Palliative Care: “Living for Today, Planning for Tomorrow”: Celebrating Palliative Care in CHI

National Palliative Care week

National Palliative Care week is taking place from September 11th-16th and we invite all CHI staff to celebrate palliative care with us this week. Find out more about palliative care and the roles and support offered by our multidisciplinary colleagues, visit our information stands on sites during the week, access more educational, resources and a quiz and find out about palliative care facilities in the new children’s hospital.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative Care is about living a good life, (which includes, but is much more than a focus on end of life care). Palliative care can provide support at any stage of a life-limiting illness not just at the end of someone’s life, referral criteria is based on need, rather than disease stage, or diagnosis.

Hayden, an amazing young person, who availed of specialist palliative care support describes his experience with palliative care in this special video:

It is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness (1,2).

It is a team approach to care, that prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual (1,2).

It is ok to discuss palliative care issues with patients and families even if they are not dying, and it is important to remember that … Palliative Care is the Umbrella, not the Rain (3)

Palliative Care is Everyone’s business

Palliative care principles should be practiced by all health care professionals however some patients with progressive and advanced disease will require referral to specialist palliative care services for advice and support.

Every person with a life-limiting or life threatening condition should have access to a level of palliative care appropriate to their needs regardless of care setting or diagnosis to optimise quality of life (2).

Where can I find out more about Palliative Care?

• Visit our information stands in CHI at Temple St., Crumlin and Tallaght (Wednesday)
• Access free webinars, videos, resources and videos at https://thepalliativehub.com/palliative-care-week-2023/
• Check out the daily social media posts about palliative care facilities in the NCH and on myCHI
• Look at information on the role of the Clinical Nurse Coordinator for Children with Life-Limiting Conditions:

• Scan the QR code on this poster to do a quiz on the role of the Clinical Nurse Coordinator for Children with Life-Limiting Conditions - Download the PDF here.
• Speak with the Palliative Care team about clinical queries and their role

Palliative Care and Facilities in the New Children’s Hospital

Our new children’s hospital incorporates palliative care principles into the design of 380 inpatient rooms that each include ensuite bathrooms and parent beds. The new building will allow children and young people to have access to play and school facilities and gardens in a modern child-friendly environment. Hospitals can be a stressful environment for those we care for and their families; the hospital is designed to promote access to outdoor spaces and gardens which provide safe and comfortable spaces for children, young people and their families to socialise in a calm and peaceful environment.

The purpose built Palliative Care Room in our new hospital (known as a Butterfly suite or room in current CHI sites) will be a comfortable and private space for the child, young person and family to spend meaningful time together at end of life. There is also access to a private garden area to this room.

References

1. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care. 2023. Palliative Care.
2. The National Clinical Programme for Palliative Care HSE. The Adult Palliative Care Service Model of Care for Ireland. 2019.
3. Zimmermann C, Mathews J. Palliative Care Is the Umbrella, Not the Rain—A Metaphor to Guide Conversations in Advanced Cancer. JAMA Oncol. 2022 May 1;8(5):681.