Goals of Care

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For palliative care patients, quality of life is a key goal. GPs need to consider the impact and likely value of treatments and investigations.

Person-centred care in aged care supports dignity, independence, and cultural values by aligning care with individual goals, reducing distress, and improving quality of life.

Reducing care burden in aged care involves deprescribing unnecessary treatments, aligning care with goals, improving comfort, and minimising harm through person-centred planning.

Supporting the delivery of excellent end-of-life care is a part of delivering comprehensive care that aligns with the patient’s expressed goals of care and healthcare needs, considers the impact of the patient’s health issues on their life and wellbeing, and is clinically appropriate. It is important that care is provided continuously and collaboratively in line with their diagnoses and agreed goals of care. Their comprehensive care plan should reflect their individual preferences.

Managing diverse care needs. Palliative care is often discussed in terms of holistic care, and of a patient and family-centred approach. Interdisciplinary team build on each other's expertise to achieve common, shared goals in working with patients, carers and families.

Guidelines providing access to evidence you can trust. Health care quality standards and indicators tell you what outcomes are expected of the care you provide and what structures should be in place or available. Achieving aspirational care goals and standards requires access to evidence-based guidance on what works and how to implement this in practice.

What it is: Distress at the end of life, also known as existential distress, death distress, or death anxiety, refers to the emotional suffering of dying which includes thoughts about: • death • the meaning of life • loneliness • loss of dignity • loss of control • achieving life’s goals.

In order to deliver safe and effective care, aged care organisations need to ensure that information about an older person’s condition, needs, goals and preferences is effectively communicated between members of the care team as well as other parties that share responsibility for the person’s care. This will prevent older people in your care from constantly needing to remind staff of their needs, as well as reduce the risk of mistakes and harm from occurring.