palliative Care Nurses Australia (PCNA) are launching a competition for our members.

On Sunday, 22 May, National Palliative Care Week 2022 will officially launch at NSW’s only children’s hospice, Bear Cottage located in Manly.

The Department of Health in Tasmania has positions available for Specialist Palliative Care Service - Registered Nurse.

Australia’s prison population is growing and aging, and with this comes an increasing burden on the healthcare services provided in prisons, including palliative care. Although this increase in palliative care needs has been recognised, not enough is known about the extent of services that are needed and more specifically, where and how resources should be allocated to provide equitable access to palliative or end of life care.

Mercy Health has an opportunity for enthusiastic, motivated Registered Nurses to join their Inpatient Nursing team who are passionate about providing high quality nursing care.

Aged care provider Uniting NSW.ACT has launched a new podcast that aims to celebrate ageing while challenging the stigma of growing older in Australia.

Engaging in end-of-life (EOL) conversations with patients requires careful, strategic communication on the part of the physician. For physicians and residents who lack experience covering the complex subject of death with their patients, EOL conversations can be difficult, according to a study published by the Annals of Palliative Medicine.

It was an unexpected moment of kindness that helped ease the pain for Lisa McDonald as her mother lay dying last month.

The Department of Health in Tasmania is looking for a Clinical Nurse Educator - Palliative Care. The Specialist Palliative Care Service covers a wide area across the state's North West, with the central team based out of Burnie.

The Department of Health in Tasmania is looking for a Clinical Nurse Consultant - Specialist Palliative Care Service. The Specialist Palliative Care Service covers a wide area across the state's North West, with the central team based out of Burnie.

Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service has an opportunity for a Clinical Nurse Consultant - Project Lead.

‘Hospice nurse Julie’ is no stranger to going viral. Her open and warm TikTok videos sharing insight into the end-of-life of patients she cares for have struck a chord with millions around the world.

It's National Advance Care Planning Week and there is no better time to engage with patients and their loved ones about future health care wishes.

The unfortunate reality for people living in rural or regional Australia is you are far less likely to receive the palliative and end-of-life care you may need.

Australian entry-to-practice health professional students will be supported to develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide quality care, across various settings for Australian Indigenous peoples with life-limiting illness, and their families and communities.

The University of Adelaide will lead a state-wide consortium of universities and health and community partners in a $2.25 million project focussing on delivering improved palliative care services to some of the most vulnerable and marginalised in our community.

Campbelltown Hospital is recruiting for a Clinical Nurse Consultant (Grade 2) to complement and enhance the current SWS Campbelltown Clinical Nurse Consultants.

The Department of Health in Tasmania is looking for a Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) to join their Specialist Palliative Care Team in the North West Region.

Well-known palliative care pioneer, Professor Cynthia Goh, died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday night (Feb 13) at the age of 72 – but not before having a big say on how to spend her remaining days once she knew the end was near.

"It's about quality of life with the time that you have left, and it can actually be a really beautiful phase," 

When moving into a residential aged care facility, residents often experience chronic and life-limiting health conditions. To enhance the palliative and end-of-life care received, Flinders University’s specialist palliative care and advance care planning advisory service has developed an IT system called the Digital Dashboard.

Unions and aged care peak bodies have collectively slammed the payment as grossly inadequate and unlikely to stem the feared exodus of workers from the industry many are expecting.

Workers in the federally funded aged care sector will receive two incentive bonuses of up to $400 each over coming months as the Morrison government seeks to alleviate crises in staffing levels and quality of care being caused by the pandemic.

“DID anyone die at work today Mum?” our 7-year-old asked.

“Yes. One person today,” I replied truthfully.

“What colour is death?” he enquired.

“What colour do you think it is?” I questioned back.

Only six countries — the United Kingdom, Ireland, Taiwan, Australia, South Korea and Costa Rica — earned A grades for the physical and mental care they offer dying patients. The United States earned a C, placing it 43rd. Thirty-six countries received Ds or Fs.

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Jida Gulpilil believes his father would've wanted to die on his traditional country in Arnhem Land if he'd had the chance: "Who wouldn't?"

Monash University researchers will lead a $2 million digital health cooperative research centre (DHCRC) project with the aim to enhance telehealth capabilities to improve patient, clinician and caregiver experience for mental health and palliative care services.

Death is a phenomenon like no other. It touches all dimensions of human experience, as a biological process and as an event of profound cultural, spiritual, economic, legal, and social significance.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Melbourne man V Srikanth had to support his mother in India from afar as she neared the end of her life. This is what he learned.

When you hear the words 'palliative care', you probably think of the very final moments of someone's life. But really, it's all about helping patients live comfortably, often in their own homes and for as long as possible.

People in the north and north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide will have access to a new, modern 20-bed Palliative Care Unit (PCU) from next week, as part of Modbury Hospital’s $146 million redevelopment.

