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Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in the Delaware Valley and Florida
Palliative and Supportive Care Locations
Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
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For Appointments: (800) 416-4441
Whole-Child Pediatric Palliative and Supportive Care
Pediatric palliative and supportive care at duPont Hospital for Children is more than just treatment — our pediatric palliative care team provides a compassionate and organized approach to care that’s geared toward helping your child’s whole body, mind and spirit. And caring for a child with a medically-complex or chronic illness means caring for your whole family — offering support and comfort for your child, your family and your journey.
Pediatric Palliative and Supportive Care Program Highlights
Our pediatric palliative and supportive care program highlights include:
- comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services provided through the Thomas P. Ferry Program for Palliative and Supportive Care
experienced pediatric care team available to help you make decisions about your child’s treatments and pain management therapies - personalized palliative care plan developed by dedicated physicians, nurses, pain management specialists, integrative medicine practitioners, behavioral/psychological therapists and rehabilitation therapists
- additional coping and support from social workers, Child Life specialists and pastoral care providers
- seamless consultation and connection to pediatric hospice services
- compassionate end-of-life care and bereavement services for your child and family that includes support groups and counseling for siblings, parents and the entire family
What to Expect
Our services are available while your child is in the hospital, as an outpatient or at home. Based on your child’s condition and your needs and wishes, our approach can include:
- Consultation Meeting: We schedule time with your child, family and medical team to understand the medical care plan and treatment goals. We can also talk about how you’re feeling, what you need and, most importantly, what your child loves to do so we can devise a plan to help make it happen.
- Ongoing Knowledge and Education: We can talk about and provide education on many different things, such as how your child might be feeling, symptoms, treatment risks, social issues, family dynamics and more. We can you make informed decisions about your child’s care, treatment and future.
- Social Work Support: We can help you find assistance from community agencies and resources for your child and family. We also provide support with aspects of living with a chronic medical condition, home care, schooling and other considerations based on your needs.
Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando
6535 Nemours Parkway
Orlando, FL 32827
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For Appointments: (407) 650-7715
Some ways we help with managing your child’s pain include:
- comprehensive pain management services (prescribe pain medicines, regional pain blocks and infusions)
- behavioral/psychological therapies (cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy)
- rehabilitative therapies (physical and occupational therapy)
- integrative medicine therapies (massage therapy, hydrotherapy, Healing Touch)
- Child Life activities (play and creative therapies and distraction)
seamless consultation and connection to pediatric hospice services - bereavement services
Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Jacksonville
807 Children’s Way
Jacksonville, FL 32207
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For Appointments: (904) 697-3789
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Pediatric Palliative and Supportive Care Program Highlights
Our program, called Community PedsCare®, is a collaboration with Wolfson Children’s Hospital, University of Florida, Jacksonville and Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. The program is recognized as a national model for pediatric palliative care.
Program highlights include:
- experienced pediatric care team available to help you make decisions about your child’s treatments and pain management therapies
- personalized palliative care plan developed by dedicated physicians, nurses, pain management specialists, integrative medicine practitioners, behavioral health specialists/psychologists and rehabilitation therapists
- additional coping and support from social workers, Child Life specialists and pastoral or spiritual care providers
- seamless consultation and connection to pediatric hospice services
- compassionate end-of-life care and bereavement services for your child and family that includes support groups and counseling for siblings, parents and the entire family
About Palliative Care
About Palliative and Supportive Care
Pediatric palliative and supportive care focuses on relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life of children with severe illness, both temporary (such as after surgery or intensive cancer treatment) or lifelong (such as with neuromuscular disorders or genetic diseases). At the Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, our goal is to make every day a little brighter and more comfortable than the last.
How Palliative and Supportive Care Works
At Nemours, our pediatric palliative care teams offer a family-centered, compassionate and organized approach to provide whole-family healing for the body, mind and spirit. Working side-by-side with your child’s medical team, we’re here to bring normalcy and stability during even the most difficult times.
