Rainbowland children's and youth hospice
The rainbow country children's and youth hospice is one of a total of 14 children's hospices in Germany and one of four children's hospices in North Rhine-Westphalia . It was founded in 2004.
profile
The main goal of the rainbow country children's and youth hospice is to provide very sick children with personal support and professional care within the framework of palliative care . The holistic care of the children and adolescents includes the accompaniment of the entire family, which is why the parents and siblings are also included in the rainbow country in order to relieve the families of the children and adolescents concerned. With the possibility of temporarily admitting the affected children, their parents and siblings, the rainbow country supplements the care and care at home in the family. The multi-professional team of the rainbow country consists of health and child nurses , qualified social pedagogues , a pastor and a psychotherapist .
In principle, children who suffer from a disease that is progressing and for which a cure is impossible are admitted to the Rainbow Land children's and youth hospice from their birth until they reach the age of 18. The children and their families are looked after in the rainbow country beyond the age of 18.
The hospice can simultaneously accommodate up to eight sick children in six single rooms and one double room, as well as family members in six apartments. The sick children's rooms are on the garden floor and form a ring around the common area. This enables children who are only partially mobile or even bedridden due to their illness to be included in the communication on the ward through open doors to the common area. All rooms have care beds , paging systems, lift systems and other medical aids.
In addition to the garden area adjacent to the children's room, a handicapped-accessible playground offers space for outdoor activities.
An important part of the work in the hospice is the bereavement support of the families. This includes various mourning rituals and creative farewell options in Rainbow Land. In the center of the care area there is a memorial, also known as the atrium. A ritual that has been cultivated since 2004 is the so-called stone laying. For each deceased child, a stone with the child's name is placed in the atrium. This memorial stone is painted and colorfully designed by parents and siblings as part of the bereavement support. Over sixty stones have now been laid there.
Design of aid
Everyday life is designed taking into account the individual resources, wishes and preferences of the sick children. In addition to care, the main focus is on keeping sick children busy. Possibilities here are, for example, doing handicrafts together, talking to each other, but also trips to the park, the swimming pool or shopping. For this purpose, the full-time Rainbow Country team is supported by many volunteers.
Psychosocial support plays a major role in Rainbow Country. Many children with life-limited illness feel the need to talk about their imminent death. That is why there is room for such discussions in all offers for children.
The parents of a child with a life-limited illness are accompanied through to the death of the child and beyond. They are often overwhelmed with the situation. In addition to constant concern for the sick child, stress factors are the desire to meet the needs of the sibling and sometimes communication difficulties in the partnership. The rainbow country children's and youth hospice offers them the opportunity to hand over the care of their sick child in order to gather strength. Talks are also offered to support the parents in their difficult situation and to accompany them in their grief. This usually takes place in the form of one-on-one or couple discussions.
The Rainbow Country team not only looks after the siblings during their stay, but also offers a sibling day every month. Every first Saturday of the month excursions are made where the wishes of the siblings are in the foreground.
financing
The non-profit registered association for children and youth hospice Düsseldorf eV is the sole sponsor of the rainbow country children and youth hospice. It was founded in 1998 and has set itself the task of supporting the hospice with donations. The development association does not receive any state or municipal subsidies for the operation of the rainbow country. In addition, the board of directors works on a voluntary basis.
In 2013, the Rainbow Land Children's and Youth Hospice Foundation was also set up. It should ensure the long-term preservation of the hospice. The interest income from the foundation's assets will be used to support the hospice.
history
The Friends of the Children's and Youth Hospice in Düsseldorf was founded in 1998 and entered in the register of associations of the Düsseldorf District Court in February 1999. The sponsoring association maintains the rainbow country children's and youth hospice in the form of a non-profit GmbH (gGmbH). The Rainbow Land Children's and Youth Hospice Foundation was established in 2013. The children and youth Regenbogenland is a member of the German Children's Hospice Association , the Children's Network , the Federal Association of Children's Hospice and Hospice and Palliative Association NRW.
structure
- Förderverein: The Förderverein Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Düsseldorf as the carrier of the gGmbH is responsible for the procurement of the financial means.
- gGmbH: The children's and youth hospice gGmbH ensures the professionally qualified operation of the facility.
- Foundation: The Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Regenbogenland foundation is to form the long-term financial basis of the Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Regenbogenland gGmbH and the Förderverein and support the construction of the youth hospice.
literature
- Melanie van Dijk: Practice of children's hospice work. The Rainbow Land children's hospice . In: Separation, Death and Mourning in the First Years of Life. Support and advice for children and parents . Rüdiger Kißgen, Norbert Heinen (eds.), Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart, 2014, ISBN 978-3-608-94864-6 , pp. 110–124
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Thomas Mader: The forgotten children in the hospice Rainbow Land. NRZ, January 7, 2010, accessed on August 29, 2014 .