The special thing about a children's and young adults' hospice is that the entire family is always accompanied on their difficult journey. We focus on caring for children and young adults with life-shortening conditions. They very often have to deal with intense pain and the loss of physical or mental abilities, while becoming more and more dependent on support and care by others. "Balthasar" wants to be a second home for the children and families. The children's hospice is for children from birth to the age of 16. The young adults' hospice welcomes young adults up to the age of mid-20.
Around the clock, the children and young people are looked after and cared for by experienced staff from the fields of children's nursing, nursing and education.
At Balthasar we also support the parents, for instance by allowing them to take a rest while our team cares for their child. Furthermore, parents always find someone to talk to about their concerns and grief – either someone from our team, or other parents who are in a similar situation. This helps them to cope with the condition and loss of their child.
Brothers and sisters also have to face a difficult and burdensome situation: they have to show consideration, live with restrictions and are confronted with the topic of death at an early age. Our team offers several age-appropriate activities for the siblings and allows them to talk about grief and worries, but also to just have a really good time.
While the children visit the hospice with their parents and siblings, the young adults often stay alone or with a companion person.
