jacksplace@naomihouse

Naomi House is a purpose–built children’s hospice that provides a homely environment for children and young people with life–limiting conditions which mean that they will not live to become adults.

Situated just north of Winchester in Hampshire, we offer one–to–one palliative care that includes respite, terminal and bereavement care and support to children and their families in central southern England. We are available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. It costs around £3.0 million every year to keep this service running.

The hospice is managed by The Wessex Children’s Hospice Trust, a charity which was established in the early 1990’s, following an identified need to support families of children who were terminally ill. To provide a place where they could go for a break and also where they could trust someone else to look after their child. A capital appeal was launched and after several years enough money had been raised to build the hospice. Mrs Mary Cornelius–Reid, owner of Sutton Manor Estates, leased part of her land to build the hospice for a peppercorn rent of one dozen red roses payable on Midsummer’s Day each year. The hospice was named after Mrs Cornelius–Reid’s daughter in tribute to her generosity.

We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. We have eight children’s bedrooms, plus two for emergencies and five bedrooms with en–suite facilities to accommodate families if they want to stay too. There is also a self–contained kitchen and living/dining room for their use.

At Naomi House, we provide one to one professional care in a home from home environment with state of the art facilities, such as a multi–sensory room, music room, computer suite and hydrotherapy room. Our gardens, maintained by volunteers, are beautiful with a water feature, Wendy House and play equipment suitable for wheelchair users. For many families who visit us, this is often the only time they can relax, take a well earned rest, go out for a meal or just be themselves, while our experienced team of doctors, nurses, carers, caterers and volunteers take over the job of looking after their loved ones.

Whilst a child can visit the hospice many times for respite care, we also offer bereavement support to the whole family when a child dies. We have a suite of rooms where the family can be near their child for those last difficult days or hours before the funeral and gives the family time to say goodbye.

Naomi House is a very special place. It is a place of laughter, joy and togetherness and the people who visit us are special. We need to raise £3 million each year for us to provide this support. With just 10% of our income coming from Government funding, every pound that is donated will give a family from the south of England with a terminally ill child, the chance to come to Naomi House.

Naomi House is building a new unit called jacksplace@naomihouse, a hospice for teenagers and young people. An appeal for £12million to build, equip and run jacksplace was launched in September 2007. A legacy from Jack Witham, a local businessman, of £6million was a huge boost to the appeal. Staff and supporters of Naomi House are working hard to raise the remaining £2.2million that is needed to complete the project. jacksplace, which will be the fourth young person’s hospice in the country, is due to open in early 2010. When jacksplace opens the costs of running the charity’s two hospices will increase to £4.5million each year.

With just 10% of our income coming from Government, Naomi House relies on the generosity of people in the community to continue its work. Their help and time allows us to provide these crucial care services, free of charge, to children and their families.

Naomi House Fundraising Office,
3 Sun Valley Business Park,
Winnall Close,
Winchester,
Hampshire SO23 OLB
Telephone: 01962 843513
Email: Deborah Speirs
naomihouse.org.uk

time for care –
Kinderhospiz Verein Schweiz

Holiday Respite in Klosters for Families with Special Needs Children

Families with a child that has mental/physical disabilities or a life limiting illness can enjoy the opportunity of a much needed respite made possible by time for care.

time for care offers specific help provided by pediatric health care professionals and volunteer children hospice personal.

time for care allows the whole family to benefit and enjoy the wonderful mountain atmosphere of Klosters while knowing that the special needs child is well cared for. The accommodation consists of a specially equipped holiday apartment or hotel room. The leisure time is further enhanced due to the generosity of local sports and recreational institutions that make available entries for the swimming pool, coach rides and tickets for mountain adventures. Thus making it also possible for families with limited resources.

time for care’s main focus during the holiday is on the special needs child. A small team will care for, supervise and accompany the child according to the instructions and wishes of the parents, guardians or care givers. 24 hour a day care is also possible.

Before the holiday begins, time for care establishes a specific needs care plan with the parents, medical practitioner and relevant caregivers. Upon assessment, time for care then begins with organizing the holiday specifics such as: the appropriation of required aids/devices (e.g. hospital bed, feeding tube, oxygen/breathing apparatus); the required medications; dietary needs; the collaboration of informed doctors and hospitals; the arrangement of physiotherapy appointments, medical exams and tests; and coordination of competent personal.

This type of sponsorship in making holidays available for those families with special needs is a well–known and successful concept in Klosters. Thanks to Beatrix Vollmar-Weibel, pediatric nurse, and her team, many families from Switzerland and nearby countries have already experienced a unique and satisfying holiday.

Klosters is able to offer memorable respite due to its accessible wheelchair friendly river pathways where the children can experience nature firsthand and also the exciting activities available at Madrisa Land on Madrisa mountain. The success of time for care mountain holidays and timeout for involved families is achieved by the generosity of the people of Klosters and their attitude of achieving “the possible from the impossible”.

Kinderhospiz Verein Schweiz”
Geschäftsstelle
Beatrix Vollmar-Weibel
Murastrasse 30
7250 Klosters
Switzerland
info@akademiep.ch