June 2019
Intimacy and Sexuality
Older people are commonly viewed as asexual, yet intimacy, sexuality, and sexual expression are basic human needs and continue to be important throughout life and can provide physical and psychological benefits. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around Intimacy and Sexuality. You can also read the new blog by Nigel McGothigan on this release.
palliAGED conference activity
palliAGED team member Rosie Bonnin presented at the 5th International Ageing in a Foreign Land Conference, 19-20 June 2019 and the SA Australian Association of Gerontology Conference, 21 June 2019. Both conferences were held in Adelaide at the Flinders University Tonsley Campus. palliAGED hosted a booth at the conferences and connected with local, national and international participants.
Australian Context
We have developed new content on the Australian context of care. The new pages also cover the facility issues previously found in the CareSearch Residential Aged Care section which is being transferred to palliAGED as part of our efforts to consolidate evidence based resources for the aged care sector into a single site. You can read more about the consolidation project and access the new Australian context pages to learn more.
Engagement Project news
The Engagement project continues to reach out to the aged, allied health and patient, carer and family sectors, and this months publications include:
palliAGED is now on Facebook
palliAGED, as part of the CareSearch Project, is now on Facebook. Like our page @CareSearchProject to learn of the latest updates and links to trustworthy information and the best available evidence on palliative care in aged care.
May 2019
palliAGED is turning 2!
This week, palliAGED is celebrating our second anniversary of supporting the aged care sector with practical evidence-based guidance in palliative care. You can read more about our work in the latest In Focus - palliAGED: Quality guidance for quality palliative care in aged care.
March 2019
palliAGED Practice Tip sheets supporting the aged care sector
palliAGED is launching the newly developed evidence-based Practice Tip Sheets in March 2019 to support Careworkers and Nurses to deliver quality care for older Australians. The Practice Tip Sheets will be available to download for free and include easy-to-read discussion of common care issues, pointers on what to do and tools to use as well as questions to prompt reflection and review. The Practice Tip Sheets will complement the range of practice topics already available in the Practice Centre focussing on putting evidence into everyday practice. You can read more about the project and read about the importance of supporting aged care workers as they care for older people in Australia.
Symptoms and Medicines Update
palliAGED Symptoms and Medicines have a fresh new look and revised content. The common symptoms in the last days of life are known. Nurse practitioners (NPs) and general practitioners (GPs) with the support of a pharmacist are well placed to lead care of older Australians into the terminal phase. The palliAGED Symptoms and Medicines pages are an easily-accessible and comprehensive repository of information that can guide evidence-based practice in the care of older people in the last days of their life.
January 2019
Strategies to improve service and client outcomes in aged care
A guest blog post from Diana Harrison, Jennifer Gavin, Melissa Brodie and Rebecca Moore, ELDAC Facilitators from Queensland University of Technology
READ MORE
November 2018
LGBTI Elders and Older People - Initiatives in Aged and Palliative Care
A guest blog post from Samantha Edmonds, Silver Rainbow - National Project Manager, National LGBTI Health Alliance
READ MORE
Palliative approach offers peace of mind
A guest blog post by Mark Butler, Chaplaincy and Palliative Care Manager, Eldercare
READ MORE
Three things you need to know about dementia and dying
A guest blog post by Kirsty Carr, National Policy and Strategy Advisor, Dementia Australia
READ MORE
October 2018
palliAGED in rural aged care
A new video has been added to palliAGED featuring Dr Holly Deer discussing her experiences as a GP working in regional South Australia, and how she has used palliAGEDgp smartphone App to support her in providing palliative care. As noted by Professor Jennifer Tieman in an accompanying blog on palliAGED, ‘Recognising palliative care needs and supporting care delivery over time requires skills and knowledge at the right time'. Trustworthy, evidence-based tools like the palliAGEDgp App can provide GPs with 24/7 access to information to support them in this critical role.
palliAGEDgp: equipping GPs in rural and remote areas to deliver quality palliative care
A blog post by Professor Jennifer Tieman, CareSearch Director, Matthew Flinders Fellow, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University
READ MORE
Improving end-of-life care for residential aged care residents initiative
A guest blog post by Mia Taylen-Smith, Nurse Practitioner, Metro South Palliative Care
READ MORE
September 2018
Vulnerable older people at risk at end of life
A guest blog post by Dr Kelly Purser and Associate Professor Tina Cockburn, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology
READ MORE
SPICT4ALL
SPICT4ALL has been added to the palliAGED pages. Based on the original SPICT tool designed to help health professionals identify people who might benefit from palliative care and appropriate planning for future care, SPICT4ALL has been ‘de-medicalised’ for use by patients, family carers and staff working in health and care.
