National Palliative Care Week 2010 runs from May 23 to May 29 and gives all Australians the impetus to think and talk about an issue we like to keep hidden in the closet – end of life care and dying.

As Australians, we love to talk about almost everything – we are an open-minded and well informed culture with opinions on just about everything. But there is one thing we don’t like to talk about and that is the prospect of dying.

Some people might not be sure what palliative care is. Palliative care is specialised care and support provided for someone living with a terminal illness, with a focus on quality of life. Importantly, palliative care also involves care and support for family and caregivers.

When facing death, people can find themselves not knowing where to get answers to their questions. To help us cross this bridge Palliative Care Australia has launched its National Community Education Initiative for 2010 which asks the question ‘If only I knew… who wants to talk about dying?’

The idea is to help Australians feel more comfortable with thinking about, talking about, and planning for, the end of life.

This goal will hopefully be achieved through the creation and dissemination of a range of new and existing resources developed for National Palliative Care Week.

Even though we don’t like to talk about dying, each year, half a million Australians experience the impact of terminal illness.

At some stage you will know someone who is dying or have a friend in that situation, or may be facing a terminal illness yourself. Chances are, you won’t know what to say or do to help yourself or others. Not knowing all too often results in poor access to available services and poorer outcomes for the patient, their families and carers.

Palliative Care Australia’s National Community Education Initiative provides resources for everyone in our community to learn about these important issues – issues like what is palliative care, where to go for help, what to do when someone you know is dying, what normal grief looks like and how to get yourself or someone you care about, through the grieving experience, and so much more. They have a range of information resources for patients, families, carers, clinicians and anyone with an interest in learning more about palliative care. Their web site has interesting and useful information, personal stories and resources.

They have developed the National Palliative Care Service Directory to assist the community and health professionals access information about palliative care services, primary care services providing care at the end of life, and a range of other services providing support to people with life-limiting illness. The search function enables specific searches by members of the community including patients and carers and health professionals.

For more information on palliative care or the services provided by Palliative Care Australia visit their website:
www.palliativecare.org.au