WHEN we think palliative care, we often think of death, but it's really about living well for as long as possible.
This week is National Palliative Care Week (NPCW) and Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has launched a new campaign to address some common misconceptions.
PCA Chair Meera Agar, said the campaign aimed to show Australians how palliative care could help people living with life-limiting illnesses to get as much as they could out of life.
Professor Agar said management of pain and symptoms could start from the early stages of diagnosis to ensure quality of life was maintained.
"The campaign is aimed at informing, empowering and encouraging Australians living with a life-limiting illness to engage with their health care professionals early in their diagnosis, so as to live as well as possible for as long as possible," Professor Agar said.
Palliative Care It's more than you think is a multimedia campaign developed by the PCA with support from the federal government.
It seeks to challenge perceptions that palliative care is a 'last resort' and features light-hearted, 'vintage' style animations.
In the animations, people can be seen doing a number of things not usually associated with palliative care such as golfing, fishing, gardening, travelling and even parachuting.
Stage one of the campaign will see the images rolled out on television, in print and online throughout May, June and July.
New survey data highlights the limited community understanding of the broader meaning of palliative care and reluctance to have meaningful talks about death and dying.
Three quarters of Australians said they would ask for palliative care for themselves or a family member when first diagnosed. But results indicated many did not understand the full scope of care options and their benefits.
The survey suggested less than 40 per cent of Australians understood palliative care could be requested when a person was first diagnosed with a terminal, chronic or degenerative illness.
Only just over 30 per cent understand that General Practitioners (GPs) were able to provide palliative care.
While almost 90 per cent agreed people should plan for end-of-life, less than half had done nothing about their end-of-life wishes.
It is estimated that in addition to the 40,000 Australians currently receiving palliative care, there are at least 40,000 Australians who would also benefit from treatment.
"Palliative care really is more than you think. It's for anyone of any age - from babies to older adults - who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness" Professor Agar said.
"It can be provided alongside curative treatments, or when those treatments have ended."
For more information about the campaign, what palliative care is, who can provide it, where it is provided and other frequently asked questions, click here.
