There are many projects that are underway, or that have been recently completed, developing resources that support palliative care and end-of-life care for older Australians. The National Palliative Care Program funds a range of projects to enhance the quality of palliative care service delivery and increase support for people who are dying, their families and carers.
Palliative Care - Aged Care Resources
These options link to current and active resources relevant to palliative care and aged care. You can find information for your own use or share it with your colleagues.
palliAGEDgp, and palliAGEDnurse
The palliAGED apps provide nurses and GPs with easy and convenient access to information to help them care for people approaching the end of their life. The palliAGED apps are funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care through the CareSearch Project.
Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach Aged (PEPA)
Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach Aged (PEPA), forms part of the Palliative Care Education and Training Collaborative led by Queensland University of Technology (QLD), funded by Department of Health and Aged Care. PEPA provides free placements in palliative care services for health and aged care workers (2-4 days duration) and free palliative approach workshops and networks of support.
Planning dementia care through case conferencing
This web resource aims to improve case conference uptake, relevance and quality by coordination, facilitation and communication (termed facilitated case conferencing).
End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC)
The End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) is a national consortium comprising 3 universities (Queensland University of Technology, University of Technology Sydney and Flinders University), and five peak bodies (Palliative Care Australia, Aged & Community Services Australia, Leading Age Services Australia, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, Catholic Health Australia) supporting palliative care and advance care planning in aged care. It is funded by Department of Health and Aged Care. The project provides advisory services including the ELDAC website and five online toolkits; technology solutions to support care delivery and care processes; a series of policy roundtables to inform decision-makers about key policy and planning issues; and working with a number of local/regional service partnerships to build local and regional capacity for improving palliative care for older people.
Palliative Care Only Resources
These options link to resources which contain information relative to palliative care but are not specific to aged care.
The National Palliative Care Standards
The revised 5th edition National Palliative Care Standards (NPCS) outlines nine standards articulating and promoting a vision for compassionate and appropriate palliative care. The Standards recognise the importance of care that is person-centred and age-appropriate and are aimed at supporting services to ensure that the people have access to the highest quality of care as they approach and reach the end of life.
Palliative Care Service Development Guidelines
The guidelines outline the range of palliative care services that should be available to people living with a life-limiting illness, their families and carers and the workforce and system capabilities required to deliver an effective network of palliative care services using a population-based and geographic approach to service planning.
Advance Toolkit
The Advance Project offers a free toolkit of screening and assessment tools and a training package, specifically designed to support GPs, nurses and practice managers in Australian general practices to initiate advance care planning (ACP) and palliative care in everyday general practice. The consortium is led by Hammondcare NSW and funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
CareSearch
CareSearch is an online resource designed to help those needing relevant and trustworthy information and resources about palliative care. There are sections (information hubs) designed specifically for patients and families, GPs, nurses, and residential aged care. The CareSearch website is free to use and is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
caring@home
This project aims to improve the quality of palliative care service delivery across Australia. Resources are available to support people to be cared for and to die at home, if that is their choice. Resources are applicable Australia-wide for community service providers, health care professionals and carers to support carers to help manage breakthrough symptoms safely using subcutaneous medicines. It is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
End-of-Life Essentials
The End-of-Life Essentials website provides online learning opportunities and practice resources for health professionals to improve the quality and safety of end-of-life care. The free online education modules are based on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care. The modules have been developed to particularly support the acute care sector however the communication and care modules have been found to be very useful in other settings including aged care.
Palliative Care Online Training (AHHA)
Palliative Care Online Training Modules are free online training to better support people approaching the end of life. The modules are for everyone whether they work or volunteer in aged care, acute or primary care, or the community sector. The training is based on the Guidelines for a Palliative Approach for Aged Care in the Community and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s National Consensus Statement: Essential elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care.
Talking end of life (TEL)
TEL is a free online toolkit to support staff and carers to deliver end-of-life information to adults with intellectual disability. The toolkit comprises 12 modules on topics including what death is, funeral wishes, and bequeathing. Each module contains individual stories, video examples, practical tips, resources, and links to available research that underpins the content. The project was led by Sydney University and funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
End of life Law in Australia
This program of research in a health law research centre within Queensland University of Technology provides accurate, practical and relevant information to assist in the navigation of legal, ethical and policy issues in death, dying and decision-making including withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining medical treatment; provision of futile treatment at the end of life; advance care planning; palliative care; euthanasia; and coronial systems and regulation.
