Compassionate Communities are communities in which everyday people play a stronger role in the care and support of people as they age and at the end of life.
Compassionate Communities is a globally recognised approach to improving the end-of-life experience for people by mobilising local networks, groups and services to be more conscious, aware and equipped to offer support. This approach is active in multiple countries around the world and was found to be a feasible option for people in Australia through a NOUS feasibility report commissioned by the federal government in 2018.
The GroundSwell Project has been active in the growth of the Compassionate Communities movement in Australia and this public health approach to end of life underpins all of our programs and services.
In 2018, The GroundSwell Project, initiated the National Compassionate Communities Forum in effort to learn more and in turn, further the capacity for this movement to grow in Australia. After working with 9 different community groups, we have learnt a huge amount about what it takes for communities to develop this work and build capacity to better support each other at the end of life.
“A city is not merely a place to work and access services but equally a place to enjoy support in the safety and protection of each other’s company, in schools, workplaces, places of worship and recreation, in cultural forums and social networks anywhere within the city’s influence, even to the end of our days.”
Compassionate Communities Research Report
and Toolkit
The learnings from the National Compassionate Communities Forum have been captured in a research report and also collated into a community development toolkit.
The research informing these resources was facilitated by Western Sydney University’s Caring at End of Life research team. The report highlights common struggles and triumphs the communities experienced and makes recommendations for the Compassionate Communities movement at large.
The toolkit shares community insights and experiences from nine communities in Australia and offers ideas and inspiration for a community-led approach to end-of-life.
The report and toolkit are both free to download below:
Watch This: Prof Allan Kellehear launched the South West Compassionate Communities Network via Zoom on August 8th 2018 to an audience gathered in Bunbury, Western Australia.
The founding supporter of the National Compassionate Communities Fourm initiative was Bupa Health & Care.
A grant was provided in 2020 from the Office of the NSW Ministry of Health to support the implementation of the Toolkit
