News

In National Palliative Care week we are highlighting organisations that support Palliative Care Volunteers.

The palliative care knowledge network CareSearch were sponsors of the recent 2017 NSW Palliative Care Volunteer Conference:

Palliative Care information available for Volunteers at CareSearch

Many of you will be new to palliative care and others will have been involved for some time if not years. This means that the information you require will be different, depending upon your experience and level of involvement.

If you want to know more about the specific diseases that people receiving palliative care may have, there is information in the Finding Services section of the CareSearch website. This includes the various cancers, lung / kidney / heart disease and MND.

CareSearch also has information for health professionals who provide palliative care and for patients who receive palliative care, as well as information for their carers, families and friends. A lot of this information will be useful to yourselves and your colleagues and includes topics on such things as:

• Understanding palliative care and who provides it
• Living with illness and changes over time
• Plans and decisions and preparing for the end

There is also information targeted at carers including:

• The carer role and managing daily life
• Respite and support
• Looking after yourself

Practical information from volunteers is also welcome and may be of great benefit to those who are new in the care giving role, such as:

• Finances and costs
• Care resources
• Transport
• Managing medicines

If you know of anyone who is interested in volunteering in palliative care, or you would like to know more about raining and policies, CareSearch has information that has been especially written about the important contribution of volunteers.

You can find online learning modules (free) that are for volunteers and you may be interested in 2 short online videos that highlight some important issues for volunteers.

Visit CareSearch and learn more about palliative care. The website has been written by Australian healthcare professionals. You may have a computer at home, but if not you can generally access one at hospices and hospitals, so go and have a look at CareSearch now!

Download this Fact Sheet (PDF).