Palliative Care: a core business in residential aged care
Palliative Care Week, from May 19-25, is a fantastic opportunity to "highlight the important work aged care providers do in caring for older people at the end of their lives," said Resthaven’s Palliative Care Advanced Practice Nurse, Karen Gregory (pictured right with Claire Tan, Palliative Care Clinical Nurse).
"Palliative Care Australia advocates that palliative care is core business in aged care. Resthaven strongly supports ongoing education and training to build staff capacity and confidence in providing palliative and end of life care."
What is palliative care?
The primary goal of palliative care is to optimise quality of life for anyone who has a life limiting condition. Individuals may receive palliative care for months or at times, several years. Palliative care provides relief from physical symptoms and focuses on assessing and addressing psychological and spiritual needs.
"Good palliative care helps to frame dying as a normal process," Karen says. "ELDAC (End of Life Directions for Aged Care) advocates that “death is a normal part of life”. Palliative care does not try to hasten or postpone death. We offer a support system to help people live as well as possible, up until their death.
"If there are complex symptoms, extra support may be needed and accessed through specialist palliative care services," she added.
"Good palliative care can improve a person’s comfort and enjoyment of life. We often see residents and clients who experience a whole new quality of life thanks to palliative care."
Good palliative care can make a real difference
In Western Australia, WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) began a pilot in January 2023 to employ four dedicated case coordinators to improve palliative care and end-of-life support for older Australians living in eight residential aged care homes across WA.
Over the last 12 months, the coordinators have not only improved the quality of end-of-life care for residents but also provided support for loved ones, staff, and the wider system of care.
The project has had a significant impact in ensuring preferences and choice at end-of-life are being documented and understood. Since the pilot began, 97% of residents were able to have their preferred place of death recorded, and 95.7% had their preferences met, WAPHA said in a statement.
“Ensuring preferences are recorded for individuals at end-of-life can help provide them with a sense of comfort and control. Likewise, for the family, witnessing their wishes being honoured can bring a profound sense of relief and reassurance, alleviating the burden of making difficult decisions and allowing them to focus on providing support and comfort.” said Bernadette Kenny, Executive General Manager Primary Care Innovation & Development, WAPHA.
