Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation - Purple House in partnership with the NT Health Department Territory Palliative Care, and the Australian National University has been awarded an ARIIA grant for their project ‘Kutjukata ngurra nyaku ntjakula – ‘One last look’.
Purple House, in partnership with the NT Health Department and the Australian National University (ANU), proposes a pilot program to provide community-based palliative care for Indigenous patients with end-stage renal disease. The program aims to reduce hospital pressures and improve care quality by allowing patients the option to return home to their remote community, either temporarily or until they pass away. A fitted-out ex-ambulance or a Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) airplane flight through the Medical Retrieval and Consultation Centre (MRaCC) will transport patients, while support staff and equipment travel in a 4WD and trailer. Incorporating remote aged-care and primary healthcare facilities and involving the community could facilitate improved access to palliative care and a dignified and peaceful end-of-life experience for patients and families.