Key points
- Australia’s population is ageing. GPs will increasingly be caring for older patients who will live for some period and die in residential aged care facilities.
- Proactive management of older people can assist with planning and identifying needs. An Australian GP framework is supporting GPs in care delivery by highlighting key clinical care processes:
- Use the Surprise Question to frame your thinking: Would you be surprised if your patient were to die in the next 6-12 months:
- If you do not think death will occur in the next 6-12 months, introduce advance care planning while the older person is still well.
- If you think it is possible that the person will die in 6 months or less, think about a case conference to coordinate care planning and delivery
- If you think the person could possibly die in the next few weeks, create a terminal care management plan.
Page created 29 June 2020