Palliative Care Australia (PCA), together with the sector more broadly, has advocated strongly for many years that palliative care must be considered core business in aged care. As Australia’s population ages and the number of people using aged care services increases, the demand for palliative care in aged care is also increasing.

Last month PCA welcomed the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (The Commission) as an important first step towards reforming the aged care system and improving older Australians’ quality of life.

In response PCA has released a new report, Palliative care is core business for aged care, summarising the Commission’s recommendations against PCA’s original Palli-8 eight-point plan for palliative care in aged care published in September 2020. This new report highlights the alignment between the Commission’s recommendations and PCA’s recommendations as expressed in Palli-8, PCA’s eight-point plan for palliative care in aged care.

The recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (the Commission) are aligned with, and a very strong endorsement of recommendations long held and advocated by PCA.

Download PCA's Report, Palliative care is core business for aged care (PDF).

Download PCA's Media Release: Royal Commission: Palliative care is core business for aged care

PCA’s original Palli8 plan launched last year proposed eight key recommendations to improve palliative care in aged care, with calls for much-needed funding to fully implement the National Palliative Care Strategy 2018, together with palliative care training for every health and aged care worker.

PCA’s eight-point plan for palliative care in aged care – now endorsed by the Commission - highlighted these issues and provided constructive solutions. By continuing to discuss and communicate these eight recommendations, PCA aims to better support the aged care industry to deliver palliative care.

Download PCA's Ensuring Palliative Care is core business for Aged Care here (PDF).

The Palli8 plan was formally launched in September at an online Parliamentary Friends of Palliative Care event. This webcast, Exploring the critical role of Palliative Care in Aged Care: COVID 19 and beyond, examined the critical role of Palliative Care in Aged Care and brought together experts representing consumers, the aged-care industry, academia and palliative care.

Hosted by ABC Radio National presenter of the Health Report and Coronacast, Dr Norman Swan, the event also featured:

• Senator Catryna Bilyk and the Hon Nola Marino MP, co-convenors of the Parliamentary Friends of Palliative Care Group;
• Mike Baird AO, former NSW Premier, CEO HammondCare;
• Craig Gear OAM, CEO, Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN);
• Professor Deborah Parker, Professor of Aged Care (Dementia) at the University of Technology Sydney; and
• Professor Meera Agar, Chair, Palliative Care Australia.

Media and Submissions

Currently, in the aged care system, there is a belief that palliative care is limited to end-of-life care and only provided in the last week or days of life. This is incorrect. Read PCA's media releases, opinion editorial and submissions here and help PCA address this misconception using the Palli8 campaign resources below.

• PCA Media Release: Royal Commission: Palliative care is core business for aged care
• PCA Media Release: Royal Commission’s call for greater investment in palliative care a significant first step toward better outcomes for all Australians
• PCA Media Release: Palliative care must become core business in aged care
• Opinion Editorial: by PCA Chair, Professor Meera Agar
• Palliative Care in Aged Care
• PCA Aged Care submissions and submissions to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

Campaign Resources

Help PCA raise awareness via social media. Simply click the image of your choice to download the Palli8 social media images, signature block and website banner (at the top of this page). Then upload your chosen image to share our campaign resources.

Suggested social media Hashtags: #palli8 and #palliativecare
New @Pall_Care_Aus report out today examines PCA’s #Palli8 plan, which proposed eight key recommendations to improve #palliativecare in #agedcare in Australia, against the final recommendations of the #AgedCareRC https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #auspol #Budget2021	Palliative care must become core business for #agedcare and the #AgedCareRC agrees. PCA's new report revisits our 8 key recommendations & highlights the endorsement and alignment with the #AgedCareRC Final Report https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 #auspol #budget2021
Palliative Care Australia’s new #Palli8 plan proposes eight key recommendations to improve #palliativecare in #agedcare in Australia @Pall_Care_Aus https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care	Palliative care must become core business for aged care. @Pall_Care_Aus has developed a new plan proposing eight key recommendations to improve #palliativecare in #agedcare including calls for much needed funding and training https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 #healthcareworkers
There needs to be a more person-centred and holistic approach to #palliativecare that is not only focused on dying and the last weeks of life. A holistic approach to palliative care must be taken in an #agedcare setting https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 Read more here.	Palliative care in residential #agedcare is often confined to the last days of life and not systematically integrated into core business in residential aged care services. The Aged Care Quality Standards must include #palliativecare https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 Read more here.
Undergraduate & vocational education and training (VET) in aged care do not currently include palliative care as core units. Every health and #agedcare worker should undertake #palliativecare training as a core component of their studies https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 Read more here.	Planning and identifying unmet and emerging needs for #palliativecare requires demographic and service data. We must plug the data gaps. There is too much about palliative care service delivery in #agedcare that we don’t know. https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 Read more here.
Investment in #palliativecare in #agedcare isn’t just necessary, it actually makes sound fiscal sense. A $1.00 investment in palliative care nurses in residential aged care can return between $1.68 and $4.14 in savings https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 Read more here.	The diversity of our population & geography means that no single model of #palliativecare works universally. We must ensure equitable access to specialist & generalist palliative care services for those who need it, when & where they need it https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #palli8 Read more here.
We need to build greater community awareness and understanding of death and dying, and what good palliative care means for older Australians regardless of their prognosis https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #agedcare #palli8 #palliativecare #morethanyouthink Read more here.	Palliative care should be a priority for all governments and supported by a National Palliative Care Partnership Agreement, and a National Palliative Care Commissioner should be appointed https://palliativecare.org.au/palli8-core-business-in-aged-care #auspol #agedcare #palli8 #palliativecare Read more here.

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What is palliative care?

Palliative care helps people living with a life-limiting illness to live as well as they can by managing pain and symptoms to ensure their quality of life is maintained. Palliative care identifies and treats symptoms which may be physical, emotional, spiritual or social.

Learn more and download a copy of PCA's brochure, “What is palliative care?” here.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are a lot of common misconceptions about palliative care. Answers to some of the more frequently asked questions can be found in our FAQs here.

Join the #Palli8 conversation…

Use the hashtags #palli8 and #palliativecare and join the conversation online at: