The Flamingo children’s hospice will accommodate up to eight children and young people at its Fällanden site in the canton of Zurich. On a beautiful plot, close to Lake Greifensee and with a view of the Alpine panorama, families will be able to benefit from this unique offer from 2026. The children’s hospice will be a special place of support and “recharging your batteries” – with the opportunity to exchange ideas with others who are equally affected: A house where people live, laugh and play, but where dying and mourning also have their place.
The holistic care and support, combined with the appropriate infrastructure, should enable those affected to take a break from their exhausting everyday lives. This is not just about caring for the sick child, but also about the needs of the parents and siblings. The Flamingo Children’s Hospice offers a unique stay for the whole family:
holistic | supportive | unique.
The Flamingo Children’s Hospice was initiated by the Swiss Children’s Hospice Foundation.
What exactly is a children’s hospice? Questions like these and helpful answers can be found in the FAQs!
The services offered at the children’s hospice are carefully tailored to the needs of the sick children and their families. Various therapies and specialized paediatric palliative care (sPPC) are applied in a holistic concept by a multi-professional team.
Specialized pediatric palliative care
Paediatric palliative care is provided by specifically trained nursing staff. The focus is on the well-being and health of the children concerned. The nursing team will take in and care for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families in various life situations at the children’s hospice:
- Registered by children’s hospitals, pediatricians, children’s Spitex
- from home, for pediatric, palliative care
- from home, in the end-of-life phase
- after discharge from the children’s hospital for transitional care
- if the care provided by outpatient services is no longer sufficient
Pediatric palliative care: current studies and publications
Eva Bergsträsser, Jürg C. Streuli (12.2024): Pediatric palliative care – Where are we now? Where are we going? Article
SPhAERA study team (2024). When a child is terminally ill – Results of the Swiss
SPhAERA study. Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel and Competence Center for Pediatric Palliative Care, University Children’s Hospital Zurich. doi:10.5281/zenodo.12804047. LINK
Ziegler, Sarah; Laubereau, Birgit (11.2023): In-depth investigations into pediatric palliative care needs in Switzerland. Report for the attention of the Federal Office of Public Health. Report
Pelikan Study (2016). How children die in Switzerland. Eva Bergsträsser, Pediatric Palliative Care Children’s Hospital Zurich, Eva Cignacco, Department of Nursing Science, University of Basel. Study
Medical care
Most of the children affected are registered by the specialists providing care and are already involved in pediatric, palliative outpatient care. This medical care is continued at the Flamingo Children’s Hospice. If an affected child does not have a PPC care team, one will be set up by the children’s hospice. Medical questions are usually clarified with this team of doctors.
For acute questions and problems, the children’s hospice provides a quickly available pediatric palliative care specialist and a 24/7 specialist background service, covered by the sPPC team of the University Children’s Hospital Zurich (Kispi).
Therapies and other offers
The holistic approach of paediatric palliative care includes not only nursing and medical care, but also various therapies. At the beginning of a stay at the children’s hospice, the needs and wishes are discussed in detail with the families.
A pediatric physiotherapy specialist will be available on a regular basis for the well-being of the children. Further therapies are offered according to need and possibility, e.g:
- art therapy
- music therapy
- animal-assisted therapy
- Talk therapy
- Family grief counseling
- Snoezelen
- Dream doctors
- Pastoral care
- Sibling time
Psychosocial and socio-educational services
The services offered at the children’s hospice are not only centred around the child with a life-limiting illness, but also their parents, siblings, and relatives. The burden is often overwhelming and very complex. The high level of care required causes psychological and physical problems, interpersonal relationships suffer, and financial situations deteriorates. At the children’s hospice, families benefit from services that enable them to continue caring lovingly for their children at home.
The following services are planned for families at the Flamingo children’s hospice:
- Pastoral care: care regardless of religion and denomination
- Social work: counselling and assistance with social insurance and services
- Psychotherapy: Therapeutic care for all family members
- Early counselling: counselling for parents of newborns and babies with life-limiting illnesses
- Care: counselling and skills development for the family by the care team
- Bereavement counselling: support for the family’s grieving process, after death
- Siblings: care and occupation of siblings by the psychosocial team
- If desired, family members can also take part in the therapies of the sick child.
The most common questions
What is a children’s hospice?
A children’s hospice is a place of retreat, a place of regeneration, strength and joy of life, (joie de vivre). Families with children suffering from a life-limiting illness receive accommodation including professional support, care, and counselling.
The children’s hospice fully supports the family system and strengthens it in this abnormal life situation. There are many reasons for such a temporary stay: periods of unstable health, therapy adjustments, therapy evaluations, transitional and bridging moments and periods, care and support for the entire family system.
