CarerHelp provides online information and resources to Australian families caring for someone with an advanced disease. CarerHelp has practical resources and information on end of life care topics including practical care, self-care, finding services and supports, managing common symptoms, having important discussions, recognising dying, and bereavement.

There are factsheets, useful templates and videos of both carers sharing their experiences and health professionals explaining key topics. There are also specific resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, LGBTIQ+ families and families who speak languages other than English. Since its launch in 2019, an average of 1000 new users visit the CarerHelp website monthly (CarerHelp has now reached over 50,000 Australians!).

While CarerHelp is already available for all Australians including those from rural areas, we believe that a specific strategy is required to improve access to tailored end-of-life information and support for rural carers. The CarerHelp Rural Connect project (2023-26) aims to make 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. As well as developing new resources specifically addressing the needs of rural carers, new monthly online education and support sessions will be delivered by health professionals to rural families. The focus of these sessions will be on preparing rural families to care and on supporting families with grief and loss following bereavement.

CarerHelp is led by St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and supported by Flinders University, the National Rural Health Alliance, and Grief Australia.