October 9 marks National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day, raising awareness about the importance of children’s hospice palliative care.
Access to pediatric palliative care significantly improves the quality of living and dying for children with serious illnesses and their families.
Pediatric Palliative Care
The World Health Organization recognizes that children’s palliative care comprises of several key principles that support a child’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Palliative care is based on need, not prognosis, to address life limiting illnesses and relieve symptoms to help children and their families improve their quality of life. Pediatric palliative care is, at it’s core, family-centered. Working with a team through close communication families are better informed and able to choose care options that are in line with their values, traditions, and culture.
When approaching pediatric palliative care, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Start early: Care begins at diagnosis. Whether or not a child receives curative treatment through their journey, care and wellbeing take centre stage throughout.
- Address all needs: healthcare providers must identify and treat physical pain, emotional distress, and social challenges as well as the diagnosis
- Involve everyone: A comprehensive, inclusive team approach that includes family members and community resources is key to effective care
- Works anywhere: Care can be delivered in hospitals, community health centres, or at home – even with limited resources
Care for Every Short Life
During difficult times, it is important to remember that we are working toward a future where every Canadian child and their family can receive high-quality palliative care in the location of their choice.
Caring for a child with a life-limiting illness looks very different from caring for adult palliative patients. Children continue to grow and develop as they go through an illness, requiring a specialized approach that is tailored to meet the needs of infants, children, and youth. It is important to remember that unlike adult patients, medical decisions for young children are usually made by their family or caregivers.
No one expects their child to have a serious illness, presenting a unique challenge in caring for children and their families. By focusing on a family-centered approach to care, pediatric palliative teams can address the needs of the family, as well as the child.
Together, we can ensure that no child or family walks this journey alone.
Resources
For Families
- Talking to Kids about Serious Illness
- Me and My Illness Activity Book
- Kids Grief
- My Life, Their Illness Activity Book
For Care Providers
Pediatric Hospice and Care Programs