A directory of services for people undergoing palliative care, and their carers, is being produced in Culcairn during one of two trials in NSW.
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The Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network is running the 'Compassionate Communities' pilot in the southern NSW town, and in Griffith.
Four workshops have been held since May, with the final taking place at the end of last week.
Murrumbidgee PHN project manager Stacey Heer has reached out to carers through the Local Health Advisory Committee, the Greater Hume Council and service providers like Intereach.
"We designed these workshops to help carers access the help they need, when they're looking after someone at home who has a life-limiting illness," she said.
"We opened it up as an expression of interest to all the health advisory committees that exist across the PHN, and Griffith and Culcairn responded.
"We're hoping it makes a real difference to carers ... so they will ask for help when they need it, accept help when it's offered to them, and be aware of what help there is.
"If we can better support our carers, our loved ones have a better chance to stay at home for longer."
Culcairn LHAC chairman David Gilmore said the community directory would be launched in November.
"I've lived here a long time but I didn't know about all of the services we've collated," he said.
"There is the various social organisations and groups and their contact details ... people are saying it's a tremendous initiative.
"A lot of people would rather stay in their own home ... but often the thing stopping them is they don't know how to get support."
Ms Heer said people also needed to get better at accepting help, which was another of the project's goals.
"They often turn down help without thinking about if they need the assistance," she said.
"An early referral to palliative care is best so you can form relationships for symptom management - it does not mean you're dying next week.
"Activities like this really help break down those barriers and encourage the community to talk about death, dying and bereavement.
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"It's important to build community death literacy; getting people to have the conversations about advanced care plans, wills, and discussing your wishes.
"We are the first PHN in Australia to roll out the compassionate communities activities in this format, using La Trobe University tools that they have developed."
La Trobe will also be evaluating the federally-funded project, with a final aim of a framework to roll it out elsewhere.
