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.
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.
What is palliative care, and what isn’t it?
Palliative care has been in Australia for years, but is often misunderstood. People often think that palliative care just means that they stop treating your illness and only treat your pain. Actually, it has a lot more to offer than just pain. But many are confused about what it actually is, so we’ve made it […]
Dementia, Swallowing, Memory Boxes and Capacity for Decision Making – lessons from Speech Pathologists.
People with Dementia often “lose their swallow.” This is not often known yet it causes aspiration pneumonia (things going down the wrong way) and is often the reason doctors give a “Nil By Mouth” order. There are however things you can do. Here Colleen Kerr talks about her wish for a Masterfood Challenge where the […]