NHPCO NewsLine Summer 2015 - (Page 39)

Helping Parents Talk to Terminally Ill Children A new Pediatric Starter Kit launched by The Conversation Project will help parents facilitate the critical and necessary conversation about end-of-life with their terminally ill children. Research has shown that parents who talk about death with their children do not regret it - while many of those who do not talk about it regret not having done so. Medical literature and stories from the field show that children often sense that they are dying well before their care teams and families. Children don't talk about it because they don't want to upset, and feel an urge to protect, their parents. Helping families overcome the communication barrier is the goal of The Conversation Project, a public engagement campaign with the mission to have everyone's end-of-life care wishes expressed and respected. At the heart of the project is the Conversation Starter Kit, a free downloadable step-by-step guide that helps adults have "the conversation" about their preferences for end-of-life care. Once the Starter Kit became widely used by adults, parents and pediatricians began contacting The Conversation Project to express the need for a guide specifically designed to help parents have the conversation with their seriously ill children, often not just once, but over time as the disease progresses. The new Pediatric Starter Kit: Having the Conversation with Your Seriously Ill Child (PDF) is now available for download. The Pediatric Starter Kit offers advice and provides stories from parents and palliative care specialists who have been there. It provides questions that can help parents navigate the approach to the conversation based on the personality and cognitive level of the child. A reminder that NHPCO's Pediatric Work Group, ChiPPS, offers a host of pediatric hospice and palliative care resources, including the free e-journal, available at www.nhpco.org/pediatric. Summer 2015 | NHPCO NewsLine 39 http://www.theconversationproject.org/ http://www.theconversationproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TCP_PediatricSK_Forms_rev7.pdf http://www.theconversationproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TCP_PediatricSK_Forms_rev7.pdf http://www.nhpco.org/pediatric

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Summer 2015

Issue Table of Contents
2015 Virtual Conference (display ad)
A Message From Don
Research on Hospice Care in Rural Areas
NHPCO's Rural Task Force
Thanks to MLC Supporters (display ad)
Improving Morale Through Authentic Appreciation
Simione Healthy Business Solutions (display ad)
ACHC Accreditation in your Field (display ad)
A Closer Look at Rebranding
ehospiceUSA (display ad)
AAHPM Intensive (display ad)
Diversity Advisory Council
Global Partners in Care
IOM National Conference
CSU Institute Collaboration
Pediatric Conversation Starter Kit
Regulatory Tools
State Hospice Profile (display ad)
Member News
Clinical Team Conference (display ad)
News From National Hospice Foundation
NHPCO Educational Offerings (display ad)
News From Global Partners in Care
NHF Fundraising (display ad)
Moments of Life Video Collection (display ad)
More from Moments of Life
Links to Helpful Resources

NHPCO NewsLine Summer 2015