Unlike in most European countries, Switzerland still lacks a legal basis for funding hospices. In several cantons, including Zurich, efforts are being made to strengthen specialized palliative care, including financially, e.g. as part of pilot projects.

With regard to financing the operation of the Flamingo Children’s Hospice, the Department of Health, together with other possible funding bodies and ourselves, is in the process of working out a viable solution. It is foreseeable that the operation will have to be financed by donations until the introduction of sustainable cost-covering daily flat rates.

Even though some medical care services can be billed via the IV and health insurance companies, these only make up a small part of the operating costs. The valuable moments between care and everyday life, such as therapy services for siblings, are only made possible by donations. With your support, you are giving exactly that: time and closeness in a special place where families can be together to recharge their batteries.

In addition, we are dependent on a minimum amount or a voluntary donation from the families concerned.

Yes, children can die in children’s hospices. In the presence of their family, in a quiet environment, with professional palliative care. Children’s hospices are also there for the families after the child’s death. Death and grief are accepted as part of life. At the same time, children’s hospices are above all places of life. Families of children with a life-limiting illness often have a long journey. Sometimes it takes many years. In a children’s hospice, they receive the support and relief they need. The aim of the care is to achieve the best possible quality of life for the whole family.

Please send the contact form Interest in volunteering to Barbara Weber.

A children’s hospice focuses on the care of children. But that is not the only fundamental difference. The aim of a children’s hospice is to offer sick children and their families a place of retreat for relief and recuperation. The time between the diagnosis and the death of sick children is often several years long. During this time, they and their families can repeatedly take time out at the children’s hospice. They can decide independently how and where to spend their end-of-life phase. Only a few sick children who stay in a children’s hospice also die there. Adult hospices have a much stronger focus on this end-of-life phase and thus enable a dignified farewell with as little suffering as possible.

Pediatric palliative care – adapted from the WHO definition – is defined in Europe as follows: “Palliative care for children is understood to mean active and comprehensive care that takes equal account of the child’s body, soul and spirit and ensures support for the affected family. It begins with the diagnosis and is independent of whether the child receives treatment with a curative objective.”

It is the task of the professional caregivers to assess and minimize the extent of the child’s physical, psychological and social stress. Effective pediatric palliative care is only possible with the help of a broad multidisciplinary approach that includes the family and public resources. It can be successfully implemented even when resources are scarce. Specialized Paediatric Palliative Care (SPPC) is provided by specially trained nursing staff.

In short, pediatric palliative care enables sick children and their families to enjoy a high quality of life despite their difficult situation.

No, quite the opposite. Our aim is to give the sick children and their families back a bit of quality of life. Despite the difficult situations, the children’s hospice aims to focus on the joy of life. Thoughts about death and death itself are accompanied and this will make the burden more bearable.

This cannot be assumed. Children with a life-limiting illness need care anyway, with children’s hospices the costs are merely shifted. Care in a children’s hospice is less cost-intensive than in a hospital. On the one hand, the hospice supports the parents and accompanies and cares for the siblings, so that the children can be cared for at home for longer at low cost. Hospital stays and follow-up costs due to overwork are reduced. This is a great preventative measure for the family system concerned. Compared to other patient groups, the number of seriously ill children is also low. However, this should not be a reason for politicians to forget them. The families are very dependent on the increased help.