This month we are supporting National Palliative Care Week with its focus on ‘Getting to the heart of it: Big Questions. Real Answers’. Evidence shows that when palliative care conversations start earlier, care is more closely aligned with what matters most to people, and distress for loved ones is reduced. Experience tells us that meaningful conversations don’t always begin with direct questions. Sometimes it’s a gentle prompt, or a single thoughtful question that opens the door.

To help raise awareness, our team have been supporting local events in collaboration with Flinders University, Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD), our partner projects and the Southern Adelaide Palliative Service (SAPS). We also asked Flinders University colleagues some big questions about what comes to mind when they heard ‘palliative care’ and compared this to our student survey last year. It’s great to see that staff and students are aligned in their understanding of palliative care.