Palliative care is a comforting way to help people nearing their end of life, however these services can be scarce for those in rural communities.
A new study is hoping to change this.
Researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) are undertaking a new project called ‘My Story, Our Journey’ in partnership with The University of Adelaide and Flinders University, as part of the Palliative Care Research Collaboration made possible thanks to funding from The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Palliative Care.
The project aims to investigate the end-of-life care experiences of individuals in rural SA to improve access and delivery of palliative care services in these regions.
UniSA researcher Shannen van der Kurk said the study aims to understand the complications and unique challenges faced by rural families accessing palliative care.
“Palliative care is person and family-centered care for someone with a life-limiting illness and aims to optimise their quality of life,” Ms van der Kurk said.
“It encompasses emotional and physical supports, such as pain relief, home care, grief support, and counselling, delivered by various health and community providers.
“People in rural areas have limited access to specialist palliative care, impacting their quality of life, partly due to fewer medical professionals, along with other contributing factors.
“We hope to understand how people living with a life-limiting illness make decisions about palliative care.”
The team want to understand which palliative care supports are working well, areas that need improvement, and any gaps.
Their end goal is to develop and provide valuable and timely resources to patients, families and carers as they negotiate decisions and care at end-of-life.
The team will be interviewing people in rural communities who are facing an incurable illness, and their carers to understand the challenge, needs, expectations, and other factors that may influence the palliative care experience.
“Our research hopes to give a voice to rural patients and their families. And we’re committed to finding ways to better support families at such a critical time.”
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