Resources

In explaining the meaning of ‘meaningful activities’, Judith Leeson, Director of Vector Consultants, poses this question to her readers: How would you want to spend your days in residential aged care?

Despite a plethora of information on healthy ageing through reabling approaches, there continues to be an entrenched stereotype of individual ageing as an inevitable process of decline over which we have little control. Hilary O’Connell of iLA describes LiveUp—an initiative promoting early intervention to delay the decline of a person’s capacity to live or function independently.

Professor Josephine Clayton, Director of Palliative Care Research & Learning, HammondCare, describes the Advance Project Dementia Toolkit—a free online resource for clinicians, managers, and careworkers in aged care and primary care settings for building skills in initiating conversations about advance care planning and assessing the palliative care needs of people living with dementia.

In this blog, social anthropologist, Dr Angela Zhang, reflects on the question ‘can aged care residents experience a sense of wellbeing in the presence of disease and functional decline?'

In her blog, Dr Katrina Erny-Albrecht of the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying, Flinders University, introduces a range of new palliAGED Practice Tip Sheets for aged care workers, reflecting on the way these topics describe the very profound human experience of dying.

Palliative care is a fundamental component of general practice. All GPs who care for older people are engaging with issues their patients face towards the end of life.

This booklet from RePaDD supports bereavement by providing information on what is likely to happen over time from entry into aged care through to the end of life. It includes suggestions, practical resources, and supports for families.

Palliative Care and Dementia s a joint policy statement from Palliative Care Australia  and Dementia Australia advocating for improved awareness and understanding of the unique palliative care needs of people living with dementia, their families, carers and community.

This help sheet provides some information on the palliative care approaches that play a crucial role in the care of the person who is dying. It provides information about how the person with dementia can be supported to die in comfort and with dignity.

Australia’s population is ageing, we are living longer and dying older. Having access to information and resources can help us and our families to understand what to expect and plan for the future including aged care and end of life.