🌿 Supporting People to Live and Die Well at Home
When Mrs P, one of BCDs customers was told that her illness was progressing, her one wish was simple, she wanted to stay home. She wanted to be surrounded by her family, familiar sounds and smells of the place she loved.
With the right support, she did just that. Together with her care team, including BCD clinical nursing team, her doctors, and her family, Mrs P created a plan that helped her remain comfortable, cared for, and connected until the very end.
She passed peacefully, on her terms and in her own way at home, surrounded by love, in the place she felt most herself with the people who mattered most, her family.
Stories like Mrs P's reflect what the new Support at Home Program is all about, helping people live where they feel most at ease, with care that grows and changes with their needs, including support at the end of life.
💜 The End-of-Life Pathway: Dignity, Comfort and Choice
From 1 November, the Support at Home Program introduced a dedicated End-of-Life Pathway - a short-term, flexible support option for people who wish to stay at home in their final months.
The pathway helps people and families access extra care quickly and compassionately. This may include:
Personal care and daily living support
Nursing and allied health services
Equipment or home modifications to improve comfort and safety
Emotional and spiritual support for the person and their loved ones
Coordination between home care and palliative care teams
It's about making sure no one faces the end of life alone or unsupported and that every moment, right to the last, reflects the person's wishes and dignity.
🌼 Who Can Access the Pathway?
The End-of-Life Pathway is designed for people who:
Have a life expectancy of three months or less, as assessed by a doctor or nurse practitioner, and
Have experienced a decline in daily function (AKPS 40 or less).
People already receiving Support at Home services can transition quickly through an urgent plan review.
The pathway provides additional short-term funding of up to approximately $25,000 for care and supports delivered over a 12-week period, with the option to extend for up to 16 weeks if required. This funding is flexible and designed to help people receive the right mix of services from clinical nursing to domestic assistance and emotional care, so they can remain at home safely and comfortably during this important time.
The goal is to make access simple, fast, and compassionate so that care can begin when it's needed most.
🤝 What Families and Care Partners Can Expect
For many families, caring for someone at home during their final months is both a privilege and a challenge. The pathway helps by wrapping support around the person and those who love them.
Each person is supported by a dedicated care partner, someone who coordinates services, connects with doctors and nurses, and ensures that the person's needs and wishes are honoured.
Families are encouraged to take part in advance care planning, which helps capture what truly matters whether it's pain relief, quiet moments in the garden, a favourite song playing, or a beloved pet nearby. There's flexibility too. As needs change, so can the support, from additional personal care hours to clinical nursing visits, counselling, or practical help at home.
And when the time comes, families are offered compassion, reassurance, and links to bereavement and emotional wellbeing supports.
🌺 BCD's Next Step: Partnering with ELDAC
At BCD, we believe that end-of-life care is not only a clinical need but a community responsibility, to walk beside people with kindness, dignity and respect.
That's why we're proud to be partnering with ELDAC (End of Life Directions for Aged Care) through their Linkages Program. This project, will help BCD strengthen how we deliver palliative and end-of-life care across all our services.
Through this partnership, BCD will:
Build strong, compassionate frameworks for end-of-life support that are inclusive and culturally safe.
Train and empower staff to have gentle, confident conversations about end-of-life wishes and advance care directives.
Strengthen coordination between aged care, community, and palliative care teams so families feel supported every step of the way.
Embed cultural respect and personal preferences in all aspects of care, recognising that beliefs, traditions and spiritual needs are integral to the person's experience
🌻 Living and Dying Well Together
For Mrs P and her family, the support she received from the BCD nursing team, her doctor, and family meant she could say goodbye in peace. Not in a hospital room, but in her room filled with sunlight on her hands and her family close by.
She passed on her terms, her way, the way she wanted at home, surrounded by love.
This is what we hope for everyone we care for, that they can live, and die, with comfort, dignity, and choice.
Through the Support at Home Program and our partnership with ELDAC, BCD is helping make that possible, one family, one story, one gentle moment at a time.
Need Help?
If you or someone you love is approaching the end of life and would like to remain at home, our BCD Nursing Services team can help you understand your options and access the right support. Together, we can make every moment count.
Give us a call on on 1800 275 223 or get in touch through our contact form and we'll call you straight back. We’re here to help!
Sources:
My Aged Care Website: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/support-at-home-program-services.pdf
Support At Home: https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home
Disclaimer
The information provided in this blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice. While we strive to ensure the accuracy of the content, we encourage you to visit the relevant government websites for the most up-to-date and official information.