Palliative Care Approach

Belvedere Aged Care’s Palliative Care approach aims to improve the quality-of-life for individuals with a life-limiting illness. It provides reassurance to families and reduces an individual’s suffering through early identification, assessment and treatment of pain. Our palliative care approach is holistic; recognising the importance of an individual’s physical, emotional, cultural and spiritual needs.

Belvedere’s Palliative Focus

At Belvedere we focus on improving the resident’s quality of care by:

• Ensuring an Advance Care Directive is completed on admission.
• Providing ongoing education to staff on the palliative approach of residents at Belvedere Aged Care.
• Encouraging open and early discussion on conditions and treatment options with residents and their loved ones through family consultations involving Doctors, families, residents and staff.
• Effectively managing pain and other distressing symptoms, in a setting that is comfortable and familiar to the resident and family.
• Offering consistent and continuous care by staff with whom residents and families have an established positive relationship.
• Actively accessing specialised care when it is most needed (South Eastern palliative care, In Reach, Psychologist and GPs)

At Belvedere Palliative approach is implemented:

• When a resident has significant functional or medical decline.
• If problems are apparent concerning goals of care around unsuccessful treatment, perhaps after an acute event.
• If the resident is transferred or admitted to Belvedere Aged Care specifically for comfort or palliative care.

Clear and culturally appropriate communication is of great importance to the palliative approach. Families are consulted with their preferences and wishes and are given the chance to understand and monitor care throughout each phase of palliative care.

Supporting Families of palliative residents

At Belvedere we offer families the opportunity to stay with the residents if they wish to do so, and provide meals if necessary to ease their grief – both mentally and physically while their loved one is receiving palliative care.

We recognise and cater for the diverse cultural and spiritual needs of residents in our care. Religious visits, the provision of last rites; gentle and appropriate music is played and aromatherapy oils are used to promote a calm environment for the resident receiving palliative approach.

Belvedere’s ultimate aim is to decrease unnecessary hospital admissions, eliminate the need of urgent family decisions and reduce stress by ensuring a resident’s wishes are respected and quality care provided.

To find out more about Belvedere Aged Care’s Palliative Care approach, speak to Wima Edwards, Deputy Director of Nursing on 03 9574 1355