Australia’s diverse communities and carers can now access help to make the best possible end-of-life decisions through a new website from the CarerHelp Project.
The website – available here – is jam-packed with useful information and videos to help carers navigate: death & dying, disease, finances & legal, loss, health & well-being, care practice and relationships.
People who are caring for a friend or relative at the end of life need the information to help them prepare for that role. Not only does that information need to be in their preferred language, but it should also take into account the relevant cultural sensitives related to end of life.”
Bernice Murphy, manager at the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health
Developed jointly by St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the CareSearch team at Flinders University, the resources aim to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the LGBTIQ+ community, and carers and communities who speak in languages other than English.
All resources, including videos, are in multiple languages and include helpful downloads for helping manage things such as medication management and timetables.
Associate professor Mark Boughey, deputy director, the Centre for Palliative Care and director of palliative medicine, at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne said, “We all need to be understood and heard. We all have different ways of making end-of-life decisions. This means offering tailored information and resources that are best suited to people’s culture, language and identities.
“To support carers in the best way possible, these new CarerHelp resources in nine languages, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the LGBTIQ+ community aim to ensure that everyone providing or receiving care has access to trustworthy and relevant information most suited to their needs,” A/prof Boughey added.
