On 22 February members of The Groundswell Project visited the area to facilitate a workshop on building Compassionate Communities. The event was coordinated by Anna Law, Project Lead, End of Life Care.
The Groundswell project is an Australian movement offering on-the-ground community development expertise, a digital resource hub and access to a network of leading practitioners and researchers.
The Compassionate Communities initiative is a whole of community approach to end of life care where caring for one another at times of need, loss and/or crisis becomes the task and responsibility of everyone. During the workshop participants looked at how this would work locally and how it is working in other places—such as Frome, Somerset.
The Groundswell Project vision is that when someone is dying, caring or grieving, we all know what to do. Some of the initiatives underway as part of the project include:
- Death Literacy Index – It’s time to measure the impact of efforts to change how we approach dying
- 10K – What happens when an aged care facility becomes a hub in the community?
- Dying to Know Day – A day to talk about death and dying
- Compassionate Communities – National Compassionate Communities Practice Forum
- Compassionate Workplace – Did you know the average length of bereavement leave in Australia is 2 days?
Please contact Anna Law 0418 797 478 if you would like more information.
Link to the Palliative Care Newsletter article: https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/2018/02/09/communities-to-develop-palliative-care-approaches/