Sadly, disease can affect any age, gender, sex, religion, creed or culture. An unfortunate truth is over 53,000 children die every year from diseases and conditions that don’t have a cure. In those cases, they and their families require compassionate and specialized care.  

As a family-owned and operated hospice, we celebrate families of all types. We know how devastating the loss of a young member of the family is. We created the unique CareOusel Pediatric Program to care for and support the families facing those challenges.  

ProCare’s CareOusel hospice care program offers a model of care unlike others. Hospice care generally requires a patient to forgo any treatments attempting to cure them (such as radiation, chemotherapy, etc.) and instead, focus on comfort and quality of life treatments. CareOusel’s program allows pediatric patients to continue any therapies parents feel adds quality to the child’s life.

Our focus for the children in our care is to provide compassionate pain and symptom management. We strive to provide as much quality of life as possible. We do all we can so that parents can be parents, kids can be kids and families can be families. 

We work to minimize suffering, enhance the quality of life and through our specialized care team, make sure that a family’s time together can be filled with love. We believe the quality of a child’s life is not defined solely by their physical health, but by the opportunity to still be a kid.

Any child who is diagnosed with a terminal illness (from the prenatal stage to age 21) and whose pediatrician or specialist agrees that hospice-level care is appropriate for them, is eligible for CareOusel Pediatric Hospice Care.  

Our perinatal program allows us to become a part of the parent’s care team prior to birth, if a diagnosis is made in utero.  

These services are paid under most insurance plans and Nevada Medicaid benefits. The CareOusel team helps manage the care, so parents and loved ones don’t lose precious time trying to navigate the complexities of the healthcare insurance system. 

At ProCare Hospice, we put together an interdisciplinary team to support each and every patient and create a care plan unique to each individual.  For the specialized needs of our pediatric program, we maintain an elite team of pediatric and hospice-trained caregivers to provide hands-on care in the home.  The CareOusel team collaborates, coordinates and communicates across all disciplines to make sure all the needs of the child and family are addressed. 

Our pediatric physicians and nurse practitioners are specially-trained in pediatric hospice. They oversee the child’s entire team and are available for pain and symptom management consultation, or for house calls as needed. CareOusel nurses are skilled in assessing and managing pain and other symptoms, such as vomiting, agitation and fever.  

Social workers, skilled in pediatric psychosocial issues, support the child, the family and other caregivers.

Spiritual Counselors work with the family, offering spiritual and emotional support for the child and the family. 

Multiple disciplines and therapies coordinate together to support the child’s unique needs. Respiratory therapists, dietitians and other pediatric specialists support children’s unique needs.  

As a team, hospice professionals help in a variety of ways. From managing pain and symptoms for the child, to talk therapy for a parent who is angry at life, to ensuring that the family has some “down time,” CareOusel team members channel their resources into improving the quality of life for the child and family. 

CareOusel Pediatric Hospice care also offers a wide range of complementary therapies. These therapies, which complement clinical therapies, can help young patients and their families, deal with the mental, emotional and spiritual strain of the situation. The goal is to help patients and their loved ones feel less stressed, more comfortable, and improve the quality of day-to-day life.

Some of our therapies include music and massage therapies, our Memory Bears program, and sibling legacy programs. 

Hospice care is provided wherever the patient is. We understand most families would prefer to be together at home, and if it is possible to manage a patient’s symptoms there, we do all we can. Care might be provided in the home or in the hospital, depending on the circumstance.

Hospice care helps the family focus on the child without undermining care for the rest of the family. Available by phone or in person any time of day, hospice team members are available to educate the family and provide hands-on care. 

We know that for the family, the journey has only just begun. Grieving for the loss of a child is life-long, but our bereavement programs are designed to help family members meet ongoing daily challenges before and after a child has died. It will never go away, but our compassionate staff help family members find acceptance and healing. 

We wish no one had to go through such a heartbreaking loss. However, we at CareOusel Pediatrics are committed to doing everything we can to have our family care for your family like our own.