Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has welcomed the Australian Government's new End-of-Life Pathway under the new Support at Home aged care program, starting 1 November 2025, calling it a major opportunity to help more older Australians live and die well at home.
PCA CEO Camilla Rowland said the $25,000 allocation for home based aged care is a vital step forward that could transform end of life care for thousands of Australians each year.
"This reform is a breakthrough in recognising the community's strong preference to receive care at home," Ms Rowland said.
"Its key benefit is in allowing people who do not have long to live to jump the long waiting list for aged care at home.
"If we address a handful of practical barriers, we can make sure this Pathway delivers on its promise and gives more Australians the chance to spend their final weeks where they most want to be - at home, surrounded by the people and comforts that matter most."
PCA's Support at Home End-of-Life Pathway Position Statement, released today at The Ageing Australia National Conference on the Gold Coast, sets out key risks that could limit the impact of the reform, and practical recommendations to ensure its success.
"A key challenge is restrictive eligibility criteria, which is based on life expectancy rather than need for palliative care," Ms Rowland said. "This may inhibit access to people whose life expectancy is less predictable, such as people with dementia."
Ms Rowland said that once someone is on the End-of-Life Pathway, there is a possibility they may live longer than 16 weeks, which is why PCA is calling for removal of the time limit for receiving Pathway-funded services.
"To ensure the Pathway works as intended, PCA has recommended removal or an extension of the time limit so people do not have service withdrawn at the very time they need it most.
"If we can address the challenges outlined in PCA's position statement, the End-of-Life Pathway could set a new benchmark for high-quality, person-centred care at the end of life. PCA is also calling for an independent evaluation within the first year of the program to track outcomes and make refinements based on real world experience.
"This is the opportunity to improve co-ordination across systems and give Australians real choice about where and how they are cared for," Ms Rowland said.
