10 Things you may not know about children’s palliative care

Categories: In The Media.

As ICPCN approaches its 10 year anniversary in 2015 as the only charity fighting internationally for the rights of children with life threatening and life limiting conditions to receive palliative care, and as part of our NOW campaign, they will be posting regular ‘Lists of 10 things’ about children’s palliative care to social media and on their websites. 

The lists will be written in plain language and highlight various aspects of children’s palliative care with the aim of increasing the general public’s understanding of issues related to the field and raising awareness.

Each list is available as a PDF download from both the ICPCN website and the ICPCN NOW campaign website.

The first list looks at 10 things the general public may not know about children’s palliative care, these being:

  1. The word ‘palliate’ is derived from the Latin pallium meaning ‘cloak’ and means to make something less painful or unpleasant. 
  2. Palliative care is appropriate for all children diagnosed with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.
  3. A life-limiting condition is one where there is no reasonable hope of cure and from which the child will die at some stage. A life-threatening condition is one where a cure is possible but can fail. 
  4. The best time to begin to offer palliative care is at the time of diagnosis. 
  5. Providing palliative care should never be seen as ‘giving up’ as its purpose is to enhance the child’s quality of life.
  6. There are significant differences between adult and children’s palliative care. 
  7. Children’s palliative care is provided by a team who work together to relieve the suffering of the child and the child’s family in every way possible.
  8. Children are valued members of the care team and are encouraged to take part in making decisions about their own care. 
  9. While children’s hospices offer palliative care, it is also provided in many other settings, such as hospitals, clinics, and in the child’s own home.
  10. Palliative care for children can be provided in places with limited resources.

You are encouraged to download the lists, share with friends and colleagues, print out, display and distribute as far and as wide as you possibly can.  Your help is needed to get the message out that NOW is the time to demand that all children with life threatening and life limiting conditions receive palliative care.

Click here to download the lists. 

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