Pediatric Palliative Care

Palliative care refers to medical and health care facilities provided to patients that are suffering from life threatening ailments. The main aim for such care is to provide relief from pain, physical stress and mental stress. Palliative care does not focus on patient only, it extends to the patient’s family dealing with such horrific conditions. It can be provided in wide area of settings such as at home, hospitals and nursing facilities. Also, community programs can enhance pubic knowledge and involvement for additional support in taking care of patients.

Strategies in pediatric palliative care

The strategies involved in providing palliative care for patients varies with patient’s age group and life span. As pain and symptom appearance varies from children to young and old adult, so does treatment required for palliative care. Population demographic is therefore, utterly important to consider when designing palliative care strategies. The degree of appearance of such ailments like cancer, neurological disorder, organ failure, genetic disorder, dementia, HIV and strokes also varies in different age groups. Children and young people are more threatened to some cancers such as leukemia and neuroblastoma as compared to older people. Similarly, illnesses like arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease are more common in elder generation than younger people. So, the dire need is to devise specialized palliative care treatments. Keeping in keen consideration the age group it is going to target.

Pediatric palliative care (care provided for children) is a very sensitive area of medical responsibilities. Where parents have dreams for their children to live a long and healthy life, such life ending illnesses appear as devastating and horrifying as anything could ever be. Here responsibilities of a pediatric palliative care personal are much required not only to ease pain and improve psychological condition of a patient but also to help child’s family in coping with the emotional distress they are going through.

Nursing care

Palliative care is required for ailments that are not curable or those with a notion that eventually patient is going to die. Most of the times, symptoms in such conditions are worse than any other disease. So, it is really difficult for a child to bear such symptoms. Nursing care of a child should include easing of symptoms either through medication or through physical therapy such as skin to skin contact. Medications that are not helping with symptoms must be stopped immediately. Also, practices like granting wishes and participation in different activates that require child’s involvement will instill a child with a belief of uniqueness which would improve psychological condition of patient. Nursing care should make sure that the child does not go through loneliness and depression by giving proper attention.

Furthermore, verbal communication with child’s family or caretakers must also be a part of nursing care. Sharing information about curative procedures, discussing nature of ailment along with talks involving religious and cultural beliefs would help in preparing them to deal with end of life situation of their child. Moreover, nursing care personals must be provided with proper education and training as their actions can directly impact patient as well as other family members.