‘The last act of love’ – advocate talks about palliative care

A long-time nurse has been celebrated for bringing palliative care to the fore in Australia's aged and healthcare system.

RSL LifeCare resident 89-year-old Teresa Plane became NSW Senior Australian of the Year 2023 this month for her outstanding efforts in palliative care.

A nurse her whole life, Teresa pioneered the budding palliative care movement in the '70s. 

She'd moved to the Seven Hills ten years earlier after the government had opened the second biggest ageing commission in the western suburbs. 

There, Teresa found herself in the unique position of becoming half-owner of Mount Carmel Hospital with her then-husband, Roy Williams.

"I built this hospital which started off very small with just 16 to 19 beds," she shared.

Within a year, the building grew to offer 60 beds.

Her passion for palliative care took her to the United Kingdom, where 'hospice care' had made more of a name for itself.

In 1978, she returned to Australia and opened one of the first hospice and palliative units in Mount Carmel Hospital.

"Palliative care wasn't even a word in Australia," Teresa shared.

"We've come a long way since then, but there's still great work to be done."

A few years later, she founded the Outstretched Hand Foundation, a charity to support the dying and the bereaved.

In 1984, she also established Macquarie Hospice, a Home Care and Day Care Centre.

To this day, Teresa is actively lecturing and speaking at conferences to spread awareness about the important role of palliative care.

"Society is death-denying," Teresa said.

"We say, 'it's happening somewhere else – not in our community.

"As a result, people often struggle to support their friends who might be experiencing death because of their own humanness."

Teresa said that seeing through the eyes of someone going through the transition towards death helped her become comfortable with her own finiteness. 

"It provides a mirror that you can't deny and helps you accept dying.

"If I were tapped on the shoulder tomorrow, I'd say, 'I'm human like everybody else'."

Throughout her career as a nurse, Teresa has cared for hundreds of people, including the sick, older people and children, in Mount Carmel's hospital wards.

But she hadn't seen 'a great deal of death' until she came into palliative care.

"Then, I truly saw a lot of living because the dying teach you the value of living one day at a time," Teresa said.

She's been with many people who were close to passing away and started to notice how they seem to choose the timing of their last breath.

"It's something quite extraordinary. I can't exactly put words to it.

"The dying seem to be in control of it."

She described the image of a couple that had been married for seventy years – the wife or husband sitting vigil, tapping into the other, clutching their partner's hand and watching their chest go up and down.

But the moment the wife or husband leaves the room for a quick cup of tea, their partner chooses to make the transition.

"I'd tell them this is their partner's last act of love," Teresa shared.

"It's very hard to be near when somebody takes their last breath." 

It was only last week that Teresa's last palliative care patient passed away, a woman she'd seen throughout the trajectory of dementia.

She went to the funeral last Friday.

"I've learned through palliative care to have gratitude in life," Teresa said.

"It was a gift that the dying have given me.

"Even though their past is gone, the future will still be there tomorrow."

Teresa has not been spared death in her own life. She grieved for the passing of her husband, who died in a car accident, and just 18 months later, the death of her son.

She said, 'life is not about having things; it's about doing things.'

At 80, Teresa found her singing voice, one she's now eager to use during Dimensions Choir.

She's also very vocal about advocating for 'mammoth changes' in aged care.

Through her two radio stations, Teresa is championing for all things close to her heart: aged care, dementia care, and palliative care.

One of her radio stations is 'Ageing With Attitude', funded by the Department for Ageing and Disability. 

"It gives me a platform to talk about all these things that interest the aged population," Teresa explained.

"I want to talk about care. It's going to be my big thing in 2023."

Her other radio station is more reflective and called 'Meditative Moments', where people tune in at night to listen to her thoughts on empowerment.

"I have a busy life," she agrees, "but that's what living is all about."

Teresa said she'll continue to push for high-quality palliative care in aged and healthcare settings.

"Everybody thinks palliative care is about the end of life, but it's not – it's about living," she said.

"It's the game of life, and we all play it, but there comes a time when we cannot play it any longer.

"And we need to take care of the living right up until the moment they die."

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