We provide expert and compassionate care to ensure your loved one feels nurtured and supported when nearing end of life.
We offer various services to offer heart-felt support, comfort and connection to maximise their quality of life. These include:
At IRT, we apply a person-centred approach and truly take the time to get to know you and your loved one to ensure we deliver the care you need. This includes:
As a community-owned residential aged care provider with more than 50 years’ experience, we put people first. Our residents are cared for with kindness and supported to experience maximum comfort and quality of life when living with a life-limiting illness.
Our caring staff, aged care workers and registered nurses are there 24/7 so you’ll have compassionate and specialised palliative care at arm’s reach. We understand everyone has different needs, which is why we personalise the palliative care experience for every resident.
We work in partnership with leading Australian researchers and health experts to enrich residents’ quality of life, when they need it most. We are experienced palliative care providers you can trust.
We provide a range of supportive programs and activities to support your loved one’s well-being and provide a sense of purpose and belonging for residents living with life-limiting illness.
All IRT employees are suitably qualified, trained and vetted for their roles. We also invest in regular staff education and training through our industry-leading IRT Academy and national leaders in palliative care.
Our Journey of Care model is a unique and innovative way of delivering palliative care at our aged care facilities. We support our residents and their families through this time, and offer a range of signature 'neigbourhoods' and 'specialist' programs where residents are honoured in life, and in passing.
We provide compassionate care for residents’ physical needs, while also nurturing their spirit. Residents are treated with dignity and respect as they approach end of life with a range of signature recognition programs.
Options include:
• Portable refreshment units for families visiting a loved one at end of life
• Purple flower room signage to signify the imminent passing of a loved one, and butterfly room signage symbolising their passing
• A Guard of Honour to farewell residents as they leave the aged care centre (if the family wishes)
• A memorial book to celebrate the memory of the resident.
Our residents live in 'neighbourhoods', defined needs-based areas within our aged care centres that cater for residents with similar care needs.
Our 'Serenity' (palliative care) neighbourhood enables us to tailor our environment, staff, equipment and programs to meet your loved one's unique needs.
Our palliative care experience promotes comfort, care and a holistic understanding of wellbeing.
Our specialist programs such as our 'Namaste' program support resident wellbeing and enrich their quality of life with activities such as:
• Receiving gentle loving touch and human connection. Hands and face may be gently washed with a warm flannel, patted dry with a soft towel and moisturising cream applied.
• Sensory stimulation such as music, therapeutic touch, massage and aromatherapy.
• Pain relief management, warmth and hydration provided by specially trained staff
Namaste activities enable residents living with life-limiting illness to experience comfort, connection and receive loving kindness.
Learn more about Journey of Care and how this highly specialised model of care can support your loved one living with a life-limiting illness.
Here are some of the therapeutic activities we offer at IRT to enhance your loved one’s comfort and quality of life as part of their palliative care. We deliver palliative care activities that are tailored to meet each resident’s values, interests and individual needs.
Music therapy
Refreshments
Aromatherapy
Movies
Reading
Massage
Pet therapy
Beauty therapy
Food treats
Check our our blog The Good Life to learn more about palliative care, including resources and support available, plus the types of treatment available for people living with life-limiting illnesses.
Find out moreWe currently offer palliative care services across a number of our aged care centres and are continuing to roll the program out throughout NSW, Qld and the ACT.
Our compassionate palliative care team and health professionals support resident well-being and overall quality of life when it’s needed most. Our specialised program is suited to residents with end-stage dementia or who are nearing their end of life.
If your loved one has a life-limiting illness or chronic condition and needs palliative care (and residential aged care), the first step is to register with My Aged Care and get an ACAT assessment. This is the Australian Government’s aged care services portal where you can access information and apply for funding.
At IRT, we want to make the process as smooth as possible so we’ve put together a handy step-by-step guide to help you on your aged care journey, including people in need of palliative care aged care.
Aged care centres offer specialised types of care such as respite care, palliative care and dementia care.
Palliative care is a comprehensive approach to care that looks after your loved one’s physical needs while also supporting their emotional wellbeing as they face a life limiting illness.
Palliative care is specialised medical care and primary care type that can be offered to anyone with a serious illness, even alongside curative treatment. It can include medical treatment that relieves suffering, but it’s about enhancing quality of life overall, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Our specialised palliative care program is founded on extensive experience in end of life care, offering a holistic approach to the residential aged care experience. Treating residents with dignity and respect, in life and in death, is a given at IRT.
Palliative care is specialised medical care that aims to improve the quality of life for someone living with a life-limiting illness or chronic condition. Anyone with a chronic condition can receive palliative care from a palliative care specialist at any stage of life-limiting illness, regardless of how close they might be to dying. In fact, early palliative care can be beneficial for many people in helping to manage their illness.
End-of-life care (sometimes called hospice care) is its own type of specialised care that falls under the umbrella of palliative care. It also aims to improve quality of life and emotional wellbeing, but it’s only offered in the very last stage of a person’s life when they are quickly approaching death and need more additional support, especially with things like mobility, eating, drinking and pain management.
Learn more about the difference between palliative care and end-of-life care on our blog The Good Life here or contact Palliative Care Australia.
You can also read about other important topics such as advance care planning.
The aim of palliative care is to enhance the quality of life of your loved one and help them maintain their independence. We focus on integrating palliative care into their overall care plan through offering the following:
IRT’s Journey of Care is a model that personalises the care experience for every resident. We recognise that every journey is unique and honour the diversity of each resident’s care needs.
Our specialised model of care ensures residents age in the right place with the right care within our aged care centres.
For example, as part of Journey of Care, we offer needs-based “neighbourhoods” within our aged care centre for residents with similar care needs, such as those living with dementia care or approaching end of life. This allows us to provide the right staff, equipment and programs for these residents. It also allows us to tailor the environment and ultimately provide a much more specialised care experience to best support your loved one.
Find out more about Journey of Care here.
To effectively deliver palliative care in aged care centres, we have ‘Neighbourhoods’ which are defined needs-based residential areas within our communities that allow for more specialised care. This particular neighbourhood focuses on compassionate care for residents’ physical needs, while also nurturing their spirit. Residents are treated with dignity and respect as they approach end of life with a range of signature recognition programs.
Options include:
Portable refreshment units for families visiting a loved one at end of life
Purple flower room signage to signify the imminent passing of a loved one, and butterfly room signage symbolising their passing
A Guard of Honour to farewell residents as they leave the aged care centre (if the family wishes)
A memorial book to celebrate the memory of the resident.
The serenity neighbourhood suits residents with limited to no mobility and a life limiting illness or advancing dementia.
Our palliative care program is part of IRT’s Journey of Care model. It’s a unique approach to delivering residential aged care that won’t affect the cost of a resident’s accommodation and care.
Learn more about aged care costs here.
Trained staff integrate sensory stimulation into care delivery using therapeutic touch, aromatherapy, music and sensory experiences. Activities are tailored for each resident and generally include special mementos from their life. Family and friends are encouraged to participate, as Namaste often enables a sense of connection at a time when communication with loved ones is limited.
Core services include:
Discover more about the Namaste program here.
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