National Palliative Care Week 2026 - Getting to the heart of it: Big Questions. Real Answers.
National Palliative Care Week 2026 - Getting to the heart of it: Big Questions. Real Answers.
Friday, March 06, 2026
National Palliative Care Week 2026
Every day in Australia, over 450 people across the age spectrum die of a life-limiting illness. Every one of them could benefit from palliative care – care that is their human right, care that can enrich their final days, and care that too many people still miss out on.
With the support of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, National Palliative Care Week (NPCW) opens conversations, raises awareness, and advocates for better access to and acceptance of palliative and end-of-life care.
Getting to the heart of it. Big Questions. Real Answers.
The campaign aims to make palliative care easier to understand by encouraging honest questions and offering clear, human answers. The campaign is expressed through three supporting themes:
- Living well, your way – focusing on comfort, quality of life, and staying connected to what matters.
- Conversation changes everything – showing how starting the conversation can reduce uncertainty and support better planning and care.
- The heart of care – highlighting care that feels personal, safe and respectful for individuals and families.
Why conversations about palliative care matter
As Australia’s population ages (including rapid growth in the number of people aged 85 and over), and with dementia now the leading cause of death nationally, access to palliative care is more crucial than ever. While need is growing with an ageing population, palliative care is for anyone of any age with a life-limiting illness – including children and young people.
Meanwhile conversations about palliative and end-of-life care are often avoided because they can feel confronting or “too soon”, and many people aren’t sure what palliative care is or when it can help. National Palliative Care Week is a chance to change that – by encouraging earlier conversations and connecting people to trusted information, tools and support.
Thank you for your support!
Advice, tools and support
These trusted resources have been designed to support those receiving or providing palliative and end-of-life care.
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- National Palliative Care Standards
For Specialist Palliative Care Providers
Palliative Care Australia - National Palliative Care Standards
For all Health Professionals and Aged Care Services
Palliative Care Australia - ‘Live the life you please’ Documentary and Educational Package
For educators in medical education, hospitals, hospice, palliative care, end-of-life care, spiritual care, doulas, grief counsellors and more
Palliative Care Australia - PCA Learning module: The Essence of Spiritual Care
For healthcare workers
Palliative Care Australia - Paediatric End-of-Life Care Communication Course
8 modules: 1) Communicating with Children, 2) Connecting with Adolescents and Young Adults, 3) Understanding Emotion, 4) Shared Decision Making, 5) Moral Distress, 6) Self-Care, 7) Diversity and 8) Teamwork
For healthcare professionals working in paediatric end-of-life care
Paediatric Palliative Care - Professional Development Education
For teachers to support them when working with a sibling of a child with a life limiting condition
Paediatric Palliative Care - Health Professionals Centre
For the workforce providing palliative care
CareSearch - Toolkits
For use in Australian aged care services
End of Life Directions in Aged Care (ELDAC) - Online training curriculum 2023–2026
For medical practitioners, medical students, nurses
and allied health professionals about the law relating to end of life decision-making
End of Life Law for Clinicians (ELLC) - Education modules and resources
For doctors, nurses and allied health professionals working in acute hospitals in delivering end-of-life care
End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE) - LGBTIQ+ – Inclusive Palliative Care eLearning
For healthcare providers
LGBTIQ+ Palliative Care Project - Learning Resources – free palliative approach workshops and placements in palliative care services
Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) and Indigenous PEPA (IPEPA) - Learning modules: Improving palliative care knowledge and skills
Palliative Care Curriculum for Undergraduates (PCC4U) - Palliative Care Education Directory
Palliative Care Education Directory (PaCE ) - Palliative Care Short Courses
For professionals in the health and community care industries, ensuring the delivery of high-quality care
Flinders University - Palliative care education and training opportunities
For anyone who works in primary care and aged care
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- What is palliative care?
Palliative Care Australia - Understanding palliative care
Palliative Care Australia - Talking about palliative care
Palliative Care Australia - Questions for carers to ask the team caring for your loved one
Palliative Care Australia - How can I support my friend/family member?
