“Est-ce que les doudous vont au ciel?” (Do teddy bears go to heaven?), is a 52 minute documentary that tells the story of four families who experienced the death of a child following a serious illness. Among the questions asked is the choice of whether the end of life should be at home or in hospital. Parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, classmates and nurses express their thoughts and how they felt about this difficult question.
An article in the international children’s edition of ehospice explains how paediatric palliative care in France has recently undergone restructuring with Regional Resources Teams now in place in each region. The teams aim to orientate paediatric hospitals to a palliative approach, to raise awareness within adult palliative care teams on paediatric issues, to contribute to clinical research in paediatric palliative care and to make sure that patients and their families are given the support they need.
“Est-ce que les doudous vont au ciel?” came about following a training course “Accompanying a child at the end of life; at home or at the hospital?” orgainised by PALIPED – the Regional Resource Team in Pediatric Palliative Care for the Paris Region.
The documentary, shown for the first time in Paris on the 1 March 2011, has proved an excellent tool for initiating dialogue as well as for training of medical teams. An English version with subtitles has also been produced. Click here for more information on how to order a copy.
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