palliAGED updates

Looking back on 2025 it has been a period of change and disruption for aged care. A new Aged Care Act, standards and Support at Home program are shifting care processes and responsibilities. Looking to 2026 there will be the chance to consolidate and refine care and relationships across the sector.

palliAGED will continue to we work with providers, service and the aged care staff who support our community. We are looking to finalise our palliAGED modules and to release a service solution for the Support at Home (End of Life Pathway). We will continue to update our evidence and practice resources and share stories from the sector.

As Christmas approaches we hope that you find time for yourself and the people who are important to you. It is a good chance to practice some care for yourself as well as others.

We look forward to continuing to support Aged care in 2026.
 

The palliAGED team joined a sector roundtable hosted by RePaDD at Flinders University to discuss how the new Support at Home program and strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards will impact palliative and end-of-life care. This important conversation highlighted ways to keep palliative care central in aged care reforms.
 

01 November 2025, was the commencement date of the new Aged Care Act in Australia introducing a new regulatory framework overseen by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. It also marks the transition to the Support at Home program, which replaced the Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care programs, as detailed in the Support at Home transition activities. We have updated the pages in the Australian Context section, to align the content with these changes.
 

We have developed a new pack that you can download or order. The 'Five Steps' pack gives providers a structured way to set up their service to provide quality palliative care. It gives you all the basics to plan, prepare and deliver on Outcome 5.7 on the strengthened standards.  

This pack complements our first Service Solution Being prepared for 1 November.
 

The CareSearch and palliAGED team will be at the 2025 Oceanic Conference in Brisbane between 9 and 12 September. As part of the conference program Dr Seth Nicholls will be presenting on the evaluation of palliAGED resources looking at how to support an aged care workforce ready for the future. Professor Jennifer Tieman will be representing palliAGED on a panel exploring the palliative care aged care program intersect.

We also have a booth there and would love to catch up with any of you who will also be attending. Come and find us to find out all the latest and fill out a survey to win a giant Haigh’s Frog.
 

We’re excited to be part of the Ageing Australia National Conference on the Gold Coast from 30 September to 2 October 2025. You’ll find us in the Exhibition Hall. Come by to explore our latest palliative care resources and chat with the team. We look forward to seeing you there!
 

At the last Ageing Australia Conference, we asked what would help with the new Aged Care Standards, and we’ve listened. Drawing on sector insights, our new Service Solution: Being Prepared for 1 November includes a five-step planning process. There is also a mapped sources of evidence and resources document (775kb pdf) to support the key aspects of palliative care and end-of-life care.
 

On 5 June, the CareSearch/palliAGED team participated in a roundtable event exploring how upcoming aged care reforms intersect with palliative and end-of-life care. Convened by the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD) at Flinders University, this full-day discussion brought together key stakeholders to consider the implications of the new Support at Home program and the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards coming into effect from 1 November. A summary of the roundtable discussions will be shared publicly later in the year.

We’re pleased to launch the redeveloped palliAGED website – designed to better support aged care teams delivering palliative care and end-of-life care. Explore:

• New content aligned with the strengthened Aged Care Act and Standards
• Updated evidence summaries and care guidance on key Standard themes
• A new section supporting services with practical solutions
• Free training resources to download and order
• Multilingual translation feature

Visit now to see what’s new.

Services need to consider how they can train and support their multidisciplinary workforce, establish care processes that can identify and respond to changing needs, and facilitate compassionate conversations. palliAGED resources can help services to be prepared to support their residents, clients, families and their staff.