Palliative Care Australia - The Dying Process
Palliative Care Australia - Resource Library
Palliative Care Australia - Resource Library
Paediatric Palliative Care
- Voluntary Assisted Dying in Australia – Guiding Principles
For those providing care to people living with a life-limiting illness
Palliative Care Australia - Overview of Voluntary Assisted Dying in Australia
End of Life Directions in Aged Care (ELDAC) - My Toolkit Checklist and Resources – Voluntary Assisted Dying in Acute Hospitals
End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE) - Training Module: Voluntary Assisted Dying in Acute Hospitals
End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE)
- Understanding self-care
Palliative Care Australia - Planning for self-care
Palliative Care Australia - Self-care matters
Palliative Care Australia - The wellbeing bites series (videos)
For health professionals working in paediatric palliative care
Paediatric Palliative Care - Self-care for volunteers for volunteers working in paediatric palliative care
Paediatric Palliative Care - Self-Care Pack
End of Life Directions in Aged Care (ELDAC)
- Paediatric Palliative Care website and accompanying video
Paediatric Palliative Care - Demystifying Paediatric Palliative Care: it’s more than you think (video)
Available in English and for the Arabic-speaking community
Paediatric Palliative Care - Navigating Transition in Palliative Care: Empowering Young People – A Healthcare Professional’s Guide and accompanying video
Paediatric Palliative Care - Caring Together: an introduction to paediatric palliative care (booklet)
Available in English, English Easy Read, Vietnamese, Arabic
Paediatric Palliative Care - Referral to Paediatric Palliative Care – A Decision Making Guideline Tool for Health Care Professionals and accompanying video
Paediatric Palliative Care
- Palliative care is more than you think (brochure)
Palliative Care Australia - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Discussion Starter – Working out what’s right for you (booklet)
Palliative Care Australia - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Discussion Starter – Working out what’s right for you (cards)
Palliative Care Australia - Working out what’s right for your child – Discussion Starter (cards) and Yarning Companion
Paediatric Palliative Care - The Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Portal
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet - Resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
caring@home - Supporting Inclusive End of Life Care Companion Guide: Older Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples
For aged care providers
End of Life Directions in Aged Care (ELDAC) - Online Training Module 12: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples and end of life law
For medical practitioners, nurses, allied and other health professionals, and health professional students
End of Life Law for Clinicians (ELLC) - Palliative Care Education and Training Supporting Palliative Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
Gwandalan
- What is palliative care? (brochure)
Available in Vietnamese, Chinese, Ukrainian, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Maltese, Greek, Polish, Croatian
Palliative Care Australia - What Matters Most – Discussion Starter (booklet)
Available in Vietnamese, Chinese, Ukrainian, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Maltese, Greek, Polish, Croatian
For older people using aged care services – they are designed to be used with health or aged care staff
Palliative Care Australia - What Matters Most – Discussion Starter (cards)
Available in Vietnamese, Chinese, Ukrainian, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Maltese, Greek, Polish, Croatian
For older people using aged care services – they are designed to be used with health or aged care staff
Palliative Care Australia - Caring Together: an introduction to paediatric palliative care (booklet)
Available in English, English Easy Read, Vietnamese, Arabic
Paediatric Palliative Care - Demystifying Paediatric Palliative Care: it’s more than you think (video)
Available in English and for the Arabic-speaking community
Paediatric Palliative Care - Supporting Inclusive End of Life Care Companion Guide: Older People from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds
For aged care providers
End of Life Directions in Aged Care (ELDAC)
- LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Palliative Care Toolkit
For carers and health professionals
Palliative Care ACT - Resources and information about palliative care, tailored for members of LGBTIQA+ communities
For members of the LGBTIQA+ communities
Palliative Care Victoria - LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Palliative Care eLearning
For healthcare providers
LGBTIQ+ Palliative Care Project - Supporting Inclusive End of Life Care Companion Guide: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Gender Diverse, and Intersex Elders
For aged care providers
End of Life Directions in Aged Care (ELDAC) - Online Training Module 13: Inclusive end of life decision-making from diverse populations
For medical practitioners, nurses, allied and other health professionals, and health professional students
End of Life Law for Clinicians (ELLC) - Blog: Barriers LGBTIQ+ People Face in Accessing Palliative Care
For health professionals on the delivery of quality end-of-life care in hospitals
End-of-Life Essentials (EOLE)
- Homelessness and Palliative Care: A Scoping Study in Regional, Rural and Remote NSW
Palliative Care NSW - Palliative care issues for people experiencing homelessness
For health professionals
CareSearch - Toolkit
For staff working with homeless people who have advanced ill health
Homelessness Palliative Care Network - Exploratory Analysis of Barriers to Palliative Care – Issues Report on People Experiencing Homelessness
For general public
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- Palliative Care in Prisons Project
Prisons Project - Blog: Providing palliative care in prisons: Perspectives of prison clinicians, hospital clinicians and correctional officers
For health professionals
CareSearch - Exploratory Analysis of Barriers to Palliative Care – Issues Report on People who are Incarcerated
For general public
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
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National events
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Local events
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Wear the Message. Support the Cause.
