National Palliative Care Week: A big week for better end-of-life care
It’s clear there is growing momentum around data, dignity and decision-making at the end of life. And most exciting of all, there’s a convergence happening—of policy, funding, legislation and digital innovation, writes TouchstoneLife Care CEO Dr Merran Cooper.
Digital advance care planning and the ambulance ramping crisis
Ambulance ramping cases have been described as the “canaries in the healthcare coalmine”, with escalating pressures on hospitals exposed by delays in the transfer of patients into emergency departments.
Touchstone’s data provides insights into Australians’ end-of-life wishes
Data matters. At Touchstone, our digital advance care planning platform is a unique repository of de-identified data on the end-of-life wishes of Australians.
Opening statement to the Senate Inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024
Touchstone founder CEO Dr Merran Cooper became emotional when she appeared at the Senate Inquiry into the new Aged Care Bill and spoke about some of the difficult moments she faced as a hospital physician when advance care plans were unavailable.
Improving end-of-life care is a crucial aspect of healthcare
Improving end-of-life care is a crucial aspect of healthcare, and advance care directives (ACDs) play a vital role in guiding end-of-life care decisions.
Using digital advance care planning to optimise health care outcomes
Palliative care specialist, Jane Fischer, explains how using Touchstone Life Care’s digital advance care planning can optimise care outcomes.
Why Touchstone Life Care is unique in advance care planning
We begin with helping people explore their own values and choices about quality of life, including how they want their life and their dying to look and feel – to them and to their loved ones.
How palliative care is changing in Australia
In this article, Dr Merran Cooper, CEO of Touchstone Life Care, explains how and why palliative care is changing in Australia – for the better.
It’s time for better care at the end of life
While end-of-life care services help improve quality of life through relieving pain and other symptoms, currently, there are substantial gaps in the provision of services.
Managed dying. The new palliative care?
Managed dying should be about shared decision making but it rarely is. It’s usually a doctor telling patients what the most conservative option is and why they should choose it.
