Getting prepared: Updating palliAGED for sector changes
An article written by Prof. Jennifer Tieman, Director, Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying
Demand for aged care is growing both in residential aged care and in the home care sector. With an ageing population, demand will continue to grow and the need for care at the end of life will also grow. Aged care services are, and will continue to be, involved in supporting older people as they age, as they decline, and as they come of the end of life. This responsibility has been recognised in the strengthened aged care standards with a specific outcome focused on palliative care and end of life care (Outcome 5.7) and in the Support at Home Program which will include an end-of-life pathway from 1 July 2025.
Just as the sector is seeking to prepare for the coming changes, so is the palliAGED team. We recognise that our information and resources will need to incorporate the new regulatory, funding and quality directions implicit in the new Act, strengthened Aged Care standards and Support at Home Program. We have been working with groups from the sector to better understand what is needed and how to make it useful.
We have already completed an update of the Australian Context. We are reworking our Evidence Centre to better reflect the intent of the Act and the Standards with respect to palliative care and end of life care. Most pages are complete, but a number are still being formally reviewed by content experts and end users prior to inclusion in the site. We are exploring how best to present content and are identifying companion resources which make the evidence more relevant to the daily care practices of aged care staff.
Next week, we will be opening a page on the website which will provide more information on the redevelopment work. There will also be the opportunity to have a sneak peek at some of our new content and resources and share your views. We welcome your suggestions and resources that you see as important. We would also welcome your engagement in the development of specific resources for the aged care workforce. When the page is live you will be able to provide suggestions, offer feedback on the sneak peek pages, and register to be alerted when the updated site goes live. In the meantime, you can send us your ideas, suggestions and feedback by emailing palliaged@flinders.edu.au.
Authors
Professor Jennifer Tieman BSc(Hons) MBA PhD FAICH
Matthew Flinders Professor
Director, Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD)