Whether measured in years, months, weeks or days, Rotary Flames House helps make the most of every child’s life. And sadly, while not every child can be saved, they can all be cherished.
Rotary Flames House
Just over a decade ago, our community recognized the extraordinary needs of families facing the unimaginable – losing a child – and rallied together to build the beautiful facility that is Rotary Flames House. Today the House, located next door to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, is one of only six pediatric hospices in Canada and the only one in Alberta.
Rotary Flames House is modeled after a two-storey home and is designed to be a place of sanctuary for families and children. Care is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week by a team of trained healthcare professionals committed to ensuring that each child and family’s physical, developmental, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs are met in a sensitive and compassionate manner.
The services they provide enable families to live as normally as possible during a precious period of time. While Alberta Health Services funds the majority of operational expenses of Rotary Flames House, it’s community donations that ensure the broadest range of services are available for this special group of patients and their families.
The Alberta Children’s Hospital and Alberta Health Services are partners with our generous donors in providing a complete continuum of pediatric palliative care that includes:
Respite care
24-hour care of children at the hospice, on a temporary basis, to allow their families time for rest and renewal.
Symptom management
Active care aimed at managing the adverse physical and emotional symptoms of the child’s illness and/or side effects of treatments.
Transition care
Services for children in the program who can leave the hospital but whose home or community are not yet ready to provide necessary services, such as wheelchair access, nursing or physical therapy.
End-of-life care
Comprehensive services for both the child and family when the child’s death is expected to be imminent.
Grief support and bereavement care
From the time of a child’s diagnosis, throughout their illness and after their death, counselling and therapies are offered for the child and their family members. Consultation and support are also made available to others involved in the child and family’s life.
Thanks to your generous support, Rotary Flames House is a special place for children with life-limiting or medically complex conditions. It’s a home away from home where they can enjoy fun experiences and special programming tailored to them while their parents rest and recharge. It’s also a place of comfort for parents treasuring final moments with a child and where they can gather with others grieving unimaginable losses, all while surrounded by supportive and loving caregivers. With you in their corner, these children and their families can continue to find compassionate respite care, day programming, end-of-life care and grief support at Alberta’s only pediatric hospice.
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