Commitment to children with life-shortening illnesses

At Sternenbrücke, the focus is on providing caring support and continuously developing services for young people with life-shortening illnesses and their families. For many years, we have seen – increasingly also due to the shortage of nursing staff in Germany – how essential it is to support families with terminally ill children not only in hospital but also at home.

The needs of these families are diverse – they range from training family members in caregiving, providing them with social and legal advice, and ensuring the best possible medical care for the patients, to palliative care in times of crisis or even at the end of life.

In order to meet these requirements, it was a matter close to our hearts to set up a coordination center with KinderVersorgungsNetz Hamburg e.V. with numerous experienced organizations and specialists. With this new contact point, we are jointly pursuing the goal of sustainably improving outpatient care in Hamburg, providing the best possible support for families in their home environment, and raising public awareness of the situation of affected families.

In an interview, Kirsten Mainzer, chairwoman of KinderVersorgungsNetz, explains the association's motivations and goals:

"Families with chronically ill, seriously ill, and/or palliative care-needing young people are increasingly left alone in their everyday home situations due to a shortage of nursing staff, a lack of care services, and growing financial burdens. In addition, there is little awareness of their stressful situation in politics and the public sphere. For this reason, KinderVersorgungsNetz Hamburg e.V. was founded in 2016 as an association of all non-clinical services in the Hamburg metropolitan region. We want every chronically ill, seriously ill, and/or palliative care young person in northern Germany to receive the best possible care, advice, and support in their family environment. With our counseling center, we are a helpful guide at the side of families and represent the rights of these young people. We want every chronically ill, seriously ill, and/or palliative care patient in northern Germany to receive the best possible care, advice, and support in their family environment. With our counseling center, we are a helpful guide at the side of families and represent the rights of these young people."

Kirsten Mainzer emphasizes that cooperation with Sternenbrücke plays a central role:
"The many years of experience that our colleagues at Sternenbrücke have with families with children receiving palliative care and their comprehensive view of the families affected are a great asset to the network in Hamburg. We are delighted about the ongoing exchange and the positive outlook for the entire Hamburg care sector thanks to the close collegial cooperation."

Peer Gent, board member of the Sternenbrücke Children's Hospice Foundation and KinderVersorgungsNetz Hamburg e. V., adds:
“Sternenbrücke's motto is ‘Together. For each other. Jointly.’ and so we are delighted to support the association's work and thus make an important contribution to improving the quality of life of families with children suffering from life-shortening illnesses. Our joint commitment shows how cooperation and professional expertise can pave the way for new approaches to care.”