The Aged Care Centre for Growth and Translational Research (CGTR) will open at Flinders University early next year, with a focus on addressing long-standing barriers to the development, evaluation and uptake of aged care workforce research.

Major construction works are set to begin next week on the Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice at North Head, Manly.

Confirmed as part of the redevelopment master plan for the former Manly Hospital site, the Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH) will provide end-of-life care for young adults with life-limiting illness. Designs for the hospice were revealed in November 2020 and the groundbreaking ceremony for construction was held in May 2021.

The Federal Government has announced an injection of more than $56 million into improving end-of-life care in Australia, including in residential aged care.

A new program that aims to improve palliative and end-of-life care for aged care residents has received almost $9 million in Federal funding.

Health Minister Roger Cook has officially opened Carnarvon's $19.9 million Gnullingoo Mia residential aged and palliative care home.

The Australian government has announced a $56 million (US$39.7 million) investment that would benefit some 50 to 90 percent of the 160,000 Australians who need end of life and palliative care as they approach death.

Department of Health Tasmania are seeking motivated and suitably qualified applicants for two newly created roles located in the North and North West of Tasmania.

Palliative Care Tours with Jon Baines Tours in 2022, going to Alice Springs and Uluru, and Hungary and Romania

Two Coasters have been named as the state's most outstanding palliative care workers at the 2021 Tasmanian Palliative Care Awards.

Hollywood Private Hospital in Western Australia is transforming its approach to end-of-life care following a two-year research project.

Palliative Care Nurses Australia welcomes last week's announcement from the Queensland Government that commissioning starts for community-based palliative care services. The Palaszczuk Government is delivering on their commitment to invest $54.8 million to deliver community based care for individuals with life-limiting illness in regional, rural and remote Queensland.

Flinders University’s ongoing research endeavours in the aged care sector are small but crucial steps towards transforming the way we care for older Australians.

The Palaszczuk Government is delivering on its commitment to invest $54.8 million to deliver community-based care for individuals with a life-limiting illness in regional, rural and remote Queensland.

A legacy of love is continuing for a charity that takes miniature horses into hospitals and aged-care homes to brighten the days of those in need of a smile.

When Kathryn Mannix was a junior doctor, she learnt the hard way that, when not handled carefully, a difficult conversation can be painful for both sides.

A new framework for palliative care has been suggested, which highlights the way it can be integrated into the treatment of serious illness earlier, respond to various diagnoses, and “facilitate a response to patient and family needs throughout the care process”.

A new program to improve access to specialist palliative and end-of-life care in Queensland has been launched by the state government.

Once the youngest radio announcer in Melbourne, Bert Newton evolved to become the most enduring media personality in the country. His prolific, multifaceted career across radio, television, stage and screen spanned more than six decades and intersected generational divides. Bob Hope once described him as “the Bob Hope of Australia”.

Newton, who has died aged 83 while undergoing palliative care in Melbourne after several years of poor health, led Australia through the early days of television on a diet of frothy, vaudevillian entertainment.

Some of Albany’s finest green thumbs will open their gardens over the next two weekends to raise vital funds for the Albany Community Hospice.

The Albany Community Hospice Open Garden Festival will allow the community to explore the hidden corners of seven stunning private gardens across town.

Proceeds will support the hospice which provides palliative care and specialist medical support to improve the quality of life for people with terminal, incurable illness.

When Carla Garrett’s son, Xavier, was diagnosed with a brain tumour as a baby, there were few resources to help her understand what it meant to navigate palliative care for a child.

Now, Garrett, along with other parents who have lost their children, care providers and medical experts, are launching a website designed to support parents going through the terrifying ordeal of caring for a child who may have limited time.

After a two year-long public community campaign, Western Sydney Local Health District will look to reopen the Westmead Hospital Palliative Care Unit, following recommendations of an independent review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted unprecedented changes in cancer care in Australia, with high-value practices across all levels set to continue post-pandemic, adding considerably to optimal cancer care, according to the authors of a consensus statement published today by the Medical Journal of Australia.

In the final days of their lives, many find themselves in a care or health facility, reflecting on a lifetime of moments and memories in the places where they were happiest.

Memory Lane is a no-cost service that supports patients in end-of-life care to visit a place that holds meaning for them. The service is entirely donor-funded and staffed by medically trained health care professionals who volunteer their time.

Hospitals are required to be able to demonstrate quality end of life care. Currently however, there is no standardised framework in place for evaluating the quality of death and dying for advanced cancer patients in acute hospitals.

A new collaborative project led by the Centre for Palliative Care will develop a systematic appraisal process, called QualDeath, to help address this gap.

Western palliative care experts and programs need to support the development of palliative care systems in poorer nations, including in the Pacific and Africa, in ways that are rooted in local experience, culture, contexts and belief systems and do not ‘other’ different ways of delivering care.

