In 2023, Ballarat Hospice Care received funding from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, and the Victorian Department of Health as part of the Comprehensive Palliative Care in Aged Care (CPCiAC) measure.
The project was conducted in collaboration with Grampians Regional Palliative Care Team, Grampians Region Palliative Care Consortium, and Central Highlands Rural Health residential aged care facilities.
Upon commencement, the project team conducted an extensive audit of existing palliative care resources targeted at aged care.
The audit highlighted a significant challenge: the extensive array of available resources makes it difficult for aged care staff, often working in resource-constrained settings, to quickly find the specific information or support they need.
In response, the project team – in consultation with aged care managers and staff – developed the ‘Aged Care Palliative Care’ website (AC-PC), a curation of links to selected resources based on criteria such as relevance, succinctness, time requirements, and ease of access.
The AC-PC website provides access to resources across a range of categories, including effective communication, symptom management, assessment tools, goals of care, and advance care planning.
It also offers external support links, educational materials, and self-care tips for aged care staff, along with resources to support residents, their families and friends.
AC-PC serves as a ‘highway to help’ for residential aged care staff and managers caring for residents living with a life-limiting illness, showing signs of deterioration, or approaching the end of life.
Since its launch on June 3rd, 2024, feedback from aged care staff and managers has been overwhelmingly positive, with the site being accessed by over 890 users, generating more than 2,900 views.
Explore the AC-PC platform and its comprehensive range of resources below: