Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people better supported in end of life thanks to new resource portal

Developed in partnership by Palliative Care Australia (PCA) and Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, the new Palliative Care and End-of-Life Resource portal is designed to assist health professionals who provide care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families and communities.

Director of HealthInfoNet Professor Neil Drew says the portal will support both clinicians and policy-makers to access research and projects on palliative and end-of-life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“This collaboration between the HealthInfoNet and Palliative Care Australia will locate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander palliative and end-of-life care resources and make them available all together in the one place for health professionals.

“This will make the relevant information available to the workforce through a state of the art online portal to support decision-making and best-practice care.”

Palliative Care Australia Chief Executive Officer Liz Callaghan says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have specific care needs at the end of their life which must be recognised and respected.

“This resource portal responds to the need for a central place to access culturally appropriate and largely community developed resources regarding palliative care, including grief and bereavement, as identified at the Indigenous Roundtable hosted by PCA in February 2018,” she says.