Preparing and guiding your child
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We support you and your child as best we can
Medical Pedagogical Care (MPZ)
MPZ guides and advises children and parents facing illness, admission, and treatment in a hospital. In doing so, MPZ focuses on providing safety, monitoring the child's development, and preventing or reducing anxiety and stress.
The focus areas of MPZ are:
- Preparing for and guiding the child and parents/guardians during an examination, procedure, treatment, and/or surgery. This preparation and guidance is tailored to your child's age and developmental level, and any previous experiences are taken into account.
- Focus on the experience of illness and coping with illness.
- Advice on the approach to and guidance of your child and any siblings.
- Attention to your child's development by offering developmental opportunities, observation, and contact moments.
- Video Interaction Guidance (VIB) can be offered to you for support.
- Involvement with PARK outpatient clinic.
On the website www.nahetziekenhuis.nl, you will find a number of (practical) tips that can help you guide your child during and around the hospital stay. Caring for the sick child after the hospital.
When your child returns home after a hospital stay, a period of recovery and adjustment begins. In the patient leaflet "Continuing at Home with Your Child," you can read about your child's possible reactions and how to deal with them.
The Medical Pedagogical Care Provider holds a Bachelor's degree and has knowledge and experience in the field of developmental psychology and (ortho)pedagogy, and is part of the multidisciplinary care team.
Should you have any questions about what we can do for your child and family before, during, or after admission, you can reach us by phone during office hours (0715263864) or send an email to pedagogischezorgwakz@lumc.nl.
Preparing your child for anesthesia yourself
Dear parent/guardian,
Your child is being admitted for treatment under general anesthesia at the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital of the LUMC.
Preparing your child for this admission gives them more control and confidence and is beneficial to process the experience. The Kind en Ziekenhuis website describes how best to do this.
You agreed upon the method of anesthesia administration during the pre-operative consultation. You can click on the relevant photo book (from approximately 4 years old) / video (toddler/preschooler) / day admission booklet (from approximately 3 years old) via the link BELOW for the correct information to prepare your child.
View the preparation books for children going under anesthesia.
Anesthesia via IV
Anesthesia via mask
- Watch the preparatory video (Dutch)
- View the booklet (Dutch)
- Day admission preparation booklet (Dutch)
- Leaflet on helpful language use (Dutch)
- Information about after the hospital stay (Dutch)
Should you have any further questions regarding the preparation or previous experiences, please contact Medical Pedagogical Care: pedagogischezorgwakz@lumc.nl
You can reach them on weekdays on the following phone number: 071 526 38 64
Psychological support for your child
Sometimes your child needs extra help because they are struggling with psychological issues, such as anxiety or behavioral problems. The Child and Adolescent Medical Psychology team at the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital can offer assistance in such cases. This team provides psychological care to children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 and their families who are under the care of a pediatrician. This is available for children admitted to our hospital and for children attending the pediatric outpatient clinic.
When can your child use extra help?
Children who are ill often suffer not only from the illness itself, but also from everything surrounding it. Hospitalizations, treatments, and medication can cause your child to feel uncomfortable in their own skin. This can include trauma, anxiety, mood swings, and behavioral problems. Our team can treat these issues and support the family. Your child can be referred to us by your pediatrician.
Treatment options
At the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, we offer a wide range of treatments, such as behavioral therapy, trauma treatment (EMDR), systemic therapy, and psychotherapy.
About the team
The Child and Adolescent Medical Psychology team consists of clinical psychologists, healthcare psychologists, and master's psychologists. In addition, there are interns and psychologists in training to become generalists or specialists.
Contact
You can reach the Child and Adolescent Medical Psychology team via telephone number 071 526 12 83 or email address psychologenWAKZ@lumc.nl.
If you need care yourself
For some parents, the admission or treatment of their child is a profound experience. Your home situation changes, and sometimes the admission also affects your work and social contacts. We fully understand that you may find this difficult at times.
That is why we offer you assistance from our social workers at the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital. Together with you, they will look at what kind of help you need and from whom. Sometimes it is enough to simply have a chat or to unburden yourself. Sometimes writing, exercising, reading, resting, getting good sleep, and eating help. And if more is needed, the social worker can arrange help for you from other organizations.
Going to school in the hospital
During your child's admission to the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, school continues as usual. It can be difficult to keep track of all their progress at school. Therefore, your child can receive lessons from a consultant from the Educational Provision. We have a classroom on the children's ward for this purpose. However, it is also possible for lessons to be given in your child's room.
We have experienced teachers
Consultants from the Educational Facility (hospital school) focus on educational guidance for sick students up to the age of 21 and have extensive experience as teachers in primary or secondary education.
Staying in touch with your child's school
If your child does not need to stay in the hospital (for long) but is still unable to attend school, the consultant can help you. The consultant also offers assistance if you need to explain to your child's teacher why they cannot go to school. For instance, the consultant can explain what the illness entails and maintain contact with the school. Even if the child is able to attend school but struggles to follow lessons, a consultant can help you. In this way, at the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, we ensure that your child can continue to receive the best possible education despite the illness.
The Educational Facility can be reached at telephone number 071 526 28 30 or via email address educatievevoorziening@lumc.nl. Our classroom is located at location J6-40 of the Strand department. More information about educational support for sick students can be found here .
