Paediatric Palliative Care
 | A comfortable slipper represents our paediatric palliative component. In partnership with Hospice Wits, the Bigshoes Foundation provides children with life-limiting conditions (especially HIV/AIDS) paediatric palliative care at all stages of their disease Palliative care is all bout holistic interventions that affect quality of life by addressing pain and other distressing symptoms. |
Paediatric palliative care (PPC) is defined by World Health Organisation as “an active and total approach to care, embracing physical, emotional, social and spiritual elements. It focuses on quality of life for the child and support for the family and includes the management of distressing symptoms, provision of respite and care through death and bereavement. It is provided for children for whom curative treatment is no longer the main focus of care and may extend over many years”. |
The Bigshoes Foundation provides a palliative care consultative service for two hospitals: the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto and the Coronation hospital on the West Rand of Johannesburg. Additionally, our team of medical doctors also help to run Hospice in Soweto.
During the hospital visits, our doctors see children with non-curable conditions and advise on aspects of palliative care related to pain and other distressing symptoms, terminal care, ethical issues and psycho social problems. Advice is also offered for placements into children’s homes whenever necessary. Our Social Work Assistant assists hospital social workers with social problems, conducts home visits and provides emotional support to parents of ill hospitalised children. She also does some bereavement work with families whose children die in hospital and hospice.
