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Living loss

For families around a child with a serious illness or condition, grief often begins long before the child's death. This is called "living loss." It involves the loss of future expectations, certainties, and dreams you once held for your child and your family. Simultaneously, there is the daily care, love, and hope for beautiful moments together. This contradiction can be confusing and exhausting. Many parents recognize the feeling that saying goodbye isn't a one-time thing. Addressing living loss within pediatric palliative care helps to take these feelings seriously and create space for them.

Guidance for life questions, grief and loss

During the illness and after the death of a child, a spiritual counselor or grief and loss counselor can support a family and help them think through questions about life, illness, and death. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) supports parents who wish to use this support with a subsidy called the Spiritual Care Impulse. The flyer below provides more information.

Integrated Child Care Network (NIK)

Would you like to contact a spiritual counselor or grief and loss counselor? Then contact the network coordinator of the Integrated Childcare Network (NIK) in your region.

Loss and grief

Initiatives for parents
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Initiatieven voor ouders

Support and assistance for parents

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“It is often more difficult for men to talk about these kinds of topics,” says Rik

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Get to know the NIK in text and image

The NIK can help to connect when organizing care for a seriously ill child and is there for families and healthcare professionals.


Get to know the NIK

As a healthcare professional you sometimes see that a family gets stuck in the many care questions surrounding their seriously ill child. The Integral Child Care Network (NIK) can help with this and you can register the family for this. You can also contact the NIK if you encounter a (care) question yourself.

Many healthcare professionals are involved in organizing care for a seriously ill child. Plans are made together and help is offered. Unfortunately, in this complexity it is often still a search for connection. And sometimes it lacks answers. The NIK can help with this and is there for families and healthcare professionals. How? Watch it in the animation below.

There is always a NIK nearby

As a healthcare professional, you can call on the NIK at any time. You do not need to be connected to the Network for this. Do you want to stay informed of all developments regarding the care of seriously ill children and their families in your region? Then you can join the NIK as a (care) organization. And thus also contribute to improving this care.

In addition, parents often indicate that they are not aware of the NIK. They would have liked to have heard about it earlier in the care process. You can play a role in this by telling them about the NIK. They can contact you themselves if necessary. Or you support them by registering the family. Each region has its own Network and here you will find the contact details.

Watch our animation

Experienced Parent

Corinne's family was registered with the NIK by a pediatrician. Her youngest son Jordy (10) needs 24-hour care. "The pediatrician saw us struggling with all the requests for help and care providers. We could no longer see the wood for the trees."

Corinne calls the help of the NIK indispensable. "The NIK coordinator tries to get the care providers together. They often don't know what each other is doing. The coordinator makes a connection. She moves them to talk to each other. For example, she made sure that every three weeks different healthcare professionals come together online. And she keeps everyone to the agreements made."

Without the NIK, Corinne would hardly have progressed. “It is reassuring to know that in the sea of aid workers there is always someone for you. She often knows best who I can turn to. Also likes to explain things more than once. She understands you and wants to fight for you. That is amazing."

Quote:

"It's reassuring that someone is always there"

- Corinne, experience expert parent
Do you want to gain knowledge?

The NIK also organizes training and inspiration evenings. From information and meeting evenings, to a training course on culture-sensitive working in child care. The NIK organizes training courses throughout the country. Keep an eye on the website for the current offer.


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