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Practice Tip Sheets for Careworkers Advance Care Planning Advanced Dementia Advanced Dementia Behavioural Changes After Death Choices Aged Care Access and Assessment Anxiety Cachexia Sarcopenia and Anorexia Case Conferences Complementary Therapies Constipation Continuity of Care Culturally Responsive Care Communication Distress at the End of Life Dysphagia Dyspnoea End of Life Care Pathways Eye Care Faecal Incontinence First Australians Communication Frailty Grief and Loss among Older People Families and Residents Grief and Loss among Staff Myths about Morphine Nutrition and Hydration Opioid Analgesics Oral Care Pain Management Palliative Care People with Intellectual Disability Communication People with Specific Needs Person Centred Care Psychosocial Assessment and Support Quality of Life Recognising Deterioration Respiratory Secretions Self Care Signs of Imminent Death Skin and Wound Care Spiritual Care Supporting Families Talking about Dying Talking within the Aged Care Team Next Steps for Careworkers
Tips for Careworkers:
Talking within the Aged Care Team
What it is: Talking with members of the care team taking care of an older person. The team caring for a person with palliative care needs may include people with different skills including nurses, carers, GPs, allied health, and spiritual care practitioners.
Why it matters: Good communication (talking) between careworkers and other staff helps the quality of palliative care provided to clients or residents. It means everyone involved in the care of a person knows what to do and why. It also helps people to feel confident that staff know and understand what to do, and that they are providing appropriate care.
What I need to know: Written records are a common way for teams to communicate. Case conferences are another way to communicate. Often the Registered Nurse (RN)/supervisor will pass information between team members, management, the older person and their family.
Effective communication is:
- open, honest, accurate
- respectful and sensitive
- may be formal (team meetings) or informal (casual meetings in the work area or staff room).
Effective communication:
- supports understanding between the sender and receiver of information
- is part of good teamwork.
Technology including electronic care records, email communication, telehealth meetings, and social media are changing the way people communicate. These new technologies need to be used carefully and in line with policies at your organisation.
Note
Know with whom you can share information.
Do
Check what needs to be reported or recorded.
Do
Ask questions if you are not sure of something.
My reflections:
What are two ways that information about a person I am caring for could be communicated?
What should I do if I’m not sure of something relating to the care of someone in my care?
For references and the latest version of all the Tip Sheets visit
Practice Tip sheets for careworkers
CareSearch is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Updated July 2022
Page updated 21 July 2026
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