Are you honouring your residents’ final wishes – or just filing them?

When Catherine Palermo’s best friend passed away suddenly last year, she realised just how much she wasn’t prepared for it. Not just the shock of losing a loved one, but the admin, arguments, and overwhelm that came along with it. But instead of letting it slide, she built Remember Well•, a digital end-of-life planning platform. And for aged care leaders, this isn’t just a technology story – it’s about care quality. 

Death in aged care is not rare or unexpected – so why are many providers not prepared?

As a routine part of operations, most aged care teams have had time to build better processes around death. But as more and more Australians tip into the 65+ category, the ‘sandwich generation’ are asking the questions that their elders have perhaps shied away from. 

“You’re not faced with death until you really are,” Catherine notes, “and you realise how stressful and overwhelming it is. When you’re dealing with death and what is a really traumatic time and should be spent grieving, you’re often bogged down by the admin. And it is so admin heavy dealing with the passing.”

Her observation is pointed: the system doesn’t prepare people for what death actually requires of them administratively, and the weight lands heaviest at the worst possible moment. 

Aged care providers are often present at or immediately after the death of a resident or client. Families arrive underprepared, they don’t know what to do, who to call, what documents they need, or where to find them. So what happens in those first hours and days – what information is handed over, how it’s communicated, what support is offered – shapes the family’s experience of that loss. 

Many providers don’t think of that as within their remit, but it is.

Preparation starts with a conversation

The information your organisation already holds could help reduce the burden families face – advance care directives, GP contacts, next-of-kin preferences – but you might not have the systems to surface it at the right moment. Platforms like Remember Well• aren’t a replacement for what you do or the valuable care your team provides, but they can act as a connector, making it easier to honour your resident’s wishes. 

Sector culture still largely avoids explicit end-of-life conversations until they’re unavoidable. Catherine’s experience – and the platform she built from it – suggests there’s appetite for a different approach, especially from younger family members navigating care for ageing parents.

“Our generation is changing that. I think we are talking about it,” she explains. “And I think it’s important to give people the wishes and the farewell that really represent them, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all [approach].”

The emotional cost of bad admin handoffs is real and remembered. It shapes how families feel about the care their loved one received, even if the clinical care was excellent. Providers who build proactive, clear end-of-life processes – and start conversations with residents and families early – reduce harm and strengthen trust. Which, it turns out, is good for everyone.