We’re so pleased to hear that the team at Fronditha Aged Care in Clayton ‘absolutely loved the education and have gained a lot from it. They enjoyed sharing their knowledge with others’. This is music to our ears and exactly what PEPA Aged Care aim to achieve.
For their post-placement activities, the team completed a number of tasks, transitioning education into practice:
- A Toolbox has been presented in each unit outlining some of what the Participants learnt about Palliative care. About dying with dignity and recognizing the needs of the Resident and family members
- The PalliAged Practice Tips for Care workers in Aged Care has been distributed to each unit for staff education as has the Practice tips for Nurses for their
- The link for palliAGED Introduction Modules for Aged Care has been distributed to all nursing staff and they have been encouraged to complete this.
- On the back of the Reverse PEPA training we organised further education for the Nursing staff with Caroline from Bethlehem Palliative Care, which focused on how to communicate with families and the Myths regarding the use of Morphine at End of Life
- The activities we have completed will enhance the experience of both Residents and their families at end of life as our staff are more aware of the signs and symptoms of deterioration and are able to refer to the Practice tips to care for someone on Palliative/EOL
- The introduction of the Palliative Care Kits will ensure that we have the equipment available to support the resident and their family. Palliative care kits include vaporisers and essential oils, lavender and frankincense, thymol and mouth swabs, CD player and classical music CDs, shower caps for hair washing and and Dermalux for bed baths. We have distributed these kits to each of our units.
- The staff who participated in the Reverse PEPA program will continue to share their knowledge with their colleagues
- We will continue to encourage staff to enhance their knowledge through online learning and face to face learning.
The activities were held within the facility in small groups and also online and in staffs own time. All Care Staff and Nursing staff were encouraged to participate.
By completing these activities the staff will have more awareness of the needs of Residents and their families when palliative and at end of life and will be able to provide a better quality of care.
The participants of the Reverse PEPA have enjoyed sharing their knowledge and Staff feedback from the activities has been very positive, several have asked about further education in Palliative care.
We will continue to share our knowledge and to ensure that new staff are made aware of the education opportunities. We will also continue to source more Education opportunities for our staff.
The introduction of the Palliative Care Kits will help staff to deliver quality care at End of Life.