The aged care divide

Palliative care for a person in their place of choice will often mean that this care occurs in an Aged Care Facility (ACF). The intent of this presentation is to determine how this care is delivered and the relationship between the specialist palliative care service and the ACF staff. It is also important to determine the specific palliative care outcomes within the ACF setting as compared to non-residential community specialist palliative care. Mercy Palliative Care is a community specialist palliative care service working across the western metropolitan  region of Melbourne. As well as a vast geographic area with a high growth rate, there are also 75 Aged Care Facilities in our catchment. According to Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) data, the number of patients receiving specialist consultation in ACFs by palliative care services nationally, averages 8% compared to Mercy Palliative Care who have 18.8% (PCOC Report 17-January to June 2014). The aim of this paper is to explore how this impacts on the model of care provided and the effect of reporting outcomes from ACFs has on Mercy Palliative Care PCOC data compared to other specialist services. An increasing ageing population, with complex care needs, is evidenced by statistical data, so we acknowledge the importance of providing specialist palliative care services in ACFs and the challenges placed on our service both now and in the future.