The location of palliative care is important, but the Health Care Consumers’ Association (HCCA) believes that the quality of care people receive is the most important factor determining their overall satisfaction with palliative care. Dr Sarah Spiller and Dr Kathyn Dwan from Health Care Consumers' Association discuss how palliative care is delivered is more important than where it is delivered.  

For the first time, Advance Care Planning Australia (ACPA) ran National Advance Care Planning Week (16 - 22 April). Linda Nolte, Program Director for ACPA discusses the impact of the initiative and the response of both the public and health care sector to National Advance Care Planning Week. 

One part of advance care planning that is often unseen is law. Yet law plays an important role in end-of-life care. Professor Ben White and Professor Lindy Willmott from Queensland University of Technology explains the legal aspects of planning for advance care and end of life, and how the Australian Centre for Health Law Research supports health professionals.  
 

If you were unable to speak for yourself, who would you want to speak for you? And more importantly, what health care decisions would you want them to make? Discussing your values and preferences helps determine what would be important to your future health care. Linda Nolte, Program Director for Advance Care Planning Australia discusses National Advance Care Planning Week and the importance of the making our future preferences known.

The number of Australians over the age of 65 is rising, and during the next three decades, the proportion of the population aged over 85 will more than double. This demographic change is driving significant growth in demand for aged care. The availability of home care packages has significantly expanded in the last decade to allow people to be cared for in their homes including those that require palliative care. A shift in the complexity of people moving into residential aged care has also occurred; people are older, frailer and have more complex care needs. Across the spectrum of aged care services there is a need and expectation for people to have their end-of-life needs met.