HAVING a conversation about \u201cWhat Matters Most\u201d to you when you\u2019re nearing the end of your life can be very tough for many people.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s exactly what National Palliative Care\u00a0week is encouraging.<\/p>\n
Bellarine Community Health is holding a free Community Forum on Tuesday May 22 to help people start a conversation about \u201cWhat Matters Most\u201d and learn about palliative care services available on the Bellarine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should be planning ahead for end-of-life care and discuss it with our loved ones and health professionals so that everyone is aware of people\u2019s preferences,\u201d Dr David Brumley, specialist palliative care physician and facilitator of the community forum, said. \u201cPalliative Care is provided by a mix of people from the community including family, friends, doctors, community nurses, volunteers and\u00a0specialists. It\u2019s a community responsibility; we\u2019re all in this together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Special guest speaker Dr Claire Hepper will share a personal story at the forum.<\/p>\n
Dr Hepper was able to support terminally ill 19-year-old Shannon McKnight to die at home on her parent\u2019s farm in regional Victoria, but the experience revealed a gap for people who couldn\u2019t access 24-hour-care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I was faced with caring for Shannon in a crisis situation that the simple and effective idea of a having an emergency symptom control and information pack came to me,\u201d Dr Hepper said.<\/p>\n
She developed \u201cShannon\u2019s Pack\u201d, which contains information, equipment and some medication to help control symptoms like pain, nausea or anxiety.<\/p>\n
The pack helps bridge the gap when a family member is in need at home and they can\u2019t be seen by a health service.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pack makes life easier by empowering families with the ability to help their loved ones if they experiencing symptoms,\u201d Dr Hepper said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe give the family education and support, as wel as a back-up plan on who to call if they\u2019re worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
The packs led to a pilot program called \u201cShannon\u2019s Bridge\u201d, a not-for-profit organisation to connect patients and families with support and services at the end of life.<\/p>\n
A recent funding grant will allow the \u201cShannon\u2019s Bridge\u201d pilot program to be expanded state wide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HAVING a conversation about \u201cWhat Matters Most\u201d to you when you\u2019re nearing the end of your life can be very tough for many people. But that\u2019s exactly what National Palliative Care\u00a0week is encouraging. Bellarine Community Health is holding a free Community Forum on Tuesday May 22 to help people start a conversation about \u201cWhat Matters […]<\/p>\n