Our collection of Palliative Care Australia merchandise is designed to inspire conversation, honour compassionate care, and support those working in palliative care across Australia.
🧡 Thank you for supporting palliative care awareness in Australia. 🧡
| ‘Orange Heart’ Lapel Pin | ‘Orange Heart’ T-shirt (unisex) | 1000 Hearts Starter Kit |
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| Shop now |
More information
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Join the conversation
Grief can be difficult to put into words – and it can look different for everyone.
Through honest and deeply personal conversations, four bereaved mothers – Angela, Bec, Rachel and Yvonne – reflect on love, loss and living with grief, gradually removing the “mask” that can sometimes hide what grief really looks and feels like.
Their stories are different, but together they show the understanding and connection that can grow when people are given space to share their grief – and have it acknowledged by others.
Watch ‘Unmasking Grief’: https://bit.ly/3UrQNoY
#GriefAwarenessMonth #UnmaskingGrief #PalliativeCare #PaediatricPalliativeCare
🧡 They’re back! Our 1000 Hearts Starter Kits are back in stock.
Making a pocket heart is a relaxing and meaningful way to reflect on what – and who – matters most to you. Every stitch is a symbol of kindness and support for everyone connected with palliative care.
Get your 1000 Hearts Starter Kit today:
#PalliativeCare #1000Hearts #MattersOfLifeAndDeath
Grief touches all of us, but no two experiences of grief are the same.
This Grief Awareness Month, we’re sharing a helpful resource from ELDAC – End of Life Directions for Aged Care on supporting grief and bereavement in aged care.
For older people, families and carers, and aged care staff, grief can take many forms. Knowing how to respond with compassion matters.
ELDAC’s blog offers practical guidance on being present, listening with empathy and recognising when someone may need additional support.
Sometimes, support isn’t about finding the right words – it’s about making space to listen.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4cAmQcx
#GriefAwarenessMonth #PalliativeCare #AgedCare #Grief #Bereavement #ELDAC
“No single service can meet every need.”
Supporting families through grief doesn’t end when clinical care ends.
In this Service Story, Shelly Skinner, CEO and Founder of Lionheart Camp For Kids, reflects on how grief support is strengthened when health services partner with community organisations.
From supporting children and families in their homes to working alongside schools, workplaces and community groups, LionHeart demonstrates how collaboration helps ensure people continue to receive support long after a person’s death.
It’s a powerful example of Standard Six: Grief Support in action, reminding us that preparing families for loss also means connecting them with the right support beyond the health service.
Read the Service Story and explore Standard Six: https://tinyurl.com/Lionheart-Standard-Six
#NationalPalliativeCareStandards #CommunityOfPractice #GriefSupport #PalliativeCare #BereavementCare
People aged 50 recently received a letter from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing about taking practical steps now to support brain health and reduce the risk of dementia in later life.
But you don’t need to be 50 to make the changes – it’s never too early or too late to reduce your risk.
For more information and to get your personalised dementia risk score, see the comments below. 👇
Australian Government expands paid prac to strengthen Medicare.
The Australian Government recently announced an expansion of the Commonwealth Prac Payment to include students training in an additional 10 key frontline health professions.
Practical placements are an essential part of many health degrees, but they can also place significant financial pressure on students who may need to reduce paid work or relocate to complete their training.
The expanded Commonwealth Prac Payment is intended to help ease these cost-of-living pressures while supporting the next generation of Australia’s health workforce.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4gl1It4
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