Palliative care is more than a job, it’s a calling.  That’s according to Dr Paula Moffat, who was recognised for Excellence in Community-Based Care by an Individual at the 2021 National Palliative Care Awards.

A palliative care doctor-in-training and palliative care nurse are working with other services to provide support for patients in the Forster-Tuncurry area.

Palliative care has been both overwhelmed and overlooked during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the specialty has also gained important insights on the need to focus more on social justice and ensure people are still able to have good and dignified deaths and farewells “through the devastating, lonely challenges of isolation” that COVID-19 imposes.

Southern NSW Local Health District are seeking applicants for the role of Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner- Monaro Network.

Department of Health Tasmania are seeking applicants for the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist - Palliative Care to work in North West Tasmania.

The 2021 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference has heard of efforts to provide such care for children at end of life in a range of settings and locations, and through the development of Australia’s first National Paediatric Palliative Care Action Plan.

Claire Read reports on a roundtable discussion on how to improve understanding of, and support and investment in, the clinical nurse specialist role

Department of Health Tasmania are seeking applicants for the role of Registered Nurse - Community Palliative Care to work in North West Tasmania.

More people are becoming end-of-life doulas as Australia's ageing population grows

Australia’s up-ended labour market in the Covid era makes this month’s Census especially timely. The National Skills Commission’s (NSC) forensic focus on regions, industries and occupations is building a clear picture of the nation’s current and future skills, education and job needs – and National Skills Commissioner Adam Boyton said accurate Census data on occupational employment by region was critical.

The study protocol for SKIPMDD, a phase II pilot feasibility study to inform the safety, tolerability and efficacy of ketamine subcutaneous infusion for major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients with advanced life-limiting illnesses, was published in BMJ Open.

QUT cancer and palliative care researchers, Professor Jane Phillips and Professor Ray Chan are among only 20 nurse researchers worldwide to be inducted into the Sigma International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame his year.

As religious affiliation drops, we need more lay caregivers for the dying.

If palliative care were a drug, patients would be clamoring for it, providers would rely on it and more medical school graduates would be specializing in it. Palliative care has been proven to lower hospital readmission rates and healthcare costs, improve patient experience and outcomes and help people live longer.

Nothing changes if nothing changes goes the saying and a group of Greek Australian women with the name ‘Golden Angels’ are committed to making a difference in the lives of children in palliative care and their parents.

How prepared and engaged a hospital is to provide end-of-life care is pivotal to the quality of care provided, a new Flinders University study has found.

The people given powers to make life-and-death decisions for some of WA's most vulnerable people was never required to inform families their loved ones were dying or even dead, according to a report by the WA Ombudsman.

A study by occupational therapists details dignity-preserving best practices for providing intimate hygiene assistance at the end of life.

Patients, family members, carers and staff will benefit from the newly completed expansion of Clare Holland House, providing improved spaces for patient and staff to work and gather.

Most dying patients in Australian hospitals don't receive any palliative care, denying them a more peaceful journey towards death.

A New South Wales Government upper house cross-party committee has recommended the state mandate registered nurses in NSW aged care homes at all times at the appropriate level based on the number of residents.

Birth and death are two unavoidable parts of the cycle of life.  In many towns across regional and rural Queensland, however, it's difficult to be born there and dying there is expensive.

Western Australia's landmark Children's Hospice is another step closer to improving the State's capacity to provide holistic and compassionate care to WA children living with a life-limiting condition, and their families. 

Amidst the immense tragedy and sadness of caring for people with a terminal illness, one palliative care nurse has shared stories of the human resilience that have inspired her throughout her career.

Perhaps the lowest blow in the COVID aged care blame game  came when Minister Richard Colbeck suggested those nursing homes which hadn't received a single dose of the vaccine had opted out. 

Medicare-subsidised in-home palliative care services almost doubled between 2015–16 and 2019–20, according to a new AIHW report.

Debate over euthanasia legislation will resume in SA Parliament today, but palliative care providers say an effective scheme will only be successful if quality end of life care is also available to all.

Rural doctors and the national peak body for palliative care have reinforced the need for families to have difficult and emotional conversations about end-of-life care to ensure patients can die with dignity.

The Australian Medical Association Queensland and Palliative Care Queensland are calling for a major boost in state funding for end of life care as a voluntary assisted dying bill is tabled in parliament this week.

When someone dies in residential aged care, families and friends experience grief and loss – and some of this grief may have started earlier when the decision to move into residential aged care was made.

The AMA welcomes this year’s National Palliative Care Week, running from Sunday 23 May until Saturday 29 May. Supported by Palliative Care Australia, this year’s theme, Palliative Care. It’s more than you think, raises awareness of the potential of palliative care to give people the chance to live as well as possible for as long as possible.

