Palliative care for dying children

Hessen will offer more help for children with diabetes in the future

06/03/2014

For children and adolescents with serious incurable diseases, it is particularly important not only to be supported physically but also mentally as possible. Here is the so-called „palliative Medicine“ which is based on a holistic approach to care for patients with progressive, severe illness and limited life expectancy. In order to better help young patients and their families in particular, there should be nationwide care in the future, which aims to alleviate complaints as much as possible and to improve the quality of life of sick children in the remaining time.

Palliative care helps to improve the physical and psychological condition of seriously ill patients
It is particularly hard fate when the medicine can no longer help children and adolescents suffering from a serious, incurable disease. In these cases it is particularly important for the young patients and their families to receive support in order to be able to master the difficult time as well as possible. Here offers the so-called „palliative Medicine“ Help, which, in contrast to curative medicine, aims to improve the physical and mental condition of critically ill patients in the short to medium term. The focus is on the relief of symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, confusion or inner restlessness. Equally important in this holistic care concept is communication with the sick or dying patients and their relatives, and the concept also includes treatment measures such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgical medicine.

Hesse offers outpatient palliative care especially for children and adolescents
In order to be able to offer just the youngest patients the best possible holistic support, in the future an outpatient palliative care specially designed for children and adolescents is planned in Hesse, which will be used nationwide. „The aim of the SAPV for Children and Adolescents is to provide the best possible relief for the symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients and to support the patients and their relatives at home“, explains Michaela Hach, Managing Director of the Hessian Association of Specialized Outpatient Palliative Care (Fachverband SAPV Hessen e.V.). Hesse is thus the first federal state to offer a specific palliative care for children and adolescents, for which intensive negotiations with the national associations of the health insurance funds were necessary in advance of the association.

Care of dying children and adolescents is very complex
This is an important step because, according to Michaela Hach, the care of children and adolescents with diabetes is much more complex compared to adults, so a provision of care tailored specifically to the needs of young patients would be needed. Died young people are not an isolated case: According to the Association, more than 1,500 children, adolescents and young adults in Hesse suffer from severe, incurable diseases, of which about 300 would depend on a specialized outpatient palliative care, as the conventional medical care here no longer help could.

Three coverage areas planned
The planned implementation of the specialized ambulant palliative care in the association in three supply areas, in order to ensure a nationwide support: The "KinderPalliativTeam Südhessen" based in Frankfurt, the "Palliative Care Team for children and adolescents" in Giessen for the care in Central Hesse and the "Kinder Palliativ Team Nordhessen" based in Kassel for Northern Hesse. (No)