As part of a scoping review of published research that identified evidence on palliative care and end of life in aged care settings, with an update conducted in 2024, the evidence themes on this priority topic were explored in further detail.
The following themes complement the evidence themes that have already been released.
Role of aged care workers
A palliative care team should involve a multidisciplinary mix of professionals with diverse skills.
Find out more about the evidence and actions that support understanding and defining care roles, communication, and interprofessional collaboration and upskilling.
Deprescribing at the end of life
Deprescribing should be considered for older people at the end of life as it can help reduce medication side effects, pill burden, and the risk of drug interactions.
Find out more about the evidence and actions that support medication review and deprescribing plans, communication and shared decision making, and education and training.
Family experiences
A family member can be an important communication link between the older person and the care team. However, being present at the end of a loved one’s life can be a difficult experience.
Find out more about the evidence and actions that support family meetings / case conferences, communication with families, and supporting families.
Substitute decision-makers
A substitute decision-maker (SDM) is an individual who is legally able to make medical decisions on behalf of another person if they cannot make these decisions for themselves.
Find out more about the evidence and actions that support facilitating SDMs to be appointed, supporting SDMs in their role, and communicating and collaborating with SDMs.
Symptoms at the end of life
One of the foci of palliative care is to provide relief from symptoms to help the older person have a better quality of life as they near death.
Find out more about the evidence and actions that support assessing and identifying symptoms, care planning, and managing symptoms at the end of life.
Challenges when providing care at the end of life
Aged care workers face a range of complex and emotional challenges when providing care at the end of life in different settings.
Find out more about the evidence and actions that support building skills and competency, self-care, and team support.
Recognising deterioration
Recognising deterioration at the end of life supports health professionals to make appropriate changes to care and improve the quality of life for the older person and their families.
Find out more about the evidence and actions that support tools and processes, training and education, and evaluation of quality of care, workload, and staffing.