Background:
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people express a wish to be cared for, and to pass, at home or on Country surrounded by family if possible. There are many barriers to achieving this aim; one being the ability to provide timely and effective symptom control.
Aim:
The aim of the caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families project is to improve palliative care outcomes by the provision of culturally-appropriate resources that support palliative care at home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The resources will be developed, based on extensive consultation with key stakeholders, and will be applicable Australia-wide for services, health professionals and Indigenous families to help families manage breakthrough symptoms safely using subcutaneous medicines.
Methods:
The project has several components:
Findings:
The majority of participants (from each state/territory, from metro, regional, rural and remote areas) in the first round of consultation (200 participants in 55 consultations) agreed that tailored resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families would be useful and that whilst current caring@home resources could be used by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, a more culturally appropriate package could support more families.
Various ideas were put forward on the best way to achieve this and are being considered during resource development, under the guidance of an Education Advisory Committee.
Discussion:
During the consultation, participants noted that whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families will give subcutaneous medicines is variable and very dependent on individual families, communities and clinical service availability. Many barriers were identified but most participants indicated that families should be given choices about end-of-life care.
Conclusion:
The wide-ranging consultation and feedback has been very diverse and appreciated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is essential to help guide the project’s development of the culturally-appropriate resources. The project team thanks everyone who is supporting the project.
Funding acknowledgement:
caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families is funded by the Australian Government.