New mobile course on palliative care launched
Providing on-the-go access to practical tips and skills, the addition of a palliative care course to Ask Annie hopes to foster better access to information on a compassionate palliative approach to dementia care.
National peak body Dementia Australia has launched a course on palliative care for health, aged and disability care workers, making education on palliative care more accessible.
Coinciding with National Palliative Care Week – which is hosted annually by Palliative Care Australia – the course has been added to Dementia Australia’s award-winning, interactive and free-to-download app Ask Annie, which provides mobile access to dementia training for care workers.
Organisations can also purchase a monitoring package of Ask Annie and track the progress and training of staff.
(Dementia Australia)
Dementia Australia chief executive officer Professor Tanya Buchanan said the palliative care approach to dementia care course was a much-needed way of educating the dementia workforce on the importance of dignity when providing care, and as a way of maximising quality of life at all stages for people living with dementia.
“Educating the health and aged care workforce about dementia and palliative care will make a critical contribution to improving access to timely and appropriate palliative care for people living with dementia,” Professor Buchanan said.
“It is not just about managing and treating physical symptoms, it is also about supporting the emotional, social, cultural and spiritual aspects of a person’s life whilst also supporting their loved ones.
“This course provides workers with insights into palliative care informed from real-life scenarios, highlighting practical tips and skills to empower a compassionate, palliative approach to dementia care, with an additional focus on culturally diverse care.”
The course features four key modules that care workers can access and explore via the mobile app anytime and anywhere.
Fronditha Care Foundation – an initiative of not-for-profit aged care and community care provider Fronditha Care – funded the course, with Fronditha Care chief executive officer Faye Spiteri saying culturally appropriate palliative care is central to dignified and respectful dementia care.
“We collaborated with Dementia Australia, to deliver specialised training with a focus on a palliative approach to dementia care, psychosocial support, assessing and managing symptoms through exploring Greek customs around death and dying, Ms Spiteri said.
“By acknowledging and respecting cultural beliefs and individual preferences and embedding practices across the continuum of care, we can better meet the needs of our elders at this stage of life.”
Dementia Australia is also hosting a free webinar for care workers on dementia and palliative care on 22 May at 12pm AEST. Register here.
National Palliative Care Week in Australia runs from May 11 to 17 in 2025.
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