This week is National Palliative Care Week 2021 (23–29 May). This year's theme ‘Palliative Care It’s more than you think’ seeks to raise awareness about the many benefits of quality palliative care.

Mindarie father Terry O’Neill rarely leaves his teenage daughter Emma - but Perth’s first children’s hospice could give him some much-needed respite.

Tasmanian Health Service is seeking experienced nurses for the role of Clinical Nurse Educator - Palliative Care to work in North West Tasmania.

When people living with the advanced stages of dementia need care – or their carers require more support – the Nightingale Program can step in with a specialised palliative care service that few can provide.

Who cares for the carer, and where can they find support at an already tough time?

The billions of extra dollars going into aged care has to improve the system, but it is not the "generational change" the Prime Minister is touting.

As part of National Palliative Care Week 2021, our patron and well-known comedian Jean Kittson will chat live to some of our leaders in palliative care nursing.

Almost 34,000 people will receive a subsidised training place qualifying them to work in aged care, as the Morrison government moves to upskill staff and address a worsening labour shortfall linked to Australia’s ageing population.

Australia's first palliative care hospice for young people with an incurable illness is scheduled to be built up in the state of New South Wales (NSW), with construction to commence shortly.

And most of the 30% with some form of advance care planning have documents that are incomplete, invalid or not legally binding, a new study finds.

Mercy Health Albury have an opportunity for a Nursing Unit Manager to join their organisation. 

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows that three in five Australians over 65 years of age were clients of an aged-care program when they died, and that 43% of all people over 65 who died were living in residential aged care.

During the month of May, REM Systems and Palliative Care Nurses Australia will be presenting an educational webinar for the launch of the new BD BodyGuardTM T for use in Palliative Care.

Aged care and disability workers are scrambling to source their own COVID-19 jabs after being left behind by a slow and uncertain Commonwealth-run vaccination rollout.

While there have been advancements in palliative care programs and clinician education, more still needs to be done, one expert says.

Tired of big cities? Want to start your days sitting on your deck in the sun, enjoying a cup of coffee and listening to the birds? Or would you rather have a surf or a walk along the sand before work? Wonderful beaches, world heritage-listed national parks, hinterland villages, great food and fine wine, excellent private and public schools, warm and friendly staff are all waiting for you on the North Coast.

The current Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) is set to be overhauled to allow students to be trained across both aged care and disability after the program was found wanting.

One of the challenges of advance care planning is ensuring that an up-to-date copy of relevant documents, such as advance care directives, are accessible to the treating doctors.

Currently, most Australians do not have the right to take prolonged periods of leave to care for a dying loved one, creating an emotional and financial toll for many families.

The coronavirus pandemic and the looming flood of Baby Boomers into the system is fast-tracking the rollout of technology in aged care to take the sector “from the caveman to the spaceman”.

The aged care royal commission has delivered a worthy vision that prompts some searching questions, write Stephen Teulan and Nikita Weickhardt.

Nurses have the power to be “absolute change agents” in end-of-life care, according to hospice nursing leaders who are on a mission to help nurses in all sectors recognise and articulate the value the profession can bring to people during death and bereavement.

Death is inevitable, and in a civilised society everyone deserves a good one. It would therefore be logical to expect aged-care homes would provide superior end-of-life care. But sadly, palliative care options are often better for those living outside residential aged care than those in it.

The Aged Care Royal Commission’s final report calls on the government to recognise that palliative care and end-of-life care, like dementia care, is a “core business” for aged-care providers.

The Andrews Labor Government is boosting training for aged care workers, with a major investment that will improve care for residents across Victoria.

Katie Lindenfelser describes Crescent Cove as a circle of love, a place of joy. They're not words one might expect of a hospice and respite center for children.

A new online resource aimed at assisting Tasmanians providing palliative care at home care is now available as local advocates welcome the launch.

Palliative Care Australia (PCA) have an opportunity for a Quality Improvement Clinical Project Officer to join their organisation. 

The new inpatient building has two wings – a dedicated 10-bed palliative care unit and a 10-bed Geriatric Evaluation and Management unit – at Mona Vale Hospital.

New research will investigate how paramedics can actively support the preference of a large majority of Australians with life-limiting illnesses to die at home with their loved ones. 

Foxtel’s new original drama, The End studies how we all view life and death in different ways, which makes it compelling viewing. Find out when and where to watch the first two episodes from February 2nd right here.

Forming part of a small, innovative and compassionate team, you will work alongside the Project Lead in contributing to a unique, one of a kind, project that will lead to achieving healthy dying for people with a disability.

Eighty-seven-year-old Katherine Kingsbury has dedicated her life to caring and advocating for the sick and dying. Throughout her long nursing career, Katherine has always held a deep commitment to improving the lives of people living at the margins of society.

Adoption of single-fraction radiation therapy (SFRT) has not been universal in the palliative treatment of bone metastases, despite evidence supporting its safety and efficacy. The aim of this study was to assess SFRT use for bone metastases in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and the rate of 30-day mortality (30DM).

Based on the true story of a nurse practitioner’s experiences with patients and families facing serious and terminal illnesses, the film “The Elephant in the Room” depicts the patient-centered interdisciplinary care that so many seriously ill patients need.

Private health fund Medibank will focus on expanding at-home services for complex needs including palliative care and chemotherapy as the health insurance sector grapples with how to stop members from leaving the system in 2021.

The Queensland Government has partnered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and other stakeholders to develop a Core Palliative Care Medicines List for Queensland Community Patients.

Recommendations for addressing the grief, bereavement and mental health consequences of COVID-19 have been put forward in a new paper launched last week at an online Parliamentary Friends of Palliative Care forum.

The Andrews Labor Government is expanding vital palliative care facilities at the Parkville Precinct.

A new report has found managing compassionate end of life care needs more funding.

A viral tweet showing rows and rows of iPads on stands has shone a light onto the dark reality US hospital patients are facing during COVID-19.

New Australian research shows that most people with cancer and those who support them want to discuss end-of-life care, but these important advance care planning (ACP) discussions are largely not occurring with their doctor or healthcare provider.

Researchers from Western Sydney University in partnership with The GroundSwell Project, have released a new report, Researching Compassionate Communities in Australia: a short-term longitudinal study, which is the first comprehensive assessment of community-centred end of life care in Australia.

When many people conjure images of living in the bush, thoughts of fresh air, clean living and good health spring to mind, but the statistics paint a very different picture.  If you live in a regional area, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures suggest you are more likely to die younger, develop cancer or chronic disease, and have less access to effective treatment than patients in the cities.

Work has begun to construct a $7 million palliative care facility for terminally ill people in Hervey Bay.

Dementia Australia welcomes the NSW Government’s budget announcement to increase support for palliative care services and invest in aged care training.

WE ALL know the Gold Coast is one of the best places in the world to live, now meet the team working to make it the best place to die.  The award-winning Gold Coast Health palliative care team has made a name for itself in the end of life space as innovators, working to assist over 2000 locals and their families each year (paywall article).

A recent panel session for members of the Retirement Living Council made for interesting viewing, especially for anyone following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

How does palliative care develop within various cultural settings? How do local, non-institutional ideas about end-of-life care influence professional palliative care and vice versa?

At a time of year when many cultures are celebrating death, Echo photographer Eve Jeffery, a.k.a. the Tree Faerie, has won an art competition on that very subject.

Fiji Cancer Society (FCS) chief executive officer Belinda Chan says there is limited palliative care available in the country

The industry response to the proposed recommendations to revive the aged care sector has been overwhelmingly positive, with most peak bodies feeling like the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety managed to touch on every problem area.

Better delivery of this overlooked service would ease family transitions and save millions of dollars in reduced hospital stays and intensive care admissions.

We are likely to see future aged care homes designed in pods of four-to-six bedrooms and a common lounge, writes Robert Caulfield.

“Palliative care is not just about death. It is helping people to live while they are dying and getting the most out of life.”

Ahead of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, CareSearch has launched the ‘Part of Life’ campaign to encourage all Australians to learn, care, and plan for death and dying.

A husband and wife research team from Monash University have designed portable units that temporarily transform acute and sub-acute hospital rooms into palliative care spaces.

A new palliative care ward is to be built at Orange Hospital, following a trial at Uniting Parkwood, an aged care facility operated by Uniting Residential Care.

Annual secondary review requirements have been relaxed, easing access concerns for palliative care patients

Death — and the fear of losing a loved one — are very difficult to comprehend, unless you've experienced loss previously.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only changed the way Victorians live, it has changed the way they are dying, with the number of families providing palliative care for loved ones at home almost doubling in some Melbourne suburbs over the past six months.

A picture speaks a thousand words – and Dr Nyein Chan Aung’s painting of the Melbourne hospital room says it all.

Showtime picked up the 10-episode first season of “The End,” and plans to premiere the half-hour dark comedy series in 2021. The show stars Emmy nominee Harriet Walter and Golden Globe nominee Frances O’Connor.  “O’Connor plays Dr. Kate Brennan, an Australian-based specialist in palliative care. Euthanasia is a hot-button topic in Kate’s field of work, and she is passionate in her opposition. On the other side of the world, Kate’s mother Edie Henley (Walter) feels just as strongly about her right to die. Kate has little choice but to ship Edie out from England and deposit her in Australia’s Gold Coast in a nearby retirement community – Edie’s worst nightmare. While Kate struggles with her own problems, her children, one of whom is a teenage trans boy, are trying to work out who they are and who they want to be. THE END is a story about family, ethics and emotion, and mostly how it’s never too late to start again.”

The growth and ageing of Australia’s population combined with more chronic and incurable illnesses has left more patients in palliative care.

Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) and Canteen say more support is needed to assist Victorians who are facing end of life care during the COVID-19 pandemic, with healthcare service visitor restrictions and reduced community support services placing additional strain on families.

Despite death being a part of daily life for Anne Myers, she’s been shocked at the devastation created by COVID-19.

Clare Holland House is one of Canberra’s true treasures: surrounded in spring by a blossoming garden and threaded through by passing walkers and cyclists along the lake shore, it’s a place of great peace for the last days of life.

Care workers can make use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect whether a person with dementia is feeling pain, thanks to a new app launched in the UK that can interpret facial muscle movements.

With just six weeks until telehealth Medicare Benefits Scheme item numbers are set to expire, health groups are calling for the Federal Government to commit to a continuation of telehealth and to a broader digital health model for Australia.

Vulnerable coronavirus patients are often better off being kept in isolation in aged care homes than being transferred to hospital which would risk them spreading COVID-19, a leading medical researcher has said.

South Australian nurses arrived to “unstable” conditions in Victorian aged care homes – providing end-of-life support and comforting relatives by video. But they’re starting to turn the situation around, and need us to stay vigilant back home (Subscriber Only)

Apply enough pressure to even the most robust systems and cracks will begin to appear. That is what emergencies and natural disasters do - stretch systems and people beyond breaking point, exposing hidden flaws and exacerbating existing weaknesses.

The McGowan Government has today announced Western Australia’s first children’s hospice to provide care and support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

The fight for a dedicated hospice on the coast – somewhere for people to die with dignity – has ended today, with the news everyone has been waiting for

A special room at Albany Community Hospice is giving patients emotional and spiritual healing that goes beyond the physical treatment norms of palliative care.

New research highlights the opportunities to improve care for people in prison who are dying from a progressive, life-limiting illness

As a rapid influx of patients overwhelmed health systems during the coronavirus pandemic, palliative nurses played dual roles supporting patients, patient families, and colleagues.

The vital service helps 200 locals every year free of charge. A timely financial boost will allow them to keep doing their essential work.

Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients facing serious illnesses and these days, that includes COVID-19.

The restrictions over visitors are necessary but go against the whole ethos of the hospice and what we do

In a first for Gold Coast palliative care, virtual reality simulators are helping patients tick off some items on their bucket list

Anglicare Sydney have an opportunity for a Clinical Nurse Consultant specialising in Palliative Care to join their organisation. 

Despite the COVID-19 shutdown the Grenfell Palliative Care Volunteers program passed its first milestone, having been run in the town for a year.

A brand new 38-bed residential aged and palliative care facility for Carnarvon is a step closer, with local Mid-West business Crothers Construction Pty Ltd awarded the tender, enabling residents to occupy the facility in early 2022.

The health of people with chronic conditions who use prescription opioids for pain relief is being put at risk by changes made by the Therapeutic Goods Administration limiting the amount that can be issued at one time, advocates say.

In a Boston ICU, staff members orchestrate goodbyes over Zoom and comfort patients who would otherwise die alone.

Nepean Hospital and Western Sydney University have launched a health care study for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people.

Sometimes a song helps.

"As my aunty Rosemary lay unresponsive in her hospital bed, I didn’t realise that it would be her last day with us. But you did."

The community service which provides support to locals who want to live in their own homes during palliative care has been extended.

Ambulance Wish Western Australia launched its fundraising and sponsorship program during National Palliative Care Week at the end of May 2020. 

Helping Hand Aged Care has received a $126,000 grant from the South Australian government to implement its Right Place, Right Care project in collaboration with the Northern Adelaide Palliative Service, SA Ambulance Service and Registry of South Australians.

A particularly poignant topic at the moment with the restrictions on access to aged care facilities due to COVID-19, the last week has been National Palliative Care Week.

A campaign is aiming to increase awareness around the profound work of our palliative care workers.

Caring for a family member is described by many as one of life’s toughest challenges. With this in mind, thousands of family carers across Australia are the focus of a campaign to empower them with the knowledge to provide high-quality care while supporting their mental health.

Albany Community Hospice wants the public to learn about the benefits of palliative care and early referrals during National Palliative Care Week.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, more people with terminal illnesses have chosen to die at home or stay at home longer than they perhaps might have first planned.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is recognising Australian Pharmacists, other health professionals and carers who support patients and their families during end of life.

VMCH has commenced the $8.8 million construction of the 22-bed palliative care facility O’Neill Comfort Care Centre in Prahran, Victoria.

A new report is calling for a dramatic overhaul of the system to meet the challenges of an aging population and unexpected stresses, such as COVID-19.

Palliative Care has been a big topic in Australia over the last several months due to COVID-19, and this year's National Palliative Care Week, running from 24-30 May, hopes to clear up some of the misconceptions that the community has about palliative care.

