Background

CarerHelp is a website which provides information and resources to support Australians who are caring for someone with advanced disease. Currently, around 1000 Australians visit CarerHelp each month. The project received funding by a National Palliative Care Project grant to develop resources for diverse populations of carers. 

Aim

The aim of the project was to modify existing content or create new content that met the information needs of Australia’s diverse population of carers including -

· Culturally and Linguistically Diverse 

· Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 

· LGBTIQA+ 

Methods

The approach included:

1. A scoping study to appraise current resources for diverse carers and identify gaps.

2. Consultation with stakeholders who understand the needs of diverse carers including health professionals, organisations and cultural consultants.

3. Reviewing current CarerHelp resources, identifying which resources to modify and what new resources would be created.

4. Working with a translation service.

5. Developing artwork and graphic design.

6. Bilingual health staff and carers reviewing the translated resources.

7. Feedback from health professionals and carers about the usefulness of the resources in practise.

Results

The scoping study highlighted limited content available in other languages, and gaps in resources for diverse populations of carers. Community consultation revealed modifications were required to existing CarerHelp resources, such as changing terminology around death and dying, and including specific cultural practices around end of life care, burial and bereavement. Artwork and images were also important in ensuring acceptability for some diverse groups. Feedback from health professionals and carers show these are useful resources but additional minor changes could improve the acceptability of the resources. 

Conclusions

CarerHelp now includes a range of resources for diverse population groups, ensuring all Australians have access to trustworthy information delivered in a culturally appropriate format preparing them for their caring role.