Prior to commencing in her current role as State Manager in WA-NT, Liz Behjat spent eight years as a member of the Legislative Council in Western Australia and served in the former Liberal government. During her time in Parliament Liz was an Acting President and Chair of the Public Administration Committee and conducted a number of high-level enquiries as Chair of that Committee.
Before entering Parliament Liz worked for several Federal MPs and Senators in the role of strategic campaign adviser and electorate officer both in WA and Canberra. During her years in politics Liz developed a passion for issues involving health and multiculturalism.
In her early professional career, Liz worked in the tourism and hospitality sector and also spent a number of years as a para legal working in the commercial conveyancing and leasing areas of law.
Her extensive networks built up over many years helps her in her current role with Ageing Australia to ensure that the issues facing the aged and community care sector are given the prominence and attention they require. Liz was also elected as Board Member of Palliative Care WA in late 2022.
A good death. A shared journey panel session
Precis
Implementing palliative care in aged care settings faces systemic challenges, including limited understanding of palliative care, inadequate training for staff, and systemic barriers like resource allocation. Furthermore, communication gaps between healthcare professionals, residents, and families can hinder effective care delivery. Cultural and social factors also play a role, with some individuals holding misconceptions about palliative care. This panel discussion will work through the key challenges and enhanced integrated care models from the perspective of aged care and palliative care leaders.
Facing the challenges of implementing palliative care in aged care panel
Precis
The new Support at Home End of Life Pathway is a positive and welcome addition to the aged care service landscape. People who meet the very strict entry criteria (less than 3 months to live, and largely bedbound) will go to the top of the queue for Support at Home, and will have a higher budget than any other Support at Home classification, for a limited period. The Pathway offers promising benefits, including reduced hospitalisations, increased awareness of home-based palliative care options among consumers, improved provider capacity to offer a palliative approach, and enhanced coordination between aged care and health services.
Palliative Care Australia envisages that the Pathway will brings with it some significant implementation challenges. Chief among these are the restrictive eligibility criteria, which are likely to exclude many people who require end-of-life care, especially where their condition(s) is/are not easily amenable to a firm prognosis. There is also potential for interruption and/or inappropriate reduction in services, for those who outlive the Pathway’s timeframe, and potential for administrative eligibility requirements, and assessment wait times, to limit uptake.
Another key challenge is that the Pathway’s success will depend to a large degree on the capacity of the health system to respond to palliative care needs at home – at a time when access to both specialist and primary care is under threat.
This presentation will outline these various challenges, propose some policy solutions, and provide ways that providers can get ready for the rollout of the Pathway by improving palliative care capability in their Support at Home workforce.
C6 – Investing in Skills: Who will fund the workforce of tomorrow?
Precis
A skilled, well-trained workforce is critical to delivering high-quality aged care, but who should pay for it? This session explores the challenges and responsibilities of funding workforce training, upskilling, and professional development. Hear from our expert panel as they discuss innovative approaches, shared responsibility models, and strategies to ensure the aged care sector can attract, retain, and equip the workers needed to meet tomorrow’s demand.