Many people live in Residential Aged Care Facilities. This is where they will often wish to stay at the end of their life. Palliative care services can play an important role in providing the support and resources to allow this to happen. People living in RACF's, will be cared for by their GP and by the staff in the facility. There is a strong emphasis on increasing the quality of end-of-life care in aged care facilities with a corresponding increase in the amount of information and resources, some of which are provided here.

Resources

• Palliative Care Australia Position statement: Residential Aged Care and end of Life
• From the National Palliative Care Program: Guidelines for a Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care Enhanced Version — May 2006
• CareSearch has information on relevant projects within the National Palliative Care Program. Many of these projects have information and resources that may be of interest.
  • Australian Palliative Care Residential Aged Care Project (APRAC)
  • Community Palliative Aged Care Project (COMPAC)
  • Implementation of a comprehensive evidence based palliative approach in Residential Aged Care (CEBPARAC)
  • The Caring Communities program had projects relating to Aged care and to Aged care Facilities
• The Department of Health and Ageing have information on their website: End-of-life care in aged care homes
• The NHS (UK) has produced a document, The route to success in end of life care - achieving quality in care homes. It outlines a pathway from initial discussion about death and future care, to assessment and the provision of high quality co-ordinated care and support through to the final days and end of life.

This page was created on 27 August 2010
Last updated 5 January 2011