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Palliative care is a vital service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but access and quality remain ongoing challenges. Limited cultural awareness, insufficient training, and communication barriers between frontline staff and communities continue to impede effective care delivery. Overcoming these challenges is crucial to providing culturally appropriate and accessible palliative care.

These activities offer free, accredited training, developed in collaboration with leading health organizations. These resources aim to build the capacity of healthcare professionals—both Indigenous and non-Indigenous—to deliver culturally sensitive palliative care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The training enhances the ability of community care teams and Aboriginal health practitioners to provide coordinated, culturally safe care in both community and clinical settings. Through interactive modules and case studies, participants will gain a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivity and the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in end-of-life care. The flexible, online format ensures accessibility for healthcare workers across Australia, making it a valuable resource for professionals in both urban and remote areas.

Module 1: Introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Palliative Care and Cultural Practice

This module explores key aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture that are relevant to the palliative and end-of-life care journey, including commonly practiced cultural protocols surrounding death and dying (returning to spirit). It aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to provide more impactful, meaningful, and culturally safe and responsive palliative care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, their families, and communities.

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe key aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural practice, including the Dreaming, Tagai, Sad News, Sorry Business and the kinship system
2. Evaluate barriers to and enablers of accessing palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
3. Describe intergenerational trauma and its impacts on the palliative care journey
4. Describe key differences between biomedical and holistic approaches to health and wellbeing. 

Details

While these five modules are complementary, it is not required to complete them all or follow a specific order. However, for the best learning experience and a comprehensive understanding of cultural sensitivity and the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in end-of-life care, completing all five modules in sequence is recommended.

Module 1: Introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Palliative Care and Cultural Practice

Module 2: Safe Communication

Module 3: Supporting Choices at End-of-Life

Module 4: Strengthening Partnerships

Module 5: Community Engagement

Disclaimer: Please note, once you click 'Register now' you will be leaving the AMA’s CPD Home website and entering a third-party education provider’s website. If you choose to register for this learning, you will need to provide some of your personal information directly to the third-party education provider. If you have any queries about how third-party education providers use, disclose or store your personal information, you should consult their privacy policy.

Upon completion, your CPD activity record may take up to 4 weeks to be reflected on your CPD Home Dashboard.