To access the press release and report click on the logo
Good afternoon
Go Gentle is proud to present Voluntary Assisted Dying in Residential Aged Care Homes: A National Report Card, a new report in partnership with OPAN (Older Persons Advocacy Network).
The report was launched yesterday at the Ageing Australia National Conference.
The report finds most of Australia’s largest residential aged care providers do not provide VAD information to the public, nor do they permit eligible residents to access their legal choice of VAD in their facilities – despite VAD legislation having passed in every Australian state and the ACT.
Key findings
– 85 per cent of residential aged care providers do not offer VAD access to their residents, or do not offer any public information about VAD.
– Just 5 per cent of residential aged care providers we surveyed offered both high quality VAD information and full VAD access.
What does this mean for me or my loved one?
Always be prepared. Ask an aged care facility as far in advance as you can if VAD can take place on their premises. Ideally, find out the provider’s position on VAD before becoming resident in their facility. This means you can plan, and avoid any unexpected transfers.
Sadly, we have heard of frail and sick aged care residents being forced to move to another care home to access VAD. We have also heard from residents who only learnt about VAD when it was too late, as well as families who are angry that their loved one suffered unnecessarily.
“The results in this report are disturbing,” said Go Gentle CEO Dr Linda Swan.
‘’Older people have a legal right to know their options at the end of life, including VAD. And they have a right to know this information before they choose the facility that will become their home.”
Next steps
Our intention in publishing this report is to encourage transparency so that older Australians can make informed choices about their care.
We will repeat this research within a year, at which time all providers – and their results – will be made public.
A tool to help the public compare residential aged care homes by the end-of-life care they offer will also be developed.
Share your experience
If you or a loved one has a story to tell about VAD in residential aged care, good or bad, please consider sharing it with us. We will always respect your privacy and will never publish or use your testimony without gaining your consent first. Your stories are the best way to achieve change. Share your story here: https://www.gogentleaustralia.org.au/submit_your_story
With thanks
The team at Go Gentle Australia
Australia