Choice is key to a ‘good’ death
Aged care residents and patient wishes must be taken into account to ensure quality end of life care, with Australians reporting that choice about where to die and adequate pain management are key issues that determine the quality of care received.
Palliative Care Australia president, Professor Patsy Yates, says talking about death it is a challenging, but necessary talk.
A Palliative Care Australia (PCA) survey of 1,000 Australians who had lost a friend or family member from a long term illness since 2010 asked respondents about their satisfaction with the care their family member received.
PCA president, Professor Patsy Yates, says it is fantastic that most report their loved ones had a chance to die well.
“Almost 70% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the standard of care, which reflects well on our health and community services. However, almost a third (31%) of Australians were ambivalent about or unhappy with their loved one’s care and that is a number we need to address. That would translate to about 50,000 Australians each year who feel they did not receive satisfactory care,” Professor Yates says.
Of those who identified problems with the care their loved ones received women were most concerned about patients choosing where they die (26%), while men raised pain management as an issue (27%).
During National Palliative Care Week this week, PCA is encouraging Australians to have the difficult conversation about end of life care and what they want to happen to them.
“It is a challenging, but really necessary talk that will mean your family can advocate for the death you want when your time comes.
“We should also take that conversation beyond medical issues alone. Where do you hope to be when you die, who do you want with you, what will give you comfort?
“These conversations are part of the care that palliative care provides. It is care that looks after the whole self – the physical and the mental, while also caring for the grieving family. In National Palliative Care Week it is also important to remember that palliative care can be accessed by people who are suffering from a range of conditions, not just cancer, and it can help them to live well through a long illness,” she says.
The PCA survey also illustrates a generation gap when it comes to concern about care. Younger people were more likely to be unhappy with the care their loved one received, with more than half saying they were not satisfied with care.
According to Professor Yates, this might reflect changing expectations of health professionals, with older Australians still more likely to defer to a medical professional.
“All Australians will be touched by death, as a friend as a family member and as a member of a community – we owe to all Australians to help them achieve the best death possible,” Professor Yates says.
