Nurses at WA’s first children’s hospice have shared their strategies to remain positive while caring for children with life-limiting conditions.
The $38.6 million Sandcastles (Boodja Mia) children’s hospice will welcome its first families over the next few weeks, and the 50 newly recruited staff have already been familiarising themselves with the facility.
Registered nurse Bree Cross is among them and said the team would lean on each other throughout the difficult times ahead.
“We have a great team, we have a great support system. The beauty with the space is you can really get to know your families, they get to know you and you build that rapport with each other. It’s just supporting each other and being open,” she said.
“With this being the first facility in WA, we’ve had lots of great education through Perth Children’s Hospital, with people working in the palliative care space, and a lot of us are from different backgrounds, so we can share our skills.”
Fellow nurse Jodie Rayner said reminding herself of the important work she’s doing kept her going.
“It’s just what a positive impact you can make. It’s such an honour and a privilege to be able to do that and support families in this way that’s not available at the moment,” she said.
Sandcastles is a seven-bed facility, with stays ranging from one night to three weeks depending on the family’s need.
Sandcastles staff will provide specialist care, symptom management and end-of-life care for some of the State’s sickest kids.
It is positioned between Swanbourne parkland and the beach and Ms Cross said it was a nice option for families to have outside of hospital.
“It’s nice to have the space and time to be spending with the children as well, actually being able to do what they want and play with toys or read a book rather than having to be task-focused,” she said.
“A lot of the families have already walked through, and they’re just so excited and already quite emotional about the space and how much it’ll mean to them. It’s just giving them a break and and knowing that their child will still be safe within our care.”
Alongside the 50 new staff are almost 100 volunteers who have completed their own specialised support training.
“When we were doing our training, (PCH was) saying Sandcastles was coming up, and I jumped at the chance because I believe I’m going to be someone here to help brighten the place up,” new volunteer Kerry Gavi said.
“Families need time to be able to come and spend time with (their kids). They’re near the beach, they can see the beach and it’s like a holiday from home.”
Volunteers will help the families with things such as washing clothes, making breakfast, taking the kids out to play and organising outings.