When a child becomes seriously ill, a family can find itself with overwhelming challenges. During the course of a serious illness, the goals of care may change from pursuing a cure to pursuing care that will allow the child to live every remaining moment in comfortable surroundings with family nearby. Shifting the focus from curative to comfort care is one of the most difficult decisions a family can make. Harbor Grace Hospice can help you accompany your child through the final phase of life with love, compassion and ressurance.

 

Harbor Grace Hospice's interdisciplinary team specializes in palliative care at the child's home or in our inpatient facility, depending on the child's specific needs. Familiarity with the home setting and maintaining a normal, daily routine are benefits of receiving hospice services at home. However, this isn't always possible and that is when inpatient care would become an option. No matter where hospice services are received, we will work with the child's physician and family to achieve peace and comfort at the end of life. We also provide grief counseling and bereavement services for the parents and siblings after the child's death.

 

Stopping curative treatment because side effects are too severe is a difficult but loving choice. This is when families can depend on Harbor Grace Hospice for expertise in pain and symptom management, as well as emotional support for the child and all family members. We are dedicated to providing nurturing and supportive services to improve the quality of life for the child and their family.

Pediatric hospice care is unique in that the child can still receive medical treatments at the hospital, under the direction of their pediatrician, while being a part of the hospice program. Children respond differently to illness, treatment and medications and have different needs. This is why our interdisciplinary team, under the direction of our Medical Director, creates a unique care plan for each child.

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