Many patients choose to be cared for in their own home or their local community, under the care of their GP, rather than being in the city. A greater choice in site of care and place of death, perhaps to be in familiar surroundings amongst family and friends is an important consideration.

Ninety percent of the care of patients who are within the last year of their life is at home under the care of the General Practitioner and Community Nurses.

South Australia currently has the oldest population and the fastest growing aged population in Australia. Life expectancy at birth for South Australians is 76.6 for males and 82.3 for females, which further contributes to the number of older people living in South Australia.

In 1901 there were 151 thousand people aged 65 and over living in Australia, comprising 4% of the population. It is projected that by 2051 this figure will rise, to between 6 and 6.3 million people or about 25% of the total population of Australia.(Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 census).

The evidence indicates that, in the future, up to 60% of terminally ill people would choose to access some form of home based or community based palliative care service (DHS, Strategic Plan, April 1998). With a demonstrated increased need for Palliative Care services, steps need to be taken to further plan and develop service provision.

Health Professionals within the local community have access to support and educational resources promoting best practice palliative care. This includes the support of the Palliative Care Nurses at Community Nursing (08) 8393 1888, as well as project initiatives such as resource packs and clinical pathways.

A local Palliative Care Link Nurse Group is in operation within the Adelaide Hills, facilitated by the Palliative Care Nurse Consultant at Community Nursing. These nurses, representing Residential Aged Care Facilities and  local Hospitals come together to work on Palliative Care initiatives.