Death can be taboo, but everyone needs a plan
For National Palliative Care Week 2025 geriatric palliative care nurse Regina Huang discusses the importance of talking about death, and music therapist Jessica McCarthy explains the power of music in end-of-life care.
This year’s National Palliative Care Week – hosted by Palliative Care Australia – goes from 11-17 May and marks 30 years of opening conversation, raising awareness, and advocating better access to and acceptance of palliative care.
The theme for 2025 is What’s Your Plan? – a reminder for people to start having the conversation about what they want their end-of-life care to look like.
“It’s a direct approach to Australians and their loved ones to talk about what matters most at the end of life and to discuss plans that empower and respect choices during the last years, months, and days of life,” Palliative Care Australia chief executive officer Camilla Rowland said.
Ms Rowland said awareness about palliative care has grown in the last three decades but access remains limited and challenging.
“While we’ve built a foundation of awareness, there’s still much work to be done. This year, we’re encouraging Australians to take that crucial first step to have those difficult conversations about end of life and plan ahead,” she said.
According to Palliative Care Australia, 400 people of all ages die of a terminal illness every day, all of whom could benefit from palliative care, and while discussions of death are difficult, palliative care can enrich people in their final days.
Lutheran Services’ Regina Huang is a specialist geriatric palliative care nurse who is currently studying to become a nurse practitioner. She said her career choice was influenced by the memory of her grandmother dying in hospital when “all she wanted was to be at home.”
“My father organised for a nurse to care for her at home where she passed peacefully. It is a privilege to support our aged care residents to die where they are most comfortable and make the experience as positive as possible,” said Ms Huang.
Ms Huang said the nurse practitioner qualification will complement her Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care and allow her to provide a higher level of clinical skills to support residents, families and the care team.
“Having skills to avoid a transfer to hospital and supporting the resident to stay where they are most comfortable at the end of life is important,” she said.
“A key part of my role is to initiate early conversations about the benefits of having an advance care directive that allows clinical staff and family to know your wishes. While death can be a difficult topic, preparing a directive with your loved ones helps everyone involved to be proactive and provide the extra special care you desire,” Ms Huang added.
Music supports wellbeing at end of life
Another important service people can access through palliative care is music therapy – something music therapist Jessica McCarthy provides at VMCH’s specialised palliative comfort care centre O’Neill House, Prahran, made possible through the Melbourne Archbishop’s Charitable Fund. She also works in private practice for children with disability and in cancer and palliative care at a regional hospital.
The for-purpose aged and disability services organisation has a 27-person pastoral care team offering emotional, social and spiritual support to residents and families.
Ms McCarthy told Australian Ageing Agenda she provides one-on-one and group music therapy sessions designed to support residents with their social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Initially wanting to become a primary school teacher, Ms McCarthy said she discovered music therapy and realised she could embrace her passion for music and empower vulnerable people.
She said working with older people living with dementia was particularly rewarding.
“The moment when a person with dementia starts singing along to every word, after being adamant that they don’t remember the song – that’s a heartwarming moment that I am so lucky to share in. I love to learn about all the unique musical lives that people have lived, and the dynamic, endlessly fascinating stories behind people’s most or least favourite songs,” Ms McCarthy said.
“In later life stages, it’s very special to be able to reflect on a person’s life with the music that accompanied them on the journey. Being able to support that sense of identity is a part of the job I cherish.”
Ms McCarthy added that she finds a sense of camaraderie amongst the participants develops quickly, and that it’s amazing to see how much a resident’s mood can improve over the course of a couple songs.
“Music therapy can facilitate the expression of emotions associated with the end of life journey, when finding words might be difficult. It can support a person to stimulate positive memories for a sense of familiarity and represent the essence of their identity. Music therapy can also be a strong conduit for spiritual connection and reassurance, evoking feelings of peace. Musical relaxation can also support people with pain and anxiety associated with end of life, facilitating breath work, decreased muscle tension, and distraction from discomfort,” she told AAA.
She said meaningful music can also help families with processing memories and emotions.
“Legacy work, for example, is a very special family-centred practice, supporting a dying person to create original songs or a playlist to give to their families to support them in grief. This is a profound process to be involved in, and I am truly grateful to share such moments with residents and families,” she added.
A number of local events will take place for NPCW 2025 including the annual Palliative Care Sector Breakfast which will take place in Perth, Bunbury, Albany and Pingelly this year.
A full list of events can be found here.
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