Health professionals

A nurse who laid the foundation for 40 years of palliative care in Australia

14 January 2021

Katherine Kingsbury, OAM, Inaugural Director of Nursing, City Mission Hospice, North Fitzroy Eighty-seven-year-old Katherine Kingsbury has dedicated her life to caring and advocating for the sick and dying. Throughout her long nursing career, Katherine has […]
“Nurse practitioners in aged care are the future”

11 November 2020

When Keyur Anand studied to be a nurse practitioner, his peers believed he would achieve ‘something special’. His initial choice would have probably been to work in a hospital setting, but circumstances brought him to […]
Research project to evaluate impact of handover bags: A 10-minute survey

10 September 2020

Have you ever wondered what happens to a loved one’s possessions when they die in hospital, hospice or residential aged care facility? Often, their objects are returned to families in any available plastic bag, sometimes […]
Hoping for the best and planning for the rest

4 June 2020

It was not Zoe Mitchell’s plan to become a palliative care social worker, but sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways. Earlier in her career as a social worker, Zoe was looking for a role […]
Keeping a library open through the window

21 May 2020

Maurie Voisey-Barlin speaks with a soft, yet very warm voice full of expression and joy. However, because of the current visitor restrictions due to COVID-19, his “elders”, as he calls them, cannot hear him anymore. […]
Collaboration in a time of stress and uncertainty

7 May 2020

In the face of the COVID19 pandemic, Australia’s testing and distancing strategies have minimised disease spread. However, at the same time, our health systems have been engaged in preparing for an alternative, far worse scenario […]
Music Therapy at home during COVID-19

7 May 2020

The richness of the Bear Cottage culture has made it possible for me to transition to providing online Zoom music therapy sessions with an ease which has taken me by surprise. Working from home, as […]
caring@home further supports community palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic

29 April 2020

The National Palliative Care Project, caring@home, has adapted its popular package for carers to now include an emergency COVID-19 pack to further assist service providers and carers. COVID-19 presents an unprecedented challenge for patients, carers, […]
Dying to Yarn breaks down barriers

9 December 2019

Over 200 Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Health Professionals, Elders and Community members from across the country gathered in Brisbane recently to attend the inaugural Dying to Yarn – Palliative Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander […]
Supporting palliative care patients who choose to die at home

10 October 2019

Max* a 95-year-old man, was recently admitted to a private hospital in metropolitan Brisbane, Queensland. He had a history of cancer, had exhausted his disease-modifying treatment options, and the health care team recognised that Max […]