Gina has had some confronting news. “I am a 62-year-old woman. I’ve been diagnosed with heart failure, (six months ago) and this will likely cause my death. At what point should I start seeing palliative care specialists? My cardiologist is coy about discussing this with me.” The diagnosis took … Read more
Statement by Dr Melanie Wroth, Chief Clinical Advisor, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Residential aged care providers have a significant role in caring for their residents as they approach the end of their lives, and as they die. This is a relatively common situation for residential services, and includes … Read more
Because of requirements for increased calorie intake in aged care facilities, today it’s common to find dietary supplements, such as those you’d find on a supermarket shelf, on the trays of residents. We need to be careful about this. Is the supplement replacing real food with texture and flavour? Is … Read more
But just as intravenous feeding and drips are no longer always brought in at the extreme end stage of life, there is something that appears to be a contradiction, this is the risk of malnutrition among the elderly. A Victorian study of 21 aged care services, published in 2017 in … Read more
Attitudes towards feeding at the end-of-life have changed dramatically in recent years. It wasn’t long ago that in some quarters we expected feeding would continue right to the end-of-life, even if this became challenging, or involved artificial methods. But today the goal is to achieve a more natural state as … Read more
Expert in palliative care Richard Chye talks living. This article was inspired by our survey results asking the question ‘What is your biggest question about dying and what is your biggest fear?’ and is the fourth in a series exploring the concerns you raised. It first appeared in our Good … Read more
This article was updated on April 25, 2023. It discusses the right to withhold life-sustaining medical treatment for yourself or another. It’s legal. You’re allowed to say ‘no’ to medical treatment. And if you’re the person responsible, you’re allowed to say no on behalf of the person you’re responsible for. … Read more
This article was updated on April 27, 2023. It discusses death anxiety. Ross and Rachel might be friends, but Professor Ross Menzies and Dr Rachel Menzies are also father and daughter—both psychologists who have authored their third book together, the fascinating Mortals: How the Fear of Death Shaped Human Society. … Read more
by Sandra Moon. This article was updated on April 13, 2023. It discusses end of life conversations. ‘I feel his organs are shutting down,’ my mother said on the phone. But how? Two days before Mum had rung me to ask for help getting Dad to the emergency ward at … Read more
The Manly adolescent and young adult hospice (AYAH) is open for 15 to 24-year-olds who have been diagnosed with a life limiting illness or life-limiting condition. AYAH offer a range of services from respite care to end of life and the feedback so far has been phenomenal. Good Grief! chatted … Read more
This article was updated on April 3, 2023. It discusses DIY coffins. By Sandra Moon Are you with me in thinking the funeral industry is incredibly expensive? Does giving choice and power to the dying seem like a good idea? With all this in mind would you, could you build … Read more
This article was updated on 21 March 2023. On the 60 year anniversary of Lifeline Australia we revisit patron John Brogden’s lessons from grief. A lot has changed for Lifeline Australia patron Mr John Brogden since we last caught up with him in 2020. Lifeline has now ‘gone global‘ with … Read more
Last Days, a HammondCare program designed to help people with “knowledge and tools to navigate a person’s last days”was launched in February and is now taking registrations from people in the community. Last Days provides “practical and effective education to improve knowledge and confidence for those caring for someone in … Read more
This article was updated on March 14, 2023. It discusses palliative care patients. What a great headline. Katrin Gerber has used it with the added thought – “Predicting survival to discharge of hospital patients referred to residential aged care.” Dr Gerber and her team looked retrospectively over a two year … Read more
This article was updated on March 11, 2023. It discusses death and palliative care in nursing homes. We’re still hearing uncomfortable stories from readers about the deaths of their elderly in nursing homes. Sometimes only a little thing went wrong, making the family sad for the dying person, and undoing … Read more
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