palliAGED updates

palliAGED has received new funding from the Australian Government Department of Health. This funding will ensure that the sector continues to have current and readily accessible evidence to guide palliative care practice in aged care.

It will also enable palliAGED to promote high quality care at the end of life to older Australians in line with the Aged Care Quality Standards; to identify and use evidence to address end of life issues raised in the report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety; and to continue the consolidation and dissemination of evidence and practice resources to support high quality palliative care in aged care.

According to palliAGED Director Professor Jennifer Tieman, 'we have a growing older population who are living longer and dying older with higher care needs. Aged care services and health professionals need evidence, resources, and approaches to support quality care and quality of life for older people until they die - whether at home, in the community, or in a residential aged care facility.'

'Since its establishment in 2017, palliAGED has been working to support our aged care workforce and help improve the quality of care at the end of life provided to older Australians. The new funding until 30 June 2023 will allow us to continue this important work,' stated Professor Tieman.

This year, palliAGED has also celebrated its 3rd year anniversary. Among its key accomplishments are:

• 21 new topics added to the Evidence Centre and Practice Centre pages
• All 38 topics updated with new and emerging evidence
• Symptoms and Medicines section for terminal care fully revised and updated
• 14 forms developed to support practice including case conferences and self-care
• Development of the palliAGED Practice Tip Sheets as part of activity to consolidate resources for aged care into a single site
• Expansion of the For Community section to support people with palliative care needs and their families
• Expansion of the Australian Context section including coverage of the Royal Commission into Aged Care and improved access to key documents
• New Training and Education section
• COVID-19 resources centre. 

This summary outlines the other key accomplishments and plans for the next three years. (757kb pdf)

eHealth or digital health can help GPs and aged care services to deliver high quality care. To support them in setting up and using technologies efficiently, palliAGED has developed a new section on eHealth. The new section lists the latest evidence on eHealth, guidance documents, tools, links, and other information to guide GPs and aged care staff involved in planning and providing care of older persons.

palliAGED is distributing free copies of our Practice Tip Sheets for Nurses and Careworkers. The Practice Tip Sheets support nurses and careworkers to provide quality care for older people approaching the end of life, and have been used by aged care providers nationally.

Aged care staff can face complex issues in providing care, and we at palliAGED are committed to supporting them through our evidence-based resources.

Approximately 10-15% of older Australians suffer from a mental illness. Yet, it often goes unrecognised, and few older people suffering from mental illness receive needed specialised treatment. To help address this, palliAGED has developed new online resources on understanding and caring for older persons suffering from mental illness and approaching the end of their life.

The new resources include the Mental Illness Practice page which lists evidence-based tools, links, and other information to guide aged care staff involved in planning and providing care. Mental Illness Evidence pages have also been developed and provide a summary and in-depth synthesis of the latest evidence and research on caring for older persons suffering from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and suicidality.

palliAGED has developed an online Palliative Care and COVID-19 Hub to support the aged care sector to prepare in case the demand for end-of-life care increases during the pandemic. The Hub is part of the resources developed by CareSearch as a member of the Australian COVID-19 Palliative Care Working Group (ACPCWG) led by Palliative Care Australia.

The hub features appraised resources on issues such as caring for the dying, communication, medicine management, ethics, and self-care. It has tailored sections for residential aged care, home based care, GPs and Primary care, as well as Government response and online learning for aged care staff. Older Australians and their carers will also find trustworthy information on infection control, providing care, and supporting one's own mental wellbeing.

palliAGED will update the hub weekly as it continuously appraises emerging local and international COVID-19 resources that can help the frontliners across our aged care and health system and the wider community.

To support the community in dealing with the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, palliAGED is connecting the aged care sector with relevant information it can trust. While the implications of this rapidly changing situation are still emerging, older people are known to be vulnerable to infection and it is important that the sector has quick access to reliable sources of information.

Due to high demand from the aged care sector, we have reprinted copies of our Practice Tip Sheets for Careworkers and Nurses. You can order free print copies now. For those needing digital copies, the Practice Tip Sheets, along with the Practice Forms, are also available for download and can be used together to further support you and your organisation in caring for older persons. 

Complete this form to order printed copies. 

Allied Health (AH) is expected to play an increasing role in aged care and primary care settings in meeting the personal and clinical needs of older Australians approaching the end of their life. AH is a key part of palliative care provision but evidence about their role and practice is still emerging.

As part of the CareSearch Engagement Project, a background paper on the context of AH practice in Australia was produced for use by professionals, services, and AH organisations. Key findings of this white paper include the need to support AH with education and upskilling in palliative care, funding to support their work in palliative care, and more accurate data on the use of AH services. Download a copy of the white paper now (935kb pdf).

2019 has been another year of milestones for palliAGED. In our second year, we have added new content and developed new resource formats to further support our aged care sector to deliver best practice palliative care for older Australians at the end of life.

In addition to continuing to provide evidence based guidance for individuals, organisations, and practical toolkit developers, we have supported understanding within the sector by addressing the new Aged Care Quality Standards, Department of Health National Palliative Care Strategy, Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and others.

Our final newsletter for 2019 provides a snapshot of just some of our achievements this year, and they include:

1. Providing evidence based practical guidance
   • New Practice Tip Sheets for Careworkers and Nurses
   • Revised Symptoms and Medicines at the end of life
   • New Practice Forms on case conferences and self-care
   • In depth content on Intimacy and Sexuality
   • Resources for GPs
   • All the Latest Evidence
   • Consolidated aged care information and resources
   • Support for the 2019 RACGP Silverbook (991kb pdf) and the ELDAC Project among others
2. Supporting education and continuing professional development
   • Formal Qualifications
   • Online Learning
   • Course Selection Tool
3. Enabling understanding of key issues, policies, and useful resources
   • Our Older Population and their Specific Needs
   • Consumer Focus in  Posted: 18/12/2019