Nutrition for your child
For some treatments, it is necessary to adjust your child's diet. At the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, pediatric dietitians work who know all about this. They are consulted by the pediatrician for advice.
The pediatric dietitian consults with you and your child about which adjustments need to be made and why. This guidance usually takes place during the hospital stay, but can also be provided on an outpatient basis.
The pediatric dietitians are part of the Department of Dietetics at the LUMC.
Moving well leads to faster recovery
Exercise is important, even during admission or treatment at the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital. This helps you recover quickly and well.
Get fitter through play
Due to hospitalization and medical treatments, children sometimes move less than normal. Therefore, the pediatric physiotherapist discusses with you and your child how your child can move (more) during the hospital stay.
To this end, we create an exercise program. Through play, we encourage sick and less fit children to move more. When creating the exercise program, the pediatric physiotherapist takes into account your child's movement limitations, physical condition, and interests.
Before the exercises, we always consult with the treating pediatrician and pediatric nurse about how your child is doing that day. The exercises often take place in the room, but sometimes also in the hallway or in the pediatric physiotherapy exercise room.
Moving after the recording
After hospitalization, pediatric physiotherapy can be continued at home by a pediatric physiotherapist in your area. This will be discussed with you upon your child's discharge. The most important thing is that children enjoy moving!
Children's Comfort Team
As parent(s) of a child with a serious illness, you face many challenges. This causes worry and may raise many questions regarding your child's care and support, as well as how the illness affects the entire family. You will likely have to deal with many different healthcare providers and agencies. The Kinder Comfort Team at Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital can support and advise you in this process.
What is the Child Comfort Team (KCT)?
The Kinder Comfort Team is a team of healthcare professionals. The KCT is there for families with a seriously ill (or impending) child who may no longer be curable and who requires (medical) care. It is for parents and/or caregivers who have concerns and questions about the care and support of their sick child and about how the illness affects the entire family. This involves support at home as well as in the hospital.
The team
Our team consists of pediatricians, gynecologists, pediatric nurses, medical pedagogical care providers, social workers, spiritual caregivers, and transfer nurses. With this team, we support your (upcoming) child and your family, including siblings. We help determine what support is needed and can, for example, also provide guidance in organizing and coordinating care. Quality of life is our top priority, from diagnosis through to aftercare.
Cooperation
The strength of continuity, coordination, and quality lies in collaboration. The Kinder Comfort Team works closely with your treating physician at the LUMC, your general practitioner, and home care services. We also have a partnership with the Network for Integrated Child Care (NIK) Holland Rijnland of the Knowledge Centre for Pediatric Palliative Care. The goal of the Knowledge Centre is to improve integrated child care within the Dutch healthcare system for families with a seriously ill child. For more information, please visit www.kinderpalliatief.nl
What does the Kinder Comfort Team help you with?
- The Kinder Comfort Team's guiding principle is the highest possible quality of life, taking into account the wishes and needs of the entire family. By engaging in dialogue with you and your family at an early stage, individual wishes and expectations can be better accommodated. This approach is called Advanced Care Planning (ACP).
- Mapping out care wishes and needs. Together with you, we look at what care suits your child and family, both now and in the future. In doing so, we look beyond just medical matters. We can also document this in an Individual Care Plan (IZP), which can subsequently be shared with all involved healthcare providers.
- Thinking along regarding potential uncertainties for the future. We think along with you about questions such as: What are the consequences of certain (medical) choices for your child and also for siblings? How do you organize care tailored to your family situation and work? How do you and your child view the future? What do you want for your child, and what do you definitely not want?
- Arranging practical matters, such as organizing home care. We do not take over the care from you or other care providers, but support you and the treatment team.
Accessibility
If you, as a parent, would like support from the Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital Child Comfort Team for your child and your family, please contact the team. The Child Comfort Team can be reached by phone and email.
- By phone: 071-5262824 (Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
- Email: Kindercomfort.teamWA@lumc.nl
For healthcare professionals
What questions can you come to us with?
Pediatric palliative care requires multidisciplinary collaboration. Healthcare providers in Leiden and the surrounding area can draw on the expertise, skills, and knowledge of the Kinder Comfort Team in the following areas:
- (prepare for) ACP conversation
- Decision-making processes
- Advice regarding psychosocial care
- Step-by-step plan for palliative medication
- Symptom management
- Advice on transitioning home
- From curative to palliative
- From palliative to terminal
Multidisciplinary meeting: every Tuesday from 12:30 – 13:30 in person or via TEAMS. Also possible on another date in consultation. You can register via email: Kindercomfort.teamWA@lumc.nl
How can you support children when a loved one passes away?
Read below in the brochures:
- Death of a loved one, care for children aged 0-1 year | LUMC (Dutch)
- Death of a loved one, caring for children aged 2-3 | LUMC (Dutch)
- Death of a loved one, caring for children aged 4-6 | LUMC (Dutch)
- Death of a loved one, caring for children aged 7-9 | LUMC (Dutch)
- Death of a loved one, caring for children aged 10-12 | LUMC (Dutch)
- Death of a loved one, caring for children aged 13-18 | LUMC (Dutch