Young families facing the anguish of a parent receiving end of life care will have tailored support to remain together in hospital under a partnership between HammondCare, a global leader in palliative care, and new charity, Derek’s Place.
The two organisations announced today they will work together on resources to assist with understanding loss tailored for children as well as develop comforting family-friendly patient rooms at their Braeside, Greenwich and Neringah Hospitals.
The initiative, a first for NSW hospitals, seeks to stop young parents with a dying partner being forced to make the agonising choice between caring for their children or being at the partner’s bedside in their last days.
Derek’s Place co-founder Natasha Welsh said she found herself having to make that choice.
“I found myself forced to choose whether I had to care for a four-year-old to provide comfort and reassurance or be with my husband. We don’t believe that is a choice any parent in this position should need to make,” Natasha said.
Above: Derek Welsh with Natasha and their son, Cristian.
Derek’s Place has a long-term objective to establish family-friendly spaces in all NSW hospitals offering palliative care so young families can remain together in a comforting environment in the last days of palliative care.
Derek’s Place was established as a lasting tribute to Derek Welsh, who passed away aged 35 from an aggressive brain tumour, leaving behind his widow Natasha and four-year-old son Cristian, now aged eight. Natasha co-founded the charity with Derek’s sister Rachel Brittliff.
Natasha realised through the final moments of her husband’s palliative care journey in hospital that the needs of young children like Cristian were not being met in hospital settings.
“Even though our experience of palliative care was a fairly positive one, both Derek and I realised that there is a gap in the care that is available for people at the end of their lives who also have young families,” Natasha said.
She said children were not supposed to stay overnight at the health facility where Derek received care in his final days and Cristian was often bored and sometimes felt in the way.
It’s estimated up to 1 in 20 children and young people under 18 experience the death of a parent each year – close to one child in every school classroom.
HammondCare Chief Executive Mike Baird, who announced the partnership today with Ms Welsh, said the partnership was part of HammondCare’s commitment to empower and respect the choices of people at end of life and to deliver timely and quality care wherever the patient wants to receive care.
“It’s important that we do all we can to consider the very special needs of children as they experience the loss of a parent. At these times in their lives every moment counts,” Mr Baird said.
Above: HammondCare CEO Mike Baird at the Derek's Place partnership launch.
“These experiences at an incredibly painful time need to be meaningful and appropriate.”
“We support strongly the goal of Derek’s Place to ensure families can have opportunity to be together as much as possible during the palliative care journey.”
HammondCare is a major palliative care provider, supporting 849 patients at end-of-life in its three hospitals in 2021 while another 2543 patients were given palliative care through community-based services in the same period.
HammondCare will work with Derek’s Place on converting existing patient rooms into family-friendly rooms at Braeside Hospital while new rooms are expected to be purpose built in the Greenwich and Neringah Hospital redevelopments to commence in coming years.
The care resources for children were developed with the help of Macquarie University students based on research into play and bereavement therapy.
Braeside Hospital Director of Palliative Care Dr Amy Chow said she was looking forward to working closely with Derek’s Place. “There are very few resources out there to help with the loss and grief experienced by the children of bereaved families,” Dr Chow said.