News

The Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care – My Care Future project launched today in Orange. Funded by Western NSW PHN, the project will be delivered by Orange City Council in collaboration with the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service.

Anne Burns, Western PHN Integration Officer – Aged & Palliative Care, says the project was inspired by a successful volunteer-led model in the City of Onkaparinga in South Australia, where specially trained volunteers assist community members to complete Advance Care Directives.

The project will include Community Hubs in Orange and Dubbo, which will provide community education, train volunteers, develop partnerships with the local health sector, and deliver workshops to encourage meaningful conversations about future care.

“NSW has had volunteers active in the palliative care space for many years, but this is the first time some will be specifically trained to help people with Advance Care Directives,” says Kate Bowman, Manager Volunteer Services Support Program, PCNSW.

“My Care Future responds directly to the growing need for palliative care education, advance care planning, and culturally safe support services in local communities.”

The peer-led volunteer workforce will be complemented by a pilot program to deliver advance care planning to First Nations communities, in partnership with the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service. A dedicated First Nations Project Officer will partner with Aboriginal health services to co-design a culturally safe model of Advance Care Planning to embed cultural safety into the program.

The project aims to increase death literacy, empower families to make informed decisions, and foster a stronger culture of care, where planning ahead is seen not as a burden, but an act of love and respect.

For more information on Advance Care Planning please click here.

Photo (L-R): Mr Philip Donato MP, State Member for Orange, Kate Bowman PCNSW VSSP, Hon Andrew Gee MP, Federal Member for Calare, and Anne Burns Western PHN Integration Officer ‑ Aged & Palliative Care.