The case for Aboriginal Health Workers in palliative care.

Objectives: The findings are drawn from a 2-year research project, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which aimed to develop an innovative model for Indigenous palliative care. The findings presented in this article explore one important strategy for putting Aboriginal families and their communities at the centre of the model: that is, the employment of Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) in relation to the provision of palliative care in the Northern Territory.

Methods: The data were collected from 72 qualitative interviews conducted throughout the regional, rural and remote areas of the Northern Territory with Indigenous patients and carers in the Northern Territory and the health professionals who care for them.

Insights on Aboriginal peoples' views of cancer in Australia.

Although the incidence of cancer in Indigenous peoples is similar to its incidence in the overall Australian population, Indigenous peoples are less likely to access early detection and medical interventions resulting in higher mortality and morbidity rates. To explore and address this discrepancy, the National Health and Medical Research Council funded a research study to examine Indigenous peoples' views of cancer and cancer treatments with an end goal of developing an innovative model of Indigenous Palliative Care. Seventy-two participants were interviewed from four geographical areas within the Northern Territory (Australia) including patients, caregivers, Indigenous and non-Indigenous health care workers, and interpreters.

'It's very difficult to get respite out here at the moment': Australian findings on end-of-life care for Indigenous people.

Whilst access to respite care has been found to represent an important source of support for terminally ill patients and their families, the availability of these services to Indigenous Australians has to date remained undocumented. This potential need for respite in Indigenous communities was explored as part of a National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) funded study designed to develop an innovative model for Indigenous palliative care. The data needed for model development were collected through a series of open-ended, qualitative interviews conducted with a cross-section of consumers and health professionals within the Northern Territory, Australia.

The "right story" to the "right person": communication issues in end-of-life care for Indigenous people.

Objectives: To explore communication issues faced by health care workers and Indigenous patients and their families in a palliative care setting. Effective communication with Aborigines is especially important because Aboriginal beliefs of health and sickness are so different from Western views.

Method: Data were collected from 72 qualitative interviews conducted throughout the regional, rural and remote areas of the Northern Territory with Indigenous patients and carers and the health professionals who care for them.

Issues in palliative care for Indigenous communities.

All Indigenous communities in Australia have a common heritage of loss. Indigenous death rates are much higher than those for white Australians. Indigenous people use healthcare services reluctantly, and palliative care services rarely.