Inquiry Into Aged Care, End-Of-Life and Palliative Care and Voluntary Assisted Dying warned of ‘tsunami’ of elderly needing dignified deaths

Australia is not prepared for the “tsunami’’ of elderly people who will soon need help in dying dignified deaths, an inquiry into voluntary assisted dying has been warned.

Australia is not prepared for the “tsunami’’ of elderly people who will soon need help in dying dignified deaths, a parliamentary inquiry in Brisbane has been told.

The Queensland Government’s Inquiry Into Aged Care, End-Of-Life and Palliative Care and Voluntary Assisted Dying has been told by a doctor Australia needs to start recognising the rapidly growing presence of the elderly.

“I think we need to elevate the profile of older people,’’ said Dr Chrys Pulle, president of the Queensland Division of the Australian New Zealand Society of Geriatric Medicine

There were still many families who struggled with the approaching death of an elderly relative, and had not had the discussions and communications required to deal with the issue, the inquiry was told.

Dr Pulle said in the broader sense, the country itself did not appear to have prepared itself for the increasing presence of an elderly population.

“I don’t think we are adequately ready for that tsunami.’’

The inquiry has discussed the wide spread use of pain killing drugs in palliative care, and also the withdrawal of treatment that would end in the death of an elderly person, but was not technically “euthanasia’’.

It has also heard that if you give a person enough narcotics, they will stop breathing.

But Dr Bruce Willett, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Queensland, said it was not always clear in those circumstances whether the patient died from natural causes or the disease.

Good palliative care could extend life, and it could shorten life, he said.

The inquiry continues.