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What is Pediatric Palliative Care?
The IWK Pediatric Palliative Care Service (PPCS) provides support to infants, children, youth and their families faced with life-threatening illness. This may involve emotional support and ensuring comfort.
We provide care throughout the Maritimes to infants, children and youth for a great variety of conditions. We work both within the Health Centre and with teams within communities throughout the Maritimes. We work along with the primary team(s) involved in a child’s care.
What does PPCS Offer?
• Assistance for patients, family members, and health care providers to meet and talk with one another
• Assistance to families in health-related decisions that best reflect their values and their preferences and possible options for maximizing quality-of-life
• Assistance to parents when they are anticipating the birth of a child expected to have a shortened lifespan.
• Enhanced quality-of-life for the patient and their families
• Helps manage symptoms that cause discomfort and/or distress
• Provides emotional, social, spiritual support, and bereavement support throughout a child’s illness and/or facing end-of-life
• Continuity of care for patients and families, this may include before birth or throughout the illness
• Educational programs to health professionals within the IWK and throughout the Maritimes
• Conducts and supports research leading to the best care for children with life-threatening conditions and support for their families and for health professionals
• Bereavement resources, such as books, journals, etc. For more information on available resources, please call the Pediatric Palliative Care Service at (902) 470-8942, or click on the link under the next bullet. You may also check our Resources page listed on the left hand side of this page.
• Bereavement support groups for children and youth who have experienced loss. For more information on IWK grief and bereavement support groups, please click here.
