Palliative and end-of-life care in an aged care home
What it is, who it suits, how to find it, what to ask and what it costs, followed by the 0 homes in our list that record palliative care.
Can an aged care home provide palliative care?
Yes. Aged care homes are expected to care for residents at the end of life, and many people spend their last weeks in an aged care home rather than in hospital. How well they do it varies, so ask about registered nurse cover overnight, links with the local specialist palliative care team, and how the home supports families. Our data records palliative care at 0 homes.
What palliative care in an aged care home means
Palliative care is care for someone with an illness that cannot be cured, focused on comfort, dignity and what matters to them. End-of-life care is the part of it in the last weeks and days. In an aged care home it is given by the home's nurses and carers with the person's GP, often with advice from a specialist palliative care team who visit.
Good end-of-life care depends on planning. An advance care plan records what the person wants: where they would like to be, which treatments they would or would not want, and who should decide if they cannot. Homes should raise it soon after someone moves in; if they don't, raise it yourself.
Most homes must have a registered nurse on site around the clock, which matters for pain relief at night. Ask how quickly pain medicines can be given out of hours, and whether the home can use a syringe driver (a small pump that gives medicine steadily under the skin).
If the person would rather die at home, Support at Home has an End-of-Life Pathway: up to $25,736.57 of extra care at home over 12 weeks (as at 1 October 2026), for people expected to live three months or less. Ask My Aged Care.
Who it suits
- Someone with a life-limiting illness who needs more care than can be given at home
- Someone who wants to avoid repeated trips to hospital
- A family who wants nurses and carers around the clock, with room to be present
How to find it
- Talk with the GP or the hospital team about what care is needed now, and what is likely.
- Get an aged care assessment through My Aged Care (1800 200 422). If time is short, say so.
- Ask homes how they work with the local specialist palliative care service.
- Bring the advance care plan, or start one: Advance Care Planning Australia's line is 1300 208 582.
Questions to ask each home
- Is a registered nurse on site overnight, and how quickly can pain relief be given at 2am?
- Which specialist palliative care team visits, and how is a referral made?
- Can family stay overnight, and is there somewhere to rest or make a cup of tea?
- How do you record and follow an advance care plan?
- Can the person's own GP keep visiting?
- Will the person have a single room with their own bathroom?
- What spiritual or cultural support can you arrange?
What it costs
There is no separate fee for palliative care in an aged care home. The usual fees apply: the basic daily fee of $68.93 a day (as at 20 September 2026), the room price and any means-tested contributions. If time may be short, ask how the room payment works: a lump sum is refunded when the person dies, less anything the agreement allows the home to keep, and for people who moved in from 1 November 2025 the home keeps 2% of a lump sum a year. A home can't ask you to choose how to pay before you move in. You can pay a refundable lump sum, in full or in part, any time after moving in once the means assessment is finalised; until then the room is paid by daily payments.
General information only, not financial advice. See how aged care fees work or try the fee estimator.
Free government and advocacy help lines
- Advance Care Planning Australia 1300 208 582Government-funded help to write an advance care plan, 8am to 4pm (AEST) weekdays.
- My Aged Care 1800 200 422Book an aged care assessment, and find homes.
- Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) 1800 700 600Free, independent advocacy if you are unhappy with care or a decision.
Homes in our list that record palliative care
Our data records services for 0 of the 1,098 homes we list, and 0 of those record palliative care. A home missing from this list may still offer it, and services change, so confirm with each home.
0 homes recording palliative care, sorted by overall government star rating, then by name.
| Home | Location | Overall rating | Residents' experience | Staffing | Published room price |
|---|
No homes match these filters.
Questions about palliative care
Will Dad be sent to hospital at the end?
Not if it can be avoided and it is not what he wants. With planning, many people die in their aged care home. An advance care plan, and a conversation with the GP and the home about what to do if things change, makes an unwanted transfer less likely.
Can someone move into an aged care home just for end-of-life care?
Yes, if a home has a room and the person is approved for residential care. Tell the assessor and the homes that time may be short.
Does palliative care cost extra in an aged care home?
There is no separate fee. The usual fees continue, including the basic daily fee of $68.93 a day (as at 20 September 2026).
What is an advance care plan?
A written record of the person's wishes about future health care, and who should speak for them if they cannot. Advance Care Planning Australia (1300 208 582) can help you write one; each state has its own forms.