Improving palliative care for Tasmanians with dementia
The Tasmanian Minister for Health, Michelle O’Byrne, has launched a research project aimed at improving the way palliative care services are delivered to Tasmanians who have dementia.
Ms O’Byrne said the research project was an important step forward in meeting the significant challenges of providing excellent end-of-life care for people with dementia.
“Despite a growing recognition that Alzheimer’s disease and other progressive dementias are terminal conditions, it can be difficult for family members and even some health professionals to see dementia as an illness from which someone dies,” Ms O’Byrne said.
“This project will explore opportunities for improvement in dementia care by bringing together professionals from a range of disciplines with the aim of improving care provision for people with dementia and their carers, in the last stage of life.
“While great strides have been made recently in improving end-of-life care, it is an unfortunate fact that some people with dementia do die without the appropriate care because their needs just aren’t recognised.”
The research project, called Community of Practice in Dementia, is a joint project between the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, Alzheimer’s Australia Western Australia and Curtin University’s Health and Innovation Research Institute in Western Australia.
Funded by the Australian Government through the Wicking Centre, the Tasmanian project team will be based in Launceston and will work closely with Tasmanian health service providers.
“Anything we can do that can improve care for people with dementia will have enormous benefits for the individuals, their families, carers and the people who deliver the support services,” Ms O’Byrne said.
“This project seeks to improve the basic human experience we all risk facing at the end of life and as such is vitally important work.”
