Planning Ahead: Understanding Palliative Care Support

Betsy had no idea that the end of life could be so... peaceful. Her husband, Peter, lived with young onset Alzheimer’s disease, and the pair of them didn’t want to even think about the end of his life when he was diagnosed. But as Peter’s condition worsened, he made his desires clear: he wanted to stay at home for as long as possible, and he didn't want his life prolonged when quality was compromised. When they moved to palliative care, everything changed. "The noise went away, the fear went away. There was grief, but lots of love. There was room to breathe."  Palliative care was central to the peace Betsy and Peter experienced at the end of his life, but managing that time can begin much earlier if you want it to. "Palliative care goes from the point of diagnosis," says Jayne, Nightingale Program Manager at Dementia Australia. "It's not about morphine at end-of-life. It's about living well, having good quality of life, having choice." Betsy shares how she and Peter made palliative care their own, and Jayne invites you to start thinking and talking about palliative care early, so it can be exactly what you need when the time comes.    +++    Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Jim Rogers and Hamish Macdonald.     ABOUT THE GUESTS  Betsy is an Advocate and former carer. An engineer by background, Betsy stepped away from corporate life following her husband Peter's diagnosis with young onset Alzheimer's disease. Peter passed away in palliative care in 2024, on their 25th wedding anniversary. Betsy now works in food relief charity. Jayne is Nightingale Program Manager at Dementia Australia. She provides national leadership in specialist palliative and dementia care, with a background as a Clinical Nurse Consultant and extensive experience across aged care, community, and person-centred practice.     NEED SUPPORT?   Contact the National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - funded by the Australian Government.     SERVICES & RESOURCES   Find links, services and information from this episode → https://www.dementia.org.au/episode-planning-ahead    EPISODE CREDITS  Produced by Liam Riordan | Sound design by Slade Gibson | Executive producers: Sarah Dabro and Kellie Riordan | Production manager: Ann Chesterman     FOLLOW DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA   Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn     Dementia Australia and Deadset Studios acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.