Page 5038 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
services, interstate innovations, advanced care planning, support for community organisations and volunteers, and education programs.
We know that demand for palliative care is increasing. A report released just last week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that from 2004-05 to 2008-09 the number of palliative care separations from public hospitals increased from 411 to 699—an average annual increase of 14.2 per cent. When the age distribution and population size are taken into account for each of the years considered, the age-standardised rate of palliative care separations in the ACT went from 15.7 palliative care separations per 10,000 people in 2004-05 to 23.1 per 10,000 persons in 2008-09.
The AIHW does not provide strong data on the number of people who choose to die at home, but the latest newsletter from the palliative care society has a quote from a Palliative Care Australia survey stating that about 16 per cent of people die at home, 20 per cent die in hospices and 10 per cent die in nursing homes. The remaining 54 per cent die in hospitals.
Notes my office took from a meeting with the Little Company of Mary in November 2009 indicated that Calvary Health Care, in its provision of palliative care services to the ACT, dealt with around 221 palliative care patients at any one time. Nineteen of these people could be in the hospice and 202 would be in palliative care in the home. LCM expected that, by 2020, palliative care services in the ACT would be servicing about 480 people at any one time.
In addition to palliative care services currently provided by Calvary Health Care, there is a palliative care liaison nursing service run out of Canberra Hospital, some community-based services, general practitioners who practise palliative care and the ACT Palliative Care Society with its volunteers.
One recent innovation in Canberra is the Covenant Care Day Hospice in Jamison. This project is a joint venture between the ACT Palliative Care Society and the Holy Covenant Anglican Church. The program is expected to open shortly and cater for between eight and 10 patients once a fortnight. The ACT Palliative Care Society will be responsible for the financial management of the joint venture, establishing appropriate financial accounts, leading fundraising activities and providing general assistance, including administrative and clerical assistance. The society will also provide assistance and advice in relation to the identification and training of volunteers who will work in the program.
Anglican Church Jamison will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the day care hospice, including accommodation, meals, activities, transport, housing and maintenance of all equipment used by covenant care, employment and remuneration of staff and rosters for staff, volunteers and clients. The Jamison branch of Bendigo Bank is sponsoring the project and Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison will provide meals. There is the potential to replicate this service in other sites around Canberra if it is successful.
This project allows a carer to have a day off and some much-needed respite. The role of being a carer is one which is extremely draining and it is important that carers are
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video