National Palliative Care Week (NPCW) will be held from Sunday 22 May – Saturday 28 May, with the theme “Palliative Care It’s your right”. NPCW hopes to spark important conversations in the community about the benefits of quality palliative care and celebrate the amazing dedication of all those working and volunteering in palliative care across Australia.

Recently LHA conducted research into the experiences of LGBTIQ+ communities and palliative care.

Here are some of our key findings:

• LGBTIQ+ people accessing palliative and end-of-life care experience discrimination both internationally and in Australia. Other factors that impact palliative care experiences include pre-existing mental illness, financial and housing precarity, discriminatory policies and systems, and lifelong minority stress.
• People who are LGBTIQ+ may delay or avoid seeking care due to fear of discrimination and previous stigmatising experiences with health care services. Little is known about LGBTIQ+ people who live at the intersections of multiple identities which may include disability, culture and ethnicity.

Learn more about palliative care

	Official Resources Palliative Care Australia has created resources to help you raise awareness of palliative care and advanced care planning in your workplace or organisation. Learn More
	Advanced Care Planning Does your community know about advanced care planning?  If someone you work with became seriously ill or was injured, would they trust that medical professionals know what care they want or who they nominate as their preferred decision-makers? Read More
	Webinar: LGBTIQ+ Palliative Care Join Hannah Morgan, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia's National Palliative Care Project Coordinator, to learn more about the barriers LGBTIQ+ people experience when they access palliative care services, and what skills and knowledge are required to create safe, respectful and inclusive practices for our communities. Watch Webinar

Why does accurate data collection for LGBTI older people matter and how can we take steps to create more inclusive data collection?

Join LHA’s Policy and Research Coordinator Amber Loomis for a discussion about the ABS 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation.

In this webinar we will explore what the 2020 ABS Standard is, why it is important, and how we can use the Standard to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTI older people.

Amber Loomis (they/them) is a trans, non-binary bi+ advocate with experience in community organising and community-based research. Amber currently holds the post of Policy and Research Coordinator at LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and has previously worked in sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention/response in universities. Outside of their role at LHA Amber is working on a research project with ARCSHS at La Trobe focused on bisexual and pansexual inclusion in interpersonal violence prevention and response initiatives. In 2019, Amber was one of Out for Australia’s 30 Under 30 for their contributions to community. They are passionate about creating healthy, safe, and thriving communities.

LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day aims to help end violence and abuse within LGBTQ+ communities, by increasing visibility through the annual awareness day campaign. 

The theme for the 2022 event is #SeenAndBelieved.

Workplaces and the community, are encouraged to start a conversation about what they can do to ensure all people, including our LGBTQ+ communities, are supported if they experience domestic or family violence.  People are also encouraged to learn more about the unique methods of power and control that may be experienced in LGBTQ+ relationships and how to reduce any barriers to reporting​

With your support, and the support of our community we can ensure that there are no invisible victims in the future and that everyone, no matter what their sexuality or gender identity is, can feel #SeenAndBelieved and be given hope.

Find Out More

World Hepatitis Day (WHD) takes places every year on 28 July bringing the world together under a single theme to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change. In 2021 the theme is ‘Hepatitis Can’t Wait’.

On World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, we call on people from across the world to take action and raise awareness of hepatitis because Hepatitis Can’t Wait.

WHD Australia Website

Dying to Know Day is an annual campaign where we encourage people to start conversations about death. During August, people hold events, gatherings at home, take individual action, and much more, all to improve their knowledge around choice at end of life. Go to The Groundswell Project to find guides and toolkits to support having conversations with the people in your life.

Dying to Know Day Website

Join us on August 27th 2021 to celebrate Wear it Purple Day. This years theme is 'Start the Conversation…Keep it Going'.. Wear It Purple strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people.

Wear it Purple Day Website

Women’s Health Week is the biggest week in Australia focusing on good health and wellbeing for ALL women and girls, inclusive of trans women. Run by Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, the campaign takes a preventive approach to health by providing resources, tips and information on maintaining good health, inspiring women and girls to learn more and take positive action.

Designed to encourage a national conversation around women’s health, the campaign’s main points of engagement are its daily online health information supported by community and workplace-led events. All health content is free, and subscribers receive daily emails with podcasts, videos, health tips, quizzes, recipes and more.

We're looking forward to spending Women's Health Week 2021 with you (6-10 September), and hope you'll take some time to put your health first. Coming up are exclusive articles, interviews, recipes, quizzes, podcasts and tips for each of our daily topics: movement, periods, sexual health, mental health and sleep.

Women's Health Week Website

THIS YEAR THE MESSAGE IS: Are they really OK? Ask them today. Do you know how the people in your world are really going?

Life's ups and downs happen to all of us. So chances are someone you know might be struggling. Your genuine support can make a difference whatever they are facing, big or small.

So, don’t wait until someone’s visibly distressed or in crisis. Make a moment meaningful and ask them how they’re really going.

Are they really OK? Ask them today. Your conversation could change a life.

R U OK? Website

Bisexual Awareness Week, also known as #BiWeek, is an annual celebration week held in September, from September 16 through the 23rd. It is an extension of Celebrate Bisexuality Day, held annually on September 23. The celebration promotes cultural acceptance of the bisexual community and creates a platform for advocating bisexual rights.

(Image source: https://www.glaad.org/biweek2020)

Mental Health Month is celebrated each year in the month of October. This month encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not. It also gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of good mental health in our everyday lives and encourages help seeking behaviours when needed.

Find Out More