CarerHelp has been launched at the Parliament House on 17th October 2019.
The event was hosted by Carers Australia CEO Ara Cresswell and was attended by representatives of government, carer and support organisations, as well as project stakeholders.
Supporting carers is part of holistic person-centred care at the end of life and is also embedded in policy guidance documents. CarerHelp will help prepare and support carers as they face one of the most challenging time in their role, and that is caring for a person who is at the end of life or dying.” said Ms Cresswell.
Professor Peter Hudson, who is the Lead for the Australian Family Carer Toolkit Project, outlined the process of developing CarerHelp at the launch.
CarerHelp has been created in a very comprehensive way. The first part of the project involved a systematic review of the published evidence of the needs of family carers of patients with advanced disease. This work was complemented by a national and international scoping study to identify suitable existing online resources. We also felt it was vitally important to hear from carers about their experience so we conducted interviews and focus groups to identify gaps in essential information and resources. Across the entire lifespan of the project we have been guided by the knowledge and experience of a very engaged national reference group comprising representatives from approximately 20 peak bodies and institutions,” he stated.
Mr Khang Chiem, a carer, shared his experience in caring for his late husband Ben Leske who died of brain cancer. “Caring for Ben was a true privilege and honor and was an expression of my love and support for him. But caring for a loved one who is dying is challenging and a resource like CarerHelp will be very useful for carers,” Mr Chiem stated.
CareSearch Director Professor Jennifer Tieman of Flinders University outlined the key features of the website at the launch and highlighted that CarerHelp is a dynamic resource that will “grow as the project team receive feedback and as new resources and information becomes available on end of life caring. We invite everyone to visit and engage with CarerHelp and recommend it to others,” she stated.
Launch photos
The launch event was hosted by Carers Australia headed by CEO Ara Cresswell.
Professor Peter Hudson discussing how CarerHelp can support carers by providing high quality and practical information.
Mr Khang Chiem, who cared for his late husband Ben Leske, shared his experience and insights as a carer.
CareSearch Director Professor Jennifer Tieman outlined the key features of CarerHelp during the launch.
Speakers at the CarerHelp launch with guests Ms Nicole Fitzgerald, Director of Department of Health’s Palliative Care Section (2nd from left) and Shadow Assistant Minister for Carers Emma McBride MP (5th from left).
Some of CarerHelp’s National Reference Group members attending the launch (left to right): Centre for Palliative Care Co-Deputy Director Associate Professor Mark Boughey, University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine Professor Geoffrey Mitchell, Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement CEO Mr Chris Hall, and Ms Regina Kendall of Grampians Regional Palliative Care Team.
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