Mr Amin Bahrami
1Department for Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, Australia
Biography:
Mohammad Amin Bahrani has earned his PhD in Health Services Management from Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2010 and has completed several professional fellowships, including Educational Scholarship and Leadership (2021), Medical Education (2020), and E-Learning (2019). Since 2007, he has held academic and administrative positions at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences (2010–2018) and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (2018–2024). In 2024, he relocated to Adelaide, South Australia, and joined the Palliative and End-of-Life Care Team at SA Health.
Abstract:
Background:
The number of palliative care patients living alone is increasing. This study aimed to identify the unmet needs of palliative care patients living alone in South Australia and how they can be support through palliative care navigation.
Methods:
Demographic and service data were collected from episodes of care delivered by Palliative Care Connect (PCC) to patients living alone. The most common reasons for contacting PCC, the types of support provided, and key outcomes achieved (as assessed by navigators) were examined.
Results:
Data from 152 PCC episodes of care were analysed. 61.3% of the episodes of care were to support a female. Most patients (82.4%) were aged over 65 years, with a mean age of 77.36 ± 11.62 years; on average, men were 4.27 years younger than women. 41.6% of patients resided in regional areas. The most common primary diagnoses were cancer (62.9%), respiratory failure (11.4%), and cardiovascular diseases (6.8%). People living alone contacted PCC mostly seeking help to navigate the healthcare system, access palliative care services, home-based care coordination, and end of life planning. PCC provided an average of 2.60 types of support per episode of care, most commonly general navigation support, health services navigation, and aged care supports. The main achievements reported by navigators included empowering patients to manage their own care and make informed decisions, improving access to support services, enhancing timely access to care, and facilitating home-based care coordination.
Conclusion:
As life expectancy increases, the number of people living alone at the end of life continues to rise. Health systems must adapt to meet the needs of this vulnerable group through community facing services which deliver improved care coordination. This study highlights how palliative care navigation supports people without a caregiver and the services system to achieve this.