A Conference for health professionals wishing to expand their knowledge of Palliative Care. 13-14 May 2021  (for more information, program, guest speakers and registrations go to www.grpct.com.au)

This will be a ‘Virtual Conference’ covering the following topics:

• Magic mushrooms and death anxiety
• Homelessness
• End of Life care in prisons
• Hope, Heart and Healing in health care
• Immunotherapy in advanced cancer
• Organ donation and the palliative care interface
• and much more………….

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• Referral can be made by patients’ doctors (GPs) or other health professionals.
• GPs and health professionals making a referral can locate each specialist palliative care services via the Grampians Quick Reference Tool, complete the online referral form, or download the printable referral form and fax to the specialist service.
• Referral may also be made through Connecting Care, a comprehensive web-based directory providing secure messaging and e-referral.
• Patients may self-refer, or family, carers or clergy may also make a referral, using either the online referral form or the printable referral form.
• Patients, or their medical treatment decision maker, must provide consent to being referred to palliative care.

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Access the Grampians MND Shared Care Worker…click here

Big Freeze at the ‘G’..was held on 8th June 2020, with teams contributing virtually.

While the sixth annual Big Freeze centrepiece at the MCG on Queen’s Birthday wasn’t staged as usual, the campaign still went ahead by virtual AFL club contributions. MND cannot be postponed or cancelled. On average, another two Australians will have been diagnosed today, another two tomorrow, and the next day and so on. MND has not stopped, so neither can we.

We were not able to get to the MCG for Big Freeze 6 physically, but we still united the FightMND Army… virtually.

For “The Return Of The Beanie” and more information click here.

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Planning ahead is thinking about your future, and putting things in place so that your choices will be known and acted on if you cannot express these choices yourself later in life. Here you can access some excellent links to learn more about how to have the conversation and why we should start2talk.

Most of us would prefer not to think about becoming unwell or developing dementia, but it is important to have plans in place in case we do.

To find out more click any of these links:

Advance Care Planning Australia
Start2Talk - Dementia Australia
Start the Conversation – Department of Health
The Conversation Project
Dying Matters

COVID-19 Critical Conversations for Health Professionals 

Dying2Learn 2020 a place to start the conversation – this is a free online course where people can learn, discuss and share views about death and dying. Click here for resources that were used in the 2020 Dying2Learn course.

“48 Wishes Statements” – a great tool for understanding peoples values and preferences.

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Victorian researchers are investigating the experiences of frontline healthcare workers. This study has kindly been funded by a research grant from the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation.

Please take the survey examining the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19. Click on the link below to find out more information and commence the survey.
https://covid-19-frontline.com.au/

Information for participants
The research team, which represents multiple universities and healthcare organisations, and importantly includes frontline health care workers, is undertaking a research survey to investigate the extent of mental health, psychosocial and workplace issues experienced by frontline health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As frontline health staff work in stressful environments under usual working conditions, it is crucial that we understand the additional burdens that crises such as pandemics generate and how best support programs can respond to these events.

This survey is open to medical, nursing, allied health, clinical scientists/ physiologists/technicians, healthcare students and other staff working in frontline health departments including: emergency, critical care, respiratory medicine, general medicine, infectious diseases, palliative care and hospital aged care. People working in other areas, such as other medical specialties, surgical/perioperative care, primary care and paramedicine are also welcome to participate if they wish to. Participants do not need to have worked with people with COVID-19 to take part, as any one working in these areas can participate.

This study has received ethics approval form the Melbourne Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC 2020.241), in accordance with the requirements for National Mutual Acceptance Scheme (NMA). The NMA is a system for mutual acceptance of scientific and ethical review of human research projects conducted in health services across multiple Australian jurisdictions, including Victoria and South Australia. Most health services accept the NMA, however, you may wish to check with your research office whether additional approvals are required.

Asking health workers to reflect on the changes that have occurred during the pandemic may cause some distress, and we encourage health workers to seek support if this is the case. Recommended telephone support lines, web based resources and apps offered by the following organisations may be of assistance:

• Black Dog Institute: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
• Lifeline: Ph 131114 or https://www.lifeline.org.au/
• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46736 or https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
• Pandemic Kindness provides resources for clinicians: https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/covid19/kindness/safety

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