A profile of dying residents in South Australian nursing homes

Most residents in Australian nursing homes end their life in these settings and therefore palliative care, death and dying are a major concern within these institutions. However, to date, a detailed profile of dying residents in Australian nursing homes has not been undertaken. This study describes the profile of 45 residents in 10 South Australian nursing homes who were identified as dying by nursing home staff. These residents were highly dependent on nursing staff for their day-to-day needs; they had deteriorating mental states and experienced symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, pain, anorexia, constipation and dysphagia. The main difficulties experienced by nursing home staff in providing palliative care for these residents included pain management issues and the lack of time available to care for residents and their relatives. This was compounded by the care needs of these dying residents. The study findings demonstrate that the provision of good palliative care requires adequate time, skill-mix, staff development and support, and the provision of palliative care education for staff and GPs.