One cannot take a holiday or break from life-limiting and incurable diseases, which is why the centre was so highly anticipated by parents who had been solely taking care of their children for many years, 24 hours around the clock. Among them is parents of 25-year-old Łukasz who has been ill on account of an incurable Mucopolysaccharidosis since he was born. Łukasz requires constant care. His parents are both employed and work different shifts to change each other and provide 24 hour care for their son. Barbara, Łukasz mother said, “We can’t remember the last time we were in a cinema together, never mind being on holiday.” This is just one example of families who provide constant care for their seriously ill children.
The Malopolska Hospice for Children – which led to the building of the Respite Care Centre – has 52 such families in its care. It is an extraordinary place for the children and their families, thanks to funds gathered during charity collections and with help of a sponsor. The centre is not only open to the patients of the Małopolska Hospice, but families from across the country are welcome.
The centre is more than just a stationary hospice – it is a second home in which children and young adults will stay in comfortably equipped rooms, in professional care of nurses, physicians and volunteers. In the centre there is also a treatment room, where patients will be provided with specialist dental and orthopaedic care. A team of physiotherapists will perform modern rehabilitation and specialists from the newly-opened Hospice Augmentative and Alternative Communication Clinic (AAC) will try to improve communication of the patients. Patients may stay in the centre for up to 14 days. This time in the centre gives the child’s parents a chance to complete the formalities at an office, carry out preventive screening or just take some rest and regain strength for further care for their children.
The centre’s building has been constructed in the wood-frame technology – as the first public utility object in Poland built with use of this technology. Construction on the centre began in April 2015 and was completed within 19 months.
The Centre is located in Kraków – Nowa Huta, in the territory handed over by the City of Kraków for perpetual usufruct. The Centre is named after Hanna Chrzanowska who was a nurse and a forerunner of help for bedridden men at their homes as well as an initiator of the first form of respite care.
The project is co-financed by THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS and from the funds of the City of Kraków.
The Malopolska Hospice for Children Foundation was established in 2006 in Kraków. It has been providing hospice care for untreatable children and their families at their homes in the territory of the whole Małopolska Voivodeship for 10 years. Within 10 years the Hospice has cared for 200 families.
Hospice care is provided by a special team of more than 20 persons, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers and also lawyers, priests and auxiliary staff.
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