Palliative Care
Building Communities of Care in Tasmania (CommCare-Tas)
The demand for palliative care in Tasmania is expected to increase by almost a third by 2032, especially in the North and North-West regions.
However, palliative care services are facing challenges meeting this demand due to staff shortages and increased referrals. This impacts where people die, with few dying at home despite most Australians preferring to do so. The Tasmanian Palliative and End of Life Care Policy Framework 2022-27 recommends a Communities of Care approach to support people with life limiting illness to remain at home with the support of their informal and formal care networks.
The current research evidence suggests that community-centred caring networks, supported by appropriately skilled ‘connectors’, can increase emotional support and a sense of connectedness for the person dying with a life limiting illness and their family members.
This collaborative project between the University of Tasmania School of Nursing, the Department of Health, Hospice Care Association and Palliative Care Tasmania will pilot a Community of Care connector model in Tasmania’s North West to support people in the community at the end-of-life, and build community capacity around palliative and end-of-life care.
