What is CarerHelp?

CarerHelp was developed in 2019 to help family carers of people with advanced disease to better prepare for and manage the role of supporting a person at the end of their life. It provides practical resources and information in different languages and formats including topics such as how to care, self-care, services and supports, signs of dying, and bereavement.

CarerHelp is led by St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and is partnering with CareSearch (Flinders University), Grief Australia, and the National Rural Health Alliance. The project has also developed strong links with many national organisations including Palliative Care Australia, Carer’s Australia, Health Direct, and the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia. CarerHelp is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care as a National Palliative Care Project Grant.

With its first round of Government funding (2017-2020), CarerHelp developed its website after a review of the evidence and scanning for Australian resources and interviews with carers. With further Government funding (2020-2023), CarerHelp undertook the CarerHelp Diversity project. The purpose of this phase of development was to increase the access and reach of the CarerHelp resources to culturally and linguistically diverse populations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, carers with low literacy or vision impaired, the LGBTIQ+ population and the socially disadvantaged. CarerHelp also provides information for volunteers, support workers and community leaders of those working with vulnerable persons.

In this third funding round (2023-2026), the project will focus on making CarerHelp more accessible to carers and families from regional, rural, and remote parts of Australia who may have limited access to palliative care and bereavement services. This includes carers who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or from specific cultural backgrounds and have settled in particular rural areas. To understand the needs of rural carers, the team will be conducting a review of the literature and running consultation sessions with services providing care to the rural carer population. The newly developed resources to come from this work will be available via the website’s Communities section and promoted through targeted marketing campaigns.

To find out more and find out about the project, visit the project website at https://www.carerhelp.com.au/
 
If you would like more information about CarerHelp or its contents, please contact the Centre for Palliative Care on centre.palliativecare@svha.org.au


Page updated 16 November 2023