Parents and siblings are supported together with the affected children by the Specialized Paediatric Palliative Care (SPPC) and by interdisciplinary cooperation in various socio-educational and psychological areas. The children’s hospice promotes the best possible quality of life for all those affected.
The affected children, their parents and siblings are supported individually with regard to the death of the child/sibling. Their resources are activated, and coping strategies are developed. This includes acknowledging personal responsibility, building-up self-confidence, developing self-compassion, strengthening self-esteem and living self-determination.
What is paediatric palliative care?
Paediatric palliative care – adapted from the WHO definition – is defined in Europe as follows: “Palliative care for children is understood to be active and comprehensive care that takes equal account of the child’s body, soul and spirit and ensures support for the afflicted family. It begins with the diagnosis and is independent of whether the child receives treatment with curative objectives.”
It is the task of the professionals to assess and minimise the extent of the physical, psychological and social stress on the child. Effective paediatric palliative care is only possible with the help of a broad multidisciplinary approach that includes the family and public resources. It can be successfully implemented even when resources are scarce. Specialized Paediatric Palliative Care (SPPC) is provided by specially trained nursing staff.
In short, paediatric palliative care enables sick children and their families to enjoy a high quality of life despite their difficult situation.
What does paediatric palliative transitional care mean?
A children’s hospice is an ideal facility for paediatric palliative transitional care and closes the care gap between an acute hospital and care at home. In various situations, families, hospitals, and paediatric home care organisations can be relieved in equal measure and the sick children can be offered a higher quality of life.
Transitions occur in the following situations, among others:
- At home – PPÜP – end of life phase
- Paediatric clinic – PPÜP – home
- Paediatric clinic – PPÜP – until outpatient services are organised for care at home
- Paediatric clinic – PPÜP – end of life phase
- At home – PPÜP in times of crisis – back home after the crisis
How long can a family stay at the Flamingo?
This varies and is agreed individually with the families, medical teams, and children’s Spitex organisations providing care. Repeated stays of three to 28 days at a time are common.
When is the opening planned?
Operational start-up is planned for the end of 2025. Affected families will be able to enjoy their first stay with us from 2026.
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen einem
Erwachsenen- und einem Kinderhospiz?
A children’s hospice specialises in caring for children. But that is not the only fundamental difference. The aim of a children’s hospice is to offer sick children and their families a place of retreat for relief and recuperation. The time between the diagnosis and the death of sick children is often several years long. During this time, they and their families can repeatedly take time out at the children’s hospice. They can decide independently how and where to spend their end-of-life phase. Only a few sick children who stay in a children’s hospice also die there. Adult hospices have a much stronger focus on this end-of-life phase and thus enable a dignified farewell with as little suffering as possible.
Isn’t it a sad place, a children’s hospice like this?
No, quite the opposite. Our aim is to give the sick children and their families back a bit of quality of life. Despite the difficult situations, the joy of life should take centre stage at the children’s hospice. Support is provided for thoughts about death and death itself which will help to make the burden more bearable.
What does the Flamingo animal world stand for?
The animals come together to represent the people’s different needs and services to the children’s hospice. They also represent our values: comprehensive, relieving, and unique.
Are children’s hospices places to die?
Yes, children are allowed to die in children’s hospices. In the presence of her family, in a quiet environment, with professional palliative care. The children’s hospices are also there for the families after the child’s death. Death and grief are accepted as part of life. At the same time, children’s hospices are above all places in life. Families of children with a life-limiting illness often have a long journey. Sometimes it takes many years. In a children’s hospice, they receive the support and relief they need. The aim of the care is to achieve the best possible quality of life for the whole family.
Do children’s hospices increase healthcare costs?
This cannot be assumed. Children with a life-limiting illness need care anyway, with children’s hospices the costs are merely shifted. Care in a children’s hospice is less cost-intensive than in hospitals. On the one hand, the hospice supports the parents and accompanies and cares for the siblings, so that the children can be cared for at home for longer at low cost. Hospitalisation and follow-up costs due to overwork are reduced. This is a great preventative measure for the family system concerned. Compared to other patient groups, the number of seriously ill children is relatively low. However, this should not be a reason for politicians to forget them. Families are very much dependent on more help.
How is the operation financed?
All stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the Federal Council’s response to the motion ‘For adequate funding of palliative care’ from the year 2000. An answer is expected this summer.
In several cantons, including Zurich, efforts are being made to strengthen specialized palliative care, including financially, e.g. as part of pilot projects.
With regard to financing the operation of the Flamingo Children’s Hospice, the Department of Health, together with other possible funding bodies and ourselves, is in the process of working out a viable solution.
It is foreseeable that until the introduction of sustainable cost-covering daily flat rates, operations will have to be largely financed by donations – any support for our operating fund is welcome. We are also dependent on a minimum amount or a voluntary donation from the families concerned.