Our Services - A Model for Care
Streaming Flash Movie |
|
As the first – and currently, the only – freestanding respite and end of life facility, George Mark Children’s House offers a unique alternative for children with life-limiting illnesses, and their families. As such, we believe we have a responsibility to set the standard for pediatric palliative care and life-affirming care. In doing so, we are most proud of our ability to care for children and families regardless of their ability to pay. Our care includes bereavement services which are also provided free and are not time-limited.
Our environment is a collaborative one in which we honor each family’s culture and beliefs while helping to restore the rituals of family life. Since opening, we’ve cared for over 275 families representing over 20 different ethnicities and cultures, and children ranging in age from newborns to young adults.
The House is a welcoming place. Families whose children have died here come back, either for a memorial service, to celebrate special anniversaries, to have dinner, or just to sit and remember. Creating the kind of place families come back to comes from our hearts and is appreciated by everyone who steps inside our doors.
Information for the Medical Community
Interdisciplinary Team
We provide care and support in many different ways. With our Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) approach, we supply therapeutic insight, guidance and recommendations from social, spiritual, psychological, and medical perspectives to develop a unique and unified plan of care for every child and family.
Children with life-limiting illnesses and their families have complex needs. Here, at George Mark, we have a host of different people to care for them. Our Interdisciplinary Team includes, but is not limited to, the following members:
Physicians
Although we do not replace the child’s primary care specialist, we always include a pediatric specialist on every child’s team.
Nurses/CNAs
Whether they are working with hospital staff, caring for our children, or facilitating treatment, our nursing staff forms the core of the delivery of our care.
Psychosocial Manager
Because we treat the whole family and not just the child, our Psychosocial Manager supports the family by helping with everything from practical concerns like getting siblings to school to providing parent and child counseling and working with outside agencies.
Child Life Specialist
Ever mindful of the child’s and the sibling’s development and how it may affect treatment, our Child Life Specialist is an invaluable team member.
Spiritual Care Coordinator
We respect every family’s beliefs and tailor our care accordingly, following important contributions from our Spiritual Care Coordinator, who coordinates memorial services and provides bereavement counseling.
Clinical Psychologist
Lifespan limiting illnesses takes a formidable toll on everyone in the family. Our Clinical Psychologist looks after the child’s and their family’s emotional and psychological health as they move through the various stages of the child’s illness.
Click photo to learn
more about our
Hydrotherapy Program |
Hydrotherapist
Trained hydrotherapists and nurses work together to create an enjoyable experience for our children that enhances mobility and relaxation and can help reduce pain.
Pharmacist
Drug regimens are unique for every child and are an integral part of treatment. Our Pharmacist is available for consultation whenever required.
Case Managers
Our Case Managers coordinate aspects of patient and family care prior to the child's arrival during the child’s stay and after discharge. Our Case Managers work with the medical community and other agencies outside of George Mark to facilitate a smooth transition between care settings.
Dietitian
Our Dietitian reviews menus and helps plan meals for our children and their families. The dietitian works with our chef to assure that special dietary needs are accommodated and meals are both nutritious and delicious.
Volunteers
Our volunteers are an important part of life at GMCH. Volunteers are invaluable at making the House more like a home. They spend time with our children and their siblings in activities such as: reading, creating art, playing outside, making music, and just spending time together. As a result of their interaction with our children and families, the volunteers provide valuable insight for the Interdisciplinary Team.
From time to time, we add specialists to our IDT as the needs of a child or family require. In addition, there is considerable overlap among the knowledge and skill of the various members on the IDT. Our goal is to unify the contributions of the various disciplines to provide a single care plan built upon the strengths of each.
Information for Families
Admissions Criteria
We welcome children from birth to 19 years of age for respite, transitional, pain relief and management, or end-of-life palliative care. Young adults will be considered for admission on a case by case basis. George Mark will use the following criteria for admitting children and their families to our program.
- Progressive life span limiting conditions without a curative option
- Life span limiting conditions where treatment is feasible but may not lead to a cure
- Conditions arising from a severe neurological disability that require at least one skilled nursing need and meet at least two of the following criteria:
- Currently hospitalized and / or recent history of repeated hospitalizations
- Loss of already achieved developmental milestones and functioning
- Increasing health challenges and severity of symptoms
- Will benefit from our interdisciplinary services
Services
Our forms of care include respite care (round-the-clock), transitional care, pain and symptom management, and end-of-life care for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Additional services include ongoing support and bereavement programs.
Respite Services
Respite care gives parents a chance to take periodic breaks from the non-stop responsibility of home care. During these breaks, parents can have peace of mind knowing that their child is in a loving environment full of playmates and activity. Families have the option of leaving their child at GMCH for a period of time or staying with their child in one of the family suites while their child receives respite care.
Transitional Services
Transitional care is provided after a child has left the hospital but before the child is ready to go home. This stay offers a period of education and learning in order to equip the family and the primary caregivers with the skills necessary to care for their sick child at home. This training includes learning how to use equipment and provide treatments as well as how to recognize and treat symptoms. Transitional care can also include admissions to the House for pain and symptom management, thereby avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations.
Pain Relief and Symptom Management
One of the special programs we offer is our Pediatric Palliative Aquatics program, instituted by Sheila Pyatt. The program is carried out in the warm waters of our pool, and it allows children a level of comfort and therapy that is simply not available in any other way. Palliative Aquatics helps children feel more comfortable, relax, and get more restful sleep.
End of Life Services
For children who are nearing the end of their lives, our program provides the resources and support that families need to focus solely on making the most of their final days with their child. We allow parents to be "Mom and Dad" rather than caregivers and children to be just "kids." In partnership with the family, George Mark's team of specialists works to honor and respect each family’s cultural traditions and individual care choices. George Mark strives to keep the family intact, functioning, and able to go on with their lives following the loss of a child.
Individualized case planning and coordination services are provided by an Interdisciplinary Team that includes, but is not limited to, the Medical and Program Directors, Physicians, Case Managers, Social Workers (Licensed Clinical Social Workers), Spiritual Care Coordinators, Dieticians, Child Life Specialists, Clinical Psychologists, and a Volunteer Manager.
George Mark provides its services in a 15,000-square-foot facility located in San Leandro, California, on property donated by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. The House is a three-wing building that resembles a large family home and features two private family suites and eight patient rooms. The grounds and facilities include indoor/outdoor play areas, private and communal gardens, water and art therapy rooms, a non-denominational sanctuary for memorial services, and even accommodations for family pets.
Family Stories
Some of our families have shared their special stories with George Mark to share with all of you. You can download and read the following stories provided in PDF format.
Angels in the House
Krish
Seven
Kendrick
Brandan
Emma