Health and welfare professionals around the country will benefit from the work of a Catholic university and hospital in Sydney to boost the mental health and wellbeing of people toward the end of their lives.

What do you when you’re 35 years old and in palliative care during COVID-19? You dance, of course.

Being unable to hold your loved one’s hand or kiss them goodbye as they die alone in a hospital bed is perhaps the most brutal and devastating hallmark of coronavirus.

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a national rethink on how society manages death and dying, at the same time as Flinders University has launched research into how people are coping with the trauma of losing loved ones at a time of social distancing.

The separation between the dying and their families is something Australian hospitals are desperately trying to avoid as they work to find solutions to allow people to say their final goodbyes without risking their own infection.

From exploring space to touring international cities, Geelong palliative care ­patients are benefiting from a program using virtual reality technology.

With more than 170,000 coronavirus deaths worldwide so far, including 71 in Australia, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of talking to your loved ones about dying and your wishes at the end of your life.

IF you are experiencing your fifth or sixth decade of life, then it's likely you will understand the meaning of "Sandwich Generation'' perhaps even a tad too well!

Click here to read an edited extract from We Need to Talk About Mum and Dad by our Patron Jean Kittson, on sale now.

Due to the evolving global medical crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its current escalation in Australia, the PCNA 2020 Organising Committee has postponed the conference that was due to take place in May 2020.

Please click here for information about COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

Please read this important update about the PCNA 2020 Conference.

Did you know that almost one in two of us will be unable to make our own medical decisions at the end of our lives?

Ongoing networks and education on "end of life care" in the region was achieved during a Palliative Care Symposium held in the Barossa last week.

The Department of Health has launched two surveys seeking information from all aged care providers and individuals to help understand the demand and supply of palliative care services.

A Canberra program that gives people with a life-limiting illness, including children, the opportunity to tell their life stories and, in doing so, reminisce, reflect, celebrate and perhaps reach a level of acceptance before they die, is in danger of closing, as its funding is due to run out at the end of March.

Camden Hospitals palliative care unit is about to under go a makeover.

As Parkes awaits for a birthing service to return to the Parkes Hospital, in the meantime the facility's palliative care ward is about to receive a face lift.

The South Australian health department has launched a $16-million-grants program to improve access to palliative care services including in residential aged care homes.

Palliative care patients at Port Kembla and David Berry Hospitals' palliative care units will benefit from a nearly $375,000 boost from the NSW Government.

A workshop will be held in Goulburn on Thursday, February 13 to gain input from people with an interest in end-of-life care.

AS Orange awaits a result on a palliative care trial at Uniting Parkwood, palliative care wards at Orange Health Service are about to receive a facelift.

WA Health are currently seeking to appoint a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner to assist with developing and leading the exciting expansion of Palliative Care services to regional and remote WA.

Britain’s palliative care services depend for funding on the charity of the public – that is a national travesty

A trial providing end-of-life care to patients in Orange has received a three-month extension, but the push remains to make it a permanent service.

The death of his brother, Tom, to cancer when he was just 11 left a lasting impression on Dr Frank Brennan.

LESS than 80 tickets remain to see the nation's best doctors prove their musical skills.  The Australian Doctors Orchestra has chosen to perform its first concert of the year at Orange Civic Theatre, on March 15.

No one should be excluded from receiving aged care and palliative care support, yet older people may face barriers in accessing services due to their culture, religion, finances, gender, sexuality and/or location.

Bethel AME Church in Boston helps members plan for the end of their lives with a three-part program that is practical and spiritual. The ministry is in keeping with the church’s focus on health and wellness.

Death and dying may not sound like the traditional holiday conversation topics, but the holiday season provides the perfect opportunity for family members to consider how they would like to be cared for at the end of life.

A Queensland service that grants last wishes to the terminally ill has barely got off the ground, but is facing hurdles of its own.

Nurse Practitioner Faye Tomlin was named winner of Palliative Care Queensland’s Excellence in Palliative Care Rural and Remote Award in Brisbane last weekend.

A Victorian family's love for Shannon McKnight, their 19-year old daughter who died from leukaemia in 2016, has resulted in a Cootamundra Nursing Home gaining free equipment to set up a palliative care room.

PCNA is delighted to announce that we have joined the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) as a national association member.

We no longer feel comfortable naming death, and we’ve lost the etiquette that told us how to support the dying and bereaved.

Over 200 Indigenous and non-Indigenous health professionals, Elders and community members from across Australia met to discuss palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities earlier this month.

At a hospital on the NSW south coast, a deaf bulldog called George is putting a smile on the faces of patients in palliative care.

In July 2020, the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (ACGB) are pleased to be hosting the 12^th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society

Cancer Council NSW has recently launched its new podcast series, The Thing About Advanced Cancer, focusing on the challenges surrounding a diagnosis of advanced cancer.  

