Palliative Care

LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Palliative Care eLearning is now live!

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia has launched the first two modules of the LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Palliative Care eLearning with two further modules coming soon.

The FREE eLearning aims to increase healthcare providers’ confidence in providing LGBTIQ+ inclusive palliative care including:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) communities and their specific healthcare needs
End-of-life concerns and barriers to palliative care for LGBTIQ+ people
How to have inclusive end-of-life conversations
Strategies to support loved ones
How to create welcoming and inclusive environments

The eLearning topics are explored across four 1-hour modules:

Module 1: Introduction to LGBTIQ+ communities (available now)

Module 2: Barriers to providing and receiving palliative care (available now)

Module 3: Enablers for LGBTIQ+ people in palliative care (coming soon)

Module 4: Having end-of-life planning conversations (coming soon)

Sign up here to receive updates on the eLearning and other LGBTIQ+ inclusive palliative care resources.

Access e-Learning

LHA would like to acknowledge those who have generously provided their time, expertise and lived experience to the development of this project through the advisory committee and co-design group. Special thanks to Dr Ruth McNair (RACGP sponsor), Cody Smith (Yellow Tick), BLaQ Aboriginal Corporation, National Association of People with HIV Australia, and Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care includes treatment care and support which aims to increase a person’s quality of life and comfort as they experience life-limiting or advanced disease. This involves attention to the physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of a person’s wellbeing.

LGBTIQ+ people and Palliative Care

All LGBTIQ+ people should feel confident that they can access inclusive palliative care that is safe and respectful. The current research indicates that there are many barriers that prevent this.

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia is currently engaged in a three-year National Palliative Care Project that will build the capacity of the palliative care sector to provide culturally appropriate services to LGBTIQ+ people through:

Research - needs analysis report to inform content for education
Development of educational e-modules targeted at GPs and Practice Nurses
A dynamic community of practice focused on LGBTIQ+ inclusive palliative care. Please contact [email protected] for more information or to join the community of practice.

Scoping Review

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia has reviewed the literature on palliative and end-of-life care for LGBTIQ+ communities from 2016-2020. This scoping review highlights the barriers faced by LGBTIQ+ people, the facilitating factors that aim to address these barriers, and a focus on what to include in future education and training. The review also highlights areas that require more research and exploration.

Help promote our eLearning

Download the following ‘Be part of the solution’ resources to promote the LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Palliative Care eLearning:

Resources:

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.

Q&A: Jen Walsh, Barwon Health, LGBTIQ+ Palliative Care Project Lead

This series of Q&As is a chance to meet the people who are working to create inclusive palliative and end-of-life care experiences for people who are LGBTIQ+ in Australia and around the world. Part one is with Jen Walsh, LGBTIQ+ Palliative Care Project Lead at Barwon Health.

EOI: National Palliative Care Co-Design Team

The Department of Health has funded LHA to deliver a three-year project that aims to build the capacity of the palliative care sector to provide inclusive services to LGBTIQ+ people accessing palliative and end-of-life care. This will be achieved through research, training (e-modules for health professionals) and development of Community of Practice groups.

LGBTIQ+ People still can’t rely on inclusive palliative care services

Despite the many gains that have been made towards LGBTIQ+ equality, health care services are still not always safe spaces for people from LGBTIQ+ communities.