OLDER Australians are missing out on timely palliative care, with new national data showing many are not being referred until their final days of life.
The latest analysis from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reveals a pattern of extremely late access to specialist palliative services, prompting concern from Palliative Care Australia (PCA) about the support older people receive in their final months.
PCA has welcomed the comprehensive dataset, which draws on the records of 132,000 people aged 65 and over who died predictable, illness-related deaths in 2021-22. The findings show that older people typically receive their first specialist palliative care service just 12 days before they die, far short of the early interventions proven to improve comfort, decision-making and quality of life.
PCA CEO Camilla Rowland said the timing highlights a significant gap between evidence-based recommendations and real-world access.
“The median time between a first specialist palliative care service and death was just 12 days,” Ms Rowland said.
“We know from the evidence that outcomes are better when people get early access to palliative care – at least 90 days before death,” she said.
“That gap represents lost time for comfort, planning and connection for older people and their families.”
As the number of Australians aged over 85 rapidly increases, the need for timely and coordinated palliative care is expected to grow.
Yet the data shows that residents in aged care facilities remain among the least likely to receive specialist palliative support, and when they do, it often arrives even closer to the end of life.
Ms Rowland said this is particularly concerning given complex conditions such as frailty and dementia.
“Families want more than a week or two of help at the very end – they want time to understand what is happening, manage symptoms well, and share precious, unhurried moments together,” she said.
The AIHW report also highlights high levels of hospital use at the end of life, with 68 per cent of older Australians experiencing at least one unplanned hospital admission in their final year.
“The report confirms what many families and clinicians have been feeling for a long time – that palliative care is often introduced as a late response to dying,” Ms Rowland said.
