Palliative Care Australia

Guest Blog by Liz Callaghan – CEO Palliative Care Australia
The Little Stars project shows children all over the world at their most vulnerable. Regardless of where they are, the thing that shines through in these films is the unconditional love children give and receive.
The films are not overly emotional in portrayal. They highlight the incredible strength of families and the way they turn adversity into a richly rewarding experience.
They also show by documenting the level of palliative care services in other parts of the world how lucky we in Australia are. While there may never be sufficient resources to cater fully for the burden that sick children, their families and carers bear, we are lucky to have a service system that responds to their needs more often than not.
Talking to those involved in paediatric palliative care reveals the depth of commitment, the unwavering passion that a comparative few dedicate to young people from all walks of life, in all parts of our huge country.
Paediatric palliative care teams and paediatric hospices are the visible proof of that commitment, but there are many others whose work goes largely unheralded in rural and remote Australia. The astonishing thing is the massive areas so many paediatric practitioner teams cover with only a few people. Readily available figures show there are many more Australians – adults and children – who would benefit from access to palliative care. It is the role of organisations such as Palliative Care Australia to highlight these issues to government, and a project such as Little Stars goes some way in doing this.
The Little Stars films should be compulsory viewing for all involved in health services. Children are our future and they deserve the best care – in health and in sickness.
OTHER NEWS
Little Stars Launched in South Africa
WORLD Hospice and Palliative Care Day was on 10 October, and to celebrate and mark the occasion, the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and local organisation Umduduzi – Hospice Care for Children, hosted the premiere of...
Children’s Palliative Care- Guest Blog by Sue Boucher
Those of us who work in children's palliative care all have one experience in common… seeing the sometimes surprised, sometimes sympathetic but more often the unmistakable look of shock on the faces of those who innocently ask, ‘So what work...
LITTLE STARS TO BROADCAST ON TRT TURKEY
Little Stars: Accomplishing the Extraordinary in the Face of Serious Illness will be nationally broadcast in Turkey this year on TRT. The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, also known as TRT, is the national public broadcaster of...
Little Stars: Japan Prize Finalist
INTERNATIONAL VISION To live in a world where children’s palliative care is acknowledged and respected as a unique service, and every child and young person with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their families can receive the...
Little Stars Officially Selected for Breath Of Fresh Air Festival
The Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air Festival has officially selected Little Stars: Accomplishing the Extraordinary in the Face of Serious Illness in its 2015 Festival line-up. Little Stars tells the surprisingly life-affirming stories of young...
Sabine Kraft guest blog: Bundesverband Kinderhospiz
Guest blog from Sabine Kraft, Bundesverband Kindehospiz, Germany. Es war ein eindrückliches, unvergessliches Erlebnis, Lucy und ihre Familie an dem Filmtag zu begleiten. Lucy ist ein Mädchen, eine junge Frau, die eine starke Persönlichkeit...
Nazmi continues to chase his dream
"I continue to chase my dream of improving my chess game. I was recently chosen to attend the Level 4 Junior Master chess camp. This is the beginning of my dream to take my chess game up a level. I have also passed the first qualifying...
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Massachusetts Independent Film Festival
Little Stars has won Official Selection into Massachusetts Independent Film Festival. The Massachusetts Independent Film Festival is a worldwide event for truly independent filmmakers. The festival has screened films from all over America,...