Health Sciences

Palliative Care Unit

Research

Research interests

• Public health approach to end of life care
• end-of-life policy
• near-death experiences and visions
• pastoral care and spirituality
• social models of palliative care service delivery
• loss, grief and bereavement
• disenfranchised grief
• non-compliance with medical treatments in life-threatening illness
• social aspects of death, dying and mystical experiences
• social experiences of living with cancer
• the role of animal companions in chronic illness

Research Supervision

Our staff offer research supervision in the areas of

• health promoting palliative care
• history and sociology of death, dying and loss
• pastoral care and spiritual perspectives in palliative care
• sociology of mystical experiences; and
• the social experiences of living with life-threatening illness

Research Presentations and Publications

Dr. Bruce Rumbold (Director)

Conference and Seminar Presentations:

1. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Public Health Approaches to Palliative Care in Australia'. Keynote address to the First International Conference on Public Health and Palliative Care, Calicut, Kerala, India, January 16 & 17, 2009.
2. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Public Health and Palliative Care', School of Public Health seminar, La Trobe University, March 18, 2009.
3. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Health Promotion in Palliative Care', presentation/workshop for NSW Rural & Remote Nurses Meeting, Cessnock, NSW, March 26 & 27, 2009.
4. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Spirituality, pain and decision-making' Gippsland Regional Palliative Care Conference, Traralgon, July 15, 2009
5. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Ageing, culture and spirituality: a perspective from the end of life', Centre for Cultural Diversity and Ageing day conference, Melbourne, June 12, 2009.
6. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Caring for the spirit: spirituality as a quest for meaning', Public meeting, Victorian Cooperative Oncology Group, St Vincent's Hospital, July 30, 2009.
7. Carey, L.B., Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Australian (Department of Health & Aging) local palliative care projects facilitating pastoral and spiritual care' [Seminar paper], Cultural connections for quality and the end of life, National Palliative Care Conference (Combining the 10th AAPC & 8th APHC Conferences), Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth Western Australia, 25th  September 2009.
8. Salau, S., Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Strategies to merge public health and palliative care practice' [Seminar paper], Cultural connections for quality and the end of life, National Palliative Care Conference (Combining the 10th AAPC & 8th APHC Conferences), Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth Western Australia, 25th  September 2009.
9. Rumbold, B., Dobson, B. (2009) 'Implementing spiritual screening' [Seminar paper], Cultural connections for quality and the end of life: National Palliative Care Conference (Combining the 10th AAPC & 8th APHC Conferences), Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth Western Australia, 26th  September 2009.
10. Gwyther, E., Tobin, B., Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Palliative Care and public health panel discussion' [Plenary Session 3], Cultural connections for quality and the end of life: National Palliative Care Conference (Combining the 10th AAPC & 8th APHC Conferences), Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth Western Australia, 26th  September 2009.
11. Rumbold, B. et al (2009) 'The hidden workforce – Volunteers and family carers - La Trobe University / Monash University Collaboration' [Seminar paper], Cultural connections for quality and the end of life: National Palliative Care Conference (Combining the 10th AAPC & 8th APHC Conferences), Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth Western Australia, 27th  September 2009.

Publications

1. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Public Health Approaches to Palliative Care in Australia' Proceedings of the First International Conference on Public Health and Palliative Care, Calicut, Kerala, India, January 16 & 17, 2009.
2. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Spiritual and existential issues at the end of life' in M. Robotin, I. Olver & A. Girgis (eds) In consultation: when cancer crosses disciplines. London, Imperial College Press, in press.
3. Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Building resilience: the local congregation as a health promoting community' in C. Hunter, M. Kelly & R. Prior (eds) Together in ministry: essays to honour John Paver, Melbourne, Uniting Academic Press.
4. Carey, L.B., Cohen, J. & Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Health Care Chaplaincy and Euthanasia in Australia' Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy, Vol. 12, No. 1, 1-10.

