In July 2021, VMCH (Villa Maria Catholic Homes) opened O’Neill House, a specialised end-of-life care and respite home located in Prahran, Victoria. This is the first stand-alone service of its kind offered by VMCH. O’Neill House aims to provide a modern, luxurious, and homelike environment for those entering the last phase of their life and their families. Care is highly personalised and based on each resident’s needs and wishes, and the facility offers pastoral care, an open chapel for reflection and worship, and activities that bring connection and enjoyment. Visitors are encouraged and can stay overnight in the resident’s room or in a fully self-contained apartment.
Palliative Care Victoria estimates that 1 in 4 Victorians who die each year (approximately 10,000 people) do so without adequate access to palliative care. Additionally, two-thirds of Australians die between the ages of 75 and 95, usually of chronic or degenerative conditions that arise with ageing. Almost three-quarters of them will become aware they are dying and more than half of them will die in the hospital, despite preferring to die elsewhere.
VMCH recognised the need for a more holistic, personal and empowering approach to palliative care in the aged care industry. As a flagship organisation partnering with the End of Life Direction for Aged Care (ELDAC) initiative, VMCH set up new training practices to bring better palliative care services into aged care. O’Neill House was designed following extensive research and focuses on providing a physical environment that is relaxed and welcoming, well-lit, and designed to enable family and friends to stay overnight. The aim of O’Neill House is to take away the other burdens of caring, so there is more time for meaningful conversations and connections with family during this sacred time.
Since its opening, over 70 people have called O’Neill House home and VMCH has supported many of them and their families through the palliative journey. VMCH’s leadership role in residential palliative care has greatly benefitted staff, residents and their families and has allowed VMCH to become leaders and award winners in this field. The aim is to ease the burden on people and their families and reduce the need for emergency department presentations and deaths during transfers to and from services.
In 2022, VMCH won the Future of Ageing Awards Palliative Care Category Award, for their specialist end-of-life care and respite home, O’Neill House in Prahran, Victoria. Timed to coincide with Palliative Care Week 2023, Re Aged Care spoke with the VMCH CEO Sonya Smart about O’Neill House, the training to staff and the level of palliative support given to residents.
Credit: Future of Ageing Awards, Inside Ageing
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5 Key priorities in Aged Care, according to a Geriatrician
Geriatrician Professor Susan Kurrle is Curran Professor in Health Care of Older People at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney.
Professor Kurrle is a practicing geriatrician for the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), specialising in the areas of dementia, frailty, elder abuse, successful ageing, and intergenerational care.
In this Re Aged Care segment, Professor Kurrle talks about the 5 key priorities in aged care reform, from the point of few of a geriatrician, especially those that are living with dementia.
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Overview of End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC)
ELDAC stands for End of Life Directions for Aged Care. It is an Australian national project that aims to improve the quality of end-of-life care provided to older people in residential aged care facilities. The project was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and began in 2015.
Re Aged Care spoke with Dr Priyanka Vandersman, an End of Life Directions for Aged Care Research Fellow, at the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying, Flinders University about ELDAC and its importance for the aged care workers and residents. Timed to coincide with Palliative Care Week 2023, the interview was captured at the ARIIA Facing the Future: Aged Care 2030 and Beyond Conference in Adelaide in May.
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Applying creativity in wellness and reablement in residential aged care
Real World Games are a series of events that mimic typical obstacles older adults may face in the community. Each event incorporates a different environment, skill and challenge. Over 4 weeks, each competitor will receive the support and training of their allied health team to conquer challenges. These challenges have been designed for varying mobility and functional levels, as well as some challenges for the trainers, for all involved to compete.
The games will culminate in a live-streamed event where competitors from across Australia will compete against each residential aged care centre.
The aim is to make as many older adults as possible, community ambulant, whilst using creativity to give older Australians a sense of fun in the activity.
