Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is looking to challenge the perception that palliative care is only about end of life care.
Palliative Care Week runs until next Saturday, and CHI has highlighted how the quality of life for people and families living with life limiting conditions can be improved.
Music therapy is one of the ways it is providing emotional, social and spiritual support to patients, alongside medical care.
Eight-year-old Rueben Fay attends CHI in Temple Street in Dublin for music therapy, with music therapist Dr James Burns.
Reuben has Cerebral Palsy and multiple complex needs, and his mother Nikita is his full time carer as he lives with this life-limiting condition.
Ms Fay said Reuben is a happy boy and day to day life is 24-hour care.
She said he benefits a lot from music therapy and although he is non-verbal, it helps him express what he likes and does not like.
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Dr Burns said music therapy is an allied health profession similar to physiotherapy, and is used to support someone in their health and well being.
He said there is a long tradition of music therapy in CHI.
Last year, around 112 children received specialist palliative care in CHI.
There were also over 20,800 new referrals to adult acute specialist palliative care teams.
The campaign this year “It’s Not What You Think” is supported by 27 organisations under the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care.
It aims to help people understand that palliative care can provide a range of supports like relief from pain and symptoms, emotional, social and spiritual support, practical support at home, support for families and carers and improved quality of life.