pediatric palliative care
Compassionate care that supports your child—and your whole family—through the challenges of serious illness.
what is palliative care?
When a child is seriously ill, each person in the family is affected differently. That is why it is important that you, your child and your family get the support and care you need during this time. Palliative care can help. It focuses on improving quality of life by relieving pain, easing symptoms, and offering emotional and spiritual support for the whole family.
why choose palliative care at Dayton Children’s?
Our team works with your child’s medical team to provide personalized, supportive care for your child and family during a serious illness. Our goal is to improve your quality of life and prevent suffering. The team develops a patient and family-centered care plan that addresses physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual needs throughout all stages of their condition/illness. We do this by encouraging independence, assisting in access to information and supporting you with medical decision-making.
how palliative care can help
Palliative care can help support your child and family in multiple ways:
Medical
- Easing your child’s symptoms, pain and discomfort to improve quality of life
- Discussing goals of care
- Providing education on your child’s condition and prognosis
- Collaborating with your child’s entire medical team to enhance your child’s care
Social
- Providing emotional and social support that respects your family’s cultural values and is appropriate for your child’s age
- Providing support and resources for the family, including siblings
- Assessing and addressing caregiving needs
- Providing individual and family counseling specific to coping and planning with your child’s condition
Spiritual
Helping families navigate through questions about purpose, meaning and connection
Providing spiritual support and counseling
who may benefit from palliative care
Body: Palliative care can support patients with many different conditions. Here are some of them:
- Cancer
- Cystic fibrosis
- Disorders of prematurity
- Genetic or metabolic conditions
- Heart disease
- Seizure disorders
- Trach or respiratory support
need support through a serious illness?
If your child is living with a complex or life-threatening condition, Dayton Children’s palliative care team is here to help. We provide compassionate care that focuses on comfort, communication, and quality of life—for your child and your entire family. For more information about palliative care at Dayton Children’s, please call 937-641-5146.
FAQs – palliative care
Many people confuse palliative care with end-of-life care, or hospice care. Hospice care and palliative care programs share a similar goal of providing symptom relief and pain management. But they’re not the same:
- Palliative care can happen at any time during a person’s illness, from diagnosis on. It does not depend on prognosis (a patient’s outcome) and can be given along with life-prolonging or curative care. Palliative care can be provided in hospitals, outpatient settings, and at home.
- Hospice care is a specific type of palliative care. It focuses on providing care to patients who are not expected to recover. It is intended for people who are no longer getting treatment for their medical condition and who are expected to live for 6 months or less. Hospice care may be provided at home, in the hospital, or in a hospice facility.
No. The purpose of palliative care is to ease your child’s pain and other symptoms and provide emotional and other support to your entire family. Palliative care can help children, from newborns to young adults, and their families—at any stage of a serious illness. Palliative care works alongside other treatments your child may be receiving. In fact, your child can start getting palliative care as soon as you learn about your child’s illness.
Yes. Your child does not have to change to a new primary health care provider when starting palliative care. The palliative care team and your child’s health care provider work together to help you and your child decide the best care plan for your child.
Many insurance plans cover palliative care. If you have questions or concerns about costs, you can ask your health care team to put you in touch with a social worker, care manager, or financial advisor to look at payment options.
here when you need us
Whether you’re looking for the right provider, ready to make an appointment, or need care right now—we’re here to help you take the next step with confidence.
