As Australia prepares to roll out its new End-of-Life Care Pathway under the Support at Home Program in November 2025, the role of aged care nurses has never been more important. This landmark reform offers targeted support for older Australians in their final weeks of life, enabling them to die with dignity at home. But funding alone won’t improve end-of-life care.
Aged care nurses are the cornerstone, and their readiness to deliver high-quality palliative care will ultimately determine the success of this policy. With many of our current nurses trained before gerontology or palliative care were core subjects, delivering the right training for upskilling will be critical.
A key component in preparing the workforce for these changes in Queensland is Ageing Australia’s Gerontological Nursing Program, an education and professional development initiative designed to elevate the quality of nursing care for older Australians. Funded by the Queensland Government, the program prepares nurses to support end-of-life care.
The program offers accessible, flexible training that upskills existing staff and delivers best-practice education to new staff. It includes modules on palliative care, trauma-informed care, nutrition and chronic disease management, all delivered through case-based learning grounded in real-world practice. Importantly, it aligns with the reform’s values of dignity, choice and continuity of care.
The program also offers credentials and mentorship to support gerontological nursing as a career, along with ongoing professional development. As demand for skilled end-of-life care rises, this recognition will help attract and retain passionate nurses in aged care, positively influencing graduates’ career decisions.
By 2050, over 150,000 Australians are expected to die each year in need of palliative care, and many of those will be supported through home-based aged care. As more Australians choose to die at home, demand for trained aged care nurses will increase sharply.
“Our aim is to support and inspire more nursing graduates to pursue fulfilling careers in the aged care sector through a comprehensive suite of initiatives, including a series of online micro-credentials and mentoring support,” said Belinda Allen, Ageing Australia General Manager of Services and Sector Capacity.
“By embedding palliative care training into initiatives like Ageing Australia’s Gerontological Nursing Program, we are not just filling a skills gap; we are affirming that caring well at the end of life is fundamental to aged care, not an afterthought.”
The 2025 aged care reforms acknowledge what families have known for decades – dying at home should be a supported choice and not a struggle. But for this to become a safe and dignified reality, nurses must be empowered as leaders of care at the end of life.
By investing now in training, we are giving nurses the tools they need not just to deliver clinical care, but to offer the kind of presence, humanity and advocacy that defines excellent palliative practice.
“For many older Australians, aged care nurses are the final people they will trust, speak with or be touched by. That moment deserves to be met with skill, confidence and deep compassion,” said Belinda.
The Gerontological Nursing Program is funded through the Workforce Connect Fund, powered by the Queensland Government’s Good People. Good jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022-2032.
Ageing Australia