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