Palliative care in aged care services has received a boost with $15 million Federal funding for the End-of-Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) project led by QUT in partnership with Flinders University and University of Technology Sydney.
The funding will support the development of a national Specialist Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning Advisory Service which includes an easily accessible electronic database of evidence-based information on the provision of palliative care for older people in the community, hospitals, and aged care facilities.
QUT Professor Patsy Yates, who is director of Queensland’s Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education, said the three-year project would produce palliative care toolkits for GPs, nurses, aged care providers, carers and other health professionals.
“ELDAC is a technology-based, capacity-building project that will provide access to information and resources, including toolkits for residential aged care, home care and primary care providers," Professor Yates said..
“We will also provide toolkits dealing with legal issues about end of life and building partnerships between the range of care providers involved in end of life care for older people” Professor Yates said.
“A phone and web-based navigation service will help aged care workers, nurses and GPs find information about end-of-life care and services which can help.
“The project will build linkages between healthcare providers in specialist palliative care services and in the aged care sector with the aim of reducing avoidable hospital admissions, shortening hospital stays and improving the quality of care for people in residential and community aged care settings.
“This toolkit will equip care providers with the skills and information they need so that older people can be supported to remain in their home or residential aged care facility if they wish to, rather than being transferred to hospital.
“These skills are vital to reduce distress for the older person and their family by enabling them to stay in familiar surroundings.
“The project will include information resources for aged care workers on practical issues such as use of a syringe driver which helps to more easily administer medications to control pain and other symptoms.
“We will also help care providers find information about how to access equipment such as hospital beds to prevent pressure areas and make it easier for families to care for their loved one at home.”
Professor Yates said care providers would have access to evidence-based information about management of commonly encountered problems in palliative care, such as breathing difficulties, nausea, lack of appetite and fatigue.
“The legal toolkit will contain information about how to prepare early with an advance care plan so that people can record their wishes about treatment and care at the end of life and let their family and other health professionals know their preferences.”
ELDAC is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and will be administered by a consortium of three universities: QUT, Flinders University, and University of Technology Sydney; and national agencies: Palliative Care Australia, Aged & Community Services Australia, Leading Age Services Australia, Australian Health Care and Hospitals Association, and Catholic Health Australia.
QUT Media contacts: Niki Widdowson, 07 3138 2999 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au.
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901 or media@qut.edu.au
