Palliative Care Resources

As a palliative care health professional education provider we often come across some useful resources. Below are some curated palliative and end of life care services, and education providers and resources which may help enhance and support your palliative care practice and/or education. 

General Resources.

Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement
The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (ACGB) is an independent, not for profit organisation which is the largest provider of grief and bereavement education in Australia.

WA Cancer & Palliative Care Network 

The WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network (WACPCN) is a group of individuals and organisations committed to improving the patient experience for people with cancer or who are accessing palliative care services.

Palliative Care WA 
Palliative Care WA is a member-based, not-for-profit organisation who works for the community and with the palliative care, aged care and community services sectors to ensure access to quality palliative care services for all Western Australians.

The CareSearch Project
The CareSearch Project provides access to evidence and trustworthy resources in palliative care for health professionals, people needing palliative care and their families, and for the general community.

Palliative Care Curriculum for Undergraduates 

The PCC4U project aims to improve the skill and confidence of the health workforce to work with people with palliative care needs by promoting the integration of palliative care training within all health undergraduate, entry-to-practice, and relevant post-graduate curricula.

Palliative Care Australia 
Palliative Care Australia represents all those who work towards high quality palliative care for all Australians. Working closely with consumers, our Member Organisations and the palliative care workforce, we aim to improve access to, and promote the need for, palliative care.

A Guide to Specialist Palliative Care and Referral Criteria 

Once a patient has been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition or their death is expected, you should consider whether referral to specialist palliative care is appropriate and if so, the service they should be referred to. This page provides guidance on referral criteria, specialist palliative care services and providers and examples of palliative care scenarios.

Advance Care Planning Brochure (863kb)

This document outlines some of the key concepts surrounding Advance Care planning

Advance Care Planning Resources - Health Professionals (84kb) 

A compiled list of resources for health professionals regarding ACP in Western Australia

Advance Care Planning Resources - Patients (113kb) 

 Advance Care Planning (ACP) is a process to help you understand and plan both your medical care and lifestyle choices in advance. If you become too unwell to make decisions for yourself, your wishes can still be respected by your healthcare team, family and carers. Below is a compiled list of resources regarding ACP in Western Australia. 

Advance Care Planning Resources - Patients (113kb) 

 Advance Care Planning (ACP) is a process to help you understand and plan both your medical care and lifestyle choices in advance. If you become too unwell to make decisions for yourself, your wishes can still be respected by your healthcare team, family and carers. Below is a compiled list of resources regarding ACP in Western Australia. 

What is Palliative Care - Cancer Council South Australia 

An excellent resource created by Cancer Council South Australia that provides a clear understanding of Palliative Care.

CarerHelp: What to do if the person I am caring for says they want to die?

This factsheet addresses what to do if the person you are caring for says they want to die. It also explains what Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) legislation is, in case the person you are caring for raises this

Cancer Australia.

Cancer Australia provides access to a wide range of cancer resources on our Publications and resources library, including consumer information, clinical guidance, data reports, fact sheets and more.

Cancer Australia is moving to a new process of providing digital copies only of resources on from mid-September 2020.Resources can be downloaded free of charge for individual use, reference or for printing.

National Palliative Care Projects Hub.

The National Palliative Care Projects are funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care. They work towards improving quality and access to critical support and treatment for people with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones.

Whether you’re a healthcare professional, a researcher, a carer, or someone living with a life-limiting illness – there’s something for you in the Hub.

Indigenous Ageing Well Research Team - UWA.

The Indigenous Ageing Well Research team at UWA conduct collaborative health and wellbeing research with and for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our resources, including the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) and the Good Spirit Good Life (GSGL) Quality of Life tool are available for free download from our website: https://www.iawr.com.au/gsgl.

WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network (WACPCN) Opioid Conversion Education Video 

CCWA and WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network (WACPCN) have developed these education videos to support the Opioid Conversion Guide lanyard that can be ordered from WACPCN. These 15 minute education videos must be viewed prior to ordering the lanyards.
This resource has been developed and presented by Penelope Tuffin, Advanced Practice Pharmacist. Penny divides her clinical time between Palliative Care Consultancy Teams at Fiona Stanley and Royal Perth Hospitals, the Palliative Care Unit at Bethesda Hospital and the Pain Team at Royal Perth Hospital. She provides advice, education and mentoring for health care professionals and undergraduate students throughout Western Australia.
To order the Opioid Conversion Guide lanyards, please email wacpcn@health.wa.gov.au or phone (08) 9222 0202. This video resource is available online via a URL video link. 

We will be contacting you for feedback on the training resources approximately two (2) months after the video is ordered.

Disclaimer: Content is correct at time of filming. All rights reserved by Penelope Tuffin and Cancer Council WA. 

Communications Skills for Healthcare Professionals 

Palliative and Supportive Care Education (PaSCE), Cancer Council WA, are very excited to announce the launch of the new Communication Skills Education Videos for Health Professionals.
These case-based scenario training resources were designed in response to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic and an increasing demand for communication skills education. They have been produced in collaboration with clinicians practicing in acute care, community and aged care sectors.

The videos provide opportunity for health professionals to observe different types of conversations held between clinicians and patients, family members and/or carers regarding goals of patient care, advance care planning and end-of-life discussions.

Please note that this is a communication education resource, it is not a guide to clinical treatment and was not filmed in clinical settings.
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A PaSCE collaboration with the Yiriman Project 

This educational video resource is made for health professionals working with Aboriginal people, especially those originating from the West Kimberley region and was developed in collaboration with the Yiriman Project.

This resource is for educational purposes only. It may contain images, works and descriptions that could be culturally sensitive and which might not normally be used in public and community contexts.

Cancer Council WA acknowledges the Yawuru people as the Traditional Custodians of the land where this resource was filmed. We would also like to pay respect to the elders past, present and emerging and offer our acknowledgement and respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were involved in the development of this resource. 
If you have utilised this video resource, please complete our five minute evaluation survey. Your feedback will enable us to ensure we are continually improving the effectiveness of our resources. 

Spotlight on Pharmacological Interventions for Palliative Care Symptoms 

Presented by: Penelope Tuffin, Advanced Practice Pharmacist, Palliative Care and Pain Management for personal Professional Development or use as an education resource.
Concerns over managing challenging symptoms can be alleviated with appropriate knowledge and support. A palliative perspective will be applied to the most common palliative care symptoms to give a broad overview. Each video looks at the pharmacological intervention specific to each symptom from a palliative care specialist point of view. It recognises the importance of non-pharmacological interventions either prior and/or in addition to medications. 

TOPICS.
  1. Medications at end of life 
  2. Pain management in palliative care
  3. Nausea and vomiting in palliative care
  4. Dyspnoea in palliative care
  5. Delirium in palliative care
  6. Constipation in palliative care


LEARNING OUTCOMES.
  1. Identify the most common palliative care symptoms.
  2. Determine the appropriate pharmacological intervention required to manage each symptom. 
  3. Demonstrate a palliative approach through prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of the most common palliative care symptoms. 


For further information contact Jess.park@cancerwa.asn.au