The importance of palliAGED in rural and remote nursing
A guest blog post by Dr Ann Aitken PhD, Acting Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Rural and Remote Services, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service
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Pharmacists: The Medicines Experts
A guest blog post by Paul Tait, Lead Palliative Care Pharmacist, Southern Adelaide Palliative Services
READ MORE
August 2018
What is the relationship between good advocacy services and good palliative care?
A guest blog post by Lewis Kaplan, former CEO, Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN)
READ MORE
July 2018
Terminal Care
Terminal care usually refers to the care in the last few days to weeks of life when a person is irreversibly dying. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around Terminal Care.
June 2018
HealthPathways—supporting local relevant and consistent palliative care
A guest blog by Katharine Silk, Integration and Innovation Manager, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association
READ MORE
Aged Care Service Needs: ELDAC survey report
A guest blog post by Dr John Rosenberg (Research Fellow), Karen Clifton (Project Coordinator (ELDAC)), and Professor Patsy Yates (Head of School), School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology.
READ MORE
May 2018
Why evidence matters at the end-of-life and why it’s everyone’s business
A guest blog post by Dr Katrina Erny-Albrecht, Senior Research Fellow, CareSearch, Flinders University.
READ MORE
Complementary Medicine
Complementary medicine refers to medicines and therapies that are used alongside conventional medicine. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around Complementary medicine.
April 2018
Care Leavers
A section Care Leavers has been added to Specific Needs in the Evidence Centre.
March 2018
Centre of Research Excellence in End-of-Life Care (CRE-ELC)
A guest blog post by Professor Patsy Yates, Centre Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in End-of-life Care, Head, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology; Director, Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education
READ MORE
Symptoms and Medicines
The Symptoms and Medicines section of the website has recently been updated. The symptoms and medicines section provides a single gateway to high quality information to support fast and reliable access to evidence to inform clinical practice..
February 2018
Needs Assessment
Needs assessments can help to identify what patients and their families consider important and where they need help and support. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around Needs Assessment.
January 2018
palliAGED apps
The palliAGED apps have been updated in the Google Play store to fix an issue that could cause the content to be blank on some Android devices.
Managing Crises
A crisis or an emergency in palliative care is a sudden deterioration in a person’s condition which requires an urgent response. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around Managing Crises.
Page Updates
The following pages have been updated to include new and recently published evidence:
Syringe Drivers
Syringe drivers are small portable (usually battery-operated) devices used to administer medication in palliative care. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around Syringe Drivers.
December 2017
Symptoms and Medicines
A new section in the Evidence Centre is a gateway to fast and reliable access to evidence to inform your clinical practice. It provides an overview of common symptoms and how to manage medications. There are links to other useful Australian resources.
November 2017
Two new topics have been included in the Evidence Centre and the Practice Centre:
Advance Care Planning (ACP)
Respite care
October 2017
Two new topics have been included in the Evidence Centre and the Practice Centre:
Case Conferences
Spiritual care
September 2017
Models of care
One new topic has been included in the Evidence Centre and the Practice Centre:
August 2017
Cognitive Issues
The provision of palliative care in the context of older age needs to consider some specific issues including cognitive decline, confusion, dementia and/or communication difficulties. As the community ages, dementia is becoming increasingly common. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around cognitive issues.
July 2017
palliAGED videos
Check out the range of videos for nurses, GPs and aged care.
Resilience
Resilience in older adults can be defined as the ability to ‘bounce back’ and recover physical and/or psychological health in the face of adversity. Check out the Evidence Summary and the Practice Points around resilience.
palliAGED apps
The palliAGED apps provide nurses and GPs with easy and convenient access to information to help them care for people approaching the end of their life. You can also view palliAGEDgp content online and palliAGEDnurse content online.
June 2017
Emergency Planning and Management
A palliative care emergency is a sudden and life-threatening change in a person’s condition. In this scenario, handovers of care are particularly important to reduce risk of receiving inappropriate treatment. Planning ahead for possible emergencies is good practice and can improve the quality and safety of care. Check out our Evidence Summary and our practice points.
Order resources
You can email us at palliaged@flinders.edu.au to order our palliAGED poster, factsheet or brochure to share with colleagues.
Minister's Launch Speech
You can view Minister Wyatt speech on our Vimeo channel.
May 2017
palliAGED Launch
palliAGED was launched on 25 May 2017 by the Minister of Ageing, the Hon Ken Wyatt, AM.
The palliAGED site supports nurses and care workers in residential aged care or community care, GPs and general practice nurses, allied health professionals and support staff with evidence, tools, guidance and practice resources about palliative care for older Australians. There is also information and resources for older people and their families.
Palliative Perspectives Blogs
Three new aged care blogs have been published:
Page updated 29 June 2019