Advance care planning Archives | Page 2 of 4

24 July 2023

Resources available in six languages to encourage and prompt older people and their loved ones to think and talk about planning for later life.

The Australian Human Rights Commission is undertaking a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of planning ahead for later life.

Future planning empowers older people to have choice and control over their senior years and provides peace of mind for them and their loved ones.

It involves thinking and talking to those you trust about your future healthcare, financial and lifestyle choices.

A suite of resources is available in English, Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese, Greek and Arabic to encourage and prompt older people and their loved ones to think and talk about planning for later life.

Visit this Australian Human Rights Commission webpage to find:

Social media assets
Community videos
Conversation guides
Frequently asked questions
Radio ads

19 July 2023

SWSPHN has joined forces with Wollondilly Shire Council to present an end-of-life planning workshop for the community.

Titled “You Only Die Once!”, the workshop will be held from 10am to 1pm on Tuesday, 22 August at Wollondilly Shire Hall, 44 to 60 Menangle Street, Picton.

The event has been organised around Dying to Know Day, an annual campaign by The Groundswell Project designed to normalise conversations about death and dying. It aims to empower all adults to be self-advocates through Advance Care planning when it comes to their future.

“You Only Die Once!” will guide participants through the steps of documenting their future healthcare wishes and desires to ensure their preferences are understood and respected.

Our SWSPHN team will be on hand along with Patsy, from End-of-Life Angels, for a chat and to provide further information.

Tea/coffee and a light lunch will be provided at the workshop.

Bookings are essential. Visit Wollondilly Council workshops or call 4677 9693.

26 June 2023

GP practices using Best Practice software can now upload advance care planning documents to My Health Record for their patients.

Patients and their carers have been able to upload advance care directives to their own records since 2016, but the new functionality allows their GPs to do the uploading.

Both internally created documents and external PDFs can be uploaded.

This increased functionality will enable more people to have their documented preferences accessible by clinical teams, and their preferences respected, for example, people in an emergency situation or members of a multidisciplinary team needing access to a patient’s end-of-life planning.

The new capability will be available in Best Practice’s next release, Bp Premier Orchid SP1.

PDFs created within Best Practice can be directly uploaded from Bp’s main menu, while externally created PDFs can be uploaded from Bp’s correspondence menu.

Word documents or Rich Text Format (RTF) documents are not able to be uploaded and will have to be converted into a PDF before exporting.

16 March 2023

Navigating the world after a dementia diagnosis is often a tricky and daunting task for families, carers and people living with dementia.

SWSPHN has compiled a Dementia and Palliative Care Directory using local, state and national services to guide families, carers and people living with dementia from diagnoses to end-of-life care.

The directory is available as a webpage on our website and as a downloadable, interactive pdf.

Among the wealth of services and resources available through the directory is information about:

Advance care planning and directives
National care services
Support groups
Doulas
Dementia specific activities
Transport services
Food services
Bereavement counselling services

This directory was developed as part of SWSPHN’s Peace of Mind project (POMp), funded under the Commonwealth Greater Choice for at Home Palliative Care measure.

POMp aims to improve the end-of-life journey of people living with dementia, their carers, families and health professionals, through the implementation of education, information and resources for community.

A hard copy of the directory will be available during Advance Care Planning Week, 20 to 26 March, in the Southern Highlands and Campbelltown.

The Dementia and Palliative Care Directory is available:

Monday to Friday at Wingecarribee Shire Council, Civic Centre Customer Service Desk, 68 Elizabeth Street Moss Vale. The Customer Service Desk display will include the new Palliative Care and Dementia Directory, the A journey into Sorry Business booklet and other information from SWSPHN about advance care planning.
Wednesday, 22 March at an information stall at Oran Park Library, 72 Central Ave, Oran Park, between 10am and 12pm.
Thursday, 23 March at an information stall at HJ Daley Library, 1 Hurley Street, Campbelltown, between 9.30am and 11.30am.

24 February 2023

Join SWSPHN’s Priority Populations Program team at NSW Seniors Festival events if you’d like to learn more about Advance Care Planning.

We’ll be hosting a stall at Fairfield City Council’s 2023 Senior Expo celebrating NSW Seniors Festival.

