Topic: “Delirium in Palliative Care: A quick refresher”
Date: Wednesday 20 August, 2025 | Time: 3:30-4:30pm AEST
FREE SESSION (open to all to attend)
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Join us as Dr Amy Montgomery, Dr Annmarie Hosie and Professor Meer Agar for a conversation on navigating “Delirium in Palliative Care: A quick refresher”
Sarah Begley, Clinical Nurse Educator and PCNA Committee Member will be moderating this conversation style session, where our panel will explore:
How to spot the early signs and red flags of delirium, and the tools that can help in clinical practice.
A simple framework for assessing delirium and uncovering possible causes without overlooking key issues (including the tricky topic of “terminal delirium”).
Practical, non-medication approaches to prevent and manage delirium—especially when it can’t be reversed.
How a person’s baseline, preferences, and goals of care shape the way we respond.
Distinguishing delirium from other causes of restlessness and why this matters for planning, particularly near discharge or end-of-life.
When medication becomes necessary—what’s used first, and how to decide the right time to start.
And importantly, how to look after ourselves and our teams when caring for someone experiencing delirium.
A little bit about our presenters:
Dr. Amy Montgomery
is a postdoctoral research fellow at IMPACCT, University of Technology Sydney.
Amy is also an Aged Care Nurse Practitioner with clinical expertise in dementia, delirium and palliative care. Amy's PhD focused on delirium educational interventions, using simulation, to increase delirium knowledge, confidence and competence for healthcare practitioners and medical students.
Amy is a board member for the Australasian Delirium Association, and has designed and currently facilitates the Foundations of Delirium Workshop. The Foundations of Delirium Workshop is an interactive, interprofessional workshop (eight hours) facilitated by delirium experts and consists of two parts: (i) a series of lectures, and (ii) four interprofessional group simulation scenarios.
Amy's postdoctoral research work is focused on designing and implementing delirium prevention and recovery models of care.
Dr Annmarie Hosie
is an Associate Professor, Palliative Care Nursing in the School of Nursing & Midwifery in Sydney. Annmarie's academic focus is on optimising the care, function and quality of life of older people with advanced illness through high-quality research. She is a leading nurse researcher in the field of delirium, particularly in non-pharmacological approaches.
Annmarie has expertise in the fields of palliative care and delirium and supervises higher research degree students in these areas. She is skilled in a range of research methods, including systematic reviews, clinical trials, surveys, mixed methods, observational and qualitative studies.
Professor Meera Agar
is a Professor of Palliative Medicine and Director of Improving palliative, aged and chronic care through clinical research and translation (IMPACCT) at the University of Technology Sydney. She is a staff specialist in palliative medicine in South West Sydney Local health District. Her PhD explored the management of delirium in advanced illness.
She is a Board Member of the European Delirium Association, Director for Australasian Delirium Association and member of the Scientific Advisory Board for US NIA funded NIDUS (Network for Investigation of Delirium) group.
She is passionate about supporting an interdisciplinary, evidence-based and humanistic approach to delirium care that optimises cognition, reduces distress and opportunity for meaningful connection at the end of peoples lives.
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