Vlček Family Foundation supported the lecture of two american experts in pediatric palliative care

On Thursday, 9 November, two American experts in pediatric palliative care gave a lecture at the MU Faculty of Medicine. The meeting was opened by Dr. Petr Lokaj, Head of the Palliative Support Team at the Children's Hospital of the University Hospital Brno. The Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Head of the Department of Paediatric Oncology, Professor Jaroslav Štěrba, and the Head of the Paediatric Clinic, Associate Professor Petr Jabandžiev, who could not attend in person, also gave their greetings.

During the two-hour lecture, Lori Wiener and Meaghann Shaw Weaver focused on the topic of mental hygiene and self-care, which should not be forgotten by doctors and non-medical members of palliative care teams. They also touched on how important it is not to forget the pediatric patient, their family and healthy siblings. Last but not least, they shared their own experiences and good practices on how to share difficult news with the family of sick children and how to work with grief and bereavement not only with family members but also with palliative team members. The speakers also presented their book Hubert's Feathers, which is aimed at children with serious illness and their loved ones.

The issue of palliative care for pediatric patients attracted many professionals across professions from various healthcare facilities and organisations.

Due to the great interest from professionals from all over the country, the entire presentation and the subsequent discussion were streamed.

The lecture was made possible thanks to the support of the Vlček Family Foundation, which cooperates with the Department of Paediatric Oncology, the Paediatric Clinic and the Palliative Support Team of the Children's Hospital of the University Hospital Brno. The Palliative Support Team provides complex supportive care to seriously ill children. It also focuses on the family of the pediatric patient, in addition to the parents, and also on the healthy siblings of sick children.