Patients and Carers

Links for patients and carers

Tools and resources to help point you in the right direction in Palliative and End of Life Care.

Virtual care makes accessing palliative care easy

This video introduces the role virtual care can play in palliative care.

Play

The Virtual care makes accessing palliative care easy is also available in the languages below.

Arabic العربية 简体中文 Chinese - Simplifiedکوردی Kurdish

Counselling services

  • Lifeline – Lifeline provides short-term, confidential one-to-one support for people who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping or staying safe.
    Phone: 13 11 14
  • Griefline – Griefline is a free national helpline offering confidential telephone counselling 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Their website also has resources and moderated forums for the bereave margin-right-10d to access information.
    Phone: 1300 845 745 (6am-midnight, 7 days a week)
  • Headspace – Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing early intervention mental health services to 12-25 year olds. They provide information for health professionals, young people and families on their website. Headspace also have a number of centres around Australia for young people to visit in person.
  • Black Dog Institute – Black Dog Institute is a not-for-profit research institute that is dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating those with significant mental health challenges with a recent focus on suicide prevention, digital innovation, lived experience, youth and workplace mental health.
  • Beyond Blue – Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.
    Phone: 1300 224 646 (24/7)

National resources

  • Death and Bereavement – A guide developed by Services Australia (2020) to help with practical matters after death such as payments, support and other services to help you when someone close to you dies.
  • Carer Gateway – planning for the end of life – An Australian Government resource to support people caring for someone who is approaching end of life. Helpful practical information and support for carers of people at end of life, as well as links to useful organisations and websites.
  • Caring@home – The caring@home resources support home-based consumers and their family, carers and Support workers, and also helps providers to meet Aged Care Quality Standards (#1,2,3,7 & 8) and the Charter of Aged Care Rights. The resources are free, evidence-based and facilitate high-value care; they support person-centred outcomes and improve service performance efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Palliative Care Australia – Palliative Care Australia is the peak national body for palliative care and have resources for clinicians, patients, children, families and carers.
  • CareSearch – CareSearch is an online resource designed to help those needing relevant and trustworthy information and resources about palliative care. They have resources specific to carers.
  • Carers Australia – Carers Australia is the national peak body representing Australia’s carers, advocating on behalf of Australia’s carers to influence policies and services at a national level.
  • CarerHelp – CarerHelp is a collection of resources for carers supporting someone approaching the end of life.

New South Wales

COVID-19

Video resources

Maria Heaton
A very personal insight into paediatric palliative care services from the perspective of a clinical nurse consultant and mother.

Maria Heaton
A powerful presentation delivered by the mother of two children who both died while being looked after at home with the support of community care workers.