10am to 2pm
Tuesday, 28 February
Fairfield Showground,
443 Smithfield Road,
Prairiewood

We’ll also be holding a talk and hosting a stall at the Minds, Healthy Bodies workshop in Picton.

10am to 12pm
Thursday, 9 March
Council Chambers,
Wollondilly Shire Hall,
62-64 Menangle Street,
Picton

Reserve a spot

Advance care planning is the process of planning for future healthcare needs.

It relates to healthcare an individual would or would not like to receive if they were to become seriously ill or injured and are unable to communicate their preferences or make decisions.

This often relates to the care people receive at the end of their life.

If you’d like to know more, pop by our stall for a chat.

30 January 2023

NSW Health is inviting Dying with Dignity supporters and other interested individuals to a webinar on Wednesday, 1 February at 5.30pm to talk about how they are preparing for voluntary assisted dying to become available in NSW later this year.

Join NSW Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant, and the Voluntary Assisted Dying Implementation Team to find out what resources will be available to support patients and clinicians.

It will also be an opportunity to ask questions of the implementation team.

16 January 2023

You’re invited to come along and hear from SWSPHN’s Priority Populations Program team about the importance of Advance Care Planning (ACP) at venues across the region during NSW Seniors Festival 2023.

We’ll hold talks, host stalls and be available to answer questions at community activities in Campbelltown, Wollondilly and Wingecarribee in February and March.

What is Advance Care Planning?

Advance Care Planning is the process of an individual planning the healthcare they would or would not like to receive if they are injured or become seriously ill and are unable to communicate their preferences.

It helps the individuals’ loved ones and doctors know what care they would prefer to receive.

Where will you find us?

Friday, 2 February – Moss Vale

Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies at the Civic Centre Theatrette, 68 Elizabeth Street, Moss Vale, 10am to 12pm. Our team will be holding a talk about ACP and handing out information.

Reserve a spot

Tuesday, 7 February – Campbelltown

Let’s Talk Legal program: Wills for Seniors at HJ Daley Library, 1 Hurley Street, Campbelltown, 10.30am to 12.30pm. Our team will be hosting a stall.

Reserve a spot

Wednesday, 8 February – Moss Vale

Planning for the rest of your life at the Civic Centre Theatrette, 68 Elizabeth Street, Moss Vale, 9.30am to 4pm. Our team will be hosting a stall.

Reserve a spot

Friday, 10 February – Narellan

IC Care musical and services expo at Narellan Community Health Centre, 14 Queen Street, Narellan, 10.30am to 1.30pm. Our team will be hosting a stall.

Reserve a spot

Thursday, 9 March – Picton

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds at Wollondilly Shire Hall, 62-64 Menangle Street, Picton, 10am to 12pm. Our team will be holding a talk about ACP and hosting a stall.

Reserve a spot

06 December 2022

Western Sydney University (WSU) Department of General Practice is seeking participants for a research study aiming to understand GP experiences in providing advanced care planning (ACP) in Greater Western Sydney, and how these experiences influence uptake of ACP in general practice.

A limited number of confidential interviews of about 30 minutes will be conducted with a gift voucher (at the Department of Health and Aged Care suggested pro-rata rate of $150/hour) provided in appreciation of your time.

For more information, please contact WSU GP Academic Registrar, Dr Anita Jenkins by email at A.Jenkins@westernsydney.edu.au or phone at 4620 3942.

This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 7 December 2022. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.

16 November 2022

South Western Sydney is expected to have the highest increase in dementia cases in all of NSW by 2050. Dementia is a brain illness which can affect mobility, vision, and cognition.

It is NOT a normal part of ageing.

The South Western Sydney Dementia Network is hosting a free, online dementia information session on Thursday, 1 December from 10am to 12pm, honouring International Day of People with Disabilities.

Download this flyer to learn more/register for the session

16 November 2022

If you’d like to join a local network dedicated to supporting people with dementia and their families, please express your interest in joining the South Western Sydney Dementia Network.

SWSPHN is part of the network which includes Western Sydney University, local councils, and health services including South Western Sydney Local Health District, Dementia Australia and Macarthur Disability Services.

The network supports people with dementia and their families by teaching, training and facilitating social programs in the community.

If you’d like to know more about what the role requires or to apply, download this Expression of Interest form.