JOINT MEDIA RELEASE: Major boost for Victorians at the palliative care frontline

The grant will allow the two organisations, in partnership with Carers South Australia and Palliative Care South Australia, to roll out The Compassionate State Program in Victoria and SA, strengthening support for people at the frontline of palliative care.

The three-year project, commencing in July this year, will:

• strengthen public education around palliative care,
• support development of a directory that Victorians can use to identify what support is available locally,
• design new supports where palliative care system gaps exist, and
• foster community connections for carers.

Total funding for the program of $450,000 has been awarded over three years ($150,000 per year).

The number of Victorians entering palliative care over the coming 10 years is forecast to increase by over 50% so building community awareness and capacity now is important to prepare for the future.

Carers Victoria and Palliative Care Victoria recognise the fantastic support of the Wicking Trust in funding this project, which has potential to benefit many of the 40,000+ Victorians eligible for palliative care each year – along with the individuals and communities supporting them.

Quotes attributable to Violet Platt, CEO Palliative Care Victoria

“Evidence tells us that building a systemic approach that challenges current norms and rules about caring for older Australians and dying people can make a real difference for everyone impacted by palliative care”.

“With our ageing population here in Victoria we know the number of Victorians entering palliative care – and hence the number of carers in this space – is going to grow significantly. This work will be important in improving the future for many of us”.

Quotes attributable to Judith Abbott, CEO Carers Victoria

“Carers Victoria is excited to be part of this project as we know it can deliver real benefits for Victorians caring for people in palliative care”

“This is a great opportunity to build on the strong foundations of the Victorian Palliative Care sector and the networks of organisations supporting unpaid carers across Victoria. Through partnerships across those sectors, we can make a real difference”.

Media contact: For any media enquiries, please contact Violet Platt CEO, Palliative Care Victoria on 0417 095 768

Project Background – The Compassionate State

Inspired by the Public Health Palliative Care International Compassionate Cities model, the Wicking Trust funding will support two projects mirrored across states (SA and VIC) which aim to nurture compassionate communities by creating a structured, easily accessible system for groups, organisations, businesses, councils, agencies and older Australians to engage with.

The Compassionate State Program provides a practical, easy to access, model for organisations, councils, groups and individuals to access for free, through a system incorporating the recommendations identified from the SA CCCS report:

• Provide public education
• Maintain a directory of local supports
• Co-design new supports
• Foster community connections
• Adopt the Compassionate Cities Charter

This three-year program, to be developed by Flinders University, will compliment and partner with existing programs in development and enhance the offering of support to carers, the community and those with palliative care needs across Victoria.

The model has a strong evidence base, drawing on materials including content from the Lancet Commission report on the Value of Death (2022) which noted that compassionate communities represent a new public health model of citizen and community action that challenges current norms and rules about caring for older Australians and dying people.

In doing so, compassionate communities play an important role as partners with healthcare professionals, ensuring inclusion of social networks and continuity of care.

Key contributions of compassionate communities are the normalisation of death, dying, and grieving by building death literacy and sustainable social network-based caring capacity to promote equity in access to end-of-life care.

About Carers Victoria

Established in 1992, Carers Victoria is the peak body representing all unpaid carers in Victoria. Through its work, it aims to advance understanding of unpaid carers and improve their access to assistance. www.carersvictoria.org.au

About Palliative Care Victoria

Palliative Care Victoria is the peak body for palliative care and end of life care. Established in 1981, we are an incorporated association and charity supported by the Victorian Government, organisation and individual members, other groups and funders. www.pallcarevic.asn.au