From our Director

We are proud of the work we do in the Centre. Researching in death and dying and in palliative can be seen as confronting. However, it is a reality that will confront all of us and is especially important given an ageing population and the impacts of chronic progressive diseases. Increasingly our Saturday night dinners include discussions of ageing, caring, dying, and grieving. We are fortunate to be supported by both Flinders University and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences who are brave enough to recognise the significance of this area to people and their families, communities, and the health and aged care workforces.

We also need to acknowledge the work of several researchers who we farewell this month. Deb Rawlings is retiring having made a major contribution to the Dying2Learn program and to research and policy around death doulas. Dr Katrina Erny-Albrecht has been the national project lead for CareSearch and palliAGED contributing to the delivery of a core project within the national palliative care program. They have also been major influences in the growth of the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying. 

RePaDD updates

National Palliative Care Week 2023
Matters of Life and Death

During National Palliative Care Week 2023, RePaDD held events to discuss matters of life and death and to acknowledge the people at the heart of palliative care.

Professor Jennifer Tieman shared a blog post which encapsulates the spirit of the week and encompasses the range and depth of palliative care research and education that is centred at Flinders University and RePaDD.

Morning Teas were held at Flinders University, to recognise the fantastic research, education and projects being undertaken at the University in palliative care, and at Modbury Hospital to acknowledge the work in palliative care in NALHN.

Shyla Mills, CEO of Palliative Care SA, joined SALHN, RePaDD and THRF Palliative Care at Flinders Medical Centre to recognise the people at the heart of palliative care in SALHN.

A/Prof Aileen Collier and Kate Swetenham also joined RePaDD for a special Lunchtime Seminar on ‘A vision for building capacity of the palliative nursing workforce in Australia’. A recording is now available in the RePaDD Video Collection.

Advance Care Planning Week 2023

National Advance Care Planning Week was held 20 to 26 March to help spark conversation and talk about advance care planning to start planning for the future.

On Monday 20 March, Rohan Watts from NBN Co. joined RePaDD for a morning tea to talk about our digital legacy and why it matters to be prepared.

We also held a special webinar – 'Planning Matters: Perspectives on advance care planning' – on Tuesday 21 March with Professor Jennifer Tieman (representing Dying2Learn), Rohan Watts, and Xanthe Sansome, National Program Director, Advance Care Planning Australia. For those who could not attend, a recording of the webinar is now available in the RePaDD Video Collection.

ARIIA Conference 2023
Facing the Future: Aged Care 2030 and Beyond

Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) held a 2-day conference on 15 and 16 May 2023 to set a new vision for the future, inspiring debate and conversation with innovators and futurists who want to make a real impact on positive ageing.

As part of the conference, a think tank on ‘Innovation for End of Life & Palliative Care’ was held. Facilitator Professor Jennifer Tieman was joined by Rachael Wass, CEO of Meaningful Ageing Australia; Dr Andrea Grindrod, Senior Research Fellow and Project Manager of Health & Society, La Trobe University; and Mariana Ricci, Program Manager of the End of Life Team, SA Health to discuss desired changes to end of life and palliative care and to inspire conversation on how these could be adopted and actioned.

Review on End of Life in Community and Aged Care (ACSQHC)

A rapid review of the literature on end-of-life care in aged care and community settings has been released by the Australian Commission on Quality and Safety in Health Care (The Commission). The review was undertaken by researchers from the RePaDD – including Deb Rawlings, Dr Raechel Damarell, Dr Amal Chakraborty, A/Prof Kim Devery and Professor Jennifer Tieman.

In conjunction with an earlier review by RePaDD – Rapid review of the literature on end-of-life care, (acute care) – this will inform an update to the National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care by the Commission.

New teaching developments:
Short Courses available from July 2023

The teaching academics at RePaDD have been busy developing new Palliative Care short courses and redeveloping the postgraduate programs (more on that later).

