Jeremy Rockliff, Premier and Minister for Health 19 April 2023

Palliative Care – It’s more than you think Understanding and awareness of palliative care are at the heart of a new Tasmanian Government funded campaign launched today by Palliative Care Tasmania.

The “Palliative Care – It’s more than you think” campaign aims to increase awareness of what palliative care is across the Tasmanian community, including who provides it and how services can be accessed.

It also seeks to highlight the many benefits of quality palliative care in helping people to live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible when living with a life-limiting or terminal illness.

Premier and Minister for Health, Jeremy Rockliff, said the campaign is part of the Tasmanian Government’s plan to boost community awareness of palliative care and help people with life-limiting illnesses live as well as possible for as long as possible.

“We want Tasmanians to know that palliative care is available to anyone with a life-limiting illness regardless of their postcode, diagnosis, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or place of care, to enable them to live as well as possible for as long as possible”, Premier Rockliff said.

“This important campaign is aimed at informing, empowering and encouraging Tasmanians living with a life-limiting illness to engage with their healthcare professionals early in their diagnosis because early engagement can fundamentally enhance their quality of life.

“Our Government is supporting Palliative Care Tasmania with $4.25 million in funding over four years so that it can continue to provide education and raise awareness of palliative care in our community.”

Palliative Care Tasmania Acting CEO, Veney Hiller, said that Palliative care really is more than you think. It’s for anyone, of any age, who has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, and may be provided alongside medical treatments, or when those treatments have ended.

“The campaign uses a combination of television, radio, social media, information packs and fact sheets, to reach a wide and diverse audience in up to 8 different languages,” Ms Hiller said.

Palliative Care Tasmania also plans to deliver a separate Advance Care Planning awareness campaign later this year encouraging people to make future decisions about their healthcare if they were to become seriously ill and unable to communicate their preferences or make treatment decisions.

Campaign materials will run across TV, radio, social media and the back of buses, while information packs will be available through GPs and community health centres.

For more information about, visit: https://morethanyouthink.org.au/

https://www.premier.tas.gov.au/site_resources_2015/additional_releases/palliative-care-its-more-than-you-think