Palliative care workshops for aged care workers

Resthaven employees have taken part in a palliative care workshop to help them provide improved end-of-life care.

The workshop — facilitated by Karen Gregory, Resthaven’s Palliative Care Advanced Practice Nurse, and Claire Tan, Palliative Care Clinical Nurse — includes presentations from both facilitators, as well as from one of Resthaven’s Coordinating Chaplain, Kim Thoday. Presentations will also be heard from representatives of Southern Adelaide Palliative Services and the Residential Care Outreach Team at Flinders Medical Centre.

The primary goal of palliative care is to optimise quality of life for anyone who has a life-limiting condition. Individuals may receive palliative care for months or, at times, several years. Palliative care provides relief from not only physical symptoms, but also has a focus on assessing and addressing psychological and spiritual needs.

As Palliative Care Week approaches (19–25 May), Karen Gregory said people should know that palliative care is more than just the final days of someone’s life, and that families with loved ones in residential aged care facilities should feel confident that there is a team at each Resthaven home that is able to provide comprehensive palliative and end-of-life care for residents.

“Palliative Care Week is a great chance to highlight the important work aged care providers do in caring for older people at the end of their lives,” she said.

“Good palliative care helps to frame dying as a normal process. ELDAC (end of life directions for aged care) advocates that ‘death is a normal part of life.’ Palliative care does not try to hasten or postpone death. We offer a support system to help people live as well as possible, up until their death.”

Palliative care uses a holistic team approach, to ensure that all the needs of residents, clients and their families are met.

“If there are complex symptoms, extra support may be needed and accessed through specialist palliative care services. Good palliative care can improve a person’s comfort and enjoyment of life. We often see residents and clients who experience a whole new quality of life thanks to palliative care,” Gregory said.

Image caption: Karen Gregory, Resthaven’s Palliative Care Advanced Practice Nurse, and Claire Tan, Palliative Care Clinical Nurse, deliver a presentation.