We opened a new children’s hospice “The Ocean and Sky Children’s Hospice in Yokohama” on November 21, 2021. This is the second children’s hospice in Japan. Our hospice is modeled on the community-based hospice which originated in England. Our main purpose is to let families who have a child with Life-Threatening Conditions (LTC) have a connection with the local community and prevent them from feeling isolated. We are aiming for a homey warm place like a second home where everyone including children, families, and staff members can think together about the fulfillment of the children’s lives, not merely wait for the end of their lives.
The Yokohama Children’s Hospice project has two main pillars in our activities. First, we will do our best to support children with LTC. We understand well that most of them have a wish to play and learn something new just like other children. However, people around them tend to focus on medical treatments. We value the “moment” which the children are spending. We listen to their needs and support them in order to be able to realise what they would like to do. We help children smile at their best and encourage the possibilities with which they were born.
We are passionate nurses and nursery school teachers on staff, helping make children’s wishes come true when they say “I want to do” and “I want to try” since they were often discouraged due to their medical conditions. We assist each family so that they are able to spend their days comfortably.