Two exciting developments is that the new Certificate in Palliative Care will be available from July 2023. This is a self-paced, 10-week course that is open to health care professionals, undergraduates, diploma-qualified and unregistered support workers.

In addition to this, the Specialist Certificate in Palliative Care will be starting in March 2024. A 13-week program open to healthcare professionals with undergraduate degrees, working in general settings or starting in Specialist Palliative Care. Completion of this course qualifies for 4.5 Unit credits (1 topic) in the palliative care postgraduate courses.

Both of these courses will equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to make a real difference in the lives of those living with life-limiting illnesses. They will cover topics such as communication, ethical considerations, bereavement, symptom assessment and management - all important areas for improving the quality of palliative care. Using the latest evidence-based learning approaches, students will be able to apply their learning in clinical practice.

Expanding the short courses to include an option for those working in health and community care without an undergraduate degree, and opening them to all health care professional groups, increases the reach of our programs and provides equal opportunity for clinicians across Australia to access world class education.

If you have any questions, would like to discuss course options please do not hesitate to contact the team at 08 8201 8501 or palliativecare@flinders.edu.au

RePaDD Resources: White papers and reports

We have been making available reports of research studies that we have conducted over the last decade as white papers, which provides a mechanism for reports, evaluation or longer data analyses to be publicly accessible. A DOI means they can be cited by other researchers in their publications. Our most recent report now available is:

Tieman J, Vandersman P, Brooksbank M & Swetenham K. Supporting the Grief, Loss and Bereavement Needs of Families of Older People Living in Residential Aged Care. RePaDD White Paper. Adelaide, South Australia: Flinders University Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying: 2021. https://doi.org/10.25957/j5ww-7p40

RePaDD Resources: When someone dies in residential aged care: Grief and loss for families booklet

Following a grant from SA Health to conduct research, RePaDD has developed and updated an evidence-based booklet to support the management of grief and bereavement.

This booklet supports bereaved people by providing information on what is likely to happen over time from entry into aged care through to the end of life. Shaped by evidence from Australian and international studies of residential aged care, it includes suggestions, practical resources, and supports for families.

The digital PDF edition of the booklet is free to access online and free printed copies are available for aged care services around Australia. Contact RePaDD to order.

Published research

'The palliative care ambulance': A qualitative study of patient and caregiver perspectives of an ambulance service

The need for home-based palliative care is accelerating internationally. At the same time, health systems face increased complexity, funding constraints...Read more

Patient safety for people experiencing advanced dementia in hospital: A video reflexive ethnography

Patient safety for people experiencing dementia in acute hospitals is a global priority. Despite national strategies as well as safety and quality...Read more

Learning Designers as Expert Evaluators of Usability: Understanding Their Potential Contribution to Improving the Universality of Interface Design for Health Resources

User-based evaluation by end users is an essential step in designing useful interfaces. Inspection methods can offer an alternate approach when...Read more

Relieving perception of thirst and xerostomia in patients with palliative and end-of-life care needs: a rapid review

Thirst and dry mouth are interlinked symptoms that frequently cause significant distress for patients with life-limiting conditions. The objective of this...Read more

Experience and acceptability of a carer-focussed intervention in acute oncology settings: A qualitative study of people with advanced cancer and their carers

Providing optimal support for carers of people with advanced cancer is critical to facilitating discharge home from hospital...(CSNAT-I) has shown...Read more

Events

RePaDD Seminar Series

The RePaDD lunchtime seminars, held fortnightly on Tuesdays from 12:30-1:30pm, is a free series open to all, focussed on research implications for palliative care, death and dying across the community, and health and social systems. You can catch up on past seminars here.

Upcoming Seminars:

20 June 2023: ELDAC Home Care App
Dr Amanda Adams, Research Associate, End-of-Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC)

04 July 2023: End-of-Life Link Nurse Program (NALHN)
Melissa Bruno, Nurse Consultant, Northern Adelaide Palliative Service

Want to contribute to the RePaDD Review? 
Please submit your story or feedback to repadd@flinders.edu.au