The Spiritual Dimension of Parents' Experiences Caring for a Seriously Ill Child: An Interview Study.

Background: Parents of children with life-threatening conditions may have to balance their personal, family, and professional lives in the anticipation of child loss and the demands of providing medical care for their child. The challenges these parents are confronted with may lead to specific care needs. In this paper we explore the spiritual dimension of caring for a child with a life-threatening condition from the parents perspective.

[Active life termination in children aged 1-12 years].

In this article we discuss active termination of life in children aged 1-12 years. It is expected that in 2024 active termination of life will be regulated for children between the ages of 1 and 12 who suffer unbearably, when other options to relieve their suffering are not enough. Using a case, we describe how a request for active termination of life in a child can arise and how physicians can respond to it.

Barriers to the spiritual care of parents taking care of their child with a life-limiting condition at home.

Unlabelled: The changes that parents face when caring for a child with a life-limiting condition at home can affect them on a spiritual level. Yet, indications remain that parents do not feel supported when dealing with spiritual issues related to caring for a severely ill child. This paper explores, from the perspectives of bereaved parents, chaplains, grief counselors, and primary health care providers, the barriers to supporting the spiritual needs of parents.

The spiritual dimension of parenting a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition: A mixed-methods systematic review.

Background: Spirituality refers to the dynamic dimension of human life that relates to the way that persons experience meaning, purpose, and transcendence. The complex task of parenting a child with a life-limiting condition may raise existential questions, which are easily overlooked by healthcare professionals.

Aim: We explored how the spiritual dimension becomes manifest in parents of children in pediatric palliative care.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Grief Experiences of Bereaved Relatives: An Overview Review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted grief experiences of bereaved relatives and altered accustomed ways of coping with loss. To understand how bereaved relatives experienced grief during COVID-19, a review, using the overview method, was conducted. An overview of empirical data about this subject has been lacking and therefore, PubMed and CINAHL databases were searched for empirical studies published from January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2021.

Breaking bad news: what parents would like you to know.

Objective: Breaking bad news about life-threatening and possibly terminal conditions is a crucial part of paediatric care for children in this situation. Little is known about how the parents of children with life-threatening conditions experience communication of bad news. The objective of this study is to analyse parents' experiences (barriers and facilitators) of communication of bad news.

Barriers in care for children with life-threatening conditions: a qualitative interview study in the Netherlands.

Objective: To identify barriers, as perceived by parents, to good care for children with life-threatening conditions.

Design: In a nationwide qualitative study, we held in-depth interviews regarding end-of-life care with parents of children (aged 1 to 12 years) who were living with a life-threatening illness or who had died after a medical trajectory (a maximum of 5 years after the death of the child). Sampling was aimed at obtaining maximum variety for a number of factors.

Pediatric Brain Tumors: Narrating Suffering and End-of-Life Decisionmaking.

When talking about decisionmaking for children with a life-threatening condition, the death of children with brain tumors deserves special attention. The last days of the lives of these children can be particularly harsh for bystanders, and raise questions about the suffering of these children themselves. In the Netherlands, these children are part of the group for whom a wide range of end-of-life decisions are discussed, and questions raised.

Quality of Living and Dying: Pediatric Palliative Care and End-of-Life Decisions in the Netherlands.

In 2002, The Netherlands continued its leadership in developing rules and jurisdiction regarding euthanasia and end-of-life decisions by implementing the Euthanasia Act, which allows euthanasia for patients 12 years of age and older. Subsequently, in 2005, the regulation on active ending of life for newborns was issued. However, more and more physicians and parents have stated that the age gap between these two regulations-children between 1 and 12 years old-is undesirable.

Should Pediatric Euthanasia be Legalized?

Voluntary active euthanasia for adults at their explicit request has been legal in Belgium and the Netherlands since 2002. In those countries, acceptance of the practice for adults has been followed by acceptance of the practice for children. Opponents of euthanasia see this as a dangerous slippery slope.

Body weight changes in elderly psychogeriatric nursing home residents.

Objective: This study was undertaken to identify predictors of body weight change in nursing home patients with possible to severe dementia.

Methods: For 24 weeks, 108 elderly residents of a nursing home were followed. Body weight was measured every 2 weeks.