Germany observes Children’s Hospice Day every year on February 10. When a child has a life-threatening illness, the child and their loved ones are subjected to extreme physical and mental burdens for years. Some children might even need hospice care, which can be especially distressing. In such circumstances, children need as much support and companionship as possible. Children’s Hospice Day draws attention to the importance of children’s hospice work in Germany and the healthcare workers who offer exceptional services. Engaged and with great empathy, volunteers try their best to take care of children and young people with life-threatening diseases, as well as support their loved ones.


HISTORY OF CHILDREN'S HOSPICE DAY
From ancient times, children were cared for at home, usually by the female members of the family. In 1802, the first hospital for children in Paris opened, the Hôpital des Enfants Malades. This was the first time that children were formally acknowledged as having health conditions and needs that were different from adults. From France, the concept of separate pediatric hospitals was adopted by Germany, Italy, Poland, Austria, Russia, and England.

In 1893, Madame Henry, Midwife-in-Chief of the Port Royale program for sick newborns, recognized that babies required special care and set up separate units for their treatment. This was the first attempt at neonatal care. In the 20th century, children’s rights were laid down in two important human rights declarations in 1924 and 1948 by the United Nations. They said that children were entitled to special care and consideration.

Almost every country recognizes the inalienable rights of every child, including the right to the best possible health care. In the 1960s, Dr. Cicely Saunders and Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross pioneered and promoted the development of the modern hospice movement. They both recognized a critically ill patient’s holistic needs. The first hospices were opened with the help of pediatricians. Together, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Dr. Saunders, and Florence Wald created the environment for children’s hospice care that has developed in the United States and Europe. The decade of the 1970s became known as the “pivot of change” when the children’s hospice movement began to develop as an entity separate from the general hospice movement.