In palliative care for children: when farewell to everyday life

In palliative care for children: when farewell to everyday life

In the nursing house Haus der Mercy in Vienna, a very special form of care is carried out: palliative care for children. Eliav, an experienced nurse and mother of two children, has been part of this team since 2014. Previously, she worked in the field of endocrinology in Bulgaria, where she gained a lot of experience with children with type 1 diabetes. But what does it mean to work in palliative care for the little ones?

The question of psychological stress initially employed Eliav. After a year and a half as a palliative care worker, however, she describes her profession as varied. She finds that despite the sad circumstances that strain the children and their families, grief is not in the foreground of care. Rather, it is the needs of the children that are the focus every day.

a day in the life of a palliative care worker

The challenges in everyday life are great. Everyday care is demanding: With typical services of twelve hours, Eliav has to react flexibly to the condition of her little patients. As a rule, a caregiver looks after two to three children at the same time, which requires close cooperation with doctors, educators and therapists. Deubler, a colleague of Eliav, emphasizes that four children are already considered negligent, especially in view of the noticeable lack of personnel in the care, which the management actively concerns.

"The gratitude we learn about the children and the families is what drives us," says Eliav. Working with the relatives in particular sees Deubler than one of the most beautiful in the profession, while Eliav feels goodbye as the biggest challenge. Despite the emotional stress, working in the Fridolina children's hospice is part of life that she doesn't want to miss.

The role of care in diabetes care

Before moving to palliative care, Eliav Stark was involved in the care of diabetes patients. The care of children with diabetes requires specific measures such as daily blood sugar measurement and support in insulin injections. The nursing staff are crucial here to promote the self -government of the patients and to offer emotional support. Diabetes is a disease that already affects millions of people worldwide, and whose prevalence will continue to increase in the coming years, as is explained, among other things,

It is all the more important that nursing staff are well trained and supported in their job. A study shows that 25 % of nursing staff in palliative care would like an additional qualification, which underlines the challenges that they experience in dealing with pain, death and support from relatives.

Although the majority of people with death are treated in general palliative care, the urge to specialize palliative care is strong, such as an analysis of the work situation of the nursing staff on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov illustrates. The challenges in palliative care are often not discussed enough and require more attention.

Eliav and their colleagues show that despite all the challenges, the most beautiful reward is the positive charisma and gratitude of children and families. The engagement in palliative care for children is more than just a job - it is a matter close to my heart that requires a lot of passion.