We will all die –it’s a normal part of life’s journey

While all our lives are unique, departing this Earth through death is a constant for us all. Dying is a normal part of life’s journey and everyone should have access to the best possible care at this most precious time.

Palliative care supports people who are dying to live comfortably and make the most of every remaining day, often in their own surroundings and with their loved ones by their side.

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) providers specialise in this care, driven by their Christian tradition and their ethic of care to heal and never harm.

However, Australia’s end of life health system is fractured across different settings such as hospitals, aged care, and the home, leading to a lack of seamless coordination between services for patients and their families. Palliative care is often perceived and delivered as solely “end-of-life” care, rather than being integrated early in the course of a serious illness alongside other life-prolonging therapies.

There are significant issues with data collection and reporting, making it difficult to fully understand the scope of need and unmet needs. And access, service delivery, and coordination are inconsistent, particularly for those with complex needs, or those living in rural and remote areas. All this leads to a gap between patient preferences and actual outcomes, such as the preference for dying at home versus the higher rate of hospital deaths.

These challenges must be overcome if we are to ensure that people have access to the best quality palliative care and therefore a genuine choice about how they die.

A national poll conducted for CHA by Redbridge Group found that 87 per cent of Australians believe that palliative care should be universally accessible – but only 38 per cent are confident they could access it in their local community. It is abundantly clear that we need significant further investment by federal, state and territory governments.

In terms of where this investment should be made, there are several examples of innovations that are working well.

One of these is the Australian Government project ELDAC – (End of Life Directions for Aged Care) which successfully provides evidence-based information, guidance, and resources to health professionals and aged care workers to support palliative care and advance care planning.

Over 70 CHA members have to date engaged in the ELDAC Linkages Program that supports aged, primary and specialist palliative care providers through the Linkages Toolkit.

As an early adopter of the ELDAC Linkage program, VMCH recognised the opportunity to strengthen its approach to advance care planning and palliative care. While individual residences had their own practices, VMCH saw the value in creating a consistent, organisation-wide policy to ensure every resident receives the highest standard of care.

Through the ELDAC Working Together program, VMCH has built on this strong foundation and taken significant strides forward. Today, its staff are equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and compassion to have meaningful conversations about planning and dying. This has transformed what can be a difficult time into a dignified, person-centred experience that celebrates life and advocates for residents’ wishes right to the end.

In the words of a staff member at VMCH’s Willowbrooke Aged Care Residence: “We have turned a sad time into a celebration of how we can preserve our residents’ dignity and advocate for them right to the end. The staff have really lifted and are working with a real team attitude to get the best possible outcomes for their residents. and their representatives.”

Mercy Health Home Care staff have used the program to strengthen collaborations with key healthcare providers, including general practitioners, allied health professionals, discharge planners, other aged care services, and palliative care specialists.

Staff are now more confident and capable in supporting clients with palliative care needs. Home care workers, care advisors, and nurses have gained practical skills in recognising when a palliative approach is needed and how to provide comfort, dignity, and quality of life for clients and their families.

If you are keen to strengthen your palliative care and advance care planning processes and capacity in your services, the ELDAC Linkage project is calling for expressions of interest from aged care providers. You can submit an Expressions of interest and set a goal to improve palliative and end of life care.

Shona McQueen is a Senior Policy Adviser in Aged Care at Catholic Health Australia and coordinates the ELDAC program.

This article also appeared in The Catholic Weekly