With more headlines this week about aged care homes “dumping” residents in emergency departments, we decided to take a look at hospital transfers from aged care facilities in the last year.
While these have increased, they don’t say how many of these admissions were for urgent medical treatment or end-of-life care.
The reality is there are more people entering aged care than ever before. Often they are older, in their 80’s or 90’s, with a range of serious health conditions. 2017 also saw severe flu and gastro outbreaks affect a number of facilities.
If residents need medical care, then they will be transferred to hospital for treatment – regardless of staffing arrangements.
There’s also the critical – and often overlooked – issue of end-of-life care.
Most of us would be unaware aged care facilities receive very little funding for palliative care – because it is funded under a separate arrangement, most aged care residents don’t qualify for funding.
Don’t leave decisions for the emergency room
A recent Productivity Commission report found thousands of Australians were dying in hospitals when they would rather be at home or in a familiar environment.
It recommended the Government relax the restrictions on palliative care funding in aged care and require facilities to have trained staff talk to residents about their future care needs.
We support this idea. It’s estimated around half of Australians won’t be able to make our own end-of-life decisions, but few of us have a plan in place.
The Commission wants us to use our 70-plus health check – or next annual check-up – to set up an advanced care plan that sets out who you would like to speak for you if you are too sick to do so yourself and what health care decisions you would like them to make.
This should be then updated if you go into an aged care home.
It make sense. You will know your wishes are being respected – and ease the stress on your family to make decisions during a difficult time.
Find out more about advanced care planning on agedcare101 here.
National Advance Care Planning Week is April 16-22.
