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October 17, 2008

The philosophy of palliative care at CHKD is based on the belief that children and their families facing life threatening/life limiting conditions have unique needs. Optimal provision of palliative care requires an interdisciplinary team approach to patient care which focuses on the individual child and family goals. 

Palliative care includes the effective management of pain and other symptoms and addresses the psychological, social, and/or spiritual needs of children (and their families) living with life threatening or terminal conditions (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001).  In an effort to provide this optimal level of care, the Palliative Advisory Group has been in the process of developing a palliative care cart. A palliative care cart is a moveable cabinet that would be placed in a patient’s room that was nearing the end of their life. The purpose of the cart is to provide new “comfort items” that would transform the hospital room into a warm, homelike environment for the child and family. 

Some of the comfort items in the palliative care cart are:·         Information book about the Ghent Community·         Snacks, such as crackers, cookies, chips ·         CD Player/Radio·         Tea bags and hot chocolate·         Puzzle books, reading materials for family·         Throws for the parents·         Aromatherapy·         Neck pillows·         Soft pillows·         Travel size lotions·         DVD’s, CD’s for music, relaxation 

All of these comfort items would have to be one time use due to infection control concerns within the hospital.  As the Palliative Care Program continues its work to make the last days and hours of a child’s life comfortable, we ask for your help in this effort.

We are still in need of several of the new comfort items to make our palliative care cart complete. Items needed are:·         CD Player/Radio·         Throws for the parents·         Neck pillows·         Soft pillows·         Laptop computer 

If you are interested in assisting in this effort, please contact Holly Herring, Pain & Palliative Care Program Coordinator at ext 8-9548 or Linda Baynes at ext 8-8246.