People affected by a life limiting diagnosis, some exclusion criteria exists – patients that wander, aggressive or those who are acutely unwell and therefore require acute medical intervention.

Living Well Day Palliative Care Program – flexible day palliative care for adults of all ages. 

Overnight Palliative Care – overnight inpatient care for people living with a life-limiting diagnosis.

End of Life (opening in next phase) – overnight care for people with life limiting diagnosis at the end of life.

Community Outreach – assessment and referral, advance care planning, care navigation, support and education, equipment loan.

A roster of qualified medical practitioners is available on call 24/7. The Doctors are rostered for one month at a time and provide cover for each other as required. Should a Doctor be uncontactable the Registered Nurse will contact the Medical Director. The roster includes a palliative care consultant, who is available at any given time for consultation.

Yes, your General Practitioner or specialist consultant are invited to continue caring for your whilst at Anam Cara House Geelong.

Referrals can be made by any medical practitioner, nursing staff, allied health, family, friends and yourself. Contact the General Manager, Day Hospice Program Manager or Community Outreach.

Not all people with a life-limiting diagnosis are linked in with services, know what services are available or what services they are entitled to access. That is where the Community Outreach Nurse can assist.

The Community Outreach Nurse assesses the needs of the person with the life-limiting diagnosis. They then refer to the most appropriate service. These other services may include allied health (physio/OT/speech therapist/dietetics), counselling, community nursing, community palliative care, in-home palliative care services such as Complete Care through Multicultural Community Services Geelong. Anam Cara House Geelong has a small equipment loan bank.

The nurse can refer to Community Palliative Care, liaise with your Doctor for referral to Barwon Health Palliative Care Services for admission or refer to Anam Cara House Geelong. The Community Outreach Nurse can assist/advise re access/paperwork for other services.

During the assessment and referral process the Community Outreach Nurse will liaise and collaborate with you, your Doctor and other services to achieve the most appropriate outcome for you and your carer.

Currently there is no set fee schedule. GMHBA members may be eligible for fee payment for some overnight. National Disability Insurance Scheme recipients can be eligible depending on plan. We ask for a donation to assist with our care provision as most of our funding is provided by trust and donors. Anam Cara House Geelong did receive a grant from the State Government to assist in the running of Day Palliative Care & the Community Outreach Nurse costs – this does not cover any part of the overnight or End of Life care, or any other running costs.

Our new home is located at Zone 4, Nicol Drive South, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds. 

Anam Cara House Geelong is non-denominational and accepts people of all faiths or social circumstances.

The nursing staff will be monitoring your condition just as they would in a hospital, in fact several of our nursing staff work at both an acute hospital and Anam Cara House Geelong. Should there be any changes in your condition noted, the nurses will contact your Doctor and advise them of your condition. The Doctor’s orders will be actioned; this could be a change in medication or transfer to an acute hospital.

Anam Cara House Geelong has an escalation policy and depending on the patient’s condition, will follow the appropriate protocol. Which could include Emergency Ambulance transfer to Barwon Health Emergency Department or liaising with your Doctor to arrange transfer to the hospital of your choice.

As a palliative care provider, Anam Cara House Geelong does not have a resuscitation team, but our nursing staff are competent in CPR and can continue this and other emergency care until the paramedics arrive and takeover your care.

Yes they will be. Please advise the nursing staff on admission to the organisation and provide a copy of your advance care plan/directive. This document guides your care and ensures that your wishes are respected and followed.