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The Child Life Imperative in Adult Palliative Care
Robert L Fine1, Tricia P Feldman2, Cinda L McDonald3
1Office of Clinical Ethics and Palliative Care, Baylor Scott and White Health (R.L.F.), Dallas, Texas, USA.
Insights
Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) are crucial in adult palliative care. Integrating CCLSs ensures children of seriously ill adults receive necessary support and understanding during difficult times.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care Medicine
- Pediatric Health
- Psychosocial Support
Background:
- Palliative care benefits both patients and families.
- Children of seriously ill adults often have unmet needs in adult palliative care settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the role and methods of Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) in adult palliative care.
- To advocate for the inclusion of CCLSs in adult palliative care interdisciplinary teams.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on Child Life Services in palliative care.
- Analysis of 15+ years of experience integrating Child Life Services into Supportive Palliative Care.
Main Results:
- CCLSs are vital for addressing the needs of children in adult palliative care.
- Existing literature and experience support the integration of CCLSs.
Conclusions:
- Certified Child Life Specialists should be an integral part of adult palliative care teams.
- CCLSs help children understand illness and support effective family communication.
Abstract:
Palliative care, whether in the form of early Supportive Palliative Care or later in the course of illness with Hospice, serves not only the seriously ill patient, but the patient's family members. When the family includes children associated with the seriously ill patient, the needs of those children often go unmet, especially in adult palliative care. This paper focuses on the work done and the methods used by Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) working in adult palliative care. Using the literature and our 15+ year experience integrating Child Life Services into both community and academic center Supportive Palliative Care services, we argue it is imperative that the core adult palliative care interdisciplinary team include Certified Child Life Specialists trained to help children of the seriously ill adult understand their loved adult's illness, and to help adults communicate effectively with and better support the child.
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