Providing Australians in all parts of the nation with support and the right advice on palliative care and advance care planning will be easier, thanks to the results of a $15 million investment by the Turnbull Government.
Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt AM officially launched the End of Life Directions for Aged Care project on June 15 including a website that provides valuable palliative care and advance care planning resources.
The End of Life Directions for Aged Care website was developed by a consortium of eight partners comprising three of Australia’s leading universities and five peak industry bodies.
“The End of Life Directions for Aged Care website provides a one-stop resource for this crucial service, whether in residential aged care or at home,” Minister Wyatt said.
“The End of Life Directions for Aged Care consortium has also developed five toolkits that provide practical information to support people working in aged care and in primary health care.
“As well as this, the consortium operates a telephone and web-based support service to help aged care workers, nurses and general practitioners with information about end-of-life care and local services.”
Minister Wyatt said the consortium would be providing additional support to strengthen links and information sharing between service providers to improve palliative care for older Australians.
“Building up these partnerships will help lift the capacity of organisations across the country to deliver palliative care,” Minister Wyatt said.
“Importantly, the partnerships will involve different sections of the community, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex groups.”
The Turnbull Government is prioritising palliative care, with a $32.8 million investment in the 2018-19 Budget through the Better Quality of Care Comprehensive Palliative Care in Aged Care initiative, to extend choice for older Australians.
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