An end-of-life (EoL) package is a coordinated set of short-term, intensive support services, often home-based, for people with a terminal or life-limiting illness, focusing on comfort, symptom management, and practical help for the patient and family during their final months. These packages bridge care gaps, providing services like personal care, nursing, household help, and emotional support to allow individuals to remain at home, often working alongside existing palliative care.
The End-of-Life Pathway provides access to $25,000 over a 12-week period to spend on extra services. You can access this for a total of 16 weeks, if those funds are still available to provide flexibility. This replaces any other funding you may have through My Aged Care.
Paying for your care
If you are eligible for local authority funding, it might cover all or part of the cost of a care home. If the care home costs more than the council is prepared to pay, you or your family will have to pay the difference.
The medicines are supplied just in case someone develops symptoms. These medicines can be called anticipatory medications, end of life medications, or just in case medications. If someone develops symptoms, the person, their family, friends or carers can call their GP, specialist nurse or district nurse.
End-of-life care duration varies greatly; it can last from a few days to several months or even over a year, depending on the individual's condition, with hospice usually focusing on the last 6 months, but palliative care (which includes EOL) can start much earlier and go on for years, focusing on comfort and quality of life as a terminal illness progresses.
Palliative care offers comfort and symptom relief for serious illnesses at any stage, alongside curative treatment, while end-of-life care is a specific, focused type of palliative care for the final months or weeks of life, emphasizing comfort as life ends and curative treatments stop. The key difference is timing: palliative care starts early and can continue with active treatments, while end-of-life care is reserved for the last, terminal phase, aiming for peacefulness as the body shuts down.
Key signs 2 weeks before death at the end-of-life stages timeline: Extreme fatigue and increased sleep. A marked decrease in appetite and fluid intake. Irregular breathing patterns (Cheyne-Stokes breathing)
Midazolam SC 10mg–20mg over 24 hours in a syringe pump + midazolam SC 2mg–5mg hourly as required. Levomepromazine may need to be used in addition to midazolam under specialist advice. Use lower doses if not used previously and in frail elderly for example: levomepromazine SC 2.5mg-5mg as required 2 hourly.
The 80/20 rule is part of the Medicare hospice rule that ensures most hospice services are delivered where patients feel most comfortable — at home. Under this guideline, at least 80% of all hospice care must be provided in a patient's home setting, such as a private residence, assisted living, or nursing facility.
You will not be entitled to help with the cost of care from your local council if:
Hospice Isn't About Giving Up
It's not a place to speed up the process of dying. A doctor suggesting hospice does not mean they're giving up on providing care and medical treatment. It's end-of-life care, but this doesn't mean giving up hope. It means shifting focus from curative treatments to comfort and support.
It's available to people who have certain types of health and care needs. It is free of charge to the person receiving the care.
In Australian aged care, how much you can have in the bank depends on your overall assets, but you can keep a certain amount as an "asset-free threshold" (around $63,000 for a single person), with higher limits ($210,555.20) for your home's value before substantial accommodation fees kick in, and your total assets (including bank, investments, and potentially gifted money) determine your contribution level via means-testing, with amounts above these thresholds reducing your government support or increasing your means-tested care fee.
You can receive end of life care at home, in a care home, hospice or be cared for in hospital, depending on your needs and preference. People who are approaching the end of their life are entitled to high-quality care, wherever they're being cared for.
Stage 2: Giving emotional, spiritual and psychological support. Between the time of the care plan being created and the time it takes to implement it, you and the patient will be offered emotional, spiritual and psychological support. This is the perfect opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
Morphine is an opiate, a strong drug used to treat serious pain. Sometimes, morphine is also given to ease the feeling of shortness of breath. Successfully reducing pain and addressing concerns about breathing can provide needed comfort to someone who is close to dying.
Subcutaneous infusions are easier and safer to use when a patient is not in hospital. This is because they are easier to set up and do not need close medical supervision. Even if 'the drip' falls out it does not cause serious problems. This way of replacing fluids has been used safely for several decades.
End of Life Care List of Medicines
But the body tries valiantly. The first organ system to “close down” is the digestive system.
If you move the person, be very gentle and tell them what you are doing. A few layers of light, warm clothing and bedding can help to keep them at a comfortable temperature. As the person gets closer to death, their breathing pattern will probably change.
Many people reach up or raise their arms near the end of life—it's a common and beautiful part of the journey. Some say it's the soul beginning to lift, reaching toward something beyond.
But as death approaches, you may notice some of these changes.
As organs and bodily functions shut down, minimal amounts of nutrition or hydration/liquids might be needed, if at all. We recommend using the body's gradual decline as an indicator for when to stop giving food and water to hospice patients.
Because of decreased fluid intake, the person's urine output will naturally decrease. As a result, the urine may become concentrated and “tea” colored. The person may also lose control of urine and bowel function as the muscles in that area begin to relax.