An executive chef, a palliative care consultant, a dietician and a speech pathologist teamed up to write an award-winning cook book that ensures that food and drink continue to be a positive part of life right to the end.

Eastern Palliative Care is a not-for-profit organisation that delivers home-based palliative care to clients and their families living within the Eastern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne.

The future of end of life palliative care in Orange will be spread across a range of services, the region's strategy manager said on Wednesday.

The Conference Program Committee is inviting abstracts for the upcoming Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference "2020 Who Year of the Nurse, Celebrating Palliative Care Nursing" to be held in Melbourne on the 3rd and 4th May 2020.

“WHEN you’re told your child is going to die, you’re suddenly parenting without a future, and so you’re not parenting … You’re actually saying goodbye.”

When Margo Baker was in her second year of her registered nursing degree, she had an experience that changed the course of her career.

Coming to: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide & Perth

July and August 2019

Do you wish to nurse where patients and families always come first?  St Margaret of Scotland Hospice, Clydebank, Scotland is looking for Compassionate Caring individuals, enthusiastic about delivering care to patients with life limiting illnesses.

Bear Cottage is one of only three children's hospices in Australia, but it's nothing like a hospital or what you'd imagine palliative care to be.

Learn of palliative care in India on this new study tour ledby educator David Oliviere.  

It takes a special person to be a palliative care nurse, and Wimmera Health Care Group's Maire Coffey and Clare Petering are proof of that.

All Australians have the right to be treated with dignity and best practice care during their final days, weeks and months of life and this will require significant evolution of the health care system to enable nurses to lead the delivery of palliative care.

Palliative Care Nurses Australia is hosting a Pre-Conference Workshop on September 10, 2019.

Congratulations to palliative care nurse Nikki Johnston, who has won the inaugural federal Health Minister's Award for Nursing Trailblazers.

The Macksville Opportunity Shop has transformed donations of pre-loved clothing into a $10,000 donation to Macksville District Hospital's Palliative Care Service.

The last few moments with a family member or friend is hard, but knowing they are comfortable, provides some solace.

With gaps in vital aged care initiatives following the announcement of the Federal Budget 2019-20 highlighted by peak industry and consumer bodies, dementia and palliative care peak bodies say more needs to be done to support older Australians in these key support areas.

The University of Notre Dame has a position vacant for an Associate Professor, Palliative Care Nursing at it's Sydney campus.

New and emerging technologies are developing at a rapid rate.  This is already leading to new frontiers in the diagnosis of illness and the options available for treatment together with helping individuals better maintain their own health and wellbeing. 

Aged care nurses are among those awarded scholarships to complete postgraduate palliative care programs under a new initiative that aims to improve end-of-life care across settings.

Stephen K Amos is known for making people smile, but the British comedian is now using his platform for something more serious.

Based in Alice Springs NT, Purple House is a not-for profit organisation that supports remote Indigenous people, who are up to 50 times more likely to experience end-stage kidney disease than non-Indigenous Australians.

Aged care’s palliative care evidence and practice resource centre has developed two new resources to help aged care nurses and care workers provide quality end-of-life care to residents.

“It is not until we have lost someone that we really understand the power of a voice. The desire to just hear that voice one more time. The ability of a voice to evoke the love you shared.”

Palliative Care Australia (PCA) have launched the 5th edition of the National Palliative Care Standards (the Standards) and the Palliative Care Service Development Guidelines (the Guidelines).

Collegian has a call for manuscripts for its Special Issue on palliative care, which has been extended until the 31 May 2019.  If you or your colleagues have a manuscript in preparation that fits this call, we encourage you to submit it for consideration.  The peer review process will be very timely and if accepted it will be in print by the end of December 2019.

The inaugural ACT End of Life and Palliative Care Forum was held recently and brought together a broad spectrum of clinicians involved in caring for patients at the end of their life.

Thousands of families with loved ones with a life-limiting illness will receive more choice about the help they need from an additional 100 palliative care nurses at refurbished facilities under the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government.

PCNA would like to wish all of our members a happy and safe 2019. We value our relationship with you and look forward to working with you in the year to come.

Our new PCNA Website launched in October.  Your member profile was transferred to the new website, however, all accounts must be verified in order to access the member's area.

On November 14 2018, the Queensland Paliament agreed to a motion moved by the Premier, Anna Palaszczuk for an inquiry into aged care, end-of-life and palliative care.

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Universities are keen to work with the aged care sector to expand the number of placements on offer to health professional students.

Shifting negative attitudes towards ageing, the elderly, death and dying is a social challenge and key to an effective aged care workforce strategy.

Previous reviews into aged care have come up with findings sure to be repeated in the royal commission.

The situation for older Australians isn’t what was envisioned when the Aged Care act was introduced in 1997.

What should families consider when seeking care for someone with dementia?

Click on the link to hear our President Jane Phillips on ABC's The Drum, talking about "A good death".