National Palliative Care Service Directory
National Palliative Care Service Directory, maintained by Palliative Care Australia (PCA), provides information about specialist palliative care service providers, state or territory palliative care organisations and community support agencies.
Therapeutic Guidelines: Palliative Care (v4), led and funded by Therapeutic Guidelines
This publication provides evidence-based guidelines for symptom management and related clinical issues in the provision of palliative care. Target audience: Health professionals involved in the delivery of palliative care (particularly those in clinical roles).
Aged Care Only Resources
These options link to resources relevant to aged care but not specific to palliative care
Working with the Stolen Generations: understanding trauma Providing effective aged care services to Stolen Generations survivors (340kb pdf).
This fact sheet provides information for aged care staff to improve services for Stolen Generations survivors. It will help providers to comply with the Aged Care Quality Standards and meet their obligations to care for Stolen Generations survivors.
Quality Standards for Better Aged Care
New Quality Standards for Better Aged Care is now a single quality framework for all aged care services. The new Aged Care Quality Standards cover: consumer dignity and choice; ongoing assessment and planning with consumers; personal care and clinical care; services and supports for daily living; organisation’s service environment; feedback and complaints; human resources.
National Elder Abuse Prevention and Advocacy Framework (1.88MB pdf)
The framework will assist with the goals; to develop and deliver a national elder abuse prevention and advocacy program, with consistent service delivery and standards across all Australian jurisdictions and to inform, develop and deliver a best evidence, best practice national model of elder abuse prevention and advocacy response.
National Advocacy Training Program
The ‘Talk to Us First’ program was developed by Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) and Altura Learning. The training program includes a series of online videos to inform aged care staff on elder abuse services and how to support the people they care for.
Advance care planning in aged care: A guide to support implementation in community and residential settings (2.38MB pdf)
A guide to provide information to assist aged care providers, particularly managers and senior staff, in implementing advance care planning, Advance care planning in aged care: A guide to support implementation in community and residential settings, was developed by Advance Care Planning Australia in partnership with the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI).
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, an Australian Government Department
Provides information for service providers and service users to understand their options to give feedback, raise a concern or make a complaint about any of the care and services provided by an Australian Government-subsidised aged care service. The Commission accepts confidential and anonymous complaints.
Aged Care Quality Standards
Aged Care Quality Standards are a new single set of standards with a focus on quality outcomes for consumers rather than provider processes, which will take effect from July 2019. The standards will apply to all aged care services including residential care, home care, flexible care and services under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme.
My Aged Care
My Aged Care is the key government website which is the starting point to access Australian Government funded services. The website has information on how to contact services and find information of ageing and aged care. It provides information for both service providers and recipients and information on quality of services and how to give feedback and make complaints.
National Guidelines for Spiritual Care in Aged Care Project - including Implementation Tools, led by Meaningful Ageing Australia, funded by Department of Health
These Guidelines are designed specifically for offering spiritual care and support to older people living in residential aged care, or receiving care and support through home care packages. The Guidelines may also have relevance in care contexts such as independent living, Commonwealth home support program, transitional care, palliative care, multi-purpose services and flexible care programs.
Professional Education to Aged Care (PEAC) program, led and funded by Beyond Blue
Professional Education to Aged Care (PEAC) is an e-learning program for a variety of different staff working in both residential or community settings, which aims to improve the detection and management of anxiety and depression in residential and community aged care settings. The online learning modules (up to seven) are delivered according to the role and setting of the registrant.
Silver Rainbow, led by LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, funded by Department of Health and Aged Care.
Silver Rainbow educates and informs service providers, policy makers, government, communities and LGBTI peoples on inclusive practice and how this can be delivered in the Australian ageing and aged care sector. The initiative includes two key projects: LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care Strategy and LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care Awareness Training.
Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre
The NHMRC Partnership Centre: Dealing with Cognitive and Related Functional Decline in Older People (Cognitive Decline Partnership Centre) aims to improve the lives of people with dementia by developing, communicating, and implementing research that improves care.
We would welcome your help in identifying other Australian information and resources that contribute to the provision of palliative care in aged care. Please email your suggestions to palliaged@flinders.edu.au
Last updated 08 August 2022