Dr Lindsay Carey, Research Fellow

Community Conference / Seminar Presentations:

1. Carey, L.B. (2009) 'Research: Current Trends and Methodologies I – Australian Chaplaincy Utility Research and Pastoral Intervention Codings', [Workshop Paper] Tuesday 25th January 2009 (Afternoon Workshop) at the Australian Health & Welfare Chaplains Association, National Conference 25 – 29th January 2009, Jane Franklin Hall, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
2. Carey, L.B. (2009) 'Research: Current Trends and Methodologies II – The Sacralisation of Identity and Interfaith Pastoral Care' [Workshop Paper], Australian Health & Welfare Chaplains Association National Conference 25 – 29th January 2009, Jane Franklin Hall, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
3. Carey, L.B., Cave, E. (2009) 'Research: Current Trends and Methodologies III – Growing in stature and wisdom and in favour with both God and Mankind: Some reflective considerations on the empirical and experiential dynamics of Australian pastoral care' [Keynote address], Australian Health & Welfare Chaplains Association, National Conference 25 – 29th January 2009, Jane Franklin Hall, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
4. Carey, L.B. (2009) 'Religion, spirituality and Identity: The Sacralisation of Identity paradigm' [Key note presentation], Integrating spirituality in the practice of health care, Australian Spirituality and Health Conference, Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 12 - 15 July 2009.
5. Carey, L.B. (2009) 'Chaplaincy, pastoral and spiritual care research : Australian Spirituality and Health Conference' [Seminar paper], Integrating spirituality in the practice of health care, Spirituality and Health Conference [Key note presentation], Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 12 - 15 July 2009.
6. Matheson, B., Carey, L.B. (2009) 'Spirituality In clinical practice - Are we missing something?', [Seminar paper] ASPIRE: Advancing speech pathology, innovation, research and excellence, National Speech Pathology Conference, Adelaide Convention Centre 17-21 May 2009.
7. Carey, L.B. (2009) 'The human being there: Coding and measuring chaplaincy presence and pastoral interventions' [Seminar presentation], Royal Australian Air Force Chaplaincy Conference, RAAF Base Glenbrook, Sydney, New South Wales, 17 - 21 August 2009.
8. Carey, L.B. (2009) 'Pastoral Care in Palliative Care Settings' [Seminar paper], Australian Health & Welfare Chaplains Association WA Chaplaincy Seminar, St David's, Ardross, Perth Western Australia, 23 September, 2009.
9. Carey, L.B. (2009) 'Interfaith Spiritual Care – The Mol Paradigm' [Seminar paper], Australian Health & Welfare Chaplains Association WA Chaplaincy Seminar, St David's, Ardross, Perth Western Australia, 23 September, 2009.
10. Carey, L.B., Rumbold, B. (2009) 'Australian (Department of Health & Aging) local palliative care projects facilitating pastoral and spiritual care' [Seminar paper], Cultural connections for quality and the end of life, National Palliative Care Conference (Combining the 10th AAPC & 8th APHC Conferences), Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth Western Australia, 24-27 September 2009.

Publications

1. Carey, L.B., Davoren, R., Cohen, J. (2009) The sacralization of identity: An interfaith spiritual care paradigm for chaplaincy in a multi-faith context. In: Schipani, D. & Beuckert, L., Interfaith spiritual care: Understandings and practices, Ontario, Pandora Press.
2. Carey, L.B., Rumbold, B., Cohen, J. (2009) Health care chaplaincy and euthanasia in Australia, Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy, Vol. 12, No. 1, p. 1-9.
3. Carey, L.B., Cohen, J. (2009) Health care chaplains and their role on institutional ethics committees: An Australian study, Journal of Religion and Health, DOI 10.1007/s10943-009-9241-2.
4. Carey, L.B., Robinson, P., Cohen, J. (2009) Organ procurement and health care chaplaincy in Australia, Journal of Religion and Health, DOI 10.1007/s10943-009-9279-1.