With respectful attention to your child and family, our pediatric palliative and supportive care is here when and where (and however long) you need us.
Ways We Can Help
Our palliative and supportive care teams can help:
- lend physical and emotional support
- make recommendations to your child’s care team
- create a plan for therapies that could help relieve your child’s physical and emotional pain
- suggest options that could help you and your family cope
- make decisions in conjunction with ongoing medical care
- with transition from hospital to home, hospice or other health care facility
Who Can Benefit From Pediatric Palliative and Supportive Care
Pediatric palliative and supportive care is designed to help your child live life to the fullest, no matter the condition or prognosis. But it’s not only for your child, it’s for parents and siblings as well.
We can help children who have:
- cancer (bone tumors, brain tumors, soft tissue sarcomas)
- cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery)
- blood and bone marrow transplantation (cancerous and noncancerous treatment)
- blood disorders (sickle cell disease)
- bone marrow disorders (bone marrow failure, myelodysplastic syndrome)
- metabolic disorders (Krabbe disease, Hunter/Hurler disease, Sanfilippo syndrome)
Coordinated Care
Coordinated Care at Nemours
Pediatric palliative and supportive care (sometimes also called “pediatric advanced care”) at Nemours begins early on so we can be there to help your family make decisions and empower you to become an integral part of your child’s healing.
Pediatric Palliative and Supportive Care Services We Offer
We provide:
- symptom management due to medical illness or treatment (such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, poor appetite, fatigue, trouble breathing)
- pain management to relieve discomfort (such as after surgery, intensive treatments and for acute/short-term and chronic/long-term medical conditions)
- psychosocial support (to address the entire family’s emotional health such as anxiety, guilt, anger and depression caused by childhood illness)
- pastoral or spiritual healing (denominational and nondenominational support for peace and reassurance)
- bereavement services (to help the entire family, as well as friends, grieve in a healthy, compassionate and supportive environment)
Your child’s palliative and supportive care team may include:
- palliative medicine specialists (doctors and advanced practice nurses with special training in palliative medicine)
- social workers (who can provide emotional support, patient, parent and family counseling)
- anesthesiologists (doctors who specialize in general anesthesia, sedation and pain medicines)
- pain management specialists (doctors and nurses with special training in pain management)
- physical medicine and rehabilitation therapists (who provide symptom relief through strengthening, movement and rehabilitation)
- specialists in integrative medicine (for massage, hydrotherapy, biofeedback, yoga, meditation and more)
- pastoral and spiritual care providers(who provide denominational and nondenominational care and support)
- Child Life specialists (who use play therapy to help your child and family cope with and understand the experience)
- pain from cancer or blood disorder diseases and treatment
- nausea/vomiting
- constipation/diarrhea
- poor appetite
- feeding difficulties/intolerance
- sleep problems/insomnia
- fatigue
- neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage to nerve fibers)
- anxiety/nervousness/stress
- dyspnea (shortness of breath or a feeling of inability to catch your breath)
Resources
Resources
Learn More From Nemours' KidsHealth.org
General Information
Patient Testimonials
“A pediatric palliative care program is necessary for the quality of life for a critically ill child and their family. It is imperative to minimize the child's pain, while guiding and nurturing the family during this most difficult time of their lives. An effective palliative care program will reach beyond the walls of the hospital and help sustain the family for years to come."
— Diana, a mother, who (after the loss of her child) championed the effort for the creation of a pediatric palliative care program at duPont Hospital for Children
“We love our team at Nemours and we feel loved by them … Everyone took care of Lucy first then took care of her medical needs. It made a huge difference for our family.”
— Nicole, mother of Lucy, age 3, who had mitochondrial disease (a chronic genetic disorder)
Appointments & Referrals
Delaware, Pennsylvania & New Jersey
(800) 416-4441
Florida
Jacksonville Area
(904) 697-3789
Orlando Area
(407) 650-7715
Pensacola Area
(850) 505-4790
International
Patients
+1 (302) 651-4993
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See how our comprehensive care and research impact the children and families we treat: