There are over 3,800 children in Ireland living with a life-limiting condition. More than 1,900 of these children have palliative care needs and up to 720 children at any one time are classed as unstable, deteriorating or at end-of-life and in immediate need of hospice care. LauraLynn is the only Children’s Hospice in the Republic of Ireland and they care for, support and help families create memories to last a lifetime.

Caring for a child with a life limiting condition is a rollercoaster journey for families, learning that your child has a condition with no cure is devastating. It’s a time when families need care, support and information so that they don’t feel isolated.

About LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice

LauraLynn, is the only children’s hospice in the Republic of Ireland, providing palliative care to children with life-limiting conditions and their families from all across Ireland.

Their holistic approach to care enables them to support the whole family, allowing patients to be children and parents to be parents rather than full-time carers. Care can be availed of in their hospice in Dublin, in hospital, in the community, or in the family home, depending on the child and family’s preference.

They care for children with life-limiting conditions by providing planned short break stays in the hospice, symptom management, end-of-life care and bereavement supports, as well as a range of supports for families including play and music therapy, family camps and family activities.

All care provided by LauraLynn is free for families.

Their service focuses on enhancing quality of life, which includes physical comfort and wellbeing, as well as the emotional, social and spiritual aspects of care of the family; supporting them from the point of diagnosis to end of life, and throughout bereavement, with a range of nursing, practical, emotional and medical care.

Since opening in 2011, LauraLynn has cared for more than 365 children and their families.

What LauraLynn Offers Families

Many people think that a children’s hospice is all about end-of-life care but LauraLynn offers much more than that. Free services offered to families include:

• Planned and unplanned short break stays for the child and family – Planned short break stays for the child and family can range from a couple of hours in the family home to several nights at LauraLynn House. Unplanned short break stays provide immediate placement for children in the event of an emergency within a family.
• Symptom management – Families may need support to manage changing symptoms, improving the quality of life for the child and family.
• Family supports – They offer family support programmes that allow families to be together as a family unit, to have fun together, to meet other families in similar circumstances, and support them along their journey. Supports available to families include: Clinical Psychology; Chaplaincy; Social Work; Physiotherapy; Occupational Therapy; Music Therapy & Play Therapy; Therapeutic Family Work and Family Camps.
• End-of-life care – The LauraLynn Care Team works with the child’s primary medical team, community services (community palliative care, primary care, and the Children’s Outreach Nurses) to ensure the family’s wishes are met where possible.
• Bereavement support – LauraLynn assist families in their experience of loss during a child’s life; beginning at the point of acceptance to LauraLynn’s service, throughout the course of their condition, around the time of the child’s death, and in the weeks, months, and years that follow. There are services to support the entire family.

Through their caring and compassionate team, families are enabled to be happy together even on some of saddest days. LauraLynn Children’s Hospice focuses on making the most of short and precious lives and creating memories to last a lifetime.

At LauraLynn they understand that the whole family is affected when there is a life-limited child within the household, so the whole family needs care and support.

While they can’t give these children and families more time, they can give them more time together, having fun and making memories.

How To Get In Touch With and Support LauraLynn

If you need help or support as a family living with a child with a life limiting condition give the LauraLynn team a call on 01 2893151. Alternatively you can visit www.lauralynn.ie or email the team at [email protected]

How you can support LauraLynn

Annually LauraLynn must fundraise over €4m to fund their work and keep these vital service free for the families who need them. There are many ways that you can help their special hospice reach their 2020 target of €4.6 million.

• Become a Monthly Donor – set up a Direct Debit
• Give a donation – either online or by phone
• Shop for their gifts online
• Fundraise – Why not take part in one of their many events? Or go a step further and organise your own!
• Remember LauraLynn in your Will and leave a lasting legacy

Full details on how you can help can be found on here.