Design and Compassion: Creating a Sense of Peace through the design of the Manitoba Children's Hospice

Abstract

This practicum project addresses the alternate option for sick children and their families when there is simply nothing else modern medicine can do for them. A misconception of palliative care is that it ends life when in reality it does the exact opposite. The the idea of losing a child or sibling is something that is considered taboo; you just don’t want to think about it. By not thinking about it we lose the opportunity to eliminate the stigma and the opportunity to create something that will help families and children embrace the end of life stage.

This practicum project will propose the creation of a Paediatric Palliative Care Hospice in the south end of the City of Winnipeg. This project aims to take away the uneasiness of death and to assure sick children that death is not scary and that they have nothing to be afraid of.