Vitor Rocha joins Palliative Care Australia Thursdays@3 epsiode as the Palliative Care Lead with Murray Primary Health Network, based in Bendigo.  

On Wednesday 15 November 2023, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and Palliative Care Australia hosted a powerful conversation on Embracing Inclusion: Providing Supportive Palliative Care for LGBTIQ+ Communities’.

Discrimination drives many LGBTIQ+ people to avoid disclosing their diverse bodies, sexual orientations or genders in healthcare, which has a direct impact on their end-of-life planning, according to Dr Ruth McNair, a General Practitioner and Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne.

Even with progress in addressing barriers faced by LGBTIQ+ people, research shows there's still significant work to be done, especially in palliative care and end-of-life services, according to Dr Fiona Ann Papps, an Associate Professor in Psychological Sciences at the Australian College of Applied Professions (ACAP).

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.

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.

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia's Ageing and Aged Care Project Officer Franky Lander-McLeod recaps our 4th National Roundtable on LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care

On the 9^th and 10^th of February LHA and the Silver Rainbow team hosted the 4^th National Roundtable on LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care. We were joined by industry experts, representatives from advocacy bodies, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia member organisations and beloved members of the LGBTI community to discuss key issues that directly affect the health and wellbeing of LGBTI older persons.

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.

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.

We welcome a new partnership with Dementia Support Australia to improve support for LGBTI people with dementia.