FREE: TV education program to support quality end-of-life care

Care and health professionals working in residential and community aged care are being urged to tune in to a free special television broadcast demonstrating how to access and provide quality palliative care services.

Care and health professionals working in residential and community aged care are being urged to tune in to a free special television broadcast demonstrating how to access and provide quality palliative care services.

The 30-minute program, Decision Assist – Palliative Care support for Aged Care, has been co-produced by the Aged Care Channel and specialist palliative care and advance care planning advisory service Decision Assist.

The round-the-clock service, which was developed by a consortium of national health and aged care organisations and funded by the Commonwealth Government, provides comprehensive resources designed specifically for aged care staff at all levels.

Liz Callaghan
Liz Callaghan

Caring for people near end of life is important but challenging work and many aged care workers are unaware of the specialist knowledge and training available to support them, said Liz Callaghan, Palliative Care Australia CEO and spokesperson for the Decision Assist project.

“Decision Assist provides both a palliative care specialist at the other end of a phone line, or a person with specialist knowledge in advance care planning,” Ms Callaghan told Australian Ageing Agenda.

“It provides workshops that give you an evidence based package of knowledge to care for the person in front of you, and it’s also a research project ensuring palliative care and aged care providers work together more closely.”

The television program showcases the resources and support of the Decision Assist project including how they have been used by aged care staff across Australia to access training, information and case-specific expert advice.

It is suited to registered and enrolled nurses, experienced aged care staff, case managers, GPs, and allied health professionals working for residential or home care providers.

“We only get one chance to get dying right for every Australian, and Decision Assist is one of the programs that provides support and information across the health and aged care sector to improve access to quality care for Australians.”

ACC strategic partners manager Karen Martin said that Decision Assist was a one-stop shop to assist health professionals with the challenges they face with end-of-life care.

“Viewers of this program will learn that the Decision Assist includes an offer of free training workshops which focus on practical and peer learning opportunities, a very user-friendly website with a plethora of useful resources and tools to assist with symptom control, as well as an advisory line serviced by palliative care specialists to talk to 24/7,” said Ms Martin.

Decision Assist – Palliative Care support for Aged Care planning will air at 2.15pm (AEST) on Wednesday 29 July 2015 and is available free to all viewers.

Register here to view the program for free

Australian Ageing Agenda is a supporting partner of the Aged Care Channel

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Tags: aged-care-channel, decision-assist, karen-martin, Liz Callaghan, palliative care, palliative-care-australia,

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