In recent years there has been an increasing demand for respite care in the community setting, as advances in medicine and technology have enhanced the life expectancy of children and young people with a life-limiting illness. However, the need for flexible respite provision in the home frequently presents a challenge for those health care professionals involved in caring for these children and their families. Following a review of literature this paper will demonstrate how a family-centred approach to respite provision and palliative care can enhance the quality of life for a child nearing the end of life and support the expressed needs of the child's family with accessible respite care.
Some parents are unhappy with the way news is broken to them. This article seeks to educate and inform the reflective practitioner on a series of communication strategies to enhance their skills. This is important because the way news is disclosed can affect the way news is accepted and the level of support the family will require. The importance of clarity, honesty and empathy is emphasised.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.