Healthdirect Australia helps drive resource for family palliative carers

An Australian first, CarerHelp is an initiative led by St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne’s Centre for Palliative Care in partnership with Flinders University’s CareSearch, University of Technology Sydney and Carers Australia, the peak body for unpaid carers in Australia.

CarerHelp is one of the most comprehensive resources of its kind in the world, providing a range of advice and support for Australians who have taken on the role of caring for a terminally-ill person.

The website includes a series of videos featuring carers who reflect on their own real-life experiences to help people decide if they are the right person to provide care and then how to cope with grief and loss.

Supporting our Information Partners

We are pleased to have supported the development of CarerHelp – a service that aims to empower carers who provide care to someone with a terminal illness. Now a trusted Information Partner of Healthdirect Australia, the healthdirect website links visitors from pages like Caring for someone with cancer to CarerHelp for expert support and advice.

Professor of Palliative and Supportive Services at Flinders University Jennifer Tieman said that organisations like Healthdirect Australia were vital to the creation of CarerHelp.

Entry into the caring role and beyond

CarerHelp is for anyone considering the role of primary carer or for carers already fulfilling the role. The platform’s resources spans the entire care journey from entry into guardianship through to the palliative care experience and beyond.

Of the approximately 160,000 Australians who die each year, most need the support of a family carer, particularly those that die at home, which is why the Centre for Palliative Care’s Professor Peter Hudson and other project leaders believe CarerHelp meets a very real need.

“For the first time, family carers have access to a comprehensive and dedicated online resource covering all aspects involved in caring for a terminally-ill parent, partner or friend so that they be as prepared as possible also hopefully reflect on the experience as rewarding one,” explained Prof. Hudson.