Media Release
For Immediate Release
August 26, 2022
For information
Helen Callanan – 0413917574
helen@preparingtheway.com.au
The ‘silver tsunami’ of Baby Boomers is coming: Australia’s health system already under pressure.
Death rates will peak in 2044 and last-minute fixes won’t cut it!
We need to plan now and get everyone to the table to create cost effective solutions that will work for our communities across Australia.
With baby boomers creating a ‘silver tsunami’ of ageing, chronic illnesses and rising death statistics, there has never been a greater need for planning the future support workforce.
The Palliative Care institution carries a heavy load given the statistics. How can this model of care safely, holistically, and realistically meet the growing demands whilst navigating the deepening crisis in trained staff availability?
Collaboration is key. Pull up extra seats to the table so that we can all contribute and plan for what we know is coming together.
Conventional care settings currently provide predominantly medical and nursing clinical care to people at end of life. However, death is not a medical event: – it is an individual, family, community event and is a complex and deeply emotional time for all involved.
Helen Callanan, Managing Director of Preparing the Way says: “Given the statistics around ageing, end of life and the baby boomer ‘silver tsunami’ on our horizon there is a pressing and growing need to be able to support people, those close to them and our communities at large.
At Preparing the Way, we have spent two years designing and developing the world’s first nationally accredited qualification for end of life doulas. The 10966NAT Certificate IV in End of Life Doula Services is a game-changer.
This new qualification will support the current Palliative Care model with the provision of non-medical support services that can bridge the present and widening gaps in service provision cost-effectively by way by working alongside our burdened nursing and allied health teams. In addition, it will provide relevant training and support the engagement of our young people, our retirees and those wanting to contribute to their communities.
In addition, this qualification opens doors into our more conventional care settings so we really can provide the end of life support that individuals and families deserve and need.”
No stranger to innovative approaches to end of life support and services, Preparing the Way has trained over 500 end of life doulas (death doulas) through their non-accredited training. These end of life doulas are equipped to deliver practical, emotional, spiritual, educational and non-medical support and resources to those reaching the end of their lives, their families, carers, and those close to them.
“End of life doulas are all about giving three basic and precious human rights back to people ~ capacity, choice and control. We know that caring for people at end of life in their own homes will not only satisfy the choice many would make, but it will also save millions of health dollars.”
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For more information on end of life issues, doulas, palliative, home based end of life and after death care contact:
Helen Callanan, Managing Director Preparing the Way
helen@preparingtheway.com.au 0413 917574
Julie Fletcher, Director Doula Connections & Essential Skills Training and Recruitment (RTO ID:91729)
julie@doulaconnections.com.au 0434 574252