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The views and opinions expressed in our blog series are those of the authors and are not necessarily supported by CareSearch, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health.
As our population ages and patterns of disease change, there is an increasing demand for palliative care and the need for greater community awareness about death and dying. Research is crucial in achieving these aims. In this blog, Professor Jennifer Tieman discusses why and how the new Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying will contribute towards these aims.
Given the pressures on the aged care system and the reform agenda currently in play, there is a continuing need to ensure that current evidence and resources are available to guide care provision for older Australians as they approach the end of their life. Professor Jennifer Tieman from CareSearch highlights that the palliAGED website provides the latest evidence and resources for palliative care in aged care and discusses how it does guidance differently.
Many palliative care services are involved in quality improvement (QI) activities to make healthcare safer, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient and equitable. Professor Jennifer Tieman and Dr Katrina Erny-Albrecht from CareSearch discusses different QI approaches and the importance of evaluating these approaches to improve quality care.
Australia’s age services sector is a major employer but maintaining and developing a skilled workforce is a major challenge. Sean Rooney, CEO of Leading Age Services Australia (LASA), discusses the importance of upskilling Australia’s future workforce to keep up with the needs of our ageing population.
Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has not forgotten its place in helping to upskill and empower the aged care workforce in responding to residents reaching the end of their lives. Pat Sparrow, CEO of ACSA discusses the importance of high-quality palliative care and end of life care services in aged care facilities and how partnering with projects such as End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) can support aged care workers in providing quality care for Australians as they reach the end of life.