Risk is something that people try are cautious of everyday – the risk of hurting themselves, the risk of financial ruin, the risk of offending someone. But there comes a point when if a person is too wary of risk, they end up negatively impacting their quality of life. Which brings the question – does... Read More

Death rarely comes as a surprise in aged care, many of the staff are used to it by now, however, it can still be quite a shock for the families and other loved ones. If there were a way to predict the death before the last few moments, it may give the family – as... Read More

  One of the most rewarding aspects of working in aged care is the strong bonds of friendship that carers develop with residents over many years. But these connections can come at a price – when the resident dies, the carer can experience feelings of profound loss and sadness. While aged care workers are experienced... Read More

A small team of pharmacists at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne will be responsible for mixing the lethal cocktail of medications that will be used in the first cases of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria. VAD will be legal in Victoria from 19 June, meaning that pharmacists will be able to make the medications, and... Read More

Growing up, the way in which the vast majority of us experience death firsthand is through the loss of loved ones, so it makes sense that the shock and grief that can accompany these experiences would shape our attitudes towards the topic of death in general.  Sudden and unexpected deaths are obviously horrible, but there... Read More

When discussing palliative care, the most common patients that people imagine are cancer patients. However, palliative care is not exclusively just for cancer patients – it’s for any kind of terminal illness. One study looked to find four non-cancer populations that might benefit from a palliative approach. What was found was that people with ALS,... Read More

For some families, having a loved one enter palliative care is the point where the hopes and dreams of recovery begin to make way for the grim reality of impending death. Palliative care is a family-centered model of care that is focused on a patient’s level of comfort and overall quality of life, and one... Read More

  A palliative care plan can help people to live as fully and comfortably as possible as they approach the end of their life, and are a way to keep family and health professionals informed about the care the person expects to receive. Ideally, the plans are written when the person is well, where decisions... Read More

We don’t usually think or ourselves as active participants in planning what happens to us before we die. We tend to think of dying as something we have no control of, that happens to us, and we don’t have much say in how it happens. But a new book aims to dispel the idea we... Read More

  Recognising when the health of an aged care resident is deteriorating is fundamental to ensuring the person receives the care and treatment they need.  It’s a sign that intervention is needed. When deterioration occurs it’s important it’s recognised promptly, and that appropriate action is taken.   But how can aged care workers observe the... Read More

When a person is told they need palliative care, it can be an emotional and confronting thing for them and their loved ones. It is quite natural to feel afraid when hearing the words ‘palliative care’ for the first time, but with the right information and support the process can be made easier. Palliative care essentially means that a person is at... Read More

As we near the end of our lives, be it from old age and diseases that accompany ageing, or from late-stage cancer or other terminal illness, we tend to all go through the same processes. According to the Pharmaceutical Journal, we may enter a pre-active dying phase after which we enter an active dying phase. Our... Read More