Palliative care is everyone's business

by Alexandra Middleton | 24 May 2013

The death of Hazel Hawke yesterday highlights an important issue for older Australians: end-of-life plans. New research has found that Australians’ end-of-life wishes are often not discussed or carried out.

As part of National Palliative Care Week, Palliative Care Australia conducted a survey of 1000 Australian men and women who had lost a loved in the past five years. The results indicated that half of those surveyed did not discuss end-of-life care with their deceased loved ones or know their wishes.

“Of those who did know, nine out of ten were able to honour their loved ones’ wishes, making the discussion worthwhile,” says CEO of Palliative Care Australia Dr Yvonne Luxford.

While it is a difficult topic to broach, knowing end-of-life wishes relieves some of the stress and burden on those caring for a loved one.

“When people know they are dying they will often welcome the discussion but won’t want to upset their loved ones’, and vice versa,” says Dr Luxford. “If you give the gift of knowledge of what you want it’s an incredible relief for everyone.”

Palliative care aims to provide the best possible quality of life for individuals with a far-advanced terminal illness, as well as a support system for their loved ones. An end-of-life plan not only outlines preferred types of medical care but also whether an individual would like to be at home or in a hospital, who they would like with them and what religious or cultural aspects they would like respected.

An important aspect of an end-of-life plan is deciding who will make decisions once a person loses the capacity to do so. Dr Luxford says it is important to let people know in advance when you want to have the discussion.

“Choose a time when people are going to be open and willing to the discussion. It can be confronting and make people uncomfortable, so be considerate of others and accept that it may happen over a number of conversations.”

Palliative care services can be provided in a person’s home, a nursing home, palliative care unit or hospital, and differ depending